Current gym dogma holds that to build muscle size you need to lift
heavy weights. However, a new study conducted at McMaster University
has shown that a similar degree of muscle building can be achieved by
using lighter weights. The secret is to pump iron until you reach
muscle fatigue.
The findings are published in PLoS ONEhttp://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012033
"Rather
than grunting and straining to lift heavy weights, you can grab
something much lighter but you have to lift it until you can't lift it
anymore," says Stuart Phillips, associate professor of kinesiology at
McMaster University. "We're convinced that growing muscle means
stimulating your muscle to make new muscle proteins, a process in the
body that over time accumulates into bigger muscles."
The study used light weights that represented
a percentage of what the subjects could lift. The heavier weights were
set to 90% of a person's best lift and the light weights at a mere 30%
of what people could lift. "It's a very light weight," says Phillips
noting that the 90-80% range is usually something people can lift from
5-10 times before fatigue sets in. At 30%, Burd reported that subjects
could lift that weight at least 24 times before they felt fatigue.