Heavy Weight And Low Reps Or Lighter Weight And High Reps For Muscle Growth?
- callowgavin1
- Aug 10, 2022
- 3 min read
One question that seems to come up often during our classes is "what weight should I be lifting to build muscle?". Not everyone can afford to constantly buy new and heavier weights, some people may have old injuries that stop them from lifting weight past a certain load and certain individuals may simply not enjoy hoisting super heavy weights. So I think this is an excellent question and deserves some attention. Before we carry on, I must stress that this post will focus on lifting weight for muscle growth, not strength or power as those are separate concepts.
Now, back to the issue at hand, several studies have been undertaken in an attempt to answer the very question of how heavy one should be lifting to grow muscle (I have included their links below). The answer? It was found that people can gain equivalent muscle when lifting low weights for high reps (30% of max for 30 - 40 reps) and heavier weights for lower rep ranges (80% of max for 10 - 12 reps). In other words, when it comes to lifting for muscle growth, weight is not necessarily that important, instead, it is the intensity we put behind the movement that counts, where we should be aiming to lift until we are about 2 - 3 reps short of failure. Think about bodybuilders vs strength athletes. Bodybuilders typically lift lighter loads as compared to the strength athletes for more repetitions (often stopping just shy of failure). As a result, bodybuilders typically possess a greater amount of muscle mass as compared to strength athletes.
This is one reason, why I love making use of timed workouts/movements during our classes because those who use heavier weights will accumulate fewer reps and those members who use lighter weights will achieve a higher rep count. For example:
Bicep curls with 10kg for 1 minute = 10 reps
Bicep curls with 4kg for 1 minute = 30 reps
In both cases, you can stimulate the same amount of muscle growth if you push the set as hard as you can (however do not sacrifice form to get a few more reps). The primary pathway through which we achieve this is metabolic stress. Essentially we are constantly contracting and relaxing the muscle, which creates a scenario where the demand for oxygenated blood exceeds its supply over time. This is where we tend to feel the burning sensation as lactate and hydrogen ion build-up start to increase (hydrogen ion build-up causes the burning feeling). We also tend to experience a 'pumped up' feeling in our muscles as blood pools/sits in the working muscles.
We can also make the argument that lifting within higher rep ranges also prepares us for most of the activities that we tend to undertake outside of training. Think about something as simple as doing chores, carrying groceries, or even children. Most of this involves moving and carrying weight for a prolonged period of time. Very rarely are we asked to pick something outrageously heavy up for a split second and then set it down.
To sum up, if brute strength is your ultimate goal, then yes you will need to lift heavier weight because strength is a skill and the body needs to learn to move with/under such weight. However, when it comes to muscle gain, your body actually does not care how much weight you lift, as long as you do so with the appropriate intensity. That, coupled with adequate sleep, hydration, and sound nutrition WILL result in muscle gain.
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