Is it better to lift weight slowly or quickly?
A common question I get asked is “When I lift weights, is it better to lift the weights slowly or quickly?
As long as you are lifting weights that are heavy enough to make your muscles burn and tear, your muscle fibres will be broken down creating a soreness. When this occurs regardless whether you are lifting slowly or quickly, you are effectively training your muscles.
When you move very slowly with a weight, your muscles fatigue and weaken so that the weight feels much heavier than it is. Lifting a weight slowly causes the same muscle damage as lifting a heavier weight more quickly.
When lifting weights for performance or sport, I recommend lifting with explosive movements. This helps prepare you for fast moving sports and activities like MMA, sprinting, hitting a baseball, shooting a hockey puck, skating, and blocking a moving football player.
In summary lifting weight slow or fast can breakdown your muscles. Lifting weight fast will also help you becomes a more effective and explosive athlete.
