Lift light or lift heavy? Lift smart!

NormInv

Light weights or heavy weights. Answer is either. The key is to fatigue your muscles within a 90 seconds period. So you could opt to do 15 lbs with high reps or 35 lbs with low reps and get the same benefits.

This link explains it in a video done by Jessica who is an Exercise Physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. She cites some authentic research in the video and is hot to boot:

http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/expert-insight-article/3/965/high-reps-and-light-weights-vs-low-reps-and/

This next article also "challenges the widely accepted dogma" that to achieve optimal muscle growth, you'll need to lift heavy weights, with repetitions anywhere from six to 12 times before fatigue. Of course, the downside of lifting lighter weights is that you'll need to perform about twice as many reps to achieve the same effect.

It also cites bonafide research:

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/work-muscles-point-fatigue-light-weights-reps-build-muscles-study-article-1.1070687

So if you are intimidated and overwhelmed by the prospect of going to the gym and lifting mega gazillion pounds, the good news is that you do not have to do that. All you need to do is lift until fatigue sets in, in a relatively short period of time of 90 seconds.

Many women will get the fatigue and burn if they only bicep curled 10-15lbs in 60 seconds.

Sure it feels great to say that you can dead lift bazillion pounds, if that is your goal. If your goal is to achieve optimal fitness based on your body type then I got two words for ya:

Train smart!

Danny_Boy13

Interesting reads. I will have to read up / research on this more in depth.

yummy_

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

krhn

Well you should really do both for hitting the different muscle fibres (slow and fast twitch)

goodtimezzzz

****ing hilarious

krhn

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

That wasn't a very nice statement! :mad: albeit a bit offensive! :noway:

goodtimezzzz

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

_DaniD_

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

That wasn't a very nice statement! :mad: albeit a bit offensive! :noway:

I think she meant it looks like he's.. doing dirty things.

GetSoda

Thank you but, I think I'll listen to the dumb but huge athletes over the smart but frail experts.

NormInv

Thank you but, I think I'll listen to the dumb but huge athletes over the smart but frail experts.

But thats the thing. People say Mr America does this or that, Usain Bolt does this or that. We are not professional athletes. We are average people trying to be the best shape of our bodies. Simple math!

krhn

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

That wasn't a very nice statement! :mad: albeit a bit offensive! :noway:

I think she meant it looks like he's.. doing dirty things.

Didn't see that at all... You people have dirty minds :bigsmile:

yummy_

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

That wasn't a very nice statement! :mad: albeit a bit offensive! :noway:

I think she meant it looks like he's.. doing dirty things.

Didn't see that at all... You people have dirty minds :bigsmile:

:blushing:

Anthonydaman

I agree with you, but i hate to say you are gonna get hammered on this one. A lot of people here are of the opinion that you "have' to lift heavy.
lee Haney said" The idea is to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it" and he was no small man...

NormInv

Thank you but, I think I'll listen to the dumb but huge athletes over the smart but frail experts.

Also, I did not post any opinion in my Original Post. I posted two links and quoted from them. Could you also do the same in reference to the athletes you mention. Can you post a link that shows some athlete making a research based claim that one should only lift heavy, or whatever claim you claim they claim to be claiming? Thanks.

NormInv

I agree with you, but i hate to say you are gonna get hammered on this one. A lot of people here are of the opinion that you "have' to lift heavy.
lee Haney said" The idea is to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it" and he was no small man...

Truly appreciate your agreement

GetSoda

Thank you but, I think I'll listen to the dumb but huge athletes over the smart but frail experts.

But thats the thing. People say Mr America does this or that, Usain Bolt does this or that. We are not professional athletes. We are average people trying to be the best shape of our bodies. Simple math!

No, we're not, because we spend too much time reading internet articles and not enough time training.

CorvusCorax77

here's my beef with your "study"... it doesn't tell me what they mean by "Heavy" and "light"

For the group lifting heavy weights, subjects performed three sets of eight to 12 repetitions; for the group lifting lighter weights, they performed three sets of 25 to 30 repetitions. After 10 weeks, both heavy and light groups saw significant gains in muscle volume -- as measured by MRI -- "with no difference among the groups," stated the release.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/work-muscles-point-fatigue-light-weights-reps-build-muscles-study-article-1.1070687#ixzz2TIzyYcYy

Is that 8 reps at 80% ORM vs 16 reps at 60% ORM?? Because they would both be "heavy lifting" when my ORM is 200 lbs (8 reps at 160 lbs vs. 16 reps at 120 lbs? Doing 16 squats with 120 lbs is still pretty heavy for a 135# female.

Specify the weights used in the study and maybe then I can make sense of it.

ETA: at 20 reps, 70 lbs would be the weight (35% ORM)- I still think that isn't "light" like people promote women using those stupid pink 5 lb weights.

chesq77

i dont really agree with it being considered the same, if you lift heavy for smaller reps thats more towards strength training and just being stronger..you wont see a huge body compostion change that way unless your a beginner...low reps and heavy weights lead to a more thicker powerlifter look...if youre looking for that bodybuilding "fake muscle but totally ripped" look its better doing moderate weights with moderate reps like 8-12 reps. ive done strength training before but it was giving me a look that i was going for..once i changed to doing weights that made it difficult around the 8-12 reps thats where the huge change in body compostion change came in for me.

NormInv

here's my beef with your "study"... it doesn't tell me what they mean by "Heavy" and "light"

For the group lifting heavy weights, subjects performed three sets of eight to 12 repetitions; for the group lifting lighter weights, they performed three sets of 25 to 30 repetitions. After 10 weeks, both heavy and light groups saw significant gains in muscle volume -- as measured by MRI -- "with no difference among the groups," stated the release.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/work-muscles-point-fatigue-light-weights-reps-build-muscles-study-article-1.1070687#ixzz2TIzyYcYy

Is that 8 reps at 80% ORM vs 16 reps at 60% ORM?? Because they would both be "heavy lifting" when my ORM is 200 lbs (8 reps at 160 lbs vs. 16 reps at 120 lbs? Doing 16 squats with 120 lbs is still pretty heavy for a 135# female.

Specify the weights used in the study and maybe then I can make sense of it.

Good point, and this is where I would refer to the video in the first link which talks about two things: 1) fatigue setting in, and 2) a time period of 90 seconds or less.

Arguably the light or heavy weight would depend on the conditioning of the person, as it should. Your light could be my heavy. But if I can get my burn lifting my heavy (your light) then I will some day be able to increase my weight.

I figure the reason they do no specify light or heavy weights is because the audience is so diverse in terms of their physical capabilities at time zero.

Also, your point about silly pink 5lb weight is ALSO addressed in the first link video.

trojanbb

I agree with you, but i hate to say you are gonna get hammered on this one. A lot of people here are of the opinion that you "have' to lift heavy.
lee Haney said" The idea is to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it" and he was no small man...

Lee Haney also was notorious for his heavy drug use. And he benched heavy. Very heavy. He said all sorts of things. That doesnt mean he practiced what he preached. Like Warren Buffet and investing. Says one thing, does another.


But yes, progressive overload is what matters. An increase in work done. Work defined in the technical physics sense

MyPureSteez

not even going to address the nonsense in your post, because - what the hell is going on in your profile picture?!?

^
Uncalled for, but funny.