What is "HEAVY" - woman lifting

ClairBears84

Hi there I am just starting to increase my weight on free weights and resistance machines, what is considered heavy to lift, at the moment I lift as heavy as i can for 12-15 rep per set doing 2/ 3 sets

farsteve

Lifting heavy could be defined by the amount of weight that you can only lift five (5) times and the last rep should be difficult. 12-15 reps is putting you into an endurance category and is not the best routine for strength training.

If you are lifting heavy you decrease the reps to the 5-7 range and increase your sets to the 5 - 6 range. So 5 reps, 5 times with probably at least 90 seconds between sets to allow your muscles to recover. This can vary from person to person of course.

I have not seen the 5x5 strong lift program but it is highly regarded.

ndj1979

Different rep ranges cause a different type of stress on the body and it reacts differently to each.

The lower rep range (1 – 5) causes neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically it makes you stronger but does has a lesser impact to your muscle mass.

The mid rep range (6 – 12) the impact is more on the metabolic and cellular level where you gain muscle mass but strength gains are not as significant as you would get in the lower rep ranges. This is the general rep range for hypertrophy, or mass gains.

The higher rep ranges (13+) stimulate muscle endurance primarily with only a small amount of hypertrophy and very little strength and as such is not considered strength training in the strict sense of the word.

Note, that there is no hard and fast line between the effects of the above, but rather a continuum. Also, the number of sets plays into how much is strength v hypertrophy v endurance. For example, you can do 5 sets of 6 reps for a total of 30 lifts, or you can do 10 sets of 3 lifts for a total of 30 lifts. If you do them to an equivalent level of failure, the time under tension will be the same. The number of sets does not automatically turn it from strength to hypertrophy due to the rest periods between sets, but it does have a bearing on where in the continuum the routine lies.

So, in summary:
1 – 5 reps = strength
6 – 12 reps = hypertrophy
12+ = endurance

So, the appropriate rep ranges really depend on your goals as well as your overall lifting program. Most ‘standard’ programs focus on the upper end of the strength range so benefits of both strength and some hypertrophy are gained.


I got this form my friend sara's post..so not my original words...but good advice

farsteve

I got this form my friend sara's post..so not my original words...but good advice

And it was well said!

patentguru

Different rep ranges cause a different type of stress on the body and it reacts differently to each.

The lower rep range (1 – 5) causes neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically it makes you stronger but does has a lesser impact to your muscle mass.

The mid rep range (6 – 12) the impact is more on the metabolic and cellular level where you gain muscle mass but strength gains are not as significant as you would get in the lower rep ranges. This is the general rep range for hypertrophy, or mass gains.

The higher rep ranges (13+) stimulate muscle endurance primarily with only a small amount of hypertrophy and very little strength and as such is not considered strength training in the strict sense of the word.

Note, that there is no hard and fast line between the effects of the above, but rather a continuum. Also, the number of sets plays into how much is strength v hypertrophy v endurance. For example, you can do 5 sets of 6 reps for a total of 30 lifts, or you can do 10 sets of 3 lifts for a total of 30 lifts. If you do them to an equivalent level of failure, the time under tension will be the same. The number of sets does not automatically turn it from strength to hypertrophy due to the rest periods between sets, but it does have a bearing on where in the continuum the routine lies.


So, in summary:
1 – 5 reps = strength
6 – 12 reps = hypertrophy
12+ = endurance

So, the appropriate rep ranges really depend on your goals as well as your overall lifting program. Most ‘standard’ programs focus on the upper end of the strength range so benefits of both strength and some hypertrophy are gained.


I got this form my friend sara's post..so not my original words...but good advice

^^This

ClairBears84

Thank you very much, I have good muscles, they are just hiding under fat at the moment, LOL and I do not want to loose them

ClairBears84

Opinion on resistance VS free weights?

kirstyg1980

Opinion on resistance VS free weights?

Free weights every time - look up a program stronglifts 5x5 and follow it for strength gains, then you will preserve the muscle and lose fat - win win!!!!

ClairBears84

Opinion on resistance VS free weights?

Free weights every time - look up a program stronglifts 5x5 and follow it for strength gains, then you will preserve the muscle and lose fat - win win!!!!

Thank you so much! I will check it out

ClairBears84

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

is this the right one?

ClairBears84

ok busy printing all 220 pages EEEEEEEp

kmmuellr

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

is this the right one?

That's what Iv'e been doing for the last month, and I'm VERY happy w/ the results so far!

Start w/ just the bar to make sure your form is perfect, and go from there. I did about two weeks of strict form w/ very low weight, then started piling on the pounds to where I'm at now. Squating nearly 20lb more than my body weight, deadlifting 25lb more, benching almost my BW, 15 dips, 9 pull-ups, etc.

K

determinedbutlazy

When you get to eight reps and you can't do no moooore.