A study out of McMaster University in Ontario indicates that weightlifting with high-weight and low repetitions is no more effective at increasing muscle mass than using lower-weights with more repetitions. In fact, a lower-weight, high repetition routine proved to be slightly superior where hypertrophy is the main goal.
Wherever males congregate to lift weights (high school weight rooms, college fitness centers, commercial gyms, etc.), one can find the testosterone induced urge to “max-out” on the weights. Whether it is pride, peer pressure, or competition, there is a constant tendency to see them struggle with the heaviest weights they can manage even if it means only doing 5 or 6 repetitions. Not only is this kind of weightlifting more dangerous from an injury standpoint, it may not be as effective as limiting oneself to the lighter weights and exercising longer.
The McMaster University study found that the most important factor behind muscle hypertrophy was that muscles are exercised to complete exhaustion, regardless of the amount of weight being lifted. The researchers measured 15 men who performed leg extension exercises at different load-to-volume ratios. Muscle biopsies performed before and after the study regimen were examined for the signs muscle hypertrophy. Each group of men displayed muscle growth, but the low-weight, higher repetition group experienced significantly more gain.
The ramifications of the results extended beyond muscle-building in young men. Increased muscle mass is beneficial to men and women of all ages for a variety of reasons. In the elderly, for example, greater muscle mass can mean less injury risk from falling.
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