Heavy vs Light Weight Training

If you do the same total amount of weightlifting work, lifting heavy weights with longer breaks and lifting lighter weights with shorter breaks both build muscle about the same, but lifting heavy gives you more strength.

If you're a guy who already works out and wants to build muscle fast with less time, doing bodybuilding workouts (lighter weights, shorter breaks) gets similar results much quicker than powerlifting workouts (heavier weights, longer breaks).

Two different weightlifting styles—one focused on heavy weights with long breaks, the other on lighter weights with short breaks—both grew arm muscles about the same amount when people lifted the same total amount over 8 weeks.

If you're a young guy who already lifts weights, doing heavy lifts with longer breaks might help you get stronger at bench press faster than doing lighter lifts with shorter breaks, even if you do the same total amount of work. But the difference might be small, and we need more research to be sure.

This study looked at two types of weight training for young men who already lift weights. It found a small hint that powerlifting-style training might help build more squat strength than bodybuilding-style training over 8 weeks, but the results aren't clear enough to be sure—bigger studies are needed.