What do they mean lift heavy

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soldiergrl_101
soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Free weights, what does it mean to lift heavy for a girl. Does that mean like 8/10lbs or like 50lbs?
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  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    It means something challenging, for you! If you can do more than 8 reps with good form then it's too light.
  • lurcstet
    lurcstet Posts: 77
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    For me regardless of whether you female or male, lifting heavy is finding a weight that you can just about lift to between 5 and 8 reps max.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    80% of your one rep max. On a scale of 1-10 when you do a set of 8 you should rate how hard the set was at an 8 or 9.
  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
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    For me regardless of whether you female or male, lifting heavy is finding a weight that you can just about lift to between 5 and 8 reps max.
    This^^^
  • lurcstet
    lurcstet Posts: 77
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    As always though I add a note of caution... This is also when lifting correctly with good form and shape. I see many people lifting heavy with poor form and cringe at the site of a potential injury...
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    As always though I add a note of caution... This is also when lifting correctly with good form and shape. I see many people lifting heavy with poor form and cringe at the site of a potential injury...

    ^^This.

    There's a guy at the gym that puts every plate on the machine, but uses horrible form, momentum, and his body weight to lift the weight up and slam it down.

    He's going to blow something out one of these days.
  • lurcstet
    lurcstet Posts: 77
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    As always though I add a note of caution... This is also when lifting correctly with good form and shape. I see many people lifting heavy with poor form and cringe at the site of a potential injury...

    ^^This.

    There's a guy at the gym that puts every plate on the machine, but uses horrible form, momentum, and his body weight to lift the weight up and slam it down.

    He's going to blow something out one of these days.

    I often see it with teen lads trying to show off in front of their mates... They don't realise the long term damage they are doing... The classic is bench pressing with their shoulders because their chest can't take the weight.... Then pop.... One torn rotator cuff!
  • epfenick
    epfenick Posts: 112 Member
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    bump
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Free weights, what does it mean to lift heavy for a girl. Does that mean like 8/10lbs or like 50lbs?

    stick your bodyweight on a bar, lift, replace. repeat.

    That's heavy.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Free weights, what does it mean to lift heavy for a girl. Does that mean like 8/10lbs or like 50lbs?

    stick your bodyweight on a bar, lift, replace. repeat.

    That's heavy.

    False. I can row, squat, deadlift and bench more than me. So lifting my weight isn't heavy.
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
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    Well I lifted anywhere between 10lbs and 50lbs depending on the machine/free weights. I tried to insure that I could barley make sets of 8 and over all I feel good for my first real good weight workout
  • hungrywhodat
    hungrywhodat Posts: 40 Member
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    Free weights, what does it mean to lift heavy for a girl. Does that mean like 8/10lbs or like 50lbs?

    stick your bodyweight on a bar, lift, replace. repeat.

    That's heavy.

    Lmao. The above advice is perfect for a beginner that absolutely HATES their tendons and ligaments

    8-10 reps is the most you can do with good form, you're "lifting heavy". Doesn't matter if that's a 3 lb dumbell or a barbell with twice your body weight.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    There are a lot of good resources for beginning lifters. What is heavy for you is different than what is heavy for me or some other woman, or of course, men. Do some research and choose a beginner program and find out what is heavy for you :) And of course, if it is a good program, your "heavy" will change as you gain strength.
  • rick_po
    rick_po Posts: 449 Member
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    It depends a lot on which lift you're doing. You might be able to squat 45 pounds, but only overhead press 20. The weight isn't as important as the number of reps you can do before you get tired.

    Here are some average strength standards, just to give you a ballpark figure of what Random Average Person can lift. On Day 1, you'd be "untrained".

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

    These tables are 1-rep max numbers. Subtract about 15% for 5 reps, about 25% for 10 reps. Be aware that untrained individuals have a lot of variability, so you may be considerably stronger or weaker than the tables show.
  • mommylifter
    mommylifter Posts: 123
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    I thought for months I was lifting heavy, until I found this site. The rule of thumb (for me) is 6-8 reps until I really can't push anymore out. On the leg press, for example, I was pushing 160 lbs 12-14 times and seeing no changes in my body doing this for several months. Then I keep moving my weight up until I found a weight that was truly challenging for 6-8 reps. That was 280 lbs. And I have seen TREMENDOUS changes in such a short period of time by lifting weights that were heavy.
  • IAmCorStar
    IAmCorStar Posts: 11
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    Benching body weight? Nice. I'm almost there...!
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
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    Free weights, what does it mean to lift heavy for a girl. Does that mean like 8/10lbs or like 50lbs?

    stick your bodyweight on a bar, lift, replace. repeat.

    That's heavy.

    Lmao. The above advice is perfect for a beginner that absolutely HATES their tendons and ligaments

    8-10 reps is the most you can do with good form, you're "lifting heavy". Doesn't matter if that's a 3 lb dumbell or a barbell with twice your body weight.

    My thoughts exactly, I want to do it right, not kill myself
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I didn't read responses so someone probably said this already:

    Progressively getting heavier is is what heavy lifting is. heavy is relative to the person. SO, for me, when i started, heavy squats were just the bar (45#) and now they are my full body weight (125#) - this progression happened in 12 workouts by adding weight each time as I could. As it gets heavier, it takes more time to increase...but keep increasing as you can and lowering hte amount of reps (5-8 in a set is perfect)

    My overhead press, on the other hand, started at 20# and is currently 60# because I have upper body strength issues...but it is getting better.
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
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    Heavy means challenging and fatiguing by the last rep and reps of 5-8.

    if you can do 15 reps of anything it is not heavy
    if you are not sweating at the end of your fifth set, its not heavy

    progressing weekly with a little more weight

    Go for less reps, higher weight. Doing lots of reps at low weight only helps with endurance, not muscle growth.

    for me for examples i leg press 200. i am 105 :) I squat my body weight
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
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    Go buy "The new rules of lifting for women" you will learn alot :)

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