Slow weight lifting works as well as fast for muscles
Effects of Whole-Body Low-Intensity Resistance Training With Slow Movement and Tonic Force Generation on Muscular Size and Strength in Young Men
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
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.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
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 547 / 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
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.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
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 547 / 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
Authors
Tanimoto M, Sanada K, Yamamoto K, Kawano H, Gando Y, Tabata I, Ishii N, Miyachi M
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.