The Study
Muscle Failure Promotes Greater Muscle Hypertrophy in Low-Load but Not in High-Load Resistance Training
This study is like a fair test where people were randomly assigned to different exercise groups. It shows that certain types of exercise probably cause muscle growth in beginners, but we can't be 100% sure because the test wasn't perfect.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When lifting light weights, pushing until you can't lift anymore makes muscles grow more than just doing some reps. With heavy weights, pushing to failure doesn't help more. Heavy weights always make you stronger than light weights.
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, 7.8% muscle growth is noticeable; 33% strength gain is substantial.
- 2Light weights to failure: 7.8% muscle growth; light weights not to failure: 2.8% growth; heavy weights: ~8% growth with or without failure; heavy weights: ~33% stronger; light weights: ~17% stronger.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2019
Authors
T. Lasevicius, B. Schoenfeld, C. Silva-Batista, Talita de Souza Barros, A. Aihara, Helderson Brendon, A. R. Longo, V. Tricoli, Bergson de Almeida Peres, E. Teixeira
Related Content
Videos (2)
Claims (7)
When lifting lighter weights, pushing until you can't lift anymore helps build bigger muscles, but this doesn't happen with heavier weights. Heavier weights always build more strength than lighter ones, no matter how hard you push.
When lifting lighter weights, pushing until you can't do any more reps helps build more muscle than stopping early. But with heavier weights, pushing to failure doesn't give much extra muscle growth compared to stopping a bit sooner.
Lifting heavier weights makes untrained men much stronger than lifting lighter weights over 8 weeks, even if both types of training are done until you can't lift anymore.
For beginners lifting weights, pushing muscles to complete exhaustion doesn't build more muscle than stopping just short of exhaustion, as long as the total amount of lifting is the same over 8 weeks.
When people lift light weights until they can't anymore, their thigh muscles grow much more than if they just lift lightly without pushing to the limit, showing that working really hard is key for muscle growth even with light weights.
When you exercise until your muscles can't do any more reps, you feel much more tired and uncomfortable compared to stopping earlier, no matter how heavy or light the weights are.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.