Fast vs. Slow Weight Lifting for Strength
Intentionally Slow Concentric Velocity Resistance Exercise and Strength Adaptations: A Meta-Analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Women benefit dramatically more from fast training than men, with a nearly 12 times larger effect size.
It contradicts the common assumption that training effects are similar across genders and highlights biological differences in response to exercise velocity.
Practical Takeaways
Prioritize fast or traditional lifting speeds (concentric phase ≤2 seconds) in your workouts to boost strength, especially if you're a woman.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Women benefit dramatically more from fast training than men, with a nearly 12 times larger effect size.
It contradicts the common assumption that training effects are similar across genders and highlights biological differences in response to exercise velocity.
Practical Takeaways
Prioritize fast or traditional lifting speeds (concentric phase ≤2 seconds) in your workouts to boost strength, especially if you're a woman.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2023
Authors
Matthew J. Hermes, A. Fry
Related Content
Claims (6)
Lifting weights faster or normally gives you more strength gains than lifting weights very slowly, especially for healthy adults.
When women do fast weightlifting exercises, they get much stronger compared to slow lifting, but men don't see much difference between fast and slow lifting.
When scientists looked at all the studies together, they found that some were missing, making the results look smaller than they really are. After fixing this, it seems fast training works better than they first thought.
Whether you're new to lifting weights or experienced, how fast you lift doesn't really change how much stronger you get. Both groups got a tiny bit stronger with fast lifting, but it wasn't a clear or big difference.
Whether you're young or old doesn't really change how fast or slow weight training affects your strength gains. Young people might get a tiny extra boost from fast lifting, but for older folks, it doesn't make much difference either way.