Lifting heavy weights boosts muscle strength

The study aimed to find out how the brain and motor neurons — cells that send electrical signals to muscle — adapt to high versus low-load weight training,  showed that despite similar increases in muscle thickness, high-load training may be superior for enhancing  muscle strength.

The nervous system activates more of the motor neurons -— or excites them more frequently -— when subjected to high-load training. This increased excitation could account for the greater strength gains, the researchers said. 

“If you’re trying to increase strength — whether you’re a gym rat or an athlete —- training with high loads is going to result in greater strength adaptations,” said Nathaniel Jenkins, assistant professor at the Oklahoma State University. 

For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, the team randomly assigned 26 men to train for six weeks on a leg-extension machine loaded with either 80 or 30 per cent of the maximum weight they could lift. 

Low-load is a viable option for those looking to simply build mass or avoid putting extreme stress on joints, but when it comes to building strength, heavier is better, Jenkins maintained. She added, “High-load training is more efficient and it’s more time-efficient. We’re seeing greater strength adaptations and neural adaptations.”