weight lifting question

npguy2013
npguy2013 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
So I know that we all hear "low weight, many reps" to get toned and not bulky. Well toned is what I want, so here's the issue.....

I start out with low weight, let's say bench pressing 60 pounds. The first day ever it's hard to get 3X12. The second time I lift it then it's easier. By the third and fourth trips, it feels like I'm not doing anything. My heart rate doesn't elevate, I don't feel anything in the muscle, I could do reps till the cows come home, basically.

So....I think I should go up. But then again, I want to keep low weight. So what to do? Are you really making progress with very low weight if you cant even tell you are working? If so, why wouldn't we just lift a 5 pound barbell forever. So, how do you know when you are pushing enough weight to be "low weight" and where do you cut off the adding more weight part....and is it good to stay at the same weight if you feel nothing anymore......

These are the things I'm considering, and once again the goal here is to get skinnier and toned, not bulk up with a lot of muscle.

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Looking toned comes from losing fat to uncover the muscle you do have, making it look more defined. This comes from calorie deficit.

    You may want to do higher volume... Even when I do that, I make sure I'm working hard for every set, it's not supposed to be easy.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    Whatever weight you choose to lift, it has to be progressive. If you keep doing the same weight, the same number of reps/sets you might as well not waste your time.

    If working on the 12 rep range is what you want, then the 11th and 12th rep need to be hard to complete. When they get easy, you increase the weight, and you keep going. You will not bulk up without calorie surplus.
  • InkAndApples
    InkAndApples Posts: 201 Member
    Low weight high rep does nothing except increase the length of time you have to spend in the gym. I'd rather get in, do my workout and get out - life's too short to spend it doing endless bring repetitions!
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    "toned" is not really a thing....as others have said, you need to build muscle and lose fat to get that "toned" look you are talking about - there is no "toning" exercises or "toning" reps...
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    ...oh and don't worry - you won't "bulk up with a lot of muscle" without a ton of work (and possibly certain other supplements)
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  • npguy2013
    npguy2013 Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks for the advice all. I like the idea of doing just a few reps but usually it takes in the 8-12 rep range for me to start feeling it. I am doing the body for life program that I found online, as I am nowhere near competent enough to design my own. I am also running a calorie deficit, although sometimes i forget it. I set the myfitnesspal for 2 pound weight loss, and then below that I was considering a deficit, although eating right on it would set me on track for 2 pound weight loss, so I guess I'm doing ok.

    I've been doing this for about 3 and a half weeks, and lost 6 pounds, but a long way to go.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    edited June 2017
    Good that you recognize you should not create your own weight lifting program. Here's a list of beginner's programs. Pick one, stick to it. I like AllPro, which can be run on a deficit. Don't worry about bulking up. Won't happen just because you're lifting, especially in a deficit. Most of us don't look like we lift even with our shirts off.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    npguy2013 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice all. I like the idea of doing just a few reps but usually it takes in the 8-12 rep range for me to start feeling it. I am doing the body for life program that I found online, as I am nowhere near competent enough to design my own. I am also running a calorie deficit, although sometimes i forget it. I set the myfitnesspal for 2 pound weight loss, and then below that I was considering a deficit, although eating right on it would set me on track for 2 pound weight loss, so I guess I'm doing ok.

    I've been doing this for about 3 and a half weeks, and lost 6 pounds, but a long way to go.

    What does "feeling it" mean? Weight lifting to maintain muscle mass can be done in the hypertrophy range (8-12) or a power/strength range with lower reps (3-5). The weight is going to be heavier in the 3-5 rep range and the weight should increase every workout or week. And the first week shouldn't feel like it's the hardest thing you've ever done, because you NEED the progressive overload for progress.

    For example, let's say you're running 5x5 and your first day of squats is 225 lbs. Maybe it feels easy enough. But by two weeks you've added at least 15 pounds to that squat. It's going to start feeling like you are "doing more".
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    CiaraCatch wrote: »
    The whole idea of 'toning' is a complete myth - I'm sure others will weigh in here very soon! You still want to gain muscle and loose weight to reveal it. So go ahead and do those higher weights - you'll see much faster progress than with small weights. If at any point you feel you're getting too bulky, just don't increase the weight any further.

