Less weight/more reps vs. More weight/less reps??

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  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Low weight high reps for stamina.
    High weight low reps for strength.
    Simple. The higher the weight, the lower the reps. Squats for example; zero weight I would do 12 to 20. Three hundred pounds, I do five.

    So for weight loss, low weight high reps. To make strong like buffalo, high weight low reps.
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    I usually move up on the weight once I get to 8 reps, 10 for certain things like bicep curls and shoulders. If you can easily do 1 set of 10 I'd say the weight is too little.

    i agree. on my next session i am going to go up in weight! thanks.
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    Low weight high reps for stamina.
    High weight low reps for strength.
    Simple. The higher the weight, the lower the reps. Squats for example; zero weight I would do 12 to 20. Three hundred pounds, I do five.

    So for weight loss, low weight high reps. To make strong like buffalo, high weight low reps.

    hmm..now i want to do both. get strong like buffalo and lose weight :) im going to increase my weights this week and then see what happens. thanks. :)
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    I can lift 20 lbs too with no problem and my arms arent huge either, 20 lbs is nothing.

    Well good for you. I started with very light weights and happen to be happy with my progress thus far. It would be nice if you wouldn't make belittling comments such as this. I lift what I can to failure within 12 reps and if I get that far I increase my weight. Telling me that my max is nothing is contrary to the spirit of these boards in that we are here to SUPPORT each other.

    In summary...

    GEE THANKS.

    im starting with little weights too, so thanks. :happy:
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    My advice is to always lift as heavy as you can without hurting yourself so you can do the 10 reps safely. If you can get to 10 reps and you feel like you can do more, then your weights are too light. If you can't get to 10 reps, then your weights are too heavy.

    This allows you to progress faster...and by progress, you will not only see the amount you lift increase, but you will also be doing your body a favor. The stronger you are, the more lean muscle you have. More lean muscle means you burn more fat at rest since it takes more energy for lean muscle to even exist, let alone be used.

    Congrats on starting lifting weights! Sooo many women don't want to do it, but it is totally important for your body and can make weight loss easier. Be sure you are eating enough protein to repair your muscles from your workouts and get plenty of rest...which it seems as though you are by taking a day off in between weight workouts.

    thank you so much for the advice. i am going to go up in weight like you suggested and see what happens. i appreciate it a lot. :smile:
  • newman50
    newman50 Posts: 16
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    OF course if your goal is to gain muscle then you can not lose fat and gain muscle at the same time..its phisologically impossible.

    I must be a freak because that is exactly what I am managing to do ?
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    not going to go into it. there have been a few good threads on MFP with that information.
    stick with your 3 set. go with 8's though for everything bar leg stuff. use 10 here. remeber its a weight you can only lift 8-10 times. if you can do more than 10, its too easy/light. If you can manage 15 or more, double the weight, lol.

    so 3 x 8. if you can do that, go heavier next time. go up every workout....when you find you cant complete all 3 sets of 8, stick with that weight until you can. Also, on the last set, go until you think you only have 1 rep left, then stop. Some weeks, go until you cant, but not all the time.

    Forget the word tone. build some muscle, it will help burn fat, :)
    work hard, and you'll get your "tone" (****y word who's use was put forth no doubt, by the "fitness" industry).
    its like cellulite, but lets not get me started there either, lol.

    thanks! i will go up in weight on my next session. i appreciate the advice.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    OF course if your goal is to gain muscle then you can not lose fat and gain muscle at the same time..its phisologically impossible.

    I must be a freak because that is exactly what I am managing to do ?

    Yeah... another freak of nature here!! I think the lady in question who posted this is ill informed to say the least.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    OF course if your goal is to gain muscle then you can not lose fat and gain muscle at the same time..its phisologically impossible.

    I must be a freak because that is exactly what I am managing to do ?

    Yeah... another freak of nature here!! I think the lady in question who posted this is ill informed to say the least.

