Heavy 'Ego Lifting' Vs. Slow/Controlled: Which Is Better?

► THE BODY TRANSFORMATION BLUEPRINT
Science-based muscle building and fat loss system:

► REALSCIENCE ATHLETICS
No B.S, premium quality supplements you can trust:

CONNECT WITH ME

GET YOUR FREE CUSTOM MEAL PLAN

TAKE MY ONLINE FITNESS QUIZ

-------------------------------------------------

Video Transcript:

How Heavy Should You Lift? (Ego Lifting Vs. Light Weights)

What is the better approach to building muscle:

1) Super heavy "ego lifting" where the primary goal is to lift as much weight as possible and simply move it from point A to point B regardless of momentum.

2) Light weights using a slow and controlled cadence, with a focus on maximizing the mind-muscle connection and fully activating the muscle being trained.

Most people want a black and white answer to the heavy weight vs. light weight debate and often ask me "how heavy should I lift to build muscle as effectively as possible?"

Well, how heavy SHOULD you lift?

Just like with most bodybuilding questions, the answer is not black and white and instead lies somewhere in the middle.

The advantage of lifting lighter weights is that you'll still be able to effectively stimulate muscle growth, but while placing your joints under less stress.

The downside is that if you go too light and too "controlled", you likely won't maximize overall muscle fiber recruitment and growth.

"Ego lifting" on the other hand has the advantage in that it will maximize muscle fiber recruitment and strength gains due to its faster and more explosive lifting nature (assuming you're using decent form), but has the downside of increasing injury risk.

Although you aren't guaranteed to get hurt by always lifting heavy, there's no question that an "ego lifting" approach using a lot of momentum will place more cumulative wear and tear on your joints and increase the chances of a sudden injury due to your form slipping.

This is an especially risky form of lifting for muscle building newbies out there who don't have a good size and strength foundation to work with and who don't have the proper lifting fundamentals down first.

Remember that bodybuilding is not a quick fix - it's a lifelong endeavour.

Although a certain style of bodybuilding training might be fine for a few months or a few years, you have to think long term and ask yourself what sort of workout plan is going to allow you to make the muscle gains you're after while ensuring that you stay healthy over the long term.

You're only as strong as your weakest link, and if you injure a shoulder or your lower back, this can sometimes stay with you for years or even permanently throughout your fitness journey.

So, when it comes to training for hypertrophy (training for pure strength or for athletics would be a bit different), my advice is to use a good middle ground approach.

Not an overly heavy "ego lifting" style using lots of cheat reps, but not a super light and overly controlled form of training either. Go somewhere in between.

Choose a weight that still feels decently heavy for you relative to the rep range that you're using, and use a little bit of natural body movement during your sets.

In terms of rep speed, perform the concentric portion of the rep hard and fast but while focusing on activating the muscle you're trying to target.

Then, lower the weight under reasonable control. You don't need to do super slow negatives, but I wouldn't suggest letting gravity do all the work either because there is value in actively resisting the weight as you lower it. For the goal of hypertrophy while taking your joints into account, a good 2 second or 3 second negative works well on most exercises.

Keep in mind that virtually any lifting approach will produce results as long as you're progressing over time, but for safe, healthy, ongoing muscle gains over the long term, a moderate approach is probably best most of the time for most bodybuilding lifters out there.

P.S. If you found these bodybuilding tips helpful, make sure to get your personalized training, nutrition and supplement plans using my interactive video presentation below:

[Sean_Nalewanyj]

Thanks for checking out the video guys. What style of lifting do you personally use in terms of how heavy you go and how strict you are with your form, and why? Leave a comment below.

[onboardmanx]

There's also a difference between lifting heavy and ego lifting

[miskee]

I always do slow and controlled ego lifts.

[walkthrough]

muscles doesn't understand numbers, only resistance and tension..go as heavy as you can as long as you feel the actual muscle working and you're good to go.

[copernicus]

My sweet spot seems to be 6-8 reps, going close to failure. Heavy enough to feel tension on the first rep, but light enough that tension is placed largely on the target muscles and proper form can be maintained throughout the set. Many grow very well with higher rep work though, and there could be a genetic fiber type-specific reason for this. The science is still not conclusive on these issues.

[Latissimus]

This topic used to drive me crazy when I was newer to lifting. Best video Ive ever seen covering it.

[TacticsTechniquesandProcedures]

Arnold- "you've gawt to shawk da muscle."

[patrickb]

Love ur channel sean! 100% reliable information on every single topic regarding fitness

[SeanCook]

As a ventran trainer, I like the middle of road for the Long haul. I did ego lifting in my early days & paid for it with injuries, so follow Sean's advice!!

[dalequale]

I'm 67 and about a year into resuming strength training.
Wisdom and listening to my body and caring more about how I feel than how I look are my guide posts every workout. Progression and failure, see in a month. NO INJURY!!

[ahmaddzulilmimuis]

i like go heavy but stay in proper from as i can

[artguy]

I am 64 now and started weight training at around 14 or 15 years of age. I still weight train 2-3 times a week but I don't go as heavy as I did early on. I use more moderate weights, just enough to put stress on the muscle and use higher more controlled reps as I am dealing with arthritis now in some of my joints probably brought on in part by going heavy years ago. Plus it takes me longer to recover between workouts these days. Protect your joints at all costs as you get older and forget ego lifting. It will only get your hurt.

[GreyException]

I was just making a similar observation and had to look up whether or not it’s been discussed in detail.

Totally agree with Sean here. Goal dependent, individually dependent, and people just want simple answers or wanna feel smart.

I do recall getting absolutely shredded by the online fitness community on Reddit. Said I wouldnt get my 12 year old brother to deadlift 225lbs in response to a question. That promptly sparked all the DYEL bros into a frenzy.

[adambird]

I lift fairly quickly, but controlled. On each rep I reserve my effort for the 'sticking point', and if the weight is too heavy for me to retain a constant bar velocity throughout the rep, then I reduce the weight. I don't lock out, except on the last rep, and keep the tension on the muscles. Lifting's an art that can always be perfected ever further over years.

[dspisegna]

Great video Sean as always. For about the past 9 months I have been pretty strictly adhering to the 5-7 rep range using a 2 second positive and 2 second negative whenever possible. I have been very happy with the results and no injuries. Using the slow and controlled method allows me to progress steadily over time and I have the numbers to prove it. Thank you for the great advice.

[testing]

Wish you a well recovery on your current injury Sean

[Torch_Vs]

Injury or health
Shouldn't even be up for debate

[juwogaming]

heavy ego lifting: some strength gains

slow controlled: build muscle and gain strength from time to time

[alchemiaofficial]

My injuries have almost always come from hi reps sets. Drop sets, super sets, anything over 20 reps with high intensity kills me when I do them often. It’s when I focus on strength and take longer rest times I can focus better on form and explosive power, and I always feel more fresh day to day from the lack of nervous system fatigue.

[maypalmer]

Sean Nalewanyj has DONE IT AGAIN!! This was EXACTLY what I needed to hear, having sustained some kind of weird injury to my left elbow. I'd been lifting heavy for the last couple of years and finally had to "pay the price" with joint pain in my elbow. I've had to rest it for a couple of weeks but am happily back to training. I am 53 years old and didn't realize that we older lifters have to take some things into consideration. Yup, no more "Ego Lifting" for this gal. Thanks Sean for your caring, intelligent and NO-BS Information ALWAYS!!