What does lifting "heavy" mean to women?

Options
24567

Replies

  • EnviousDan
    EnviousDan Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    It's unrelated to gender. You'll often see a lifting program cite a percentage (ex: 85% of max X amount of times). It's more abouty personal records and improving yourself.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Options
    Well, I know it varies. I was curious about numbers.

    I am asking specifically....what do you deadlift? Squat? Shoulder press? Curl?

    I always hear "heavy" used, but I never see numbers.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1060132-so-who-s-the-strongest-woman-on-mfp?hl=strongest+woman

    These numbers change so it would be hard to give specifics..ie bench 50lbs today....60lbs in a week...
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Options
    Well, I know it varies. I was curious about numbers.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
    I am asking specifically....what do you deadlift? Squat? Shoulder press? Curl?

    I always hear "heavy" used, but I never see numbers.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1060132-so-who-s-the-strongest-woman-on-mfp?hl=strongest+woman

    Exactly, there are women in that thread that can lift more than a lot of men I know...including me on some lifts. Granted..not too much more...because, you know...I'm a man and all. Grrr n stuff.
  • metalvegan
    metalvegan Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    I'm doing 5x5s these days and I deadlifted 50lbs+bar and squatted 70lbs+bar yesterday.

    I was pretty happy with myself.

    (And I do not know the bar weight.)

    Like everyone else said, heavy means I can only just finish the 5th rep of each set.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Options
    100 pounds shouldn't be heavy for a man, just sayin. I'm a 50 year old woman and I can deadlift 100 pounds, and I'm still kind of wimpy because I haven't been lifting very long, and I'm kinda old. But, most people heavy lifting are doing some kind of progressive loading program where you are trying to increase weight every week. I didn't start at 100 pounds. And next week I should be up to 105.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Options
    It all relative to your experience and size. Not that you should really be comparing yourself to others but here is a chart that can at least give you an idea of how you are doing.

    http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html


    ETA
    These are one rep maxes. There are calculators out there that can estimate your one rep max based off your heavy working sets.

    http://www.strstd.com/
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Options
    Well, I know it varies. I was curious about numbers.

    I am asking specifically....what do you deadlift? Squat? Shoulder press? Curl?

    I always hear "heavy" used, but I never see numbers.

    Currently -
    Squat - 5x5 @160 lbs
    Bench - 4x5@105
    DL - 1x5 @205
    OHP - 4x5@85
    Curls - don't do them often, but last time I tried I did at least 10 with the barbell (45 lbs)

    ETA - I started Stronglifts 5x5 in March with the barbell for all the lifts (other than deadlifts). I had some weight lifting experience over the years. The bar by itself didn't feel "heavy", but I wanted to follow the program as it was written. I started failing at higher weights about a month or so in.

    Nice numbers! That is what I would call heavy, for sure!
  • metalvegan
    metalvegan Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    Oh, and my chest press is up to 60 lbs, overhead press 50 lbs, and single arm rows 30 lbs (also all 5x5s).
  • babydiego87
    babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
    Options
    100lbs??? jesus. is there a competition for weakest woman on mfp cos id win that :laugh:
  • pushyourself14
    pushyourself14 Posts: 275 Member
    Options
    It's whatever is heavy for you relative to your own strength level/abilities. If you can't get more than 6 or 7 reps without difficulty/failing with X lbs weight, then that is your weight.
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
    Options
    Well, I know it varies. I was curious about numbers.

    I am asking specifically....what do you deadlift? Squat? Shoulder press? Curl?

    I always hear "heavy" used, but I never see numbers.

    Currently -
    Squat - 5x5 @160 lbs
    Bench - 4x5@105
    DL - 1x5 @205
    OHP - 4x5@85
    Curls - don't do them often, but last time I tried I did at least 10 with the barbell (45 lbs)

    ETA - I started Stronglifts 5x5 in March with the barbell for all the lifts (other than deadlifts). I had some weight lifting experience over the years. The bar by itself didn't feel "heavy", but I wanted to follow the program as it was written. I started failing at higher weights about a month or so in.

