Women: What does heavy lifting mean to you, literally?

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  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    For me, it's pushing to my limits. When I get my new training cycle and get nervously excited to start.

    My squats bench and deads are almost always in the 1-6 rep range, however accessory work can range all over the place. It's a successful day when I hit all prescribed weights on my main lift or lifts of the day and challenge myself on the accessories.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,368 Member
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    "Heavy lifting" in my mind is what other people do... the people on MFP who post the impressive numbers in the "How much do you deadlift?" etc. threads for example. I'm not there yet.

    I just call what I do "weight lifting". I lift progressively heavier, but way slower than any program prescribes. I'm middle-aged and the prospect of injury makes me wary, so I take it slow and careful.

    I'm not sure where my threshold for "heavy" is. Maybe once I get to the point of squatting and deadlifting more than I weigh. So I agree with Lyndsey, it's totally subjective.
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
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    To me, heavy lifting is something that varies from person to person, and involves progressing through higher weights though regular training. I aim for what I can do 8-10 reps of. If I could easily do more without a break, that is a "light" weight for me.

    Maybe I'm explaining it weird, but my point is that something I consider heavy, someone else will consider light. But I see what I do as heavy lifting because I'm using weights that challenge me and gradually increasing them as I become stronger.
  • vinerie
    vinerie Posts: 234 Member
    edited May 2015
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    LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »

    To me, lifting heavy involves using heavy enough weight so that the last 1-2 reps in each set is a struggle. If you're not having any difficulty until your last set, you could be lifting heavier. My guess is that you could squat WAY more than just the bar, especially if you're bench pressing 95 lbs. You're also doing a lot of upper body work and very little lower body work, which seems a bit odd and I'm wondering why.

    Mostly because of limited time and current short term goals. I'm getting married this summer and I want to have the best arms I can! (Legs will be hidden under the dress). I'll add more legs after the wedding. As it is now, my gym workouts (including cardio and stretching) are getting close to 2 hours.

    I've always had a tough time with squats and lunges. After a few my inner thigh muscles start to cramp. I've slowly made my way up to three sets of 10 lunges without cramping. After two sets of 10 with the bar on squats I could feel that cramping starting, so I'm not ready to add more weight on squats just yet. When those leg muscles cramp I can't get them to stop and then I'm out of commission for 3-4 days. (And no, it's not a dehydration issue. I drink plenty of water. As long as I can remember I have this cramping issue with lunges and squats. I have no idea why!)

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    For me it usually means another tree has fallen and we need to cut it up. :p
  • mandykent111
    mandykent111 Posts: 81 Member
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    It really depends on who you talk to, but to me that is certainly heavy lifting. You don't need to be a bodybuilder to be lifting heavy, Keep it up!
  • BigLifter10
    BigLifter10 Posts: 1,151 Member
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    Moving my mammoth recliner couch from point A to B. That thing is horrible and it doesn't move well. Haven't gotten furniture sliders for it either. In the gym though - anything that challenges me to move up. It's different if I'm doing one RM, versus my standard lifting where I do 8 or 10 reps. Either way, I'm not in the pink dumbbell brigade. The only time I touch a 10 lb weight is for certain lateral movement for shoulders.
  • vinerie
    vinerie Posts: 234 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Okay, here are the definitions I've culled from this thread on what it means to do "heavy lifting" as opposed to just weight lifting:

    1) Any lift that is a struggle on the last 2-3 reps with the goal of progressing to more weight
    2) Lifting where you are doing five sets of five reps, and all five are a struggle
    3) Only free weights (I.e. no machines), and also meeting requirements of No. 1 and/or 2.
    4) Lifting reps at 75% of your max
    5) There is no distinction.

    Thanks, everyone! As I said upthread, I had never really heard this distinction of "heavy" lifting before, so I was wondering if there was a certain set of metrics that made a lifting routine "heavy lifting" as opposed to just lifting.

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