The Study
Effects of Whole-Body Low-Intensity Resistance Training With Slow Movement and Tonic Force Generation on Muscular Size and Strength in Young Men
This study is like a science experiment where people were randomly put into different exercise groups. It shows that slow-motion weight training worked about as well as regular fast training for building muscle in young men who don't normally lift weights. But we can't be 100% sure because we don't know if the people measuring results knew which group was which.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Lifting weights slowly with lighter weights made muscles bigger and stronger almost as much as lifting heavy weights fast, and was easier on the heart.
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 547 / 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, these are meaningful improvements in muscle and strength for beginners.
- 2Muscle grew 6.8% with slow lifting and 33% stronger; fast lifting grew muscle 9.1% and 41% stronger.
- 3Slow lifting had lower blood pressure during exercise.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2008
Authors
Michiya Tanimoto, K. Sanada, Kenta Yamamoto, H. Kawano, Y. Gando, I. Tabata, N. Ishii, M. Miyachi
Related Content
Claims (5)
Doing gentle weight training slowly twice a week for 13 weeks makes young men's muscles about 7% bigger and 33% stronger, almost as much as regular heavy lifting, which made muscles 9% bigger and 41% stronger.
Slow, low-effort weight training keeps your muscles working hard and starves them of oxygen more than fast, heavy lifting, which might help build muscle and strength just as well by stressing the muscles in a different way.
A tough type of fast weightlifting burns more belly fat than slow weightlifting, probably because it makes your body work harder and release more fat-burning hormones.
When doing slow, gentle weight training for your whole body, your muscles get just as tired and produce the same chemical buildup as fast, hard training—even though you're not lifting as heavy. This means your body is working hard in a different way to make the exercise effective.
Gentle strength training lowers your blood pressure during workouts more than intense training does, making it safer for people with heart risks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.