women lifting "heavy"

End6ame

I've read on here many times about women needing to lift "heavy".

What exactly IS heavy? What guidelines are there to determine what heavy is for each individual?

In the case of free weights - what indicators should I go by to decide what poundage to use?


At home I use 10 pound weights. I have to really struggle to get to 30 reps. The last five are torturous. I have a hard time thinking that ten pounds constitutes "heavy" though. :laugh:

When I refer to heavy I am talking about 80-90% of your 1 rep max (1RM) or the maximum weight you can only perform 1 rep with. This will in turn, force you into a lower rep range (around 1-5 reps) which is the optimum range for causing myofibrillar hypertrophy which is the type of hypertrophy that makes you stronger.

I wrote a post a little while back on muscle gains that you may find interesting. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/234432-if-you-think-you-gained-muscle-read-this?hl="if+you+think+you+gained+muscle"

sweetheart03622

I do "heavy lifting" and do 5 sets of 5 reps

HeidiMightyRawr

I do 5 sets of around 3-7 reps, sometimes going up to 10 reps depending on the exercise. I count this as heavy. The last 2 are a struggle but still maintain good form.

Macjackson

At my top weight of 290# I wasn't lifting weight just standing was "heavy lifting"...I lost 110# and loved it felt great , taught aerobics for 3 years and did lift heavy pressing over 100#. It was the heavy lifting in general that gave me tone and actually changed my shape. Losing weight just made me a smaller version of my overweight self.

When i added weight training it actually changed my body. I built up my arms and chest and back and it made the waist look smaller. I started to wear strapless and arms out.I built my chest and with good bra gained cleavage (YES). Lots of compliments. I returned home for a wedding as wasn't recognized by many people.

I had surgery and gained back 45#...Now I am back to getting back down to hitting my goal weight of 145# . I do carry muscle. So now I am 65# from that goal. As previously listed women will not get BIG like men we don't carry that amount of testosterone. And women body builders are so dedicated it is amazing to have that much dedication.

But you may have a feeling "thick /bulky' period. i went thru that after I started to lift , the scale went up 4 lbs and then about 3 weeks later I notice the thickness was less, the scale weight dropped, and clothes ft better. I was hooked, I think this was a true transition. I dont fear the bulk because I know if i continue wtih cardio , eat clean and lean, sleep and drink water it will subside and the tone and fat loss will happen. My goal is to LOSE FAT, Not to lose Weight.

When I weight more then 225 I did not " lift heavy". I did lots of reps and sets with good form a challenging weight , minimal rest between sets, tried to keep my heart rate up (more aerobic then anaerobic...heavy lifting is more anaerobic) and did superset or circuit format. I don't think it matters what one does as long as you DO SOMETHING, MOVE SOMETHING, SHAKE SOMETHING, LIFT SOMETHING, BURN SOMETHING,BUILD SOMETHING and that is my goal.

Kbridges82

Lifting heavy isn't just about the reps, but the exercises as well. Barbell exercises are key to stressing the central nervous system and the skeletal structure/muscle. Machines and isolation exercises cannot replicate the benefits you gain from performing compound barbell exercises with heavy (4-6 rep range) weight. Women will not gain bulk from lifting "heavy" because they have very low testosterone, which is crucial in building muscle mass. What women will experience is more calories burned per hour, since you will be expending more energy in a shorter period of time (ie. you would burn more calories squatting 95 lbs 15 times in 6 minutes than you do curling 10 lb weights 30 times in 6 minutes).

I disagree with the concept of "toning". There is no "toning" mechanism within our bodies. You lose/gain fat or muscle. Period. The "look" that many confuse with "toned" is low body fat over slightly more lean muscle. If that's the look you're going for, then performing compound movements with barbells (again, not machines, dumbells, kettlebells, or any other bell), is for you.

bizco

My suggestion is to rely on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE).

10. Maximal – no reps left in the tank at the end of set.
9: Last rep is tough but still one rep left in the tank
8: Weight is too heavy to maintain fast bar speed but isn’t a struggle; 2–4 reps left
7: Weight moves quickly when maximal force is applied to the weight; “speed weight”
6: Light speed work; moves quickly with moderate force
5: Most warm-up weights
4: Recovery; usually 20 plus rep sets; not hard but intended to flush the muscle
An RPE below four isn’t important.

The above intensity scale can also be thought of in terms of percentages. Ex. Intensity of 8 is working at 80% of your 1 rep maximum (1RM). The goal is to gradually increase the weight being used for a particular exercise.

Overload: The load must be greater than what your body is accustomed to.

Progression: What is an overload today, won't be an overload next week or next month. To elicit further change, you have to progress the overload. How quickly your body adapts depends on many factors including nutrition, type of exercise, stress, and genetic potential, among others.

Intensity: Training with loads in the 81-95% range of your maximum effort will likely be a stimulating or maintaining load. Intensity of 70-80% is going to be insufficient in terms of building or keeping muscle.

Good luck! Remember, lift HEAVY or go home.

Macjackson

SO true "toned" is really an improper word to use. It is about the loss of body fat that the lean look can acheived, Good point