Do you really need to lift heavy? Or just lift "heavy enough"? There is a lot of confusion lately about whether you actually need to include heavier loads in your training program to reap the benefits.
While you don't "need" to lift heavy, it's a good idea if you want to optimize your training benefits. In fact, some benefits require you to use heavier loads.
The alternative is you don't lift heavy enough and miss out on crucial benefits, and possibly even regress in some health markers.
Key Points You Need To Know!
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What Is Strength Training?
The term "strength training" is often used to refer to any type of resistance training. That works for general purposes.
However, real strength training refers to lifting to increase muscular strength; training your muscles to produce higher levels of force.
Strength Training Vs. Hypertrophy Training: What's Different?
Strength training and hypertrophy (muscle-building) training are often conflated. While there is significant overlap and an obvious relationship, there are actually some technical differences.
This is important to understand, as it explains why using heavier loads does make a difference.
What is Strength Training?
Strength training refers to increasing your body's existing muscles to "work better together" to generate more force.
To clarify, you do not need more muscle to increase strength; you improve the quality of your existing muscles.
This occurs through the improvement of your neuromuscular system, our body's system that allows your brain to "talk" to your muscles.
What is Muscle Hypertrophy Training?
Muscle hypertrophy refers to training that induces physical adaptations in your muscles, causing them to grow. The muscle's cross-section actually increases and grows in size.
This can occur using a wide range of loads as long as the sets approach failure. However, moderate loads (65-80% 1RM) tend to provide the best results.
Still, training volume seems to be the largest factor (Pelland et al., 2025).
Do Rep Ranges Matter?
Yes.
Since new research has shown that rep ranges don't play as large a role as we once thought, people have jumped to the conclusion that rep ranges don't matter. This is way too simplistic.
The research primarily shows that rep ranges aren't as specific for hypertrophy training. Basically, if you train close to failure, you're good.
However, this doesn't apply to strength training.
It also doesn't mean rep ranges "don't matter" as there are still optimized loads. You "could" do all 25-rep sets, but that assumes fatigue won't set in before proper stimulation. It also means you can expect to double your training time.
How Heavy Is "Heavy Enough"?
This is the big question: what does "heavy" even mean? For some, it means anything above 60% 1RM, while for others, it means pulling heavy triples with 90% 1RM.
The reality is that there is no specific guideline. With that said, there is enough evidence for guidelines. These come from examining studies and observing which loads elicit different adaptations.
Best Loads For Strength Gains
To increase your strength, you should be using loads of at least 80% of your 1RM (Currier et al., 2023). This is where a clear difference in gains across multiple populations is seen.
Multiple large reviews dating back decades have demonstrated that this should be the threshold for trained lifters (Rhea et al., 2023; Lopez et al., 2023).
The only nuance is that this doesn't apply to new lifters, as they can see improvements using 60% 1RM. However, this low threshold fades away as they get stronger.
Best Loads For Increased Bone Density
Increasing bone density is a bit less "load-specific" as it occurs through different internal mechanisms. This includes;
- Strain magnitude
- Strain rate
- Site-specific loading
However, the practical mechanism is the same: placing stress on the bone.
Zhao et al (2025) found that postmenopausal women using >70% 1RM saw clinically relevant bone mineral density increase in 3 sites;
- Lumbar spine (LS)
- Femoral neck (FN)
- Total hip (TH)
Another crucial example comes from the LIFTMOR trial (Watson et al., 2018). Researchers compared two programs with postmenopausal women.
- A supervised 5×5 resistance training protocol at ~85% 1RM
- Home-based, low-load exercise program
The heavy training group demonstrated significant increases in bone mineral density across multiple skeletal sites. In contrast, the home-based group showed no improvement and, in some regions, actually saw a decrease in bone mineral density.
This contrast suggests that mechanical loading intensity is more than just ego or setting PRs.
What Are The Benefits Of Lifting Heavy?
Certain benefits are optimized by lifting heavy loads, while others will only occur with heavy loads. Here are some.
1. Improved neuromuscular system. Increasing strength essentially means you're improving your body's neuromuscular system.
2. Great Force Production. Using heavier loads requires your body to produce more force to move more mass. This can be done with power exercises (moving light weight fast) as well as strength training.
