When they say lift heavy....

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wannalosew82
wannalosew82 Posts: 97 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
does it mean with free weights or lifting on machines count? also does it have to be a gym. I am currently using 3-5 lb weights with my exercise tapes. if I up it to 10 lbs and gradually increase is that heavy enough to begin with? What about how often and can it be split into upper and lower body workouts?
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  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    sorry to say but if 10lbs was heavy i'd be as big as the incredible hulk from the last cgi movie
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    I'm completely unsure of your physical ability but 'lifting heavy' constitutes much more than 10 lbs in any sense.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    Either really. But 10 lbs is not heavy by any means. Heavy is defined by "you can't do more than 8-10 reps even if you tried". So if you can do more than 10 reps with a weight, it's simply too light. You need to be struggling on rep 7+
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Yeah, "heavy" is basically as heavy as you safely can. 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps. And then you move up weight at often as possible.

    Gyms help because they allow you to easily increase. Also big muscle groups such as your legs need way more than 10lbs. My deadlifts have gone from 65lbs to 135lbs. There's no way I could do that at home. Look into local rec centers. Mine costs $5 a visit, which is less than I'd pay for lunch.

    But something is better than nothing. Start with your at home weights, do squats with body weight (or a kid on your back if you've got one). Do pushups, crunches, ect.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
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    Yeah, "heavy" is basically as heavy as you safely can. 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps. And then you move up weight at often as possible.

    Gyms help because they allow you to easily increase. Also big muscle groups such as your legs need way more than 10lbs. My deadlifts have gone from 65lbs to 135lbs. There's no way I could do that at home. Look into local rec centers. Mine costs $5 a visit, which is less than I'd pay for lunch.

    But something is better than nothing. Start with your at home weights, do squats with body weight (or a kid on your back if you've got one). Do pushups, crunches, ect.

    This. Heavