Lifting Heavy vs Bodybuilding vs Explosive Training, What's Best? (New Study)

General Discussion
1

A research group out of Norway just published a new paper where they had moderately trained men and women do one of three programs for 8-weeks:

  1. 3x/wk Bench press 4 x 4 @ 85% 1RM (MST)
  2. 3x/wk Bench press x 8-12 x 3 sets at ∼70-80% of 1RM (HT)
  3. 3x/wk Bench Press x 6-7 reps x 4 sets @ 40% of 1RM (EST)

1RM improvement was greatest in the MST group by quite a bit, e.g. 21.5% in MST vs 5.9% in ET. The researchers also found that the rate of force development and bar speed at most intensities were also better with MST than any other group. Yes, the MST group was able to move the bar faster than the EST group despite not training high velocity force production directly. Interesting, right?

To me, this seems to corroborate previous data, where measures of weighted power production (e.g. bar velocity) seem to be very well developed using traditional resistance training. In other words, if you’re testing someone’s power output via how fast they squat, bench, deadlift, or similar variation, you probably don’t need to train “speed work” directly. Conversely, most of the data looking at measurements of power involving bodyweight only, e.g. vertical jump, broad jump, etc., points to a benefit of direct power training.

Practically speaking, this doesn’t really do much for how I program, as I don’t have people do a lot of direct power training unless they need it for sport. For those individuals, I am happy to use traditional plyometrics or light barbell work depending on preferences.

2 Likes
2

Jordan,

Old post I know, but in your last sentence of 2nd to last paragraph, what do you mean by “direct power training”? That has implications for increasing one’s jumping, sprinting, etc, so I’m curious. By “direct power training”, do you mean medium-to-heavy weight, moved with full volitional effort as quickly as possible on each rep and not letting rep speed degrade throughout the set?

3

Direct power training refers to plyometrics, Olympic lifts, or light weights moved very quickly. I don’t think medium to heavy weight for the traditional lifts would qualify (though it does work for untrained), as there’s an inverse relationship between load and movement velocity.

1 Like
4

Thanks for the quick response! What do you make of the argument that if the weight on the bar is too light with the traditional lifts, some of the ROM and effort is spent decelerating the load? With the traditional lifts, if the load is heavy enough past a certain threshold, you’re trying to move the load as fast as possible pretty much through the entire ROM, it’s not moving fast, but the effort is there through most of the ROM.

5

Yea, that seems to disappear past ~ 30% 1RM, which is why empty bar stuff is not something I program. BW plyometrics works if you want to be completely unloaded.

The issue in the second scenario (heavy load, maximum intent), is that the adaptations seem to be greater when the person actually moves fast, which isn’t possible if the weight is very heavy (even if effort is high).

1 Like
6

Got it. So even though you’re having to decelerate that lighter load over a good portion of the ROM rather than just push forcefully through the ROM with max intent, the fact that you’re still reaching a higher peak movement velocity in the middle of the ROM than with heavier loads will lead to greater speed/power adaptations.

What do you think of the efficacy of clean pulls and power shrugs for “direct power training”?

7

You don’t really decelerate the load at that intensity, but yes, actually moving fast is important for maximizing power development.

I don’t think clean pulls or power shrugs are great for power training.

1 Like
8

Thanks for the feedback Jordan