    ^^This. The only things you can do with your muscles are increase muscle mass and decrease muscle mass (and lose the fat over them so you can see them, but that's not really changing your muscles). There's no other characteristic to your muscles that you change through exercise (or diet and exercise). (There is a medical term "muscle tone" but it's not what people are talking about when they discuss different results from different approaches they take in the gym.)

    That said, yes, OP, you're not accomplishing much if you're not challenging your muscles. "Low weight" is relative to each individual's ability, just as "high weight" is. It should be enough weight that by the time you get to the end of your reps, you're at least finding it difficult to complete the reps with good form -- I would say "very difficult" for the last reps of the last set.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    whoever told you low weight high reps for "toning" is completely wrong, that's not how it works at all. Rep range has nothing to do with fat loss or "toning". You're supposed to lift heavy (5-10 reps) if you want to maintain lean mass while on a calorie deficit.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited June 2017
    npguy2013 wrote: »
    So I know that we all hear "low weight, many reps" to get toned and not bulky. Well toned is what I want, so here's the issue.....

    I start out with low weight, let's say bench pressing 60 pounds. The first day ever it's hard to get 3X12. The second time I lift it then it's easier. By the third and fourth trips, it feels like I'm not doing anything. My heart rate doesn't elevate, I don't feel anything in the muscle, I could do reps till the cows come home, basically.

    So....I think I should go up. But then again, I want to keep low weight. So what to do? Are you really making progress with very low weight if you cant even tell you are working? If so, why wouldn't we just lift a 5 pound barbell forever. So, how do you know when you are pushing enough weight to be "low weight" and where do you cut off the adding more weight part....and is it good to stay at the same weight if you feel nothing anymore......

    These are the things I'm considering, and once again the goal here is to get skinnier and toned, not bulk up with a lot of muscle.

    Actually higher reps/lower weights in the rep range you are currently doing will build muscle in a hypertrophy program. The key is only when eating in a surplus. If you are eating in a deficit, you have nothing to worry about getting bulky. Trust me to build muscle, you have to work at it and eat a lot for years. Hence why you don't see everybody walking around full of muscles. It's hard work. At my gym literally 90% never build muscle because they aren't eating enough & doing a program that is progressive amount other things.

    The reason why weights got easier is because the body adapts to the weights along with your technique should be getting better. This is especially true when a novice lifter begins. I small amount of weight can feel heavy and literally a month later more weight will give you the same "heavy" challenge as the first week. A novice literally can lift for months with increasing the weight every session. This is why novice lifters who get ego'y and try for PR'S are wasting there time. They will technically PR every session if they follow a program. Therefore you should be progressing your weight through a novice program. This will build strength, not muscle per sae.

    You want to get skinnier, then just eat in a deficit and continue your resistance training to help retain muscle.

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited June 2017
    npguy2013 wrote: »
    So I know that we all hear "low weight, many reps" to get toned and not bulky. Well toned is what I want, so here's the issue.....

    I start out with low weight, let's say bench pressing 60 pounds. The first day ever it's hard to get 3X12. The second time I lift it then it's easier. By the third and fourth trips, it feels like I'm not doing anything. My heart rate doesn't elevate, I don't feel anything in the muscle, I could do reps till the cows come home, basically.

    So....I think I should go up. But then again, I want to keep low weight. So what to do? Are you really making progress with very low weight if you cant even tell you are working? If so, why wouldn't we just lift a 5 pound barbell forever. So, how do you know when you are pushing enough weight to be "low weight" and where do you cut off the adding more weight part....and is it good to stay at the same weight if you feel nothing anymore......

    These are the things I'm considering, and once again the goal here is to get skinnier and toned, not bulk up with a lot of muscle.

    We hear that often, but it's BS. The main difference between getting "toned" or "bulky" is your calorie intake, not how many reps you do or how light the weight is. And getting "bulky" doesn't accidentally happen overnight, no matter how heavy you lift. The "bulky" guys you see have spent years in the weight room pushing heavy weights on solid lifting routines, and eating in a caloric surplus to fuel their gains.

    Here's a great read about "toning" that tells you everything you need to know and how to go about it: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/muscle-tone/
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