Lifting Heavy - Your definition?
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PuggleLover
Posts: 261 Member
When I think of lifting heavy, I picture huge dumb bells and squat racks bowing over someone's shoulders.
To me, lifting heavy sometimes means 5 pounds. The point is to do 6-8 reps to failure? For the last 4 weeks - that has been 5 pounds on some exercises - like shoulder raises. Just last week, I bumped some of those up to 8 pounds. I am sore as h*ll from it too. Maybe I have it wrong... ??
What do you think is considered lifting heavy?
To me, lifting heavy sometimes means 5 pounds. The point is to do 6-8 reps to failure? For the last 4 weeks - that has been 5 pounds on some exercises - like shoulder raises. Just last week, I bumped some of those up to 8 pounds. I am sore as h*ll from it too. Maybe I have it wrong... ??
What do you think is considered lifting heavy?
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Replies
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Exercise you can't do more than 5-8 reps.
Do you lift at the gym? If you are I would suggest you try compound lift like squats, deadlifts and bench press.......when you are starting lifting heavy, they give you the best bang for your buck instead of wasting time on smaller group of muscles.0 -
To me heavy is doing either 3x5 or 5x5. (setsxreps). The amount of weight maybe 10 lbs. most heavy lifters do at least the compound lifts as a general rule. ( squats, dead lifts, bench press, press and cleans.)0
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I consider lifting heavy being able to do 6-8 reps, whatever the weight or exercise might be. If I an do 10 or 12, it isn't heavy enough. I also know for me I can tell when I lift the first rep that it is going to be heavy...if I don't then I up the weights on the next set.
There are some exercises, like shoulder raises, that I can only do 10 or 12 pounds, and I've been lifting for a long time. However I can probably do heavier deads than most women my size. I think we all have strengths and weaknesses!
Let me state for the record I don't do 6-8 reps for every exercise I do. I often do situps and pushups at much higher reps, I do the heaviest leg stuff I can do, but sometimes I do Tabata training and I do bodyweight stuff too. I do a little of everything.0 -
Read this thread...I posted some links...check out the womens section...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/743724-useful-links-for-you-must-read?page=1#posts-109813080 -
1-5 reps for Strength and power
6-8 reps for some strength and some hypertrophy
8-13 reps for hypertrophy
13+ reps for endurance
For all those rep ranges, you should really be struggling to complete the last couple reps of a set- for example if you're doing a 5 rep set it should feel like
Rep 1: I can do this
Rep 2: Ok, it's pretty heavy, but doable
Rep 3: This is getting heavy
Rep 4: Ermagherd, this is heavy *kitten*! I don't know if I can do 1 more!
Rep 5: *kitten*! Grrrrrruummmpphh.......heavy breathing......more heavy breathing..........I'm a BADA$$.
If it doesn't feel like that, it's not heavy.0 -
For all those rep ranges, you should really be struggling to complete the last couple reps of a set- for example if you're doing a 5 rep set it should feel like
Rep 1: I can do this
Rep 2: Ok, it's pretty heavy, but doable
Rep 3: This is getting heavy
Rep 4: Ermagherd, this is heavy *kitten*! I don't know if I can do 1 more!
Rep 5: *kitten*! Grrrrrruummmpphh.......heavy breathing......more heavy breathing..........I'm a BADA$$.
If it doesn't feel like that, it's not heavy.
This is my definition of heavy.
I also agree with Yanicka1, I think of 'lifting heavy' to incorporate full body, compound lifts, like squats and deadlifts.0 -
Good question. I'm appreciating the answers!0
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When I think of lifting heavy, I picture huge dumb bells and squat racks bowing over someone's shoulders.
To me, lifting heavy sometimes means 5 pounds. The point is to do 6-8 reps to failure? For the last 4 weeks - that has been 5 pounds on some exercises - like shoulder raises. Just last week, I bumped some of those up to 8 pounds. I am sore as h*ll from it too. Maybe I have it wrong... ??
What do you think is considered lifting heavy?
My weight routine changes each day, each week, light circuits, heavy low rep sets, pyramids, a little bit of splits, constantly changing it up. I mostly do a lot of full body workouts with a lot of leg work. In addition to DL's and Squats I do Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges, Reverse lunges, Curtsey lunges, Step Ups, Crossover Bench Step Ups, and a Lunge Matrix. And then I constantly change up the routine with Circuits, Intermittent Super Sets, Fibonacci Pyramids, X-sets, Progress Venus Pyramids, and some splits, everything a variety of Strength, Hypertrophy, and Endurance.
I have found the combination of heavy lifting routines as well as circuits and super sets have given me a better shape and definition then just the basic heavy lifting I did for years and years (didn't do much for my shape, but I also needed to lose the fat, hard to see the shape with the extra fat).0 -
Bump to read later0
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Today my trainer had me bench pressing 80lbs. 3 sets of 15 reps. I thought it was very heavy and I am sore as heck so I guess it was a good workout.0
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Good question.When I think of lifting heavy, I picture huge dumb bells and squat racks bowing over someone's shoulders.
To me, lifting heavy sometimes means 5 pounds. The point is to do 6-8 reps to failure? For the last 4 weeks - that has been 5 pounds on some exercises - like shoulder raises. Just last week, I bumped some of those up to 8 pounds. I am sore as h*ll from it too. Maybe I have it wrong... ??
What do you think is considered lifting heavy?
I am learning, as I am not very experienced.
So far my concept is to lift to failure using low reps (say. only 3 on the last set).
I get sore, but it is important to make REST and FUEL part of the equation, so that you recover and have steam for the next fantastic workout.
