How to lift weights for best results
American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 526 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 526 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Publication
Journal
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Year
2026
Authors
Brad S. Currier, Alysha C D'Souza, M. F. Singh, Caroline Lowisz, Eric S. Rawson, B. Schoenfeld, A. Smith‐Ryan, Jeremy P. Steen, Gwendolyn A Thomas, N. Triplett, T. Washington, Timothy J. Werner, Stuart M. Phillips
Related Content
Claims (6)
How many times you lift a weight affects what your body gets better at: lifting heavy weights a few times builds strength, lifting lighter weights many times builds endurance, and doing a middle amount builds muscle size.
Lifting heavy weights at least twice a week, doing full movements for a few sets each time, and doing it early in your workout can help healthy adults get stronger compared to not exercising or doing other types of training.
When healthy adults lift weights, doing more sets each week and focusing on slowly lowering the weight helps build bigger muscles.
For healthy adults, certain types of weight training—like lifting moderate weights quickly or doing Olympic lifts—can help improve how fast and powerful your muscles work, according to research reviews.
Lifting weights or doing strength exercises helps healthy adults walk faster, stay balanced, get up from a chair more easily, and move around better compared to not exercising at all.