    +1

    I'm totally freakish, too.

    Since 2007 when I was 191, I have lost 65 pounds...recently put 10 back on which I am taking off again, but that's beside the point. And I have been doing P90X...started with dinky little 2 pound weights progressing to 20 pounds for biceps/triceps, started with a 30 pound bench press to currently 120...etc..etc...and I have muscle tone all over and can easily show you my musKles.

    I am such a FREAK for personally doing what that person says can't be done. But that's OK I guess, cause my max weight is NOTHING if you read a previous post.............
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    OF course if your goal is to gain muscle then you can not lose fat and gain muscle at the same time..its phisologically impossible.

    I must be a freak because that is exactly what I am managing to do ?

    Can you be more specific here please. Are you saying you are mananging to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time whilst running a consistent caloire deficit?

    I think this is what the former poster was alluding to when she said it was physiologically impossible. In the vast majority of cases you cannot do so. The exceptions are overfat beginners with very little training experience or formally athletic people returning to training after a period of absence. Even then it is a short term phenomenon and you are all talking a couple of lbs gain of muscle at most. The idea you can replace 1lb of fat with 1lb of muscle over the long term whilst on a caloire deficit is pretty much nonsense.

    People often confuse fat free mass / lean body mass (which includes water) with muscle mass and perceive them to be the same thing. They are not.

    I guess if you are following an advanced dieting structure involving impeccable timing of nutrition / high caloire days with low calorie days couple with specific training you could manage to balance anabolic and catabolic states leading to a programme whereby you gain muslce and loss fat on a weekly / monthly basis. I doubt anyone on this site is currently doing so.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I guess if you are following an advanced dieting structure involving impeccable timing of nutrition / high caloire days with low calorie days couple with specific training you could manage to balance anabolic and catabolic states leading to a programme whereby you gain muslce and loss fat on a weekly / monthly basis. I doubt anyone on this site is currently doing so.

    Do you know about Tom Venuto's Holy Grail Body Transformation? It pretty much dumbs down this that you describe for people like us to follow, and more people than you may realize are doing it.

    Just sayin. :flowerforyou:
  • soysos
    soysos Posts: 187 Member
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    there are three types of weight training. strength training, high weight, low reps, and a slow steady pace. the idea with this type is to use as much weight as you can handle for 5-8 reps. the second type is endurance, low weight, high reps, multiple sets. for this one its important not to over do the weight, 1/3-1/2 your strength weight is ideal. when I'm doing endurance training I like to do five exercises one right after the other, I do three sets of ten reps. the third type is explosive, in this case the amount of reps really isn't important. i'll use about the same amount of weight as for endurance, but my goal is to do as many reps as I can in thirty seconds, instead of doing ten reps slow and steady.

    as for witch is best there really is no answer, because its all of the above. any proper weight regimen should include all three types.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    I guess if you are following an advanced dieting structure involving impeccable timing of nutrition / high caloire days with low calorie days couple with specific training you could manage to balance anabolic and catabolic states leading to a programme whereby you gain muslce and loss fat on a weekly / monthly basis. I doubt anyone on this site is currently doing so.

    Do you know about Tom Venuto's Holy Grail Body Transformation? It pretty much dumbs down this that you describe for people like us to follow, and more people than you may realize are doing it.

    Just sayin. :flowerforyou:

    Funnily enough I do.

    If anyone can show me with appropriate measurements and calculations that they have followed this approach consciously or unconciously and acheived the holy grail (its not called the holy grail for nothing...) of body transformation then I will freely admit I am wrong.

    I can wait.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Low weight high reps for stamina.
    High weight low reps for strength.
    Simple. The higher the weight, the lower the reps. Squats for example; zero weight I would do 12 to 20. Three hundred pounds, I do five.

