We are all out of sorts right now due to our limited access to gyms and heavy weights, but do not let that deter you from continuing to get after it with lighter weights.
One study on the effects of high reps and low reps on muscle growth compared sets performed with weights at 80 percent of one-rep maximum (1RM) to complete muscular fatigue with sets performed with weights at 30 percent of 1RM to complete muscular fatigue. Turns out that the weight of the load is not as important. Instead, what matters is whether a muscle is worked to complete fatigue. This study demonstrated that high reps and light weights can stimulate just as much muscle growth as low reps and heavy weights.
For example, you can build your chest by doing a few sets of high-rep push-ups to complete failure. This is a potent tactic you can apply right now in your living room.
In another study, super-slow lifting at 55 percent to 60 percent of the participant’s 1RM increased both muscle thickness and maximal strength just as much as standard-speed lifts performed at 80 to 90 percent of the participant’s 1RM.
In yet another study, both heavy lifts of eight to ten reps and light lifts of eighteen to twenty reps activated the genes involved in muscle growth. Research has also demonstrated that 25 to 35 reps with lighter weights leads to the same gains in muscle size as 8 to 12 reps with heavier weights. Even in seasoned weight lifters, 20 to 25 reps with a light weight leads to the same muscle growth as 8 to 12 reps with a heavy weight.
Ultimately, if you want to add muscle mass during this time, you should incorporating one of these modalities because you can still build muscle with light weights and high reps—and, incidentally, research suggests this approach is particularly effective when training legs.
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1. Cameron J. Mitchell et al., “Resistance Exercise Load Does Not Determine Training-Mediated Hypertrophic Gains in Young Men,” Journal of Applied Physiology 113, no. 1 (July 2012): 71–77, https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00307.2012.
2. Michiya Tanimoto et al., “Effects of Whole-Body Low-Intensity Resistance Training With Slow Movement and Tonic Force Generation on Muscular Size and Strength in Young Men,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22, no. 6 (November 2008): 1926–1938, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318185f2b0.
3. Brad Schoenfeld et al., “Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 29, no. 10 (October 2015): 2954–2963, https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000958; Bent R. Rønnestad et al., “Dissimilar Effects Of One- And Three-Set Strength Training On Strength And Muscle Mass Gains In Upper And Lower Body In Untrained Subjects,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 21, no. 1 (February 2007): 157–163, https://doi.org/10.1519/00124278-200702000-00028; Hanssen et al., “The Effect of Strength Training,” 728–739, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2012.01452.x.