30/10/2025
Why do people still believe lifting weights makes you slow?🤔
This misconception comes from a mix of historical, cultural, and observational biases rather than science, let’s break down why it still exists and why science tells us it isn’t true…
➡️Early athletic training emphasised skill and endurance, not resistance training.
➡️Coaches feared that added muscle bulk would tighten the body and reduce fluidity.
Strength training was associated with bodybuilding, not athletic performance.
➡️People saw bodybuilders moving stiffly and assumed the same would happen to anyone lifting weights.
➡️However, bodybuilding and athletic strength training use completely different methods — the former prioritises muscle size, the latter neuromuscular performance and movement efficiency.
➡️When athletes only lift heavy without maintaining mobility, speed, or power, performance can indeed decline temporarily.
🧪The facts: Why strength training makes you faster…
💪Strength Improves Force Production
➡️Sprinting, jumping, and change-of-direction all rely on force applied to the ground.
➡️The faster you apply force, the faster you move.
➡️Lifting weights — especially compound, explosive lifts like squats, cleans, and deadlifts have been shown to directly improve this.
⚡️Power Training Enhances Speed
➡️When resistance training is combined with velocity-based work (e.g., jump squats, Olympic lifts), athletes get faster.
🧠Improved Neuromuscular Coordination
➡️Strength training enhances motor unit recruitment, synchronisation, and firing frequency.
➡️These neural adaptations are directly linked to faster, more explosive movements.
🏃♂️Better Movement Economy
➡️Stronger muscles require less relative effort for submaximal movements.
➡️This improves running and sprinting economy — meaning an athlete moves faster with less energy.
📚References:
Cormie et al. (2011), Wisloff et al. (2004), Suchomel et al. (2016), Aagaard et al. (2002), Berryman et al. (2018)
