How heavy is "Heavy Lifting"?

Lleldiranne

I am hearing a lot about heavy lifting, especially for women, and I just wondered - how heavy are we talking.

It's been a few years since I lifted, but at my peak I was benching about 95 (with 15 reps per set, 3-4 sets). I'm a 5'0" woman and weighed about 120 then. Would this be heavy, or are we talking the type where you can only complete 5 reps in a set?
For that matter, does the lifter's size have anything to do with "heavy"?

TIA

gerard54

When i lift "heavy' I only do 6-12 reps per set. if you can do more than 12 reps with that weight, then it isnt heavy enough...

jacksonpt

It's different for each person and each exercise, but the concept is this:

Do fewer reps (usually between 5-8) with enough weight so that the last rep is a struggle to complete. If you're goal is to do 6 reps, and you can do 8... you don't have enough weight.

ladyace2078

I target 6 reps for 3 sets. Sometimes I can lift 8 on the first set and only 5 on the last set depending on when I do the particular exercise. If I get to 10 reps then I increase my weight.

Glucocorticoid

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/categories-of-weight-training-part-1.html

Raiderxx

Check out the StrongLifts 5x5! That will start you out light on the weights and gradually get you to the HEAVY LIFTING!

http://stronglifts.com/

karensoxfan

Heavy Lifting to me is as much as you can use to complete your workout with good form & free weights (not machines).

I'm new to it, but I'm following the plan outlined in New Rules of Lifting for Women, and really like it so far. For me, benching 95 lb. would definitely be "heavy."

BlueInkDot

"Heavy" to me is anything that makes you grunt and scrunch up your face at rep 6-8 and seriously struggle to get rep 8-10 in the air, and sometimes, you're not even able to get rep 10 in the air and you just have to stop at rep 9.

Whatever weights make that happen is your personal version of "heavy."

Edited to say: Looks like some people target even LOWER reps than that. Like 5 or 6 reps maximum. That means even HEAVIER weights. Whatever works for you!!

dhakiyya

When i lift "heavy' I only do 6-12 reps per set. if you can do more than 12 reps with that weight, then it isnt heavy enough...

^^^^ this

the rule's the same for men and women, your own level of strength determines the weight

dinosnopro

Somewhere between a gallon of milk and a V.W. bug.

rudegyal_b

failure at 6-8 reps

jenluvsushi

I am hearing a lot about heavy lifting, especially for women, and I just wondered - how heavy are we talking.

It's been a few years since I lifted, but at my peak I was benching about 95 (with 15 reps per set, 3-4 sets). I'm a 5'0" woman and weighed about 120 then. Would this be heavy, or are we talking the type where you can only complete 5 reps in a set?
For that matter, does the lifter's size have anything to do with "heavy"?

TIA

That would be heavy to me! It really is measured by the person though...6-8 reps and by the 8th you should be struggling. If you can go over, it's not heavy enough. If you were lifting 80% of your body weight, that's pretty impressive. I am no where near 80%!

contingencyplan

The # on the weight is not what's important. What constitutes "heavy lifting" is relative to your strength. The key thing used to determine this is how many reps you can put out without compromising form or pausing to take a rest. For "heavy lifting" that usually means hitting that "failure" point in the high single digits, such as 6-8 reps. If you can bang out 15-20 good, clean reps without sacrificing form or taking a short rest, you're not lifting heavy enough to really be able to see the same kind of gains as someone who is.

peuglow

I've always treated heavy days as 4-7 reps. Anything more isn't heavy.

SirZee

If you can lift the weight more than six times, it aint' heavy lifting. 7-12 is lifting. 12-15 is light lifting. 15+ is pretending to be lifting, but really just wasting time.

jenluvsushi

Weight lifting standards..........http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

erxkeel

When i lift "heavy' I only do 6-12 reps per set. if you can do more than 12 reps with that weight, then it isnt heavy enough...

Nailed it. ^^

Abells

I'm usually reaching my limit at about 6 reps to where I'm struggling and may need a spotter or I bail out pending on the lift

Deadlifting on average about 150lb (1 rep max 245lb)
Back squat about 150lb
Front squat about 135lb
Power snatch about 75lb
Push Press about 100 -115lb
Power cleans - gonna find out tonight

*edited for weights* I don't use machines all bar bell

stacygayle

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/categories-of-weight-training-part-1.html

Just read that and it just confused me more. ugh

nelsaphine

Interesting responses!! So then what I had heard before about "light weight" with many reps is not correct?? I guess my lifting would be considered "light weight"...although I don't think it's so light...I really do struggle!!

oats4breakfast

One has to actually lift something for it to be lifting. A bicep curl or a leg press isn't a lift -- regardless of weight & reps.
Lifting heavy is exactly that - lifting something heavy.
Curls and Leg presses are assistance exercises that help you lift something. Lifting is where you tax your central nervous system and utilize your posterior chain in an effort to lift a weight. Lifts are things like Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Cleans, Squats, Jerks and Snatches. Most everything else is an isolation.
Rep schemes - heavy is usually about 70-80% and above of your 1 rep max.
Do a bunch of singles (lifts, not assistance exercises) where the weight is almost as much as you can lift is a heavy lift. Doing 5 sets of 5 where you are taxing yourself is a heavy lift - again with a traditional lift, not an isolation exercises.

