Forget About Heavy Weights To Gain Muscle & Weight – pt 3

In the last article I wrote about this topic, I detailed the second reason why the lifting of heavier and heavier weight is not the signal to your body to gain weight and build muscle mass.

In this article, we’ll discuss the third reason why not.

There’s a big myth that has been spread around for years that claims that you must lift heavy weights (which would cause you to fail in the 6-10 rep range in any particular set) in order to target the muscle fibers that are most responsible for size. I’m not going to get into detail about all of the different fiber types, their colors, their classifications, etc., because in the "real world" that’s not important.

All we need to know is that when it comes to muscle fibers, there are basically 3 types.Some are stronger than others. Some are larger. Some come into play in a set quicker. Some come later. Some fatigue faster. So on and so forth.

Here’s the point…one of those types of fibers are the ones that have the greatest potential for growth (although that’s not agreed upon by everyone). Many workout programs and routines that recommend to use a heavier load claim that you must do that in order to target the bigger muscle fibers. This is one of the reasons where the whole "lift big to get big", "lift heavy for mass", etc., sayings originate from.

On the other hand, many feel that lighter weights with higher reps mainly target the "smaller, endurance-oriented" fibers, which have given birth to the "high reps and lower weights are only good for endurance, but not for mass" myth.

Well, here’s where there’s a misconception:

Sure, you may have certain fibers that come into play quicker if you use heavier weights, but if a set is stopped after just a few reps, those are going to be the only fibers that would have been worked. You would have left a ton of other fibers untouched. That’s why you can have a muscle that is very strong, yet not be any bigger in size or development. On the flip side, when a set is long enough, in other words, high in reps, sure, the smaller sized fibers may be called in first, but once those give out….guess who then has to come into the rescue?

All the other fibers that are left!

That’s why those that use slightly lighter weights for a ton of reps have gained more muscle mass than the individual next to them that’s as strong as an ox, but doesn’t even look like he lifts weights. Take a look at all of these prisoners that don’t have access to weights. Those individuals do nothing but "body weight" exercises, like pushups, dips, pullups, etc. They do a boat load of reps….sometimes hundreds of reps in a workout for a given muscle group.

Yet, look at how much muscle and weight they gain.

Then you have people who follow your typical workout routines in their gyms, doing sets of 6-10 reps, taking 2 minutes of rest between sets…then a year later they look at themselves in the mirror, don’t look any different, and then wonder why.

Again, the point of this article is this:

If you use heavy weights (that cause you to fail at 10 reps or less per set), you are only going to tap into a small percentage of all the available fibers you have in that muscle.

Meaning, your growth and development will be minimal, at best. Sure, you’ll be strong, but you won’t physically look like it. However, using slightly lighter weight for a high amount of reps force most available fibers to have to work, whether they be type 1, 2, or 3. Obviously, the higher the amount of total fibers you train and force to work, the more weight gain and muscle mass you will stimulate.