Heavy or Light Weights? Both Build Muscle, But Heavy Wins for Strength
Changes in muscular strength following nine weeks of high- or low-load resistance training.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Low-load training led to nonsignificant decreases in isokinetic torque at fast speeds (60°/s and 120°/s), while high-load maintained or improved strength.
Most fitness advice says 'training to failure' makes load irrelevant—this suggests light weights might actually impair explosive strength, even if muscle size doesn’t change.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is to increase your max lift (1-RM), prioritize heavier loads (75–85% 1-RM) even if you train to failure.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Low-load training led to nonsignificant decreases in isokinetic torque at fast speeds (60°/s and 120°/s), while high-load maintained or improved strength.
Most fitness advice says 'training to failure' makes load irrelevant—this suggests light weights might actually impair explosive strength, even if muscle size doesn’t change.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is to increase your max lift (1-RM), prioritize heavier loads (75–85% 1-RM) even if you train to failure.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness
Year
2024
Authors
Marissa L. Bello, Zachary M. Gillen, JohnEric W. Smith
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Claims (4)
When resistance training is performed to volitional muscular failure, hypertrophic outcomes are equivalent across a wide range of loads (from low to high) and repetition ranges.
Lifting heavier weights for nine weeks made young men stronger in a max lift test than lifting lighter weights, even when both groups worked until they couldn't do another rep.
Lifting light weights for nine weeks didn't make people stronger on a machine that tests muscle power at different speeds, and in fact, their performance slightly dropped — while heavy lifting kept their strength steady.
Both heavy and light weight training, done until exhaustion, didn’t change how hard participants could push or pull in a static muscle test after nine weeks.