lift light weights for bigger muscles and decent strength

[Dreamliner]

Very interesting study that flies in the face of conventional wisdom along with commentary and recommendations. Begs the question as to why anyone who wants to look better naked would want to hoist really heavy weights if they didn't have to:

http://www.cbass.com/Carpinelli.htm

[ThomasGoldkamp]

I've been doing light weight, high rep for the last two months after going heavy lifting for several years. Got to say, I'm pretty happy with it so far.

[Dreamliner]

Thomas, what kind of rep range ? The participants in the study were working with 30% of 1RM max and, on average, were crapping out at 24 reps.

As an aside, did you know that lifting light weights turns you into a soccer fan ?

*runs away*

[LeafUF]

Well maybe I missed it in there but it doesn't exactly say to go light. In fact they claim that too heavy or too light are bad and that moderate weights should be used between 6 and 20 reps.

Actually sounds about like what bbers already do. And really light is a relative term its all about using challenging weights. I use a mixture of low rep sets with higher weight and moderate reps with lower weights.

[ThomasGoldkamp]

Thomas, what kind of rep range ? The participants in the study were working with 30% of 1RM max and, on average, were crapping out at 24 reps.

As an aside, did you know that lifting light weights turns you into a soccer fan ?

*runs away*

I've been doing basically three sets of 25 reps with about 60-70% of the weight I use for my heavy lifting.

For instance, my chest and tri workout begins with four sets of 25 at 135 on the bench. Have gotten up to three full sets of 25, but I always burn out on the fourth. The rest of the workout is basically the same. Doing weight that I can handle comfortably, but doing high enough reps that by the time I get to the end of the third set, I'm pretty much burning out.

I've been much, much more sorer than when I lift only heavy. For instance, I did my chest and tri workout on Monday... it's Sunday and I still have some slight lingering soreness in my chest (touch only, not movement soreness).

When I get into my heavy routine, I'm almost always fully recovered soreness-wise two days after a workout.

[Dreamliner]

Well maybe I missed it in there but it doesn't exactly say to go light. In fact they claim that too heavy or too light are bad and that moderate weights should be used between 6 and 20 reps.

Actually sounds about like what bbers already do. And really light is a relative term its all about using challenging weights. I use a mixture of low rep sets with higher weight and moderate reps with lower weights.

Bass, Phillips and Carpinelli recommend moderate reps and one set to failure. The study they referenced used 30% of 1RM.

Still others contend that hypertrophy is conferred with even lighter resistance than that, resistance allowing upwards of hundreds of reps. Not that I'd want to train that way. But I can't deny that cyclists have big quads from the tens and tens of thousands of reps they use.

[LeafUF]

Still others contend that hypertrophy is conferred with even lighter resistance than that, resistance allowing upwards of hundreds of reps. Not that I'd want to train that way. But I can't deny that cyclists have big quads from the tens and tens of thousands of reps they use.

Similar to gymnasts who probably never touch a weight either and are usually jacked.

On the other end of the spectrum though are power lifters who train specifically to reach a peak 1RM and they can be pretty freaking huge.

So maybe its as simple as using challenging movements however you find best to get them.

[Dreamliner]

Yes, I see what you're saying. However, I might make a couple of distinctions. Gymnasts employ extremely high-tension in some of their movements whereas the study I referenced points to generalized fatigue over time. Also, powerlifters are big ... but not jacked like bodybuilders.

I guess what I'm saying is that using a weight that enables you to crap out after 20-30 reps is FAR lighter resistance than either the gymnast or powerlifter is using.

The takeaway here is: L-I-G-H-T.

[LeafUF]

Yeah, I have done that before, similar to Thomas. I find it dreadfully boring, which is the same thing they say in the article. The highest I did was a routine where I was using challenging weights multiple sets of 15 reps. And that just led to RSIs.

[Dreamliner]

I think that's as good a reason as any to limit a movement to a single set to failure.

I know that little volume is a hard sell though.