Lifting Heavy is considered what?
SharonCMach
Posts: 305 Member
I want to start lifting weights to tone. Im still need to lose alot of weight. Im 161 now and want to get down to 125-121. I always thought cardio was the way to shed pounds, now being on MFP for over two weeks I know that is not the case. I hear alot about lifting heavy. Heavy Lifting is considered what? Would it be lifting a barbell with weights or the machines that have the adjustable weights? Please help...I need to lose weight and tone. Thanks
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bump.0
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Forgot to add that Im eating heathier and watching my calorie intake as well.0
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In general when people talk about "lifting heavy" they are talking about free weights, barbells and dumbbells.
Start by reading New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women. I wouldn't necessarily follow their plan because it is overly complicated, but it gives you alot of good information. The look at Starting Strength or Strong lifts for a plan.0 -
lifting with free weights is WAY better, if you ask me. lifting heavy with weights rather than machines uses more muscles all at once so you get more bang for your buck. i recommend reading the book New Rules of Lifting for Women. they give you a great breakdown of the benefits of lifting free weights vs using machines. it gave me a TON of information that i am still processing and wrapping my mind around, but i am loving the lifting program they have in the book! there's a support group on here and on facebook. check it out! i got mine on amazon for like $5.
oh, and the definition of "heavy" lifting depends on the person. you need to lift what is heavy for YOU. once you gain strength, you will need in increase your weights and continue challenging yourself. but don't start out with those little 3 lb weights. that's not lifting heavy. a gallon of milk weighs more than that. :flowerforyou:0 -
Diet to lose weight. Exercise for health and body composition. Heavy lifting is generally lifting in the 1-5 rep range (strength). Popular starter programs are Stronglifts 5x5 and Starting Strength.
Strength training helps with body composition (ie. fat loss). Cardio helps increase calorie burn and create a larger calorie deficit. Personally I feel that both have their place, in tandem, within a weight loss plan. Strength training during weight loss will help to preserve lean muscle mass.
Now ready for all the comments about the word "tone"....GO0 -
lifting with free weights is WAY better, if you ask me. lifting heavy with weights rather than machines uses more muscles all at once so you get more bang for your buck. i recommend reading the book New Rules of Lifting for Women. they give you a great breakdown of the benefits of lifting free weights vs using machines. it gave me a TON of information that i am still processing and wrapping my mind around, but i am loving the lifting program they have in the book! there's a support group on here and on facebook. check it out! i got mine on amazon for like $5.
oh, and the definition of "heavy" lifting depends on the person. you need to lift what is heavy for YOU. once you gain strength, you will need in increase your weights and continue challenging yourself. but don't start out with those little 3 lb weights. that's not lifting heavy. a gallon of milk weighs more than that. :flowerforyou:
Wonderful explanation.0 -
"Lifting Heavy" is generally synonymous with "strength" training...not to be confused with hypertrophy training or muscular endurance training. "Strength" training is generally done in the 3-5 sets of 3-5 rep range with the last rep being close to or at failure. This is done with free weights and involves the big compound lifts; some heavy lifting/strength programs incorporate assistance and isolation work as well, particularly as you become a more advanced lifter and you need those assistance lifts to "assist" your primary lifts.
Lifting Heavy is also relative...it doesn't mean XXLbs...what's heavy to you may be a breeze for me...what's heavy to me is going to be a breeze for someone else. Most strength/heavy programs don't start you off heavy...they start you off very light so you can focus on form and you slowly add weight...so in a matter of months you're pushing and pulling some pretty heavy weight and doing so with proper form.0 -
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So should I continue to do cardio to shed more weight and then start lifting heavy to tone? Or can I just start working on lifting heavy to lose weight and tone at the same time? Will I get faster results if I start lifting heavy? Im scared to walk into the lifting weight area at my gym, its all men. I don't know where to begin. Iv always done cardio to lose weight, this heavy lifting is all new to me. But if heavy lifting will help me get faster results and tone my body then Im all for it!!
