Lifting heavy.... What does that mean?

Jessibear2854

I want to start lifting weights and am intrigued by the successes I've seen from "lifting heavy." What exactly does that mean? How do you define heavy? Do you work out at home or go to a gym? I guess I am just looking for some details!

AnvilHead

Read through this prior thread - lots of good discussion there:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/809554-women-and-lifting-heavy

heidimaggott78

I bought a book called New Rules Of Lifting For Women and it was a great place for me, as a beginner, to start.

You could probably get it from the library if you wanted to "try before you buy".

I would advise against getting the ebook, as its not as user-friendly as the hard copy ( I got both).

sleepytexan

If you can lift it more than 5 sets of 5 reps, it's not heavy enough.

Start with an empty Olympic bar (45#), get your form right and add 5# each time until you fail, then deload and work back up. Get some fractionals so you can then add 2.5# instead.

Try stronglifts.com -- it's free. There's a group on here that's great: Stronglifts for Women.

While New Rules of Lifting for Women is not a bad starting point, the author is so annoyingly condescending, and after Stage 1 he adds in frou-frou time-wasting non-compound exercises and takes away squats. NEVER SKIP THE SQUATS.

envy09

If you can lift it more than 5 sets of 5 reps, it's not heavy enough.

Start with an empty Olympic bar (45#), get your form right and add 5# each time until you fail, then deload and work back up. Get some fractionals so you can then add 2.5# instead.

Try stronglifts.com -- it's free. There's a group on here that's great: Stronglifts for Women.

While New Rules of Lifting for Women is not a bad starting point, the author is so annoyingly condescending, and after Stage 1 he adds in frou-frou time-wasting non-compound exercises and takes away squats. NEVER SKIP THE SQUATS.

I'll make sure not to do the squats he tells me to do on level two from now on then.

sleepytexan

By Squats, I mean SQUATS. "Back" Squats (although this is like having to specify "hot" tea to me), one of the two fundamental compound lifts (the other being deadlifts). Not front squats or split squats, SQUATS. As I looked back to see what NROL4W stage 2 has to offer, I was reminded that it is also missing deadlifts and keeps you in the gym FOREVER. Ya. Maybe you have time for that, but I have 4 kids and 20 hours of dance lessons to teach, and I like to get out on the water and on the road too, not just stay in the gym spending 2 hours on what could be done more efficiently in 30 minutes.



NROL4W Stage 2

Workout A:

Front squat/push press
Step up
Dumbell one-point row
Static lunge, rear foot elevated
Push ups
Plank
Cable horizontal wood chop

Workout B:

Wide grip deadlift from box
Bulgarian split suat
Underhand-grip lat pulldown
Reverse lunge from box with forward reach
Dumbell prone cuban snatch
Swiss ball crunch
Reverse crunch
Lateral flexion or
Prone cobra
Interval training 15 min, 1 min hard/2 min recovery

Seems like that would take a LOOOOONG time, doesn't it?

It does.



Contrast Stronglifts 5x5:

Workout A:

squats (add 5# each session)
deadlifts (add 10# each session)
overhead press (add 5# each session)

Workout B:

squats (add 5# each session)
Pendlay rows (add 5# each session)
bench press (add 5# each session)

In, out, BOOM. Stronger, faster gains, no frou-frou balancing-on-one-leg silly things. Oh and crunches on balls has nothing to do with heavy lifting. Did you want a six pack? Deadlift and squat.

envy09

*Looks down at six pack*

"Damn, shouldn't have done all those frou-frou moves!"

*Goes to cry about how pathetic and un-brolithic she is*

sleepytexan

*Looks down at six pack*

"Damn, shouldn't have done all those frou-frou moves!"

*Goes to cry about how pathetic and un-brolithic she is*

um, well. have at it. I'm twice your age with 4 kids and I prefer to get out of the gym in 30 minutes instead of 2 hours. Keep it up, bro. I've got to go drive someone somewhere.

wellbert

*Looks down at six pack*

"Damn, shouldn't have done all those frou-frou moves!"

*Goes to cry about how pathetic and un-brolithic she is*

um, well. have at it. I'm twice your age with 4 kids and I prefer to get out of the gym in 30 minutes instead of 2 hours. Keep it up, bro. I've got to go drive someone somewhere.

I'm curious which of you two has the highest total.

(That's achieved 1rm squat + bench + deadlift.)

sleepytexan

I'm curious which of you two has the highest total.

(That's achieved 1rm squat + bench + deadlift.)

ha. are you available to certify results?

wellbert

I'm curious which of you two has the highest total.

(That's achieved 1rm squat + bench + deadlift.)

ha. are you available to certify results?

Sure, you two can come to my gym and I'll judge the results =p