We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

What is HEAVY lifting?

nalinisooknanan
nalinisooknanan Posts: 22 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
What would be defined as heavy if I'm 124 pounds and 5'4 ?

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Heavy for you
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    It's all relative.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    At a minimum, a weight that was so heavy to you that you couldn't do more than 20 reps worth of it without generating muscle fatigue.
  • nalinisooknanan
    nalinisooknanan Posts: 22 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    At a minimum, a weight that was so heavy to you that you couldn't do more than 20 reps worth of it without generating muscle fatigue.
    Great, that explains a lot!

  • AshesToBeast
    AshesToBeast Posts: 505 Member
    Heavy lifting is usally between 3-8 reps for strength with a weight that brings you to the point you couldn't do 1 more rep properly. For bodybuilding it's the same principle but between 8-15 reps
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    It is a percentage of what your maximum lift is.
    For example my bench is around 285 for 1 rep.
    Heavy for me is around 85% of that doing 3 reps. So I'd do maybe 5 sets of 3 reps at 240ish as my workout.
    The percentage goes down as you want to increase reps. If I was looking at more reps then I'd shoot for around 70-80 percent of 285.
    ^^^That is of course if you're following a standard program. It's not quite the same as what I'm running now but it's still based on percentages of what your maximum lift is currently.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    If you are asking where to start heavy lifting...I would recommend an empty bar. That might be heavy, might not be. "Heavy" is relative to the individual. I'm working in the 1-5 rep range (currently 5/3/1 for PL program).

    If you are asking how your lifts compare to others, you can look at a site like this:
    http://strengthstandards.com/StartPage/Index?n2page=4

    or

    http://strengthlevel.com/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    "heavy" is generally anywhere from 80%-95% of your 1 RM..."heavy" programs work with low reps of 1-6 at a high % of the max weight you are capable of on a given lift. the actual weight itself would obviously be relative to lifter and that lifter's abilities.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    I'd also say that when most people talk about heavy lifting as in heavy lifting programs, they're referring to the percentages above / the ranges that usually match someone's weights for a 5x5 lifting program like Starting Strength, Strong Lifts, Ice Cream Fitness, etc.

    The definition I gave covers resistance training in general.
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    Heavy lifting is GREAT, but remember to start with something manageable and work UP, or you risk injuring yourself. If you've never lifted weights before, then the first thing you want to do is train your body to do the movements with lighter weights, higher reps. Not for eons, obviously; but enough so that you learn good form without worrying about how much you're lifting. Once you have good form down, start adding weight. 15-20 reps is more of a cardio workout, these will be pretty light. 10-12 reps will build strength. 5-8 reps will build power. If you're a total beginner, I recommend starting in the 10-12 rep range. That means you'll lift for, say, 12 reps, three times (sets). When you can do 3 sets of 12 reps, you add 5 lbs. Work your weight up that way. If you want to build power and are used to lifting already, then a 5 x 5 type program is great. That's my 2 cents.
  • nalinisooknanan
    nalinisooknanan Posts: 22 Member
    Awesome advice. Thanks everyone!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,957 Member
    Heavy will change with time as well. The weights I struggled to lift when I began lifting are now barely a warmup today.

    Heavy will also change by the day. Some days I'm feeling fatigued, either my whole body or just that one body part, so a lift I could do last week is impossible today. Factors include time since last workout, sleep level, recent diet, stress level, and a million other details.
  • Soundwave79
    Soundwave79 Posts: 469 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    Heavy will change with time as well. The weights I struggled to lift when I began lifting are now barely a warmup today.

    Heavy will also change by the day. Some days I'm feeling fatigued, either my whole body or just that one body part, so a lift I could do last week is impossible today. Factors include time since last workout, sleep level, recent diet, stress level, and a million other details.

    ^ So true. Did chest last week and was able to put up 230 x3 and I was psyched at the gain. Yesterday I struggled to get 215 up once. Was quite disappointing. But have to take it in stride. Can't say I can point to any specific factor that would have affected me. My body just wasn't up for it at that moment.

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    Heavy will change with time as well. The weights I struggled to lift when I began lifting are now barely a warmup today.

    Heavy will also change by the day. Some days I'm feeling fatigued, either my whole body or just that one body part, so a lift I could do last week is impossible today. Factors include time since last workout, sleep level, recent diet, stress level, and a million other details.

    For sure...when I started a heavy bench for me was 60lbs...it's now 135...after 2 years.

    and I agree by day as well...for me it depends on what I have eaten over the past couple of days, if I have slept well and if I go for a long walk prior to lifitng...or not.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories