Whether people lift heavy weights with few reps or lighter weights with more reps—while doing the same total amount of work—both ways make their muscles grow about the same size in the chest and thighs after 8 weeks.
Scientific Claim
In resistance-trained young men, 8 weeks of volume-equated high-repetition and low-repetition daily undulating periodization programs produce similar increases in muscle thickness of the chest, distal lateral quadriceps, and anterior quadriceps, indicating that hypertrophy adaptations may not depend on repetition range when volume is controlled.
Original Statement
“Similarly, both groups experienced significant increases in chest, lateral quadriceps distal, and anterior quadriceps MT (p < 0.05), but no change was present in either group for lateral quadriceps mid MT (p < 0.05). No group differences were discovered for changes in MT (p > 0.05).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The abstract does not confirm randomization or control for confounders, so causation cannot be assumed. The claim implies a general rule, but the findings are limited to trained young men under specific protocols.
More Accurate Statement
“In resistance-trained young men, 8 weeks of volume-equated high-repetition and low-repetition daily undulating periodization programs are associated with similar increases in muscle thickness of the chest, distal lateral quadriceps, and anterior quadriceps, suggesting that when total training volume is matched, repetition range may not strongly influence hypertrophy in these muscle regions.”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Volume-equated high- and low-repetition daily undulating programming strategies produce similar hypertrophy and strength adaptations.
When two groups of trained guys lifted the same total amount of weight but one used heavier weights with fewer reps and the other used lighter weights with more reps, both ended up with the same muscle growth—so rep range doesn’t matter as much as total work done.