Article Link Light weights, heavy weights, it's up to you

[txhsmom]

The Light Light, Get Lean book is available at Amazon, so you don't have to bother with Prevention to order it.

https://www.amazon.com/Lift-Light-Ge...171/ref=sr_1_1

Carol

[prettyinpink]

Originally Posted by Sue B

From the second, meta-study (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2...ts-2023-106807) I really liked the conclusion:

"Since all protocols increased strength and hypertrophy, rather than determining an ‘optimal’ protocol, future work could determine minimal ‘doses’ of resistance exercise and practices to promote engagement and adherence in this health-promoting form of exercise"

Stronger by Science just put out an article on “minimal dose” for maintaining or growing strength. Some is opinion and experience but there are relevant studies mentioned.

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/tr...for-time-poor/

[prettyinpink]

Originally Posted by hch

I exaggerate, but I do wonder just how wording like "anything at all" may be interpreted in practice. (I haven't seen such examples firsthand, but I've heard stories about people trying "interesting" training choices, like badly conceived or unsuitable programs.)

My thought is that although "the perfect can be the enemy of the good" (and therefore I can agree about not being overly limiting about what people do for strength training), I also think of a different phrase, "the good can be the enemy of the better." The idea of a sort of balance here makes me wonder a bit more about various components of what we can call ideal message for the general public.

More thoughts later!

I agree with you here.

There may be many situations for which “anything at all” is better, if the alternative is lying on the couch, or if the activity replaces eating unneeded additional calories. There are days when I need to tell myself that doing any exercise is better than not moving, because energy is low. Doing anything at all can be a good place to start from nothing.

Translating research into messages for the popular press is always problematic, probably always has been. The problems are very evident for nutrition and exercise.

This article is interesting and I did enjoy reading it. But the lede is buried — the part about going to failure in both groups and having to regularly increase the weight. And the writer makes it seem like this finding is new and original when there is a lot of other, similar research. There is a lot about the minutiae of strength training and health that isn’t known, but the basics of how to get stronger are not mysterious at all. Use the principles of progressive overload and lift to a point of near-failure, or to the point where it is too difficult to lift the weight and keep correct form.

According to some trainers, the problem with lighter weights is the increased mental fatigue during the much longer sets. It is not that you can’t build strength that way, but that it is not time efficient and that there is more dread for keeping up the routine. I have certainly experienced annoyance with having to lift for 15-20 to get to failure when I could have just chosen a heavier weight and been done with 6 or 7 reps. But everyone is a little different, and personal preferences can change over time, too. Some training programs mix heavier and lighter in together, which can be mentally interesting.

[Leonana]

Originally Posted by hch

I exaggerate, but I do wonder just how wording like "anything at all" may be interpreted in practice. (I haven't seen such examples firsthand, but I've heard stories about people trying "interesting" training choices, like badly conceived or unsuitable programs.)

My thought is that although "the perfect can be the enemy of the good" (and therefore I can agree about not being overly limiting about what people do for strength training), I also think of a different phrase, "the good can be the enemy of the better." The idea of a sort of balance here makes me wonder a bit more about various components of what we can call ideal message for the general public.

More thoughts later!

Balance is the word of the day! I think these articles don’t have enough space to go into depth, unfortunately. They should have a link to more info, but they usually don’t.

I agree about ill conceived workouts. There are a lot of social media instructors with bad info, such as spot reducing. It’s all about the money. I think there is so much info, and it takes time to educate yourself. It’s helpful to find an instructor on IG or you tube that offers more education.

[prettyinpink]

Originally Posted by Leonana

Balance is the word of the day! I think these articles don’t have enough space to go into depth, unfortunately. They should have a link to more info, but they usually don’t.

I agree about ill conceived workouts. There are a lot of social media instructors with bad info, such as spot reducing. It’s all about the money. I think there is so much info, and it takes time to educate yourself. It’s helpful to find an instructor on IG or you tube that offers more education.

100%.

And no creative moves, please!
This is one reason I’m appreciating Cathe’s new STS. Boredom is avoided with different sequencing of exercises, slightly different sets and reps schemes, and with seeing an ability to increase weights the next time, but mostly not with weird moves that could confuse and potentially hurt me.

[hch]

Originally Posted by prettyinpink

Stronger by Science just put out an article on “minimal dose” for maintaining or growing strength. Some is opinion and experience but there are relevant studies mentioned.

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/tr...for-time-poor/

When I searched the other day for more about one of the studies in the original post, an inadvertent word omission in pasting the title led me to No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review, which at least on a quick reading (which is what I can do now) looks similar. It's also similar to earlier advice from other sources (more from trainers, or people posing as trainers, than scientists as such).

I'll look in more detail later but didn't want to delay my posting about it further--not necessarily to endorse it but to add it to the conversation.

[wendug]

Originally Posted by prettyinpink

According to some trainers, the problem with lighter weights is the increased mental fatigue during the much longer sets. It is not that you can’t build strength that way, but that it is not time efficient and that there is more dread for keeping up the routine.

This makes me think of Slim Series. Yes, you can get results, but some of the workouts are 80 minutes long. Ugh. Those have a dread factor for me. I can throw in one of the workouts here and there, but I would never be able to stand a rotation of Slim Series.

[Leonana]

Here’s another study I came across in Arnold Swartzneggar’s newsletter. It’s about 90 year olds increasing muscle and function with weight training.

Multicomponent exercises including muscle power training enhance muscle mass, power output, and functional outcomes in institutionalized frail nonagenarians

Twenty-four elderly (91.9 ± 4.1 years old) were randomized into intervention or control group. The intervention group performed a twice-weekly, 12-week multicomponent exercise program composed of muscle power training (8-10 repetitions, 40-60 % of the one-repetition maximum) combined with balance and gait retraining.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24030238/

[Leonana]

Originally Posted by prettyinpink

And this small study was in those who had never lifted weights before. I thought that this had been known for a while now, that lighter weights also build muscle.

The key is working to failure, like the article says.

I like to use lighter weights with higher reps sometimes, but I’m not yet as good at finding the correct weight for failure at higher reps as I am with heavier ones. When I used to do mostly lighter weights, I increased a little at first and then got stuck at the same weight for years, probably because I was following the video for reps too closely and not what my true max was.

It was the same for me. I did increase from 3-5 pounds to 8 pounds, but got stuck after that. But I like lighter weights/high rep better. Although I only do a 30 minute workout. I guess I’ve maintained pretty well, but not gained much. Tbh, a lot of this is Greek to me, lol. I need to check out that Prevention book.

[Leonana]

Originally Posted by txhsmom

The Light Light, Get Lean book is available at Amazon, so you don't have to bother with Prevention to order it.

https://www.amazon.com/Lift-Light-Ge...171/ref=sr_1_1

Carol

Thanks!