'The Traitors' and 'Survivor' star Parvati Shallow started strength training in her 40s. She shares how lifting heavy makes her feel more confident than ever.
Shape Studio: Lift Society At-Home Strength Circuits Shape 2/19/2021
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Remember this number: eight reps. Why? According to a new study in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, aiming for a weight that you can do just eight reps per set gets your strengthening and sculpting done fastest. Basically, what determines the results you get from your lifts is training volume, or the amount of weight you hoist multiplied by the number of reps and sets you do.
In the study, exercisers bench-pressed twice a week with the same training volume: four heavy reps for seven sets, eight moderate reps for four sets, or 12 lighter reps for three sets. All groups firmed their chest muscles equally, but the four- and eight- rep groups got the bigger strength gains with the latter spending half as much time on the bench as the heavy lifters. (Related: The Major Health and Fitness Benefits of Lifting Heavy Weights)