How bench press weight and speed affect muscle growth and strength
Optimizing Strength and Hypertrophy: The Combined Effect of Intensity and Velocity Loss Thresholds in Bench Press Training.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Lifting heavier weights with some speed loss helps build bigger muscles and more strength.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
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 538 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Lifting heavier weights with some speed loss helps build bigger muscles and more strength.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
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 538 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Pareja-Blanco F, Sánchez-Valdepeñas J, Cornejo-Daza PJ, Rodiles-Guerrero L
Related Content
Claims (3)
When trained lifters slow down their bench press reps by half, it helps them build bigger chest muscles and do more reps.
When guys who lift weights slow down their bench press reps by about 25% from their fastest speed, it helps them get stronger faster than other training methods.
For men who already lift weights, doing bench presses with heavy weights (70-85% of their max) for 8 weeks gives the best boost to chest muscle size, strength, lifting speed, and how many reps they can do.