Take A Load Off

Recent Research Challenges the “lift Heavy to Grow” Gym Paradigm

- Pedro Van Gaalen

CONVENTIONAL WEIGHT TRAINING GUIDELINES AS THEY PERTAIN TO STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT AND MUSCLE GAIN, AND OUR EGO-DRIVEN NEED TO MANHANDLE HEAVY WEIGHTS TO PROVE OUR PROWESS, HAVE CREATED A GYM CULTURE WHERE HEAVY WEIGHTS DOMINATE OUR APPROACH TO TRAINING.

While this may be true for those looking to build strength, recent research has brought into question the need to constantly move heavy loads to build the most muscle. In fact, research on the subject of light-load training has helped to dispel the myth that the best stimulus for anabolism is short, intense fibre-tearing sets using heavy weights.

LIGHT WEIGHTS

It seems that lifting to near or absolute failure using light weights, which to this point has mainly been used to deliver a 'muscle pump' or to aid conditioning rather than promote muscle gain, can be just as effective as the conventional six to 12 rep structure of conventional sets.

The main reason for this is that lifting to failure and doing so more often targets the type-I slow-twitch muscle fibres that physique-conscious individuals tend to neglect as they are considered central to improved endurance, rather than size. However, in doing so it seems we've been short-changing our muscle building potential.

To this point, studies that focused on the hypertrophic capacity of type-I fibres were few and far between. However, recent research has uncovered truths about the growth rates of different muscle fibre types in response to various training intensities, which specifically shows that type-I fibres offer a reserve of untapped muscle-growth potential. However, this potential can only be unlocked with a shift in our approach to conventional weight training.

LOAD OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCES