What do 'you' consider as heavy?

EmmaReed84
EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have read a few posts about heavy lifting and a few comments about certains weights not being "heavy" although to the person doing them, they are.

I currently lift 30kg (66lbs) I am a 5ft 2, 122lb woman...

So in YOUR opinion what would you class as heavy? What do you lift and what are your stats?
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Replies

  • ladyjoie
    ladyjoie Posts: 165 Member
    What lift do you lift 30kg in? Otherwise I can't judge.

    Just kidding, I won't judge anyway. Heavy is as heavy as the person can lift with good form for as many sets and reps as they want (anything from 5x5 to 3x8 usually).
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Heavy is whatever weight causes me to fail my last rep.
  • assblaster69
    assblaster69 Posts: 47 Member
    2 plate (100kg) bench
    3 plate (140kg) squat
    4 plate (180kg) deadlift

    for a man who just lifts as a hobby. Im a bit above those in bench and squat. lacking a bit on deadlift.

    edit. those are 1 rep max
  • _Witsy_
    _Witsy_ Posts: 609 Member
    What lift do you lift 30kg in? Otherwise I can't judge.

    Just kidding, I won't judge anyway. Heavy is as heavy as the person can lift with good form for as many sets and reps as they want (anything from 5x5 to 3x8 usually).

    This
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
    What lift do you lift 30kg in? Otherwise I can't judge.

    Just kidding, I won't judge anyway. Heavy is as heavy as the person can lift with good form for as many sets and reps as they want (anything from 5x5 to 3x8 usually).

    Currently squats, dead-lifts and stiff leg dead-lifts.

    I am having a re-assessment tomorrow so might have weight increased or other things added... might have no change at all LOL.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    Interested to hear some answers. I have been reading through NRL4W and I am not sure where I sure start! I currently take a "sculpting" class....very repetitive and more endurance than anything and I get tired and struggle with 5lb weights, although our reps are INSANE! When I do move into heavy lifting I don't want to injure myself on the first go and would love to hear what I should start at!
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    Whatever the muscle(s) will not bear.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    What lift do you lift 30kg in? Otherwise I can't judge.

    Just kidding, I won't judge anyway. Heavy is as heavy as the person can lift with good form for as many sets and reps as they want (anything from 5x5 to 3x8 usually).

    Currently squats, dead-lifts and stiff leg dead-lifts.

    I am having a re-assessment tomorrow so might have weight increased or other things added... might have no change at all LOL.

    MY opinion, which isn't worth much, is that you shouldn't be lifting the same weight for all of those exercises. Most people can DL more than they can squat for instance.

    But that doesn't answer the original question, does it? The answer is in what you quoted I believe.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Heavy is relative. The point is to pick up something that requires you to exert yourself. That is what 'heavy' means. If someone said that a certain amount of weight wasn't heavy, then they were belittling the OP.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    Heavy is in relation to your 1RM.

    Also, no offense but the fact that you said "I lift 30kg" without specifying what exercise shows a lack of knowledge in this particular area. Yes heavy is relative. But what feels heavy when you're doing 15 reps of it isn't what feels heavy when you're doing 5 reps of it. "Heavy" means 5-8 reps to failure typically. Can you do 9-10 or more without sacrificing form? If the answer is yes, then it's not really heavy. Also if you are lifting that kind of load you should be seeing strength gains frequently enough to where every week or two (at least as a beginner to intermediate user) you increase the weight.
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    heavy is what YOU can do at 1 rep.
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
    What lift do you lift 30kg in? Otherwise I can't judge.

    Just kidding, I won't judge anyway. Heavy is as heavy as the person can lift with good form for as many sets and reps as they want (anything from 5x5 to 3x8 usually).

    Currently squats, dead-lifts and stiff leg dead-lifts.

    I am having a re-assessment tomorrow so might have weight increased or other things added... might have no change at all LOL.

    MY opinion, which isn't worth much, is that you shouldn't be lifting the same weight for all of those exercises. Most people can DL more than they can squat for instance.

    But that doesn't answer the original question, does it? The answer is in what you quoted I believe.

    lol, that is a great comment about the DL and squats... I have only just started this program last week which is why I have a re-assessment tomorrow with the PT. I have to admit I do feel I could lift more with the DL's.
  • DoneBroughtSexyBack
    DoneBroughtSexyBack Posts: 190
    Heavy is relatively... relative. Push yourself to your limits. Better yourself every day. Do some lifts and see where your at. Go for a max once in a while and push it till you fail! Then whatever that point is, use 75-80% of that weight as a "heavy" weight. But as long as your pushing yourself, who knows where you'll end up!
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    Heavy for me =
    ~around 100 lbs for dead lift and squat
    ~around 50 lbs for OHP and chest press
    ~my body weight is quite heavy for push ups and negative chin ups :laugh:
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
    Heavy is in relation to your 1RM.

    Also, no offense but the fact that you said "I lift 30kg" without specifying what exercise shows a lack of knowledge in this particular area. Yes heavy is relative. But what feels heavy when you're doing 15 reps of it isn't what feels heavy when you're doing 5 reps of it. "Heavy" means 5-8 reps to failure typically. Can you do 9-10 or more without sacrificing form? If the answer is yes, then it's not really heavy. Also if you are lifting that kind of load you should be seeing strength gains frequently enough to where every week or two (at least as a beginner to intermediate user) you increase the weight.