    Nice numbers! That is what I would call heavy, for sure!

    Thank you --I am pleased with my progress, but there are lots of women on MFP that are lifting way more than me. The link to the "strongest woman on MFP" has a lot of them :)
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Options
    I'm doing 5x5s these days and I deadlifted 50lbs+bar and squatted 70lbs+bar yesterday.

    I was pretty happy with myself.

    (And I do not know the bar weight.)

    Like everyone else said, heavy means I can only just finish the 5th rep of each set.

    lol...I am assuming you are using a full sized regular bar at 45 lbs. So you are deadlifting 95 lbs and squatting 115 lbs.

    I would call that pretty heavy lifting for women. I know no one else in my gym (female) that can out squat or deadlift me. I'm at 130 lbs squat and 140 lbs deadlift. I have no idea what my max is since I only do a weight that I can complete 5 reps with.
  • pushyourself14
    pushyourself14 Posts: 275 Member
    Options
    100 pounds shouldn't be heavy for a man, just sayin. I'm a 50 year old woman and I can deadlift 100 pounds, and I'm still kind of wimpy because I haven't been lifting very long, and I'm kinda old. But, most people heavy lifting are doing some kind of progressive loading program where you are trying to increase weight every week. I didn't start at 100 pounds. And next week I should be up to 105.

    100 lbs might be heavy to a man who has never lifted before. You have to start somewhere...
  • Fiercely_Me
    Fiercely_Me Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    Only being able to do 1-3 reps of a particular load.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Options
    1 x my body weight for squat
    1.5 time deadlift.

    quite frankly it is not important.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    I see many women claim to lift heavy, and I am just curious what exactly this means? I know heavy can be 100s of pounds for men and can vary for both genders, but for women, what does heavy mean to you?

    Out of curiousity, what are you lifting when you do these various exercises?

    usually big compound moves- or free weights only (I rarely see people reference all machine work with lifting heavy- but hey- stranger things have happened).

    I don't think there is a "quantifiable you've achieved lifting heavy" number"

    I think it's more a style- even though I tend to agree the other poster nailed i on the head with the reps, I consider high volume/drop set lifting to be in the bracket of "heavy lifting"

    I go as heavy as I can- and mostly that means 5 reps or under- then I just keep dropping till I"m down to the bar. That still to me is heavy lifting.

    It's part of the % of one rep max mind set... while I don't calculate mine out by percentage- I have a ball park of where I am and typically shoot for 5 x 5.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
    Options
    I think people aren't giving specific numbers because a lot of people see "lifting heavy" not as an amount of pounds, but lifting as much weight as you can for a smaller number of reps, instead of the proverbial "more reps, less weight"
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Options
    It all relative to your experience and size. Not that you should really be comparing yourself to others but here is a chart that can at least give you an idea of how you are doing.

    http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html


    ETA
    These are one rep maxes. There are calculators out there that can estimate your one rep max based off your heavy working sets.

    http://www.strstd.com/

    I agree...comparing to others isn't ideal, but comparing to others allows you to see how far you can go! I honestly have NO IDEA how my lifting compares to other women....other than the other women at my gym.

    Oh, I almost had a heart palpitation reading novice was 135-159 lbs for my weight in deadlifting! :ohwell:

    I'll have to calculate it using the 2nd website! Thanks for the links!
  • moonshine_betty
    moonshine_betty Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    I deadlift and squat 185lbs, press 50lb barbell, 20-25lb dumbbells. I rarely ever curl...last time I did I think I used 15lb dumbbells.
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    Options
    As someone else said, it's what challenges each of us individually. I don't think I lift that heavy, but my lift partner can't handle the weight I lift. Go figure.

    I do the machines, so I try to maintain between 60 and 110 pounds for all my stuff when it comes to the arms.

    I have issues with one lift in that just shifting my hands makes me about 30 pounds weaker, but I'm working on that.

Categories