Is it better to lift lighter and more often or heavy and less often

grl82
grl82 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all,

Is it better to lift lighter but more times a week or heavy and less often a week.

I could do more work outs a week if I lifted lighter as Im not as tired - but is quality better than quantity when it comes to shedding pounds and toning up?

Many thanks :smile:

Replies

  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
    Are you trying to get stronger? The lifting heavy is better, lifting light won't do anything.

    Check this out: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
  • SuperC_85
    SuperC_85 Posts: 393
    fredgiblet wrote: »
    Are you trying to get stronger? The lifting heavy is better, lifting light won't do anything.

    Check this out: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

    This!
    Heavy wins.
  • grl82
    grl82 Posts: 17 Member
    Hi, thank you for your reply. I am trying to shift about 10 pounds and also tone up / get stronger
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    both!! start a session lifting heavy. do one of the big four compound movements a few sets building up to your max weight or reps.

    then the rest of the time in the gym is assistance work. lighter weight done at higher reps, usually done to target a specific muscle group.

    for instance on dead lift day you would do 3 sets of 5 reps of dead lifts to warm up, then 2 sets at heavier loads, building up to a last set where you lift really heavy. then you can work on other areas of your lower body at less weight, such as good mornings and hanging leg lifts for your hamstrings, leg extensions for your quads, etc etc.
  • brettlel
    brettlel Posts: 1
    The age old debate:
    I'd drop the weight by approx 20 percent and do more reps with less rest in between and basically treat it as a cardio session with weights to help lose weight. If you're trying to add muscle mass heavier weights with less reps to failure is the way to go.
    In my humble opinion both will work and much depends on how your body reacts to both types of training.
    The bottom line is the most important thing is to get your diet right with enough protein to help your muscles grow, low fat and sugar, moderate carbs. The rest will take care of itself. I myself am currently trying to lose fat and will keep with heavy weights, increase the cardio and trying to get the diet part right.
    Cheers
    Leigh
  • Hopefullysane
    Hopefullysane Posts: 27 Member
    I've been working with a personal trainer for the last year and we alternate. I will do about 8 weeks of strength training which is heavy weights, 5x5, working to failure. Then I will do about 6 weeks of fat burn which is lighter weights, less sets, more reps superset with HIIT. It keeps it interested and Ive experienced significant fat loss and strength gains.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Both have their place. Based on your goals, heavy/less often should be your focus.
  • grl82
    grl82 Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you all for you replies. How long should it take to see / feel a difference if I lift 2 x week with cardio 3 times a week. I was thinking of doing it for two months then mixing it up and trying some other work outs?
  • thepandapost
    thepandapost Posts: 117 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Both have their place. Based on your goals, heavy/less often should be your focus.

    Exactly. Both are important. For example - I am training for distance running so I haven't lifted "heavy" in months. I will probably go back to heavy once I am not running as much.

    How long will it take to see results? I personally see changes after a month but everyone is different.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited October 2014
    You basically can either do a full body program (which is usually 3x weekly) or a split routine...which is typically done 4-5 days per week. The amount of weight your are pushing and pulling is irrelevant. "Heavy" is largely in reference to your rep range...generally 1-6 reps where the weight is heavy enough to not be able to do more...it is optimal for strength gains and yes, you will "tone up". 8-12 rep range is optimal for hypertrophy and 12+ is muscular endurance.

    Some programs focus singularly on one of those three goals...others will incorporate elements of each. For example, my program has me working the basic compound lifts at 6 reps for strength and a handful of accessory exercises in the 8-10 rep range and a couple of body weight exercises for which I work 12+ for muscular endurance. I choose to do this routine using a full body format, but could also be done in a split...

    The benefits of lifting come with rest though...so even if you're doing a 4-5x weekly split, you want to make sure you're not working the same muscles and groups of muscle on consecutive days...doing so pretty much negates your work.

    Note that your weight loss is going to be largely about consumption and not what exercises you're doing. Resistance training is a long term investment in your overall body composition...will you see some changes in the short run? Sure...but a fitness body is achieved by living a fitness lifestyle...not a couple weeks of working out.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    macphd12345 wrote: »
    Thank you all for you replies. How long should it take to see / feel a difference if I lift 2 x week with cardio 3 times a week. I was thinking of doing it for two months then mixing it up and trying some other work outs?

    Assuming you're on a decent lifting program with decent progression, you should see strength gains almost from day 1, and certainly within the first month.

    As far as the 10lbs and toning up... your diet will have a far greater impact there. You can't out exercise a bad diet.
  • gelove84
    gelove84 Posts: 16 Member
    Stronglifts or Starting strength for the win. Then you can focus on other intermediate programs. I am doing stronglifts but i bought the starting strength book, lots of great information in the book. I chose stronglifts because I wasn't comfortable attempting power cleans. These programs will meet your objective as long as your diet is good.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    macphd12345 wrote: »
    Thank you all for you replies. How long should it take to see / feel a difference if I lift 2 x week with cardio 3 times a week. I was thinking of doing it for two months then mixing it up and trying some other work outs?


    probably a year.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    macphd12345 wrote: »
    Hello all,

    Is it better to lift lighter but more times a week or heavy and less often a week.