It's TOTALLY fun:)0 -
For all those rep ranges, you should really be struggling to complete the last couple reps of a set- for example if you're doing a 5 rep set it should feel like
Rep 1: I can do this
Rep 2: Ok, it's pretty heavy, but doable
Rep 3: This is getting heavy
Rep 4: Ermagherd, this is heavy *kitten*! I don't know if I can do 1 more!
Rep 5: *kitten*! Grrrrrruummmpphh.......heavy breathing......more heavy breathing..........I'm a BADA$$.
If it doesn't feel like that, it's not heavy.
I love it! There's no definition of what exactly is heavy - it's relative to each individual.0 -
1-5 reps for Strength and power
6-8 reps for some strength and some hypertrophy
8-13 reps for hypertrophy
13+ reps for endurance
For all those rep ranges, you should really be struggling to complete the last couple reps of a set- for example if you're doing a 5 rep set it should feel like
Rep 1: I can do this
Rep 2: Ok, it's pretty heavy, but doable
Rep 3: This is getting heavy
Rep 4: Ermagherd, this is heavy *kitten*! I don't know if I can do 1 more!
Rep 5: *kitten*! Grrrrrruummmpphh.......heavy breathing......more heavy breathing..........I'm a BADA$$.
If it doesn't feel like that, it's not heavy.
I love this. I usually go to around 8-10 reps but I think this is great.0 -
I incline press somewhere around 50-60 pounds. I lat pull down somewhere around 70 pounds. Same with machine rows. I do preacher curls with about 50 pounds. Other things I have to be more ginger about because I have a torn rotator cuff, like flies and such. I do 140 pound leg presses and the same with the leg squat press and soleus/gastrocnemius press (Cybex machines). I lift to 3 sets of 15 reps, but if I hit 15, I increase the weight by 5 pounds. Some nights I don't increase the weight. Tonight, I did lifting for my back - preacher curls, lat pull downs, machine rows, bent over flies, etc. - and I added weight to all but the flies.
So what does lifting heavy mean to me? It means that you lift until you are fatigued or you hit 15 and, if you hit 15, you increase the weight you are lifting.0 -
When I think of lifting heavy, I picture huge dumb bells and squat racks bowing over someone's shoulders.
To me, lifting heavy sometimes means 5 pounds. The point is to do 6-8 reps to failure? For the last 4 weeks - that has been 5 pounds on some exercises - like shoulder raises. Just last week, I bumped some of those up to 8 pounds. I am sore as h*ll from it too. Maybe I have it wrong... ??
What do you think is considered lifting heavy?
I think it is, but it sounds like you're a beginner, so you should focus on compound movements first, then after you've got something of a base you can do more isolations and even split routines.
http://www.niashanks.com/2012/08/different-training-styles-incredible-results/ is nice in that it gives a variety of plans.
I do something like Marianne Kane, on the website I linked:
Twice a week, full body:
o 1 quad dominant exercise (front squats usually)
o either 1 or 2 hip dominant exercises (Sumo Deadlift and Hip Thrusts)
o or, I will add an odd-lift such as the Jefferson Deadlift into the mix
o 1 Upper Body Pulling exercise (Single arm Row, Wide-Grip Pull Ups or Prone DB Row)
o 1 Upper Body Pushing exercise (Bench Press, Dips or Military Press)
o 1 bonus exercise (lateral raises, bicep curls, tricep push-downs, hanging leg raises)0 -
1-5 reps for Strength and power
6-8 reps for some strength and some hypertrophy
8-13 reps for hypertrophy
13+ reps for endurance
For all those rep ranges, you should really be struggling to complete the last couple reps of a set- for example if you're doing a 5 rep set it should feel like
Rep 1: I can do this
Rep 2: Ok, it's pretty heavy, but doable
Rep 3: This is getting heavy
Rep 4: Ermagherd, this is heavy *kitten*! I don't know if I can do 1 more!
Rep 5: *kitten*! Grrrrrruummmpphh.......heavy breathing......more heavy breathing..........I'm a BADA$$.
If it doesn't feel like that, it's not heavy.
Perfect outline lol. I need to increase my weights again ;P0 -
1-5 reps for Strength and power
6-8 reps for some strength and some hypertrophy
8-13 reps for hypertrophy
13+ reps for endurance
For all those rep ranges, you should really be struggling to complete the last couple reps of a set- for example if you're doing a 5 rep set it should feel like
Rep 1: I can do this
Rep 2: Ok, it's pretty heavy, but doable
Rep 3: This is getting heavy
Rep 4: Ermagherd, this is heavy *kitten*! I don't know if I can do 1 more!
Rep 5: *kitten*! Grrrrrruummmpphh.......heavy breathing......more heavy breathing..........I'm a BADA$$.
If it doesn't feel like that, it's not heavy.
This is priceless. I have to agree. When I get to ten and then am grunting out those last three or four numbers until muscle fatigue sets in, that is heavy lifting.0 -
I don't go to a gym - I workout at home. I have a Total Gym but haven't used it lately. I have handweights up to 50 pounds. I can't do squats because I have had 4 knee surgeries and they cause me a lot of problems.
I started straight leg "dead lifts" with hand weights at 5 pounds and was so sore the next day I couldn't walk. However, I did 12 reps no problem. So despite my aching legs, I upped the weight to 10 pounds and had a hard time doing 8.
It is good to read this because I always thought I was a super wimp cuz I couldn't "lift heavy" but in fact, I am lifting heavy for me, I am just not that strong... yet.0 -
bump for later0
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I somewhat follow the P90X routines but make up my own schedule. Unless it's one of their set 16 rep moves I do 6-8 and if I go over 8 then I up the weight, I may change the set 16 rep moves to 6-8 though. I'm at 22.5-25 lbs for some shoulders whereas others I'm at 10 (16 rep move), I'm at 20-22.5 for some bicep moves whereas for the set 16 rep moves I'm at 15lbs.0
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