Do you need to lift heavy weights for gains? │ Dr. Brad Schoenfeld

For many years, the prevailing wisdom has been that heavier loads are always better than lighter loads for building muscle. However, Dr. Schoenfeld's research indicates muscle adaptations can still occur with lighter loads. Lifting heavy challenges muscles because the weight is heavy; however, you can challenge the muscles by doing more repetitions with lighter loads. Therefore, creating sufficient overload to challenge muscles beyond their present capacity. Light loads can build muscle and are often the best choice for those dealing with injuries or chronic joint problems. In this clip, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld describes how his opinion about lifting light loads has changed over the years.

Interview published on Dec 6, 2022

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#exercise #protein #muscle

[chrono]

Switching between both is a big hack. Doing 6 months to a year doing only light weight 30 to 50 reps then switching to heavier 8 to 10 reps. You keep gaining those novelty gains every time you switch because when you train one pathway the other becomes de conditioned priming you for when you switch. Explosive training is another variable that works that many aren't taking about right now.

[happynjoyousnfree]

This makes me really happy. I have lipedema, so my cartilage is weak and hyper-flexible. I injure myself REALLY easily so I have to be really careful how much weight I try to lift or put on a machine. I feel so often like I'm not accomplishing anything... so this is very reassuring that I can use lighter weights and more reps and still improve my strength. Thank you ❤

[flow]

i change the Weights and Reprange between the Sets in the Excercise. Example Bizeps Curl :: Set1 15 Reps 30 Kg, Set2 10 Reps 35 Kg, Set3 6 Reps 45 kG:

This is the best way for myself to increase Strenght muscle mass and endurance without skyrocketing the fatigue.

[xdxfrpp]

It sounds like for high repetition training, once the muscle is fatigued, then the increased effort to lift the light weight is as stressful as if it was a heavyweight with lower reps, which makes sense. But then you have to consider the nervous system and other types of issues that heavier training might be better for certain sports rather than taxing yourself doing high reps with full exertion. For example **try doing 30 squats to failure and see how your tennis practice is gonna go after. You probably couldn't walk, let alone sprint.

[AndyMorrisArt]

I wish he had expounded on that last statement that light loads target type II muscle fibers. He did state earlier light loads that required up to 30 or 40 reps to failure, which insinuates a threshold beyond which "light" loads will not trigger strength gains or any substantial muscle growth and that seems consistent with the intuitive notion of what sort of physique is commonly seen in long-distance runners and cyclists. They may have better muscle development than the average slacker but nothing like that of a power lifter. Mike Mentzer was always claiming that the 2 keys to muscle growth were stimulation of muscle growth through reaching near failure of that muscle group and recovery, and his premise on using heavier loads with fewer reps coupled with longer than common recovery times was that any exertion of a muscle beyond that required to stimulate growth was wasted effort that cut into a muscles ability to recover. And when I heard that it made sense to me so at 65 years of age I tried it. And I was able to gain nearly 5 pounds of lean mass in a short period of time about 4 months adding nearly an inch to my arms and noticeably larger thighs but I didn't measure them. However lacking a full set of dumbells I wasn't actually in the 4-5 rep territory more like the 8-10 reps, but what I did do was wait longer between sessions 5 days and it seemed to work. Now at one point he had guys training just one set to absolute failure using assisted lifts and negatives to reach a very high level of "failure." Then he didn't have them train again for I believe a whole week.

[hornsteinhof]

The quotes of studies popping up are a great addition to the video.

[mikesveganlife]

A good thing to share would be any research on those over 50, how to approach resistance training for muscle growth + nutrition. i.e. older people often reduce caloric intake, and nutrition can struggle. Also with the concern of ligaments and joints, is the body of older people reactive to slowly increasing the load on the joint over some period of time along with proper nutrition able to strengthen the joints or ligaments such that heavier weights can be supported properly?

[igotthatcrypto]

Let me save you some time. The answer is no.

[CoachTammyLee]

Fantastic info. Easy to digest. Encouraging for people who think that the only way to make strength gains is by lifting heavy loads. Now they know better and can get at it. 💪

[Magnulus]

I've done sets of 60 with 2-3 pound dumbells. High reps definitely works. Early bodybuilders sometimes advocated using light dumbells with high reps also (sometimes as many as 100).

[hikerJohn]

As long as you take it to fatigue it does not matter how long it takes you to get there.
But can you get any type II fibers back after you get old?

[MrTom]

But the fatigue to benefit from a light load to close to failure is exhausting and makes for a long workout session. You can use a heavier load, have less fatigue, shorter session . . I do however agree when nursing a injury or sore joint, light load to close to failure is the way

[peaceonearth]

Speed skaters get huge legs. Apparently via multi-rep skating strides.

[jungtarcph]

BFR - Blood Flow Restriction to avoid damages and lower the joint pressure from heavy lifting ? thoughts...

[thetank]

Depends.
If you have a program, strength training 4 weeks and hypertrophy training the next 4 weeks, rotating your diet accordingly, this will benefit gains

[deavman]

Somehow I can't see getting real strength from 30rep sets..

[Mohammed-rbs]

Sweet! 🕺🏽 “everybody wants big muscles but nobody wants to lift heavy ass weights”

[Soul.Is.Willing]

This may be just for newbie gains. Even the short study below them says for people who didn't normally train.

[bakeone]

Maybe the take home message, (you have to go beyond what a muscle is accustomed to to gain muscle growth) is on point, but seeing an Rx come from people who say they lift but don't have good muscularity isn't very encouraging.

[lobarita]

Thanks for this interview. Great questions.