Grid Iron Lift Heavy or go home

Scientist, big Jay Hoffman and his colleagues at The College of New Jersey have recently shown that athletes may experience better strength gains simply by making sure they lift heavy, regardless of training volume.

This study examined the effects of both intensity and volume of training during an “in-season” resistance training program in a group of Division III NCAA American football players. Fifty-three football players were tested in the 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press and 1RM squat on the first day of summer training camp and during the final week of the regular season. The subjects were required to perform 3 sets of 6–8 repetitions per exercise.

Results revealed that training volume and training compliance were not related to strength improvements. Analysis of the programs showed that athletes training above 80% of their 1RM made significantly greater strength improvements than athletes training with lighter loads (below 80% of their 1RM) for both bench press and squat exercise. While exercise selection and volume may vary in athletes strength training programs, these results mean that lifting heavy weight in low rep ranges is a must for achieving quality results from training.

Ref;The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 17 (1): 109–114, 2003.