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So should I continue to do cardio to shed more weight and then start lifting heavy to tone? Or can I just start working on lifting heavy to lose weight and tone at the same time? Will I get faster results if I start lifting heavy? Im scared to walk into the lifting weight area at my gym, its all men. I don't know where to begin. Iv always done cardio to lose weight, this heavy lifting is all new to me. But if heavy lifting will help me get faster results and tone my body then Im all for it!!
Start lifting now0 -
I did find Bodybuilding.com yesterday and started looking at that. The only thing that scares me about it is it tells you to eat more, which is the total opposite to what Iv always done when trying to lose weight.0
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So should I continue to do cardio to shed more weight and then start lifting heavy to tone? Or can I just start working on lifting heavy to lose weight and tone at the same time? Will I get faster results if I start lifting heavy? Im scared to walk into the lifting weight area at my gym, its all men. I don't know where to begin. Iv always done cardio to lose weight, this heavy lifting is all new to me. But if heavy lifting will help me get faster results and tone my body then Im all for it!!
Lifting will help you maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight. If you do cardio without the weight training you can lose both muscle mass and fat, so if you're not maintaining muscle mass you'll have to work that much harder and eat that much more to put it back on.0 -
So should I continue to do cardio to shed more weight and then start lifting heavy to tone? Or can I just start working on lifting heavy to lose weight and tone at the same time? Will I get faster results if I start lifting heavy? Im scared to walk into the lifting weight area at my gym, its all men. I don't know where to begin. Iv always done cardio to lose weight, this heavy lifting is all new to me. But if heavy lifting will help me get faster results and tone my body then Im all for it!!
BUMP
I'm looking forward to the suggestions and information and advice to this. I'm clueless about the seemingly male weight area of my gym. No idea what to do or how to do it, LOL.0 -
If you can lift it more than 8 times, it's not heavy enough.0
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So should I continue to do cardio to shed more weight and then start lifting heavy to tone? Or can I just start working on lifting heavy to lose weight and tone at the same time? Will I get faster results if I start lifting heavy? Im scared to walk into the lifting weight area at my gym, its all men. I don't know where to begin. Iv always done cardio to lose weight, this heavy lifting is all new to me. But if heavy lifting will help me get faster results and tone my body then Im all for it!!
don't be scared. just do it. act like you belong there, because you DO belong there. and yes, definitely start lifting now. you will be glad you did.
as i said before, i started with The New Rules of Lifting for Women book. the first few times i went, i asked my husband to come with me to help me with form and stuff. it was really helpful! if that works for you, do that, or you could also hire a trainer for a few sessions to show you the ropes on the basic lifts. i didn't know where to start either, so i just went with what the book said to do. it was tough for me to give up cardio since i loved burning all those calories, and i put on about 6 pounds when i started the program! i was discouraged at first, but i had to learn to ignore my scale and pay attention to how i looked, felt, and how my clothes were fitting. although my weight has increased, my clothes fit me just fine and my body looks better and more lean. i think it's alright to do lifting in combination with SOME cardio, but don't kill yourself with the cardio. make sure to give yourself adequate time to rest and recover from the lifting. your muscles need time to repair after you work them.
it also helped me to watch youtube videos of the exercises in the book. i have stopped in the middle of my workout to look something up on my phone if i was feeling confused on the form as i was doing it. if you don't have good form, you won't get all the benefits of lifting and you could injure yourself.
you also have to remember that a big part of fat loss is diet. just keep making better food choices and this combined with the lifting will give you results.0 -
You can exercise with bodyweight only and be "lifting heavy", providing you keep the intensity of the movements up in the range where you can only do say three sets of 5 - 8. That way, you don't even need a gym or any weights.
