Lifting help

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JenRun1
JenRun1 Posts: 212
in Fitness and Exercise
I am in no way considered a lifter by any means, I'm a runner. But I use free weights and dumb bells at home. My question is, if I would like to gain more definition in my arms, shoulders and back, would it make sense to use a heavier dumb bell and do less reps, or use a lighter dumb bell and do more reps? Right now I work with 5lb dumb bells and do 3 sets of 12-15 reps, bi, tri, chest and back.
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Replies

  • suzely0530
    suzely0530 Posts: 150 Member
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    Hey Jen ! I am no expert, I just know what works for me and the information I've read. I would have to say, do less reps and lift heavier. Once I can do 8 -10 reps without feeling muscle failure, I go up in weight. I have found that I've made tremendous progress this way. Good luck and feel free to msg me anytime !!
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    It depends what weights you have available.. I've found for definition, high reps (hypertrophy) has helped a lot in the past :)
  • sklarbodds
    sklarbodds Posts: 608 Member
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    LIFT HEAVY!

    Some women are afraid of it, but seriously, if you want definition there's no better way to get it.
  • Red_Sparrow
    Red_Sparrow Posts: 56
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    3-5 reps, several minutes of rest between sets with heavy weights is good for strength.
    8-12 reps, 30-45sec rest is good for muscle growth. You want to feel the burn- a 5lb dumbell might not be enough.

    15+ reps is basically cardio.
  • flab2fit_30
    flab2fit_30 Posts: 66
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    heavy weight, less reps. you wont get bulky by lifting heavy unless you take supplements.... lifting heavy will help lean you out while keeping your LBM.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    3-5 reps, several minutes of rest between sets with heavy weights is good for strength.
    8-12 reps, 30-45sec rest is good for muscle growth.

    :huh:
  • knot_enough
    knot_enough Posts: 176 Member
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    I know youre getting a lot of feedback here but generally 3 - 4 sets in the 8-12 rep range is ideal in building muscle, having to really struggle on the last sets. if youre not struggling on the last reps, especially on the last sets, its not heavy enough.
  • tonynguyen75
    tonynguyen75 Posts: 418 Member
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    heavy weight, less reps. you wont get overly bulky by lifting heavy unless you take steroids.... lifting heavy will help lean you out while keeping your LBM.

    Fixed :)

    Progressive overload will induce strength gains and muscle growth. Lift heavier and heavier. If you can only do 10 reps of 10lbs now, you should see an increase every session.
  • CarmenEmma88
    CarmenEmma88 Posts: 4 Member
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    I wouldn't go down in reps but I would every couple of weeks go up in weight. Until you hit a level you want to maintain than start a maintenance cycle of variable weeks over 6 to 8 weeks. That is what I have gotten from my research and personal journey of fitness. Hope it helps!!
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
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    LIFT HEAVY!

    Some women are afraid of it, but seriously, if you want definition there's no better way to get it.

    ^
    THIS! YES!
  • JenRun1
    JenRun1 Posts: 212
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    I'm not afraid to lift heavy, just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing, and not wasting my time. Thanks for all your feedback so far!
  • SASSYnCHICago
    SASSYnCHICago Posts: 98 Member
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    This is what I do: 20 minute quick routine after kickboxing/spinning for my 3 exercise for each body part & 3 sets of 12. Body parts : chest, tri's, bi's & shoulder routine. I just up'd my weights to 20lb,15lbs, 12lbs (was 15/12/10) so start lower: 20lb ea. DB chest press, butterflies & bend over rolls. 12 lb Tri's kick back, 20 lbs (use only 1 DB) over head two handed tri-extensions, and no weight tri dips (off of bench, step or on floor while resting on 20lbs weights). 15lbs bi-cep alternating seated curls (btween your legs), standing bi-cep curls straight & side ones. - 15 lbs, shoulder presses above head & alternating to sides, and front laterals. -- if you want to really burn cals - do jump rope intervals for 1 min in between each body part. glad you asked, right??

