We are under the impression that lifting heavy weights is the gateway to growing big muscle. The heavier we lift, the bigger our muscles.
Conventional wisdom has dictated that one has to lift progressively heavier weights in order to continue stimulating muscle fibers for growth.
Then, we see images of hardcore competitive bodybuilders in magazines pounding out stacks of plates and bulky dumbbells, further reinforcing this belief.
A program anchored on lifting progressively heavier weights, along with a sound nutritional regimen, can and will, no doubt, stimulate muscle growth. But is it the only way to go about it? Lifting heavy can take a toll on the joints, bones and lead to injury. The risk is all the more enhanced with less than perfect or improper lifting form. So in order to reduce the risks associated with heavy weights, the challenge is to place equal stress on the muscles, enough to stimulate growth with lighter weights.
A recent study has shown that muscle size can be increased with resistance levels of 50 percent of one repetition maximum for a particular weight-training exercise.
If for instance you can lift a maximum of 200 lbs on the bench press for one repetition, lifting half of that, 100 lbs for several repetitions until failure, may stimulate growth in the same manner. Take note that muscle growth does not merely involve heavy stress on the muscle but also metabolic, hormonal and neuronal factors.
Let me, however, differentiate this from that great bodybuilding myth that lifting heavy with low repetitions is for muscle mass and lifting light weights for high repetitions is for muscle definition. This simply does not hold true. Weights, light or heavy, can stimulate muscle growth so long as enough stress is put on muscle fibers. It is always a good strategy to go and alternate from light and heavy weights in order to confuse our muscles so they do not get used to a particular routine such that they no longer respond to stimulus.
So yes, it is possible to build muscle without having to lift the entire weight stack. The key is finding the optimal weight and repetition range that best promote muscle growth. Even the world’s best bodybuilders differ in the strategies they utilize as their bodies respond in different ways. While some may get the best response in the 10-to-12 repetition range, others get better results in the four-to eight-repetition ranges.
Heavy weights can mean bigger muscles, but so can lighter weights with the proper technique, nutrition and workout strategy.
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