This finding is consistent with another new study, the largest meta-analytic review ever on resistance training. It turns out that whatever method works best for lifting weights. All versions of resistance training the researchers examined, regardless of age or gender, whether heavy or light weight, high or low number of weekly sessions and sets, resulted in gains in strength and muscle mass. rice field.
The results of this study could be a useful boost for those who rarely or never lift. research published That’s about 70 percent of American adults this year.
“Doing anything is better than doing nothing,” says Bradley Currier, a kinesiology graduate student at Canada’s McMaster University and co-lead author of the new review.
But research has found that certain adjustments and technique tips can help you get the most out of your weight training.
weight training made easy
“Many people find the concept of strength training intimidating,” says Anoop Balachandran, assistant professor of exercise science at the City University of New York at Flushing and lead author of the new study on light lifting and weightlifting. .
I feel sorry for him, he continued. That’s because weight training is often built around complex formulas that include someone’s Maximum Reach Weight (1RM), the percentage of the maximum weight someone can lift at one time. In standard training, people lift weights equal to 80-90% of his 1RM. This means that it is so heavy that you can only lift it a few times before your muscles get tired.
But Balachandran and others say the practice is more tradition-based than science-based, especially among young, non-male lifters, the population most commonly employed, comparing heavy versus light weights. We noted that relatively few direct studies have done so. for past experiments.
So in a new study published in Experimental Gerontology, scientists looked at middle-aged men and women who weren’t used to weight training.
After assessing everyone’s strength, muscle mass, and endurance (a measure of how long a muscle can stay active), the researchers asked half of the volunteers to lift up to 8 to 12 reps. I started a program that used heavy weights. The rest used much lighter weights and were able to lift 20-24 times.
Effective for lifting light weights
Both groups lifted to ‘spontaneous fatigue’. That is, until I felt I could never lift or lower weights again. Once I could lift 12 or 24 or more, I increased the weight. (Their full-body workout consists of eight exercises: leg press, leg extension, leg curl, chest press, shoulder press, seated row, arm curl, and triceps pushdown, all with basic weights. It is a training action.)
After 10 weeks of training twice a week, the researchers retested everyone’s muscles. Uniformly stronger, bigger and more durable.
Balachandran said there was “no meaningful difference” between the two groups. Weightlifters had slightly stronger legs, while lightweight lifters had a little more total muscle endurance.
“This was a small pilot study,” Balachandran said. “But what this shows is that there are other viable options for those considering decommissioning,” he said. Say, lift heavy weights or, if that sounds more appealing, lift lighter and longer weights. “Maybe you have a joint problem,” he said. “Or maybe they’re just worried about heavy luggage.”
You can also use light dumbbells or resistance bands at home, he said. Some of the weights lifted by study participants were that low. “The point is that you can choose your preferred approach.”
best way to lift weights
A new large review of previous studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine came to the same conclusion. The authors analyzed 192 previous studies that compared different versions of weight training and non-resistive exercise to determine which weights, sets, and sessions were most effective for maximizing strength and muscle size. We expected to derive a single combination.
But it didn’t. Researchers found that any type and amount of training had similar effects on strength and muscle growth. Whether you lift heavy weights, much lighter weights, a few times a week or only once, repeat a set of exercises once, twice, or three times, men and women, 18 At age 80 and age 80, people generally gained considerable strength and muscle mass.
As with Balachandran’s study, there were minor differences. In general, people got slightly stronger with heavier weights, and each exercise he completed more than one set added a little muscle mass, but the additional gain was small.
Jonathan McLeod, also a graduate student at McMaster University and co-lead author of the review, said of strength training volume and frequency, “The important thing is that you can choose whatever appeals to you. ‘ said.
how to start lifting weights
Ready to start or recalibrate your current strength training now?
- “Start slow,” said Mr. Karrier. Try some basic resistance exercises once a week to build strength and confidence. Most gyms have trainers who can teach you simple full-body programs like this on the facility’s machines. You can also join group classes in person or online.
- The studies in the new review did not include bodyweight training, but “bodyweight training is perfectly fine” for increasing strength and muscle mass, Karlier said.
- Once you can easily complete about 25 or more exercises, increase the weight, says Balachandran.
- Try to reach a “spontaneous failure” with each exercise. So, he continued, this work makes him feel like a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. This effort puts enough tension on the muscles to encourage adaptation and strengthening.
- No need to worry about swelling. Due to genetics, very few people look like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. But almost all of us, at any age, can build muscle with strength training and, just as importantly, prevent age-related muscle loss. Otherwise, the process starts in your “late 20s,” Karlier says.
Have a fitness question? Email [email protected] I may answer your question in a future column.
