Lifting weights will make you less athletic

Question

Some training experts swear by weights. Others believe in plain old practice.

Comments

The fallacy put forth that lifting weights affects athletic ability is blasphemous. First we would have to dive into what is considered athletic ability. I have lifted weights consistently while playing a club sport and from personal experience I feel like the combination of playing a sport and lifting weights helped my athletic ability and I was able to tell a difference. So the new york times article you listed must have some bias as it didn't include much information on the stance. This article from healthline states that there is no downside to lifting weights and playing sports and it actually helps you get bigger, faster, and stronger. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/benefits-of-strength-training. The article was reviewed by Jared Meacham who has his PhD and is a valid individual to support the article as he has dealt with athletes and has seen it first hand.

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This fact check needs more information. The source given is outdated and the information could be incorrect. This fact check is also misleading. If someone lifts weights that doesn’t automatically make them unathletic. Some sports require having lot of muscle, and muscle that you sometimes can’t get from just exercising. But if all someone does is lift weights, they become unbalanced in a way. So, if some does like to lift weights they also need to include other exercises, like cardio, so they aren’t just building muscle with nowhere to put it to use.

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I agree with your statement. I my self have been playing a sport for a while and mixed both weight lifting and practice. After not doing weight lifting as often I did notice a difference in my athletic ability. I like how you explain how there might be some bias in the source and how you also gave a source that goes into more detail on your claim. This was a good fact check.

Answer 1

This claim is misleading. First of all, the title itself stated that lifting weights decreases human's athletic performance, while the source being referenced never stated it that way. In summary, the cited article mentioned that while most professionals think that strength training increases athletic performance, some professionals argue that they are not as effective as how most people think. The source itself never stated the correlation of more weight training led to less athletic performance, although it did mention that "the main problem with weight lifting is that many people do it all wrong, said Kent Adams, the director of the exercise physiology laboratory at California State University at Monterey Bay." Despite the misleading title of this claim, the source itself should be considered trustworthy and reliable. The author, Gina Kolata, is an experienced reporter focusing on diseases and treatments who molecular biology at MIT. Although the author's educational background is not closly connected to health or physiological topics, she had rich experiences in publishing and working with this field. On the other hand, the source implied multiple quotes from professionals to support the arguments on both "weight training helps athletes" and "weight training does not help increasing athletic performance as much as people think". The description in the claim itself could improve by changing to "Some professionals believe that weight training increases performance in athletes, while others argue the effectiveness on that" instead of simply stating "Some training experts swear by weights. Others believe in plain old practice". Mayo Clinic, a medical group that has more #1 rankings than any other hospital in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025, stated that "As you incorporate strength training exercises into your fitness routine, you may notice improvement in your strength over time. As your muscle mass increases, you'll likely be able to lift weight more easily and for longer periods of time. If you keep it up, you can continue to increase your strength, even if you're not in shape when you begin". According to the National Library of Medicine, "Resistance training has been shown to improve a variety of performance and health-related variables. Resistance training enhancement of performance related variables can include increased maximum strength, rate of force development, power, and both low and high-intensity exercise endurance". All multiple sources have emphasized on the positive impacts of weight training on athletic ability, therefore the claim "making you less athletic" is inaccurate and misleading.

Gina Kolata - The New York Times

Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier - Mayo Clinic

Meet our medical editors - Mayo Clinic

Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training - PMC

Training Specificity for Athletes: Emphasis on Strength-Power Training: A Narrative Review - PMC

Answer 2

The idea that lifting weights hinders athletic performance is false. In fact, strength training can significantly enhance athletic performance when done correctly. This article discusses the benefits of weightlifting for athletes, emphasizing the importance of focusing on strength without necessarily increasing muscle mass. By targeting specific exercises and training strategies, athletes can improve their power, speed, and endurance, all of which are essential for high-level performance in many sports.

does-lifting-heavy-make-you-slower

Comments

You do a great job of debunking the myth that weightlifting negatively affects athletic performance. You explain that strength training, when done correctly, enhances key athletic qualities like power, speed, and endurance. Your emphasis on targeted exercises and training strategies is important. Additionally, pointing out that strength gains don’t necessarily mean excessive muscle growth helps clarify a common misconception, which is probably the main cause of people thinking lifting weights makes you less athletic.

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I agree with your response and like that you mentioned "when done correctly". I think that is the defining line between improving your athletic ability and hindering it.

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I really appreciate your fact-check. I am a bit curious why you chose the source you did? It seems the source is trying to sell fitness equipment which makes it seem a bit less reputable. Your argument is very true, when looking at other sources that were more reputable there are sources from Mayo Clinic that also says that strength training is valuable and healthy.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670

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The idea that lifting weights makes athletes slower just isn’t true. In fact, when done right, strength training can actually boost athletic performance. This article breaks down how weightlifting helps athletes get stronger, faster, and more explosive without necessarily packing on a ton of muscle. By focusing on the right exercises and training smart, athletes can improve their speed, power, and endurance, which are all key to excelling in sports.

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I liked how you gave a quick summary of the article followed by an explanation of what weight lifting specifically targets rather than just saying that it is beneficial. Your fact check got straight to the point and gave a good explanation of how the article supported your claim.

Answer 3

Comments

The article cited does not support the claim that lifting weights makes you less athletic. The New York Times is a generally reliable source, though it is important to note that this article is centered around the personal experience of one athlete, and there are other opinions cited that contradict his own. The story itself is likely true as it has actual quotes and anecdotes from the people its referencing, though, the article does not claim that what works for one athlete will ring true for all. The claim stated here is inherently misleading.