    I could do more work outs a week if I lifted lighter as Im not as tired - but is quality better than quantity when it comes to shedding pounds and toning up?

    Many thanks :smile:

    Depends.

    I do both. Some weeks 3x lifting, some weeks 5x. Others 4x. Others 2x.

    Based on load volume and magnitude. However, that was programmed for my unique desires/goals. You'll need to do that for yours.

    (I do hate 200 rep squat sessions though.)
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    It depends on if you want tennis elbow or muscles. (that's oversimplifying from a biased point of view). I have never been able to wrap my mind around lifting something that weighs less than my purse 150 times. I do love lifting a huge amount of weight less than 10 times and then doing a medium-heavy weight 5x10 to get in some cardio endurance type ST there at the end.
  • jfeakins
    jfeakins Posts: 30 Member
    I think they both have their place- heavy weights for building muscle and light weights/more reps for cardio. My trainer has me do both and I see her twice a week:

    One day a week- heavy, heavy, heavy! 3 sets of 10-12 reps (part of a circuit)

    One day a week we do lighter weights- 2 sets of continuous reps for 30 seconds (again, part of a circuit.)

    Then I do my "homework" and do the same thing for another 2 days out of the week. Also try to mix in 2 spin classes or running.
  • CdnRower
    CdnRower Posts: 28 Member
    Regardless of your goal (fat loss vs strength gain), unless injuries are a factor, ALWAYS LIFT HEAVY.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    regardless of what you hear, it's usually best not to follow any advice that starts with ALWAYS, when it comes to fitness.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Right.

    ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST.

    Please, don't follow that. ;)
  • grl82
    grl82 Posts: 17 Member
    Many thanks for all your input! Gives me some where to start and things to think about. Much appreciated
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    I do a max effort day on bench and squat where I lift heavy and a volume day where I lift lighter, more reps, sometimes speed rounds. On deadlifts, I usually only lift 1x per week and stick pretty much to a Wendler 5/3/1 program due to the extra recovery time.
  • grl82
    grl82 Posts: 17 Member
    Just out of interest and some sort of rough guide (and I appreciate that this is different for everyone!) what is "heavy" when you lift?
  • Popsing
    Popsing Posts: 23 Member
    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    both!! start a session lifting heavy. do one of the big four compound movements a few sets building up to your max weight or reps.

    then the rest of the time in the gym is assistance work. lighter weight done at higher reps, usually done to target a specific muscle group.

    for instance on dead lift day you would do 3 sets of 5 reps of dead lifts to warm up, then 2 sets at heavier loads, building up to a last set where you lift really heavy. then you can work on other areas of your lower body at less weight, such as good mornings and hanging leg lifts for your hamstrings, leg extensions for your quads, etc etc.

    Unless you want to hurt yourself, DO NOT DO DEAD LIFTS (or good mornings) without supervision and training.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    The answer is... it depends on a lot of factors. If your food and sleep are good...
    1. If you're new to lifting, go with a full body program three days a week that increases the load every workout. SS or SL works wonders
    2. If you're an intermediate lifter, a weekly or biweekly progression with three or more workouts a week is required as the "up the load every workout" of SS/SL doesn't allow enough time for recovery between sessions. Texas method, 5/3/1 or other intermediate programs work for this phase.
    3. If you're an advanced lifter, you already know what to do.

    To me, 'lifting heavy' is three sets of five that require at least six minutes rest between sets. At the end of a squat session I'm pretty well gassed out.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    edited October 2014
    Popsing wrote: »
    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    both!! start a session lifting heavy. do one of the big four compound movements a few sets building up to your max weight or reps.

    then the rest of the time in the gym is assistance work. lighter weight done at higher reps, usually done to target a specific muscle group.

    for instance on dead lift day you would do 3 sets of 5 reps of dead lifts to warm up, then 2 sets at heavier loads, building up to a last set where you lift really heavy. then you can work on other areas of your lower body at less weight, such as good mornings and hanging leg lifts for your hamstrings, leg extensions for your quads, etc etc.

    Unless you want to hurt yourself, DO NOT DO DEAD LIFTS (or good mornings) without supervision and training.

    Excepting of course a deadlift is a common every day movement.

    Don't do it if you don't know the form though, and definitely don't do it heavy unless said form is good. It takes about 2 minutes to learn the basics, I taught someone recently. All you need to do is to ask around, get a few sets of comments on how to do them, watch a few videos with good lifters, like Elliot Hulse, and just go do a few hundred over a couple weeks.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    edited October 2014
    Popsing wrote: »
    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    both!! start a session lifting heavy. do one of the big four compound movements a few sets building up to your max weight or reps.

    then the rest of the time in the gym is assistance work. lighter weight done at higher reps, usually done to target a specific muscle group.

    for instance on dead lift day you would do 3 sets of 5 reps of dead lifts to warm up, then 2 sets at heavier loads, building up to a last set where you lift really heavy. then you can work on other areas of your lower body at less weight, such as good mornings and hanging leg lifts for your hamstrings, leg extensions for your quads, etc etc.

    Unless you want to hurt yourself, DO NOT DO DEAD LIFTS (or good mornings) without supervision and training.


    proper form is necessary to avoid injury, but supervision is not required, and training from a trainer isn't either.

    doing your research properly before doing any type of exercise is recommended.

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