Should women lift heavy?

Shawshankcan

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

@cwolfman - "at a higher % of their 1 RM". Can you explain what that means? Can you give an example? I never quite got the 1rm thing - I picture the powerlifters in those competitions grunting to lift the heaviest they can then walk away. Don't know how that would correspond to average folks. Hope that makes sense.

Your 1rm (1 rep max) is the most weight you can do for a single rep on a lift. If the most you can do on bench for example, is 100lbs, your 1rm is 100lbs. the % is based off that. You should be able to do around 5-8 reps at 8-% (in this case 80 lbs). Thats what it means.

(Reps/percentages are not an exact science.)

New_determination

Y wouldn't a woman want to lift heavy... the health benefits, confidence and body changes r so positive!!

charlieaulert

Lifting heavy builds muscle, even if you want to tone up you should lift heavy.

The more volume the more muscle… I promise you WON’T get ‘bulky’ by lifting heavy, you’ll burn more fat and build more muscle.

mgalsf12

Yes, especially as we age. Lifting heavy weights or impact exercise make a huge difference with bone density. Strong muscles also help support our joints so we can avoid injury, help us with balance and it's great for self confidence!

thepragmattic

Absolutely (I wish I saw more of them doing it), as long as you don't have any physical issues preventing you from doing so. Since women's anatomy is different than men's (*snicker*), as in musculoskeletal, your biomechanics will be different, which plays a major role in not only heavy lifted but high intensity training in general.

MelissaSheklian

The prolapse thing only applies to women with that specific condition. There is easily some condition out there to contraindicate just about everything. So for the majority of women, yes by all means lift heavy!