Basically, if your entire body screams out at some point when you lift something off the ground, or move it while it's on your shoulder, you've done a heavy lift.
If only your bicep or shoulder or calf muscle cries out, then you may have used a heavy weight and gone to failure, but it's likely you didn't lft anything and simply did an isolation/assistance exercise.

SirZee

Even a light lifting session should wear you out. I start my chest workout with a light lift. 225lb 12 to 14 reps for three sets. I usually decide around the 11th rep whether its a 12 day or a 14 day. Once I am done with the 3 sets, I can definitely feel it, and since i push for 3 of the same ex, 14, 14, 14, --I don't allow myself to drop to 13 on last or second set, because its extra work to log it, thanks MFP . By the time I'm done with the third set, it hurts quite a bit. However, its still a light lift.

SirZee

One has to actually lift something for it to be lifting. A bicep curl or a leg press isn't a lift -- regardless of weight & reps.
Lifting heavy is exactly that - lifting something heavy.
Curls and Leg presses are assistance exercises that help you lift something. Lifting is where you tax your central nervous system and utilize your posterior chain in an effort to lift a weight. Lifts are things like Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Cleans, Squats, Jerks and Snatches. Most everything else is an isolation.
Rep schemes - heavy is usually about 70-80% and above of your 1 rep max.
Do a bunch of singles (lifts, not assistance exercises) where the weight is almost as much as you can lift is a heavy lift. Doing 5 sets of 5 where you are taxing yourself is a heavy lift - again with a traditional lift, not an isolation exercises.

Basically, if your entire body screams out at some point when you lift something off the ground, or move it while it's on your shoulder, you've done a heavy lift.
If only your bicep or shoulder or calf muscle cries out, then you may have used a heavy weight and gone to failure, but it's likely you didn't lft anything and simply did an isolation/assistance exercise.

Disagree, unnecessary restriction of the word "lift". If you do a bicep curl, the bar with weights on it moves up, due to your effort, hence its a lift. If you do an exercise that involves the movement of weight against gravity, its a lift.

oats4breakfast

One has to actually lift something for it to be lifting. A bicep curl or a leg press isn't a lift -- regardless of weight & reps.
Lifting heavy is exactly that - lifting something heavy.
Curls and Leg presses are assistance exercises that help you lift something. Lifting is where you tax your central nervous system and utilize your posterior chain in an effort to lift a weight. Lifts are things like Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Cleans, Squats, Jerks and Snatches. Most everything else is an isolation.
Rep schemes - heavy is usually about 70-80% and above of your 1 rep max.
Do a bunch of singles (lifts, not assistance exercises) where the weight is almost as much as you can lift is a heavy lift. Doing 5 sets of 5 where you are taxing yourself is a heavy lift - again with a traditional lift, not an isolation exercises.

Basically, if your entire body screams out at some point when you lift something off the ground, or move it while it's on your shoulder, you've done a heavy lift.
If only your bicep or shoulder or calf muscle cries out, then you may have used a heavy weight and gone to failure, but it's likely you didn't lft anything and simply did an isolation/assistance exercise.

Disagree, unnecessary restriction of the word "lift". If you do a bicep curl, the bar with weights on it moves up, due to your effort, hence its a lift. If you do an exercise that involves the movement of weight against gravity, its a lift.

That's fine by me if you disagree, none of us are going to agree on any of this because we each workout differently and have different opinions. I'm just saying those are more isolation/assistance exercises. Truth be told, I think a bicep curl is pretty worthless. Good for the beach but that's where it ends - I'd rather do chin-ups.

Using some of this logic - if I could only do 5-6 push-ups ... would that be considered a heavy lift ? Afterall I'm moving something against gravity, to failure, only 5-6 times.

SirZee

Absolutely. A hypothetical 300 pound guy doing 5-6 pushups to failure, yes that's definitely heavy lifting, I would think at least 95 out of 100 random people posed that question would agree.

SirZee

Let me turn this around, by your definition I have never "lifted" weights in my life. Take a look at my pics, those things didn't grow by themselves

Edit: And they aren't "show" stuff either, I always trained for strength, and anyone who got to experience it always said "wow you are stronger than you look". Includes the orthopedic surgeon who did my distal bicep tendon reattachment surgery, who explained my fully torn tendon as 'your bicep produced more force than the tendon could handle'.

Glucocorticoid

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/categories-of-weight-training-part-1.html

Just read that and it just confused me more. ugh

Which part confuses you?

dlwyatt82

There were a few days early on on StrongLifts where I just did push-ups instead of bench... and they were more challenging. :laugh:

Lleldiranne

THanks everyone!

Let me just clarify, I can't do 95 lbs now, lol. But now I know what to aim for if/when I decide to try the heavy lifting route. (I was getting fatigued by the end of my sets and like the look I had)

persilcolours

Oh...seems I've been doing "light lifting" for the past month. BUT IT WAS HARD! 12-15 reps until failure.

Hmmph.

Titanuim

bookmarking for later reference