Heavy Lifting

BhangraPrince
BhangraPrince Posts: 123 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I know everybody has their own ideas about what is considered heavy lifting... So lets have at it ....
Squat
Bench Press
Overheard Press

Replies

  • time2cutnow
    time2cutnow Posts: 150 Member
    edited January 2016
    Heavy lifting is just lifting to exertion and adding weight as needed. If you bench press the bar only and max out after a few reps, that would still be considered "heavy lifting". So "heavy" is relative to the individual.

    Anyways - my current stats

    Squat - 130
    Overhead press - 40

    I don't bench press (gasp)
  • jacklifts
    jacklifts Posts: 396 Member
    I will feel like I'm heavy lifting when I can

    Bench 2x bodyweight
    Squat 3x bodyweight
    Deadlift 3.5x bodyweight

    ....which may be never
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    It's basically at a certain percentage of your 1RM for a lift.

    Say somewhere 80-85%+

    It's not a lift, or collection of lifts, in itself.
  • little_simon
    little_simon Posts: 37 Member
    It's relative,

    what's heavy for you, might be light for me or vice versa.

    In most cases heavy will be 85% of your 1 rep maxes.

  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited January 2016
    Heavy lifting is what I currently lift. If you lift more it is super heavy lifting, if it is less it is medium lifting, and if it is less than my warmup weights, then it is light lifting.

    As they say, it is all relative :smile:
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    jimmmer wrote: »
    It's basically at a certain percentage of your 1RM for a lift.

    Say somewhere 80-85%+

    It's not a lift, or collection of lifts, in itself.

    Yup.

    2 x bodyweight etc. is just an indicator of how strong you are for your size.
    But when you're lifting 85% of your max, you're lifting heavy no matter how strong you are or aren't.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Based on the amount of yelling my coworker did as I moved the printer yesterday (You're going to kill yourself!) 40 pounds is too heavy lifting, so less than 40 must be regular heavy lifting.
  • ngagne
    ngagne Posts: 60 Member
    5'5, 140lbs, female, 32 yrs
    Squat: 215lbs
    Bench: 100lbs
    OH: 105lbs

    What's heavy for some will be light for others though. It's all whatever is "heavy" to the person doing it
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    BhangraPrince wrote: »
    I know everybody has their own ideas about what is considered heavy lifting... So lets have at it ....
    Squat
    Bench Press
    Overheard Press

    Actually, "heavy" lifting describes a low rep range that is conducive to building optimal strength...generally 1- 5 or 6 reps at a high % of one's 1 RM. "Heavy" lifting is traditional strength training...training to maximize strength gains.

    Squat, Bench Press, and Overhead Press are compound movements that could be utilized in any type of programming.

  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    I look at it as anything greater than 80% of my 1rm. That usually puts me in the 4-5 rep range with nothing left for that set.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    ngagne wrote: »
    5'5, 140lbs, female, 32 yrs
    Squat: 215lbs
    Bench: 100lbs
    OH: 105lbs

    What's heavy for some will be light for others though. It's all whatever is "heavy" to the person doing it
    Your OHP is higher than bench???
  • slinke2014
    slinke2014 Posts: 149 Member
    Squat 105 x 6
    Bench Press 75 x8
    Overheard Press 60 x5

    34 female current weight 155 lbs
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,502 Member
    "Heavy" is not only relative to different people, but different times as well. When I began lifting I could lift x barely one time; now several years later, x is most of the time part of my warm-up. Even from one week to the next can vary significantly -- I might get 4 reps today on a weight I got 6 on last week, and will get 6 again next week, just because I'm having an off day today.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I tend to think it terms of relative strength (% of BW lifted) vs. absolute strength (probably b/c I'm small).

    I've been using this as a guideline:
    https://www.t-nation.com/training/are-you-strong
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    jimmmer wrote: »
    It's basically at a certain percentage of your 1RM for a lift.

    Say somewhere 80-85%+

    It's not a lift, or collection of lifts, in itself.
    ^That.

    Its not a stead-fast rule, but good rule of thumb to follow nonetheless.
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
    My current "heavy" state
    Bench - 135 ( I can 2 dirty reps; failure on the 3rd)
    Squat - 225 (2 reps)
    OHP - 95lbs 2 reps before having to result to a push press..haha; 2 seems to be my magic number.
  • BhangraPrince
    BhangraPrince Posts: 123 Member
    To get your 1RM is it a calculation or an actual lift to get your total?
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    edited January 2016
    BhangraPrince wrote: »
    To get your 1RM is it a calculation or an actual lift to get your total?

    Yes and yes.
    Use a calculator to determine what you should be able to lift, then warm up to attempting it.

    ETA
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-test-your-one-rep-max.html
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    Lifting is a single beer. Heavy lifting is a beer in each hand. See: bulking.
  • BhangraPrince
    BhangraPrince Posts: 123 Member


    Yes and yes.
    Use a calculator to determine what you should be able to lift, then warm up to attempting it.

    ETA
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-test-your-one-rep-max.html[/quote]

    Awesome.. Exactly the kind of info I was looking for..
  • BhangraPrince
    BhangraPrince Posts: 123 Member
    BhangraPrince wrote: »

    Yes and yes.
    Use a calculator to determine what you should be able to lift, then warm up to attempting it.

    ETA
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-test-your-one-rep-max.html

    Awesome.. Exactly the kind of info I was looking for.. [/quote]

    Thanks
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    BhangraPrince wrote: »
    To get your 1RM is it a calculation or an actual lift to get your total?

    for me its an actual lift that i train for and attempt
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Heavy Lifting. Yet another type of thread that is likely to eventually derail. See also clean eating, Planet Fitness, Exercise and Children, Women's mysterious and spooky stuff that men could not possibly understand, and relationship advice.
  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
    I am just getting back in to getting fit...so I am not a proponent of heavy lifting as there is too much risk of injury and at my age 43 it is just not worth it.

    Now, as said, everyone defines heavy differently. For me, I am looking to lift 3 sets for between 10 and 12 reps. Some ideas of what I am lifting:

    BP: 180lbs 3x10
    Leg Press (Life Fitness Pro2) with full range: 290lbs 3x10
    Deadlift using a Hammer Strength Base Squat: 225lbs 3x10

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