More reps help some older people grow muscles
Higher resistance training volume offsets muscle hypertrophy non-responsiveness in older individuals.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some older people don't grow muscles much with just one set of leg exercises. This study gave them four sets instead — and those who didn't respond before started growing muscles and getting stronger. People who already grew muscles with one set grew a little more with four sets, but their strength didn't get any better.
Surprising Findings
Nonresponders to single-set training showed significant strength gains with four sets—despite not responding to low volume.
It’s commonly assumed that strength gains are harder to manipulate than muscle growth, and that nonresponders are 'genetically stuck'—but this shows volume can unlock both muscle and strength in them.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re an older adult not seeing muscle growth after 10 weeks of one-set training, try increasing to four sets per exercise twice a week.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some older people don't grow muscles much with just one set of leg exercises. This study gave them four sets instead — and those who didn't respond before started growing muscles and getting stronger. People who already grew muscles with one set grew a little more with four sets, but their strength didn't get any better.
Surprising Findings
Nonresponders to single-set training showed significant strength gains with four sets—despite not responding to low volume.
It’s commonly assumed that strength gains are harder to manipulate than muscle growth, and that nonresponders are 'genetically stuck'—but this shows volume can unlock both muscle and strength in them.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re an older adult not seeing muscle growth after 10 weeks of one-set training, try increasing to four sets per exercise twice a week.
Publication
Journal
Journal of applied physiology
Year
2024
Authors
M. Lixandrão, M. Bamman, Felipe C. Vechin, M. Conceição, Guilherme Telles, Igor Longobardi, Felipe Damas, K. Lavin, D. Drummer, J. McAdam, Cory M. Dungan, A. E. Leitão, Luiz A Riani Costa, A. Aihara, C. Libardi, B. Gualano, H. Roschel
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Claims (10)
People might respond differently to how much weight training they do, but we can't say for sure because the studies done so far aren't clear enough.
Everyone’s body responds differently to workouts—what works wonders for one person might be too much or too little for another, because of differences in genes, energy use, and how fast they recover.
Some people don't gain muscle with certain workout volumes, but they might grow a lot when switching to a different amount—meaning everyone might respond best to their own 'sweet spot' for lifting volume.
Everyone can build muscle with consistent strength training over time — if you didn’t gain muscle once, it’s probably not your genes, just that specific training phase didn’t work for you.
Just because someone doesn't gain muscle in one workout phase doesn't mean they never will—everyone eventually gains muscle with enough training over time.