    So for weight loss, low weight high reps. To make strong like buffalo, high weight low reps.

    hmm..now i want to do both. get strong like buffalo and lose weight :) im going to increase my weights this week and then see what happens. thanks. :)

    You can do both. There is routine, and then there is method.
    Just for example let's talk about curls. Let's say you are curling 8 pounds now. The next time you curl, pick a weight that really intimidated you maybe 30 or 35. Pick it up, get your posture straight, test the feel of it in your hand. Do you believe you can do it? If no, drop down a little. Ok, now make a good solid effort to do 1 curl. Just one. Could you do it? No, drop down again... yes, go for 2 or 3 more.
    Was your form decent? It's ok to cheat a little on your first try. If you were able to do it make an effort to do 1 or 2 more sets of three. If you have to set the weight down and rest between reps that's ok. Shake your arms out and stretch between sets.

    When you are done make a record of the sets, reps, and weight. When your body is ready to try again, use the same weight but try 1 more rep per set. Just warm up first, maybe 1 set of your old weight ( it will feel lighter)

    The point of this method is to increase reps more so than weight. when you get back to your old rep count with the heavier weight, then you can decide if you want to add more weight, or just maintain your gains.

    ...strong like little buffalo, fast like cheata.
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
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    More weight & less reps will give you muscle bulk.

    Unless she's on the juice she won't bulk.

    I wish people realised how hard it is for women to "bulk" even when they want to, before they throw around statements like this.

    AMEN!!!

    I lift as much as 20 pounds per arm doing biceps and triceps workouts...not to mention shoulders, back, and chest exercises...but look at my little arms in the picture. No bulk there!

    Women DO NOT bulk up lifting heavy weights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Relax, ladies! I did not mean "bulk up like a steroid-induced-man". There's a difference between lean muscle and muscle that is on the more "bulky" side (more visible), and there are different ways to achieve this. :tongue:

    And since everyone sorta jumped ahead of me here, YES it IS POSSIBLE for women to gain "large" or "bulky" muscles, and without taking steroids. It just takes a lot of hard work, and some women have naturally more testosterone in their bodies than others. That's all. :wink:

    For the record, I wasn't "throwing around statements". I work out with a personal trainer, and take supplements with the goal of putting on muscle bulk (yes, the "man" type). So I am quite aware of how female muscle works (or doesnt lol). :laugh:
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    so i did a little arm work tonight. just bicep curls and lateral lifts. i went up 1 lb with the weights and still did 2 sets of 10 reps. it burned a little at the end but i still managed to get through it. i will work with this weight till i can do 3 sets and then move up in weight again. i love this!! thanks again for all the advice and comments,.
  • 3LittleMonkeys
    3LittleMonkeys Posts: 373 Member
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    From what I've heard - less weight & more reps will give you fat burning & muscle toning. More weight & less reps will give you muscle bulk. Aim for 12-15 for muscle toning, or 8-10 for muscle bulk. :smile:

    This is not true. Well unless she is taking something illegal.
  • 3LittleMonkeys
    3LittleMonkeys Posts: 373 Member
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    so i did a little arm work tonight. just bicep curls and lateral lifts. i went up 1 lb with the weights and still did 2 sets of 10 reps. it burned a little at the end but i still managed to get through it. i will work with this weight till i can do 3 sets and then move up in weight again. i love this!! thanks again for all the advice and comments,.

    Yeah! :flowerforyou:
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    From what I've heard - less weight & more reps will give you fat burning & muscle toning. More weight & less reps will give you muscle bulk. Aim for 12-15 for muscle toning, or 8-10 for muscle bulk. :smile:

    This is exactly what I have read/heard over the years too. Normally guys are the ones going for more weight and less reps to 'bulk up'.
  • iamthepreston
    iamthepreston Posts: 195 Member
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    More weight & less reps will give you muscle bulk.

    Unless she's on the juice she won't bulk.

    I wish people realised how hard it is for women to "bulk" even when they want to, before they throw around statements like this.

    http://www.stumptuous.com/lies-in-the-gym


    Good response you are spot on. Wish more women would realize this.

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