Even if you do go down the gym and weights route, don't rule out some really good bodyweight exrciss like dips, pull-ups, chin-ups, pistol squats etc and all the easier bodyweight movements that you will do to get there.0 -
^^^ Quoted for Truth. Always be aware of this. IMHO, the last couple of reps should be difficult. If they become easy, increase the weight.If you can lift it more than 8 times, it's not heavy enough.0 -
Check out "Lift Like a Girl" on Facebook! She has some great workouts!0
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There is absolutely no reason not to do both cardio and lifting. And yes, it will typically give you the results you want fast, if by faster you mean more how you look than the numbers on the scale.0
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If, instead of going up to the next weight, you slowed down the movement so you are intensifying the exercise would this have the same effect? That way you are cutting out any momentum which might mean you are not really lifting the weight through the full range of movement.0
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I'm afraid that people will hate me for this, but I just want to say that cardio can be a really important part of losing weight. I'm going to just explain what I think is important to know.
CARDIO
As you know, fat loss is about cals in vs. cals out. Cardio is a part of the cals out of the equation. I think it's important because if you are going to do this thing, sometimes a gal just wants to eat pizza, or a brownie, or whatever. When cardio is a regular part of your routine, you can increase it on days when you plan on going to a party or whatever. It is a way of making sure your cals out > cals in. I ran regularly in the process of losing 50 lbs. I ran 2 miles three times a week just to manage stress. If I got invited to a pizza party, I would say "I want two pieces of pizza, which would put me 400 calories over my goal, so I'm going to run four miles before the party." Worked like a friggin' charm. But you also want to do resistance training...
RESISTANCE TRAINING
You say you want to lose weight, but what you really mean is you want to lose fat. If you simply diet, or diet and do cardio, you will inevitably lose muscle mass. You don't want this because muscle mass protects your joints (particularly if you run), and keeps your metabolism high. Also, being strong is awesome. For this reason, you must do some form of resistance training while you are on a calorie deficit to reduce the loss of lean body mass in the process of losing fat.
HEAVY LIFTING
To me, this means doing free weight compound lifts. The main ones are: deadlifts, benchpress, squat, and overhead press. What does it mean for it to be "heavy" is dependent on your body size, your gender, and your injury/health status. I always recommend starting hella light with these things to make sure your form is good first. I started doing 50 lb dead lift. 40 lbs squat. 30 lbs bench and probably 20 lbs ohp. I got up to 50 lbs squat and bench before I joined a gym because all I had at home was up to 50 lbs.
Or you can use this website to determine what's a good beginner weight for you on these exercises and adjust for injuries and what not: http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html
According to this, a woman at 170 lbs (sorry I might be off, I can't see your OP while I write this) would start squatting around 70-75 lbs. An elite 170 lbs woman lifter would be doing 255 lbs. Me, I'm 140-145 lbs and I squat 185. Oh, hey and FYI, these are ONE REP MAXES, not working sets. You calculate your ORM by how many reps you do at a certain weight (calculator is here: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html)
There are beginner lift programs. The two I hear of most are stronglifts, starting strength, and 5x5. I never did any of those. I just winged it until I was good enough for an intermediate program. I do 5/3/1. I suppose a beginner could do that too.0 -
If you can lift it more than 8 times, it's not heavy enough.
This is absolutely terrible advice for the OP.
If someone is not used to lifting weights, you DO NOT want them to lift heavier than they're able to. OP is obviously someone without weight lifting experience, so to suggest to them putting on more weight than they are ready for is a) physically dangerous and b) psychologically dangerous. You don't want someone to hurt themself or become discouraged.