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I agree that the claim here does not go with what the NY Times is saying in the article. I also agree with how athletic is subjective as well. Lifting weights is all about how you do it and whether you are doing it correctly.

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I agree with you that the article cited does not support the claim, and you did a good job debunking why this claim is false.  I wish you had added a source to add extra reasoning as to why the claim is false.

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The claim contradicts what The New York Times states in the article. I also agree that the definition of "athletic" is subjective.

Answer 4

The source you used actually has examples of athletes saying they performed better as a result of weightlifting. For example, Steve Pence said that he reached new "bests" as a runner after periods of lifting. A paper from the National Institute of Health states that greater muscle mass actually improves a lot of athletic performance, and it can actually reduce risk of injury. However, to be fair, there is not a lot of concrete and consistent research in this area to completely prove that weightlifting is beneficial for athletes. It is simply generally believed to be---from what little research there is and from the personal experiences of athletes. Other sources I briefly looked at also said that lifting correctly in targeted muscle groups can increase speed, jumping ability, and also ability to change direction more sharply.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26838985/

Answer 5

Research strongly supports that greater muscular strength is associated with improved athletic performance across various sports. According to this article, stronger athletes demonstrate enhanced force-time characteristics, which contribute to better execution of general sport skills such as jumping, sprinting, and change of direction tasks. Additionally, stronger athletes tend to perform better in sport-specific movements and experience a lower risk of injury. Weightlifting, as a primary method for increasing muscular strength, aligns with these findings. Sport scientists and practitioners often use dynamic, and reactive strength tests to assess an athlete’s strength, which can influence their training focus and performance level. The article also emphasizes that there is no substitute for greater muscular strength when aiming to improve both general and sport-specific skills while reducing injury risk. As a result, long-term strength training strategies, including weightlifting, are recommended to enhance athletic performance. Future research may continue to refine how strength development impacts different phases of athletic progression, but existing literature already supports the positive effects of strength training on overall athletic ability.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26838985/

Answer 6

Research consistently shows that strength training improves athletic performance by increasing power, endurance, and overall functional fitness. Most professional athletes incorporate weightlifting into their routines to enhance speed, agility, and injury prevention. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/

Answer 7

This claim is false, the source you used supports the idea that athletes preform better when weightlifting. This article is also from individual perspectives. "But, he added, after three years of working with weights — including lifting to failure, the point at which he cannot do another repetition — he has become a better athlete. " In this article as well, Dr. Hunter says "There is no doubt that an appropriate weight-training program would improve efficiency in pretty much any athlete." There are also plenty of articles that explain how weight training is beneficial to athletes. 

Here are some: 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3483033/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8669931/

Answer 8

I think that weightlifting is a significant part of becoming more athletic because it helps condition your muscles for better performance. While your article discusses the cons of overtraining muscles with weights without athletic practice, the consensus among most athletic programs is that a mixture of practice and weights is ideal for becoming more athletic.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3483033/

Comments

I really like your response to this claim. I agree that the right mixture of practice and weight lifting is almost necessary in order to become even more athletic. Adding too much weight lifting though can upset your bodies composition and can hinder you slightly in some regards.

Answer 9

The claim that lifting weights will make one less athletic is false. The first piece of evidence the article provides is a quote by Gary R. Hunter, who is a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before even looking at what he said I did some research on him and he has a Phd in health and physical education, he has also published over 300 referred research papers concerning exercise physiology. He is well reviewed in his field and can be assumed a trusted source of information. In this article Hunter states “There is no doubt that an appropriate weight-training program would improve efficiency in pretty much any athlete”, in addition to this quote there are multiple statements from other renowned physiology experts as well as athletes themselves speaking from personal experience about how strength training improved their athletic performance. Drawing from an outside source, the National Library of Medicine backs up the claim that weight training does improve athletic performance, they confirm that strength training builds a person's muscle endurance, which helps to improve athletic ability. The reasoning provided by those who believe strength training is not significantly beneficial to athleticism is primarily that there is not enough research to prove it, which is a weak argument as there is not much research against it either. The article linked to this claim as a way of a source only disproves the statement, and after further investigation into the sources it can be concluded that the claim “lifting weights will make you less athletic” is false. 

Sources:

-Suchomel, Timothy. The Importance of Muscular Strength in Athletic Performance. National Library of Medicine. October 2016.

-https://scholars.uab.edu/2381-gary-hunter/publications information on Gary Hunter, provided by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

-Kolata, Gina. Does Weight Lifting Make a Better Athlete? The New York Times. February 2008. 

Comments

Your lengthy response is full of factual information supporting your claim. I like how you didn't completely side with one side but rather said that there is not enough research to determine if it is necessary true or not. Nice job!

Answer 10

False, some weight training can further improve your abilities. The article provided is not an accurate representation of everyone but just one personal experience. Doing further research, the article linked below provides benefits of weight lifting. The article discusses five reasons. Those being, it reduces risk of injury, gives you power, teaches you muscle mechanics, long term health, and lastly makes you an overall well rounded athlete. 

https://www.dubosefitness.com/fitness-blog/5-reasons-athletes-need-strength-training#:~:text=If%20you're%20an%20athlete,better%2C%20more%20well%20rounded%20athlete.