What weights are considered "Heavy"

aoifebos1
aoifebos1 Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a little unsure what people mean when they say "lift heavy", I was working with 10lbs dumbbells today and they felt pretty heavy to me after the first couple of reps. Someone please educate me a little.

Replies

  • SocWkrBee
    SocWkrBee Posts: 374
    Heavy is relative.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    Depends on the exercise. If you were deadlifting 10 pounds, that's not heavy. Do three sets of flies, and that ten will start to feel like 100.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    challenge yourself. its subjective- but you know it when you are doing it- especially the compound lifts
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
    If you do 5 reps and have trouble doing the 5th, then that is heavy for you. I have friends that can squat twice what I can do but I am still lifting as much as I can for my ~5 reps.
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
    Heavy is heavy for you. Right now I'm doing 110 pound seated rows, for example. To one person, that might be light as heck. To another, way too heavy. You lift what challenges you; you can do just the amount of sets you want, but no more. If you can do more, it's too light.
  • Goatgirl8
    Goatgirl8 Posts: 57 Member
    You want to muscles to work hard enough that you think you just can't finish that second or third set of twelve. I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong here people) that as the muscle strains, it tears ever so slightly. And when the body repairs that tear, is what causes the muscle to get bigger/firmer, hence the term "no pain no gain.
  • KS_4691
    KS_4691 Posts: 228 Member
    I think the term gets thrown around a lot. Anyone who lifts feels the need to say "I lift heavy" rather than just "I lift weights." Does it really matter what you call it?
  • RedHeadDevotchka
    RedHeadDevotchka Posts: 1,394 Member
    Shoot for 6-8 reps. If its easy and you can do more, add weight. If you can't do 6-8 reps decrease the weight. Some ppl would tell you to do more reps, but 6-8 is a good range to build strength. I went from benching 80 lbls to 145 bc I lifted heavy in this way. Good luck
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
    I think the term gets thrown around a lot. Anyone who lifts feels the need to say "I lift heavy" rather than just "I lift weights." Does it really matter what you call it?
    well yes.. cause there is a big difference between the 2. it's like comparing 'i move my legs' to sprinting. One is a subset of the other. But they are not the same thing.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    I lift heavy.


    Just sayin'
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    The heavy ones. Duh.
  • emmeylou
    emmeylou Posts: 175 Member
    When I say I am "lifting heavy" it means that I lift close to the maximum I can for a couple sets of low reps. If I am doing arm exercises chest height or above, 15lbs is "heavy" for me. In that example it means that when I finish a set I could *maybe* push out two more reps before my muscles give out. When I am doing back squats with the barbell I currently lift 95lbs. Again, if I do 2 sets of 10, then at the end of one set I could only do a couple more if I had to before my muscles would just give out.

    In comparison to just lifting or using "light" weights... I could do those same arms exercises using a 5lb dumbbell, but I would be able to do 25+ reps before tiring. I could do bodyweight squats (no weights at all, just simple squats) and I could do 25+ reps as well.

    I personally feel that lifting heavy is more effective, takes less time, and gets the job done.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    There is a smattering of info on lifting here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners

Categories