I don't currently do this program, but would like to in the future: Stronglifts 5x5. I have read fantastic things about it, here and elsewhere. As part of the program, the creator actually suggests starting with the bar. THE BAR. Then, each subsequent workout, you add 5 pounds. 3 times a week. This accomplishes several things, but mainly it forces you to work on technique first, while building strength and confidence. If you go in trying to lift more than you're ready for, I guarantee you won't be lifting weights for very long.0 -
That would be an increase in time under tension, generating a stronger hypertrophy response and probably making the exercise 'easier' over time, but not increasing maximal strength. Which is fine, if your goals are largely aesthetic or you're not concerned with increasing strength beyond a certain point.If, instead of going up to the next weight, you slowed down the movement so you are intensifying the exercise would this have the same effect? That way you are cutting out any momentum which might mean you are not really lifting the weight through the full range of movement.0 -
If, instead of going up to the next weight, you slowed down the movement so you are intensifying the exercise would this have the same effect? That way you are cutting out any momentum which might mean you are not really lifting the weight through the full range of movement.
Momentum is used in some styles of lifting. Not in the style I do. When I OHP, it's not using momentum. But if I use momentum, I can do way more.0 -
If they can lift it 8 times, them not being able to lift it correctly once isn't really a concern...If you can lift it more than 8 times, it's not heavy enough.
This is absolutely terrible advice for the OP.
If someone is not used to lifting weights, you DO NOT want them to lift heavier than they're able to. OP is obviously someone without weight lifting experience, so to suggest to them putting on more weight than they are ready for is a) physically dangerous and b) psychologically dangerous. You don't want someone to hurt themself or become discouraged.
I don't currently do this program, but would like to in the future: Stronglifts 5x5. I have read fantastic things about it, here and elsewhere. As part of the program, the creator actually suggests starting with the bar. THE BAR. Then, each subsequent workout, you add 5 pounds. 3 times a week. This accomplishes several things, but mainly it forces you to work on technique first, while building strength and confidence. If you go in trying to lift more than you're ready for, I guarantee you won't be lifting weights for very long.0 -
If they can lift it 8 times, them not being able to lift it correctly once isn't really a concern...If you can lift it more than 8 times, it's not heavy enough.
This is absolutely terrible advice for the OP.
If someone is not used to lifting weights, you DO NOT want them to lift heavier than they're able to. OP is obviously someone without weight lifting experience, so to suggest to them putting on more weight than they are ready for is a) physically dangerous and b) psychologically dangerous. You don't want someone to hurt themself or become discouraged.
I don't currently do this program, but would like to in the future: Stronglifts 5x5. I have read fantastic things about it, here and elsewhere. As part of the program, the creator actually suggests starting with the bar. THE BAR. Then, each subsequent workout, you add 5 pounds. 3 times a week. This accomplishes several things, but mainly it forces you to work on technique first, while building strength and confidence. If you go in trying to lift more than you're ready for, I guarantee you won't be lifting weights for very long.
Does not compute.
If you are curling your back deadlifting too much weight 8 times, you did it 8 times incorrectly and will eventually wonder what you did to your back.
If you are doing reps of 10 quarter squats, you are not doing squats and are over estimating your strength.
You could be benching 80 lbs, but without proper form you could tear your rotator cuff.
Form is important.
ETA: I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE WHEN I SAY SOFT TISSUE INJURIES SUCK!0 -
@Corvus - cut the quotes cos it's just above anywho. I completely agree with you, but it would be the same story doing 30 bad reps of deadlifts. I'd never suggest anyone attempt 1RM until they have a lot of experience under their belt, but using too little weight can be non-productive to learning correct form as well, since there may not be enough resistance to make you aware of the need to tighten your traps, contract your glutes etc.0
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I will start out light and slowly add weight, I don't want to injure myself.0
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@Corvus - cut the quotes cos it's just above anywho.....
you never seen a post come up in between while you are writing your response, huh? And I think for a beginner, it's not about learning to tighten these muscles and those muscles. Beginner form is where do you put your feet and what way do your knees go and keep your back straight and full ROM. That other stuff comes once you have the basics down.0 -
I will start out light and slowly add weight, I don't want to injure myself.
That's smart! If you need help with form, there is a lot of resources on the web. But there is also a lot of MFP users who been through this. You could join a lifting group- lots of people post videos and will offer form advice/feedback.0
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