    Note: use a weight that is challenging but FORM is FIRST. I also, don't know all the technical names of the exercises I mentioned above so just tried to explain them best I can - LOL!
  • kjwasmund
    kjwasmund Posts: 23 Member
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    If you want to, try the BeachBody ChaLEAN Extreme Workouts. They focus on lifting heavy using fewer reps and they've really helped me!
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
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    This chick is my queen, when it comes to weightlifting for girls :)

    http://www.stumptuous.com/
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    probably get best results from doing both. switching it up every other month or so.

    high rep work certainly has its place. you just want to make sure that your using a weight that you reach failure or near it at 15 or whatever reps your shooting for.

    if your lifting weights and your doing a weight/rep combination where you stop when you really could have done 3 + more, then your not doing much for your muscles.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    heavy weight, less reps. you wont get bulky by lifting heavy unless you take supplements.... lifting heavy will help lean you out while keeping your LBM.
    First of all you don't "lean out", you can grow your muscles and gain some fat or loose fat and some muscle. Heavier weights and less reps (1-5) is more for power lifters and gaining strength with muscle gain as a bi-product of that, higher reps hitting total failure (6-12) is more for optimal muscle growth and strength gains being a bi-product of it.

    Also really stretch and contract your muscles, your muscle(s) you are focusing on should be burning midway at the very least and you should get to a point where you literally can't do any more. Focusing on the contraction on some muscles may be harder than others, for example lats I found difficult to begin with. One thing people don't understand is how I can bounce my pecs, but that just comes with muscle memory from contracting my chest during chest exercises, my body remembers how to contract it so I can then do that without having any resistance which then appears to be making them bounce. Always control the negatives as well, this is neglected regularly but you really want to make sure you get a proper stretch as well as a contraction.

    P.S Every time I've been to a commercial gym I see exceptionally skinny people lifting heavy, sometimes more than I am yet they have virtually no muscle and horrible form. Don't turn into one of those people!
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
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    But lets be clear, those 3 lb weights are pointless. If you're going to do higher reps, find the weight that you can ONLY do about 12 reps with. You should struggle on the last rep and not be able to complete another one.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    To answer your actual question, NEITHER. Gaining more definition is all about lowering body fat. The type of weight lifting really depends on your overall goals. However, definition is a product of lower body fat, not a specific lifting technique.

    That being said, when in a calorie deficit, heavy lifting for lower reps is better for maintaining muscle mass.
  • tfpdunn
    tfpdunn Posts: 68 Member
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    heavy weight, less reps. you wont get bulky by lifting heavy unless you take supplements.... lifting heavy will help lean you out while keeping your LBM.
    First of all you don't "lean out", you can grow your muscles and gain some fat or loose fat and some muscle. Heavier weights and less reps (1-5) is more for power lifters and gaining strength with muscle gain as a bi-product of that, higher reps hitting total failure (6-12) is more for optimal muscle growth and strength gains being a bi-product of it.

    Also really stretch and contract your muscles, your muscle(s) you are focusing on should be burning midway at the very least and you should get to a point where you literally can't do any more. Focusing on the contraction on some muscles may be harder than others, for example lats I found difficult to begin with. One thing people don't understand is how I can bounce my pecs, but that just comes with muscle memory from contracting my chest during chest exercises, my body remembers how to contract it so I can then do that without having any resistance which then appears to be making them bounce. Always control the negatives as well, this is neglected regularly but you really want to make sure you get a proper stretch as well as a contraction.

    P.S Every time I've been to a commercial gym I see exceptionally skinny people lifting heavy, sometimes more than I am yet they have virtually no muscle and horrible form. Don't turn into one of those people!


    I used to think this too when I was 18, but it's just inaccurate. Go check out Strong Lifts 5X5 or NROLFW. Lift heavy. Do a little cardio on non-lifting days to keep a good calorie deficit. Rinse and repeat.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    Exercise can help support fat loss but generally speaking a healthy calorie deficit is going to help you drop bodyfat. For your main compound lifts heavier is typically better. If you're a runner, remember that the speed at which you run is about how much force you apply to the ground and not so much how fast you move your legs. If you improve your overall leg strength you will run faster as well.

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