Light Weights vs Heavy Weights for Muscle Growth

Conventional wisdom has us convinced that high reps and light weights builds muscle endurance and makes little contribution to gains in muscle mass. However, is this a valid perspective? Well, to determine if heavy and light weight training cause different effects, we need to look at the research. After reviewing the research out there, it seems that using heavy or light weights actually doesn’t matter much in terms of hypertrophy. Studies show that muscle growth tends to be equal despite using light weights or heavy weights (high rep vs low rep). But this is only true when going to near failure, and one benefit of lifting heavy weights is the better strength gains you see when compared to light weights. Based on this, as you’ll see in my video, your best bet is to incorporate high reps with light weights AND low reps with heavy weights into your workout. This will enable you to target both metabolic stress and mechanical tension; both are important mechanisms of muscle growth.

LIGHT WEIGHTS VS HEAVY WEIGHTS ARTICLE:
https://builtwithscience.com/light-weights-heavy-weights/

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MUSIC:
https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired
“Fast Lane” – Lakey Inspired

VIDEO CREDITS:
https://www.youtube.com/user/RCSSTV (Ronnie Coleman)
https://www.youtube.com/user/GovSchwarzenegger (Pumping Iron)

STUDIES:
Philips 2012: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22518835
Philips 2016: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27174923
More evidence:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18978616, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28032435
Meta Analysis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25530577