The reason we should be lifting weights is to build strength and muscle, but I often receive questions on the importance of muscular endurance. As discussed in 1% Fitness, and as we went through in Eat Meat And Stop Jogging, endurance is an inferior biomarker for longevity, and purposely pursuing it can be detrimental to more critical markers (like strength and muscle).
Higher rep ranges (ex: 15-25) with lighter weights are proven to be most effective for building muscular endurance, but this is often at the expense of strength and hypertrophy.
Conversely, training at a lower rep range (4-12 rep) with moderate-to-heavy weights is effective for building strength, hypertrophy AND muscular endurance. In other words, there’s no need to train muscular endurance specifically, because ALL resistance training improves muscular endurance.
Muscular endurance improves while training for strength and muscle. Strength and muscle will not improve while training for muscular endurance.
When you exercise with excessive rep ranges, and/or inadequate rest periods, you’re training aerobically. And aside from wasting time building an inferior biomarker for longevity, you’re promoting the same muscle fiber shift (Type-II to Type-I) and catabolic (muscle wasting) environment experienced with cardio.
We shouldn’t be exercising to last longer because it’s counterproductive to the reason we’re training in the first place – to BUILD MUSCLE.
Stay Lean!
Coach Mike
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