2023-08-28 08:30:55
by Cristina Brown
To develop strength you have to opt for work on the barbell but to increase muscle mass the repetitions with weights are equivalent but you have to work harder
For those who go to the gym and practice workouts to develop strength and endurance (not necessarily body building) the most debated dilemma in the weight room is: is it better to lift heavy loads for a few repetitions or lighter weights with a higher number of repetitions? The debate between athletes and coaches is now centuries old: what is the right combination to obtain the best results? In truth there are an incredible number of combinations and factors that interact with each other and must be taken into consideration to maximize the results on strength and muscle mass. Now a new study published on the British Journal of Sports Medicine somewhat confirms what has emerged in recent years from other works: it is not true that heavier weights loaded on the balance wheel are the only option. A lot actually depends on what the goal is.
The new studio
In the new study, researchers at McMaster University in Canada, led by Stuart Phillips (who has already published numerous works on the subject) examined 192 randomized controlled trials for a total of a sample of over 5,000 people, equally divided between women and men . The sample size is such that the work is unique, and it took years of work to analyze huge amounts of data revolving around three key variables of resistance training: higher loads versus lower loads; single or multiple workouts on muscle groups and training frequency: one, two, three or more sessions per week.
The choice of weight depends on the lens
Most fitness experts have come to the conclusion that using heavier weights, which can only be lifted three to five times, is more effective at building strength while using lighter weights, which can be lifted eight to ten times, is equivalent to heavy loads or even works better for gaining muscle mass. And science backs it up. The choice of which type of exercise to perform and with which weights essentially depends on the goals you set yourself. If the goal is to build strength, lifting heavy loads is an efficient way to do it. If the goal is to build muscle mass, weight training also works. For a long time it was believed that muscle fibers grew more when lifting heavier weights. In fact there is now confirmation that even the lightest weights are an important workout for building muscle fiber. However, fatigue balances the two types of training: more repetitions of the exercise with low weights will be needed to achieve the same result.
Same muscle mass but not the same strength
«It is very true that those who use small weights can achieve the same muscle mass as those who use much heavier weights, but not the same strength – comments Gianfranco Beltrami, specialist in Sports Medicine and vice president of the Italian Sports Medicine Federation -. It is in fact widely documented and known that using medium loads until exhaustion or high loads leads to the same results as regards the hypertrophy of the muscle fibers and therefore the volume of the muscle». However, it must be reiterated, when it comes to muscle strength, research shows that you need to lift increasingly heavier loads to maximize gains.
More repetitions with light weights
Not everyone can lift heavy loads due to age or injuries sustained. However, it is possible to obtain benefits on muscle mass even with lower intensity training and lighter weights, but it will be necessary to do many repetitions, until you feel exhausted, i.e. you reach what is called the “fatigue point” in jargon. That means 20 to 30 reps, sometimes more. “If you choose to lift lighter weights, you’ll have to do more reps to get the same benefits you would get by lifting heavy weights,” Beltrami clarifies.
August 28, 2023 (change August 28, 2023 | 08:30)
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