Hormonal
Equating total load lifted (volume) during acute resistance training renders exercise intensity (35% vs 70% 1RM) irrelevant for acute neurotrophic factor (BDNF, NGF) responses.
If you want to stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) through resistance training, you do not need to lift heavy weights. As long as you lift the same total amount of weight (volume) as someone lifting heavy, your brain gets the same acute signal. This allows for joint-friendly training using lighter loads (e.g., 35% 1RM) to achieve similar neurotrophic outcomes to heavier loads (70% 1RM).
No significant pre- to post-exercise increase in neurotrophic factors (p > 0.05; BDNF; effect size = 0.46 and NGF; effect size = 0.48) was observed for either of the RT bouts... In conclusion, the results suggest that, despite differences in RT schemes, a similar acute neurotrophic, metabolic and hormonal response was observed when the TLL is equated.
Why this rating
Randomized crossover design with equated volume, but small sample size (n=30) and acute (single session) measurement limit generalizability to chronic adaptations.
Source
Resistance Exercise Intensity Does Not Influence Neurotrophic Factors Response in Equated Volume Schemes
Leandro Lodo et al. · Journal of Human Kinetics · 2020
DOI 10.2478/hukin-2020-0030
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