The Study
Velocity Specific Adaptations to Three Widely Used Strength Training Methods: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
This study compared three ways of lifting weights and found that two of them made people stronger and faster than the third. Because people were randomly assigned to groups, we can say the training method probably caused the changes—not just that they happened together.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested three ways to train the bench press: lifting super heavy, lifting moderate weight many times, or doing fast throws with light weight.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 548 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — if you want to get stronger and move weights faster, lifting heavier loads works better than practicing fast movements with light weights.
- 2Lifting heavy (+21.5%) or moderate weight (+17.9%) made people much stronger and faster across all weights.
- 3Fast throws with light weight (+5.9%) barely helped.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicine and science in sports and exercise
Year
2024
Authors
Glenn Trane, Stine Pedersen, H. Mehus, J. Helgerud, R. Unhjem
Related Content
Claims (10)
Increases in strength are mainly due to changes in how the nervous system activates muscles, while increases in muscle size are mainly due to the total amount of training performed within a repetition range of 4 to 30 reps.
For beginners lifting weights, gaining strength is about the same whether they use heavier weights with fewer reps or lighter weights with more reps, as long as the total amount of work done is equal.
When lifting weights until nearly exhausted, the amount of muscle growth is similar whether you use fewer repetitions with heavier weights or more repetitions with lighter weights.
Muscle growth occurs when muscles are subjected to mechanical tension during resistance training, and this tension can be created by lifting heavy weights for few repetitions or moderate weights for many repetitions, as long as the set is taken close to the point of inability to continue.
For people new to weight training, lifting weights three times a week with at least three minutes of rest between sets leads to comparable increases in muscle size and strength whether they use heavier weights for fewer reps or lighter weights for more reps.
In moderately trained adults, performing explosive bench press throws at 40% of maximum strength does not lead to better gains in movement speed at the same load compared to other types of training focused on strength or muscle growth, even though the explosive movements are fast.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.