Lifting Heavy or Light: Both Build Muscle Differently
Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men
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 546 / 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
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 546 / 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
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2015
Authors
B. Schoenfeld, M. Peterson, Daniel I. Ogborn, B. Contreras, G. T. Sonmez
Related Content
Claims (5)
Lifting heavier weights for fewer reps makes well-trained young men stronger faster than lifting lighter weights for more reps, especially in exercises like squats and bench presses.
Lifting lighter weights many times in a row helps well-trained young men do more push-ups longer than lifting heavier weights fewer times, after 8 weeks of training.
Lifting heavier weights for fewer reps makes your legs much stronger than lifting lighter weights for more reps, but both types of training help your upper body a little bit too, and this might work differently for different muscles.
For young men who are already fit and lift weights until they can't anymore, doing lots of lighter reps builds muscle just as well as doing fewer heavy reps over 8 weeks.
Lifting weights until you can't do any more reps, whether with light or heavy weights, makes muscles grow bigger in fit young men after 8 weeks. It shows that pushing to your limit is what really matters for growth, not how heavy the weights are.