    Well I do lack a lot of knowledge in this area, considering I have only been doing it little over a week ;) so no offense taken...

    I made the post as I read someones reply to a thread and bascially they said what the person was lifting was NOT heavy... So I was curious.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    This should give you an estimate of where you stand as far as standards on weight amounts/lift/body wieght.

    http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

    Dont be discouraged if you are lifting below the untrained level as long as you are pushing yourself with correct form. It is just a guideline.

    But I agree with the others it is really specific to each person and how many reps they are lifting. If you are lifting x amount of weight for 3 or 4 sets of 1-12 reps and by the end you are really struggling then that would be considered heavy.

    If you are just lifting weights and doing 15+ reps you are really just doing conditioning and not really strength training.
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
    This should give you an estimate of where you stand as far as standards on weight amounts/lift/body wieght.

    http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

    Dont be discouraged if you are lifting below the untrained level as long as you are pushing yourself with correct form. It is just a guideline.

    But I agree with the others it is really specific to each person and how many reps they are lifting. If you are lifting x amount of weight for 3 or 4 sets of 1-12 reps and by the end you are really struggling then that would be considered heavy.

    If you are just lifting weights and doing 15+ reps you are really just doing conditioning and not really strength training.

    That site is very informative, thank you.

    Thank you for the reply.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Dependent on rep range, exercise, tempo, recovery time

    Heavy for me is between 2kg to 950kg
  • Lifting_Knitter
    Lifting_Knitter Posts: 1,025 Member
    Heavy is different for everyone, i am still on the lighter end but it is heavy for me. You outdo me.
  • kekpron
    kekpron Posts: 38 Member
    Heavy is in relation to your 1RM.

    Also, no offense but the fact that you said "I lift 30kg" without specifying what exercise shows a lack of knowledge in this particular area. Yes heavy is relative. But what feels heavy when you're doing 15 reps of it isn't what feels heavy when you're doing 5 reps of it. "Heavy" means 5-8 reps to failure typically. Can you do 9-10 or more without sacrificing form? If the answer is yes, then it's not really heavy. Also if you are lifting that kind of load you should be seeing strength gains frequently enough to where every week or two (at least as a beginner to intermediate user) you increase the weight.

    ^--- This
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
    I made the post as I read someones reply to a thread and bascially they said what the person was lifting was NOT heavy... So I was curious.

    Didn't see the original post, but yeah, "heavy" is defined as a percentage of YOUR 1RM, not in absolute lbs. If the person had posted that they were doing deadlifts with 2.5-lb dumbbells, guessing that it's not "heavy" is probably a safe bet but who knows, maybe they have some muscle wasting disease and their max really is 6 lbs.

    But if you want to get an idea of what 1-RM ranges are for different sexes/weights/ability levels, there's a good set of charts here - http://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

    Edit: man, I post way too slow.
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
    Heavy is different for everyone, i am still on the lighter end but it is heavy for me. You outdo me.

    LOL @ "you outdo me"

    To me, personally, agree with everyone on here, if it feels heavy to the individual and you cannot get passed a certain number of reps then it is heavy... Does not matter what the weight is, everyone is different and it is not a competition "I can lift heavier than you" providing you are giving it your all, that is the best you can do.

    I was just taken aback by the comment I had read, it seemed a tad uncalled for, telling the poster that what she was lifting was NOT heavy.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    It's not the load that matters for the intensity to cause adaptations, it's the effort required to move it.
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
    My BodyPump instructor says that if you think you can do even just one more rep after finishing your usual you should go up on weight ...for me with a knee injury I have to really let my body say when its heavy enough
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    For Pike Pushups, Diamond Push-ups, Chin-ups, Pistol Squats and yoga's Fierce Pose, I am lifting nothing and that's heavy enough for me!
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Whatever makes me not able to finish my last rep or not even make it to the last rep.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member

    I was just taken aback by the comment I had read, it seemed a tad uncalled for, telling the poster that what she was lifting was NOT heavy.

    Telling someone they are not lifting heavy is not always a bad thing as long as you are trying to help them out. If they are trying to retain/grow muscle and they are working out with very light weights then telling them they need to lift "heavy' weights is not putting them down. It is helping them know they are not doing the right program for the desired goal.

    You see it all the time on here that someone is "lifting weights' and not getting results and then find out they are just holding very light dumbbells while doing a cardio program.
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    Heavy to me is when the bar bends and I don't. lol
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
    In one respect, heavy is relative. It's different for everyone. With regards to routines that qualify as lifting heavy, I'll recycle something I posted in another form post a bit ago.

    I could be wrong, but from everything I've read I get the impression that 'heavy lifting' tends to be used more often to describe progressive, strength training regimens (varying weights at lower reps/sets, compound lifts, supported by assistance training). This would be in opposition to what is considered bodybuilding where you have more isolation exercises, done with varying weights at higher reps/sets.
  • syntaxxor
    syntaxxor Posts: 86
    Heavy is relative to the person lifting the weight.

    I've never really liked the ratio between men and women though. When a guy is lifting X weight and a girl comes along and calls him weak and then lifts an X variable that in "ratio" from men to women is technically heavier for her; and acts proudly about it.

    That sounds confusing rereading it, but some people will get it. I simply find that stupid. And vice versa, guy lifting XXX mocking a girl for lifting XX is just plain stupid.

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