3. Increased Bone Density. The biggest error people make when talking about strength training is only acknowledging muscular adaptations (Zhao et al., 2025)
4. Improve Work Volume. A stronger muscle can do more work before getting fatigued.
5. Increased Strength. Using heavier loads is essential for optimal strength gains, especially as you progress (Currier et al., 2023).
6. Maximal Core Stability. Most people train their core with light weights, which is great for muscular endurance. However, they often leave out heavier loads for strength. Using heavier loads with squats, deadlifts, and carries is a great way to maximize core stability.
Misconceptions Of Strength Training
For some reason, there has been a lot of pushback against "lifting heavy" lately. Most of this is built on misconceptions of training. We just wanted to address these here, real quick.
1. Lifting Heavy Is Relative To The Person. What's "heavy" for some might be a warm-up for others. Lifting heavy loads is about using weights that are heavy enough to stress the body and elicit various physiological changes.
2. Lifting Heavy Does Not Increase Risk Of Injury. In fact, not lifting heavy increases your chance of injury. Resistance training strengthens your body and increases your resistance to mishaps.
As we saw above, lifting too easily can actually fail to have any positive effect on your body's adaptations.
3. You Can Ease Into Heavy Weight. New trainees can start by using 60% of their 1RM, as they'll still see strength gains, and it will help prepare their bodies for heavier loads.
4. You Don't Need To Train To Failure. While training close to failure is important for hypertrophy, it is not the same for strength gains, as the mechanisms are different (Martikainen et al., 2025). This means you don't need to always train to proximal failure to elicit strength gains.
If you've never lifted heavy and are nervous, just perform singles with 85% for a few weeks, which will be about an RPE 5-6 (it feels easy). You'll see it's not scary, and your body can handle it.
Do You Need To Train Heavy?
Nope. You don't even need to lift at all or ever go to the gym. But if you did that, you would obviously get no results.
So while you don't "need" to lift heavy, you won't get the results you would if you did. Unless there's a reason you can't (health, injuries, etc.), we believe you definitely should.
This doesn't mean you need to run a hardcore powerlifting program or try to hit a 3X body weight deadlift. You just need to incorporate heavier loads strategically. More importantly, don't let information scare you off increasing the load.
If you've never followed a real strength program, check out our training specifically designed for this.
- Power Building- For the lifter that wants to get strong while also putting on mass!
- Pure Strength- For lifters who care about one thing: getting strong!
- Beginners- An awesome option for new lifters wanting to build a solid foundation!
- Personal Programs- For lifters who want to optimize their training!
References
- Currier, B. S., Mcleod, J. C., Banfield, L., Beyene, J., Welton, N. J., D'Souza, A. C., Keogh, J. A. J., Lin, L., Coletta, G., Yang, A., Colenso-Semple, L., Lau, K. J., Verboom, A., & Phillips, S. M. (2023). Resistance training prescription for muscle strength and hypertrophy in healthy adults: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 57(18), 1211–1220. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106807
- Lopez, P., Radaelli, R., Taaffe, D. R., Newton, R. U., Galvão, D. A., Trajano, G. S., Teodoro, J. L., Kraemer, W. J., Häkkinen, K., & Pinto, R. S. (2021). Resistance Training Load Effects on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 53(6), 1206–1216. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002585
- Martikainen, O., Niiranen, H., Rytkönen, T. et al. Influence of Varying Proximity-to-Failure on Muscular Adaptations and Repetitions-in-Reserve Estimation Accuracy in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J. of SCI. IN SPORT AND EXERCISE (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-025-00338-8
- Pelland, J. C., Remmert, J. F., Robinson, Z. P., Hinson, S. R., & Zourdos, M. C. (2025). The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w
- Rhea, M. R., Alvar, B. A., Burkett, L. N., & Ball, S. D. (2003). A meta-analysis to determine the dose response for strength development. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 35(3), 456–464. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000053727.63505.D4
- Watson, S. L., Weeks, B. K., Weis, L. J., Harding, A. T., Horan, S. A., & Beck, B. R. (2018). High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of bone and mineral research: the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 33(2), 211–220. https://ift.tt/aDx9mt6
- Zhao, F., Su, W., Sun, Y., Wang, J., Lu, B., & Yun, H. (2025). Optimal resistance training parameters for improving bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 20(1), 523. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-025-05890-1
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