Heavy Lift-Light Lift...

Repetition builds definition. Weight builds muscle.
-wtk

For purposes of weight loss and fat burning, I don't think it makes a difference (as long as you're getting enough protein not to burn your muscles too). More weight/less reps builds strength, less weight/more reps builds endurance. More weight/more reps when you start doing like 10+ reps builds size without any increase in strength (aka, "all show no go") but hitting that threshold is not something the average joe needs to worry about.

Just be sure to get about 1g protein per 1 lb of bodyweight, maybe upwards of like 1.4g.

Neither. Your overall calorie deficit will result in weight loss.

If you lift heavy and keep protein high then the majority of weight lost should be fat.

BTW, I came to these conclusions because of the following:
1. I have a degree in exercise physiology
2. I am a certified health and fitness instructor with the American College of Sports Medicine
3. When I was a US Marine, I was a Master of Fitness (now Im in the Army...holding strong!)
4. Trial and error
5. My own research!

Not trying to "toot my own horn", but I know that when I read posts, I wonder: "How the hell does this person know", even if I agree with what they are saying.

That's funny! I think the same thing!

It's probably a good idea to do both. I do an upper body/lower body split, and try to alternate workouts. If I lift heavy on an upper body day (5-10 reps), my next upper body day is lighter weights and more reps (10-15 reps). That way you hit both your fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers, increasing both strength and endurance. It depends on your personal goals. If you want to gain more muscle and strength, lift heavy with fewer reps. If you want to increase muscular endurance, use lighter weights and more reps.

Tricky question:

light weight:
Yes you will burn calories (because you are exercising). Many people associate the "burn" with burning calories, when its mainly just lactic acid build up. Light weight does nothing but burn a few calories, you wont get defined, but it sure will burn, which is not an indication of how good of workout you are having by the way!

Heavy Weight:
You also will burn calories, but with heavy weight you will also build muscle and strength, which in turn burns more calories at rest. Keep in mind that it is hard to build muscle (if not impossible) with out excess calories, which you are avoiding to lose the weight in the first place.

I lift heavy for 4-8 reps on everything, regardless of if I am trying to build muscle or burn fat.

The one phrase I probably hear the most after asking someone what their lifting routine is, is this:
"Well Im tryin to get cut, so I'm just doing light weight, high reps to get ripped"

This is BS! Your muscle is already defined! (just rip your skin and fat off of your abs and take a look) I guarantee you'll find a six pack! (Although its probably not the best beach bod to have!)

A person gets "ripped" because the fat covering the muscle is limited, and the muscle is BIG enough to poke through the skin creating crevices that define your body.

In other words, and in my personal opinion, always lift heavy so that your muscle can grow (in size and strength), then lose that fat blanket, so they can really shine!

Ill give you a little example that I think support my thinking:

Q: Have you ever known that really skinny person who was rail thin and obviously had very little excess fat? His shirt is off, but why doesn't he have a six pack, or chest/shoulder striations? He's got like a 28" waist!

A: He obviously doesn't spend much time in the gym growing those muscles, otherwise they would be protruding further and making him look ripped!

In closing:
Whatever you decide is right for you, keep that heart rate up and in range, keep doing cardio, and GET FIT!

BTW, I came to these conclusions because of the following:
1. I have a degree in exercise physiology
2. I am a certified health and fitness instructor with the American College of Sports Medicine
3. When I was a US Marine, I was a Master of Fitness (now Im in the Army...holding strong!)
4. Trial and error
5. My own research!

Not trying to "toot my own horn", but I know that when I read posts, I wonder: "How the hell does this person know", even if I agree with what they are saying.

WOW! Very informative! I switched to low weights high reps for about a month! HATED IT! I went back to heavy this week. and i'm starting this 12 week lean for women program its all heavy lifting. I found it on bodybuilding,com! Oh can i add u as a friend, imma question you to death! LOL!!!

Oh yeah, I just wanted to give my opinion on another topic that seems to concern women I've trained (especially my wife):

Some women avoid lifting heavy because they don't want to "get big and bulky". In reality, women are built differently than men (specifically with regards to the amount of testosterone coursing through their veins!)

If you lift heavy, you will get stronger and yes, you will build muscle, but you will never end up like the HUGE female bodybuilders you see on TV or in FLEX magazine. Those women are huge because they, like the men, are on testosterone/hormone cycles.

I would compare the look achievable to women like the ones who are fitness models, kind of like the ones you see in Women's health, or comparable.

My motto "Go heavy or go home". I love lifting heavy and no I'm not bulky, I'm sculpted!

Thats a great one! Spread the word! LOL

Here are a couple of excerpts from a beginner strength training eBook I am working on


Weight Training:
Weight training aims to build muscle by prompting two different types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy. During myofibrillar hypertrophy, actin and myosin contractile proteins increase in number and add to muscular strength as well as a small increase in the size of the muscle. During sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell increases with little accompanying increase in muscular strength.

Weight training exercises are broken up into groupings of the number of times the movement is performed; these are called sets and repetitions (reps), respectively. The reason for this is to tailor the weight training towards a specific goal, such as strength, power, size, or endurance. Generally, the rep range breakdown is as follows:

1 to 5 reps = Strength & Power (Myofibrillar Hypertrophy)
6 to 12 reps = Size (Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy)
13 to 20 reps = Muscular Endurance

To put this in more understandable terms; generally bodybuilders that are concerned with the size and appearance of their muscles will work in the 6-12 rep range while power lifters and Olympic lifters that are concerned with lifting heavier weights will work in the 1-5 rep range. It is also important to note that any rep range will build strength, power, and muscular endurance, but some rep ranges will develop more than others.

5x5 Training:
The concepts and principles behind the 5x5 method are fairly straight forward. The focus is on compound muscle movements through barbell exercises using progressive loading; all things we have talked about already. But why specifically 5 sets of 5 reps? Because you can lift heavier weight using the 5x5 method than you can using a 3x8 approach, for example.

Here is this example in greater detail; let’s say that John and Joe can both squat 285lbs for one rep (their one rep max or 1RM), which means that their 5RM would be approximately 255lbs and their 8RM would be approximately 230lbs. (There is a formula behind these calculations but it is not important for this illustration.) So their lifts would look like this.

John: 255lbs x 25 reps = 6375lbs
James: 230lbs x 24 reps = 5520lbs
Difference: 855lbs

So even though there is only a difference of one rep between a 5x5 and 3x8 routine, there is a total difference of 855lbs over all sets because of the heavier weight that can be used for five reps. Since we are in the realm of “strength” training here, we want to lift as much weight as possible by finding a happy medium between intensity (% of 1RM) and the number of reps performed, and 5x5 is that happy medium.


So to summarize; Lifting heavier weights for few reps equals more work; more work equals more calories burned.

the 5 X 5 program doesn't exactly work that way, but i see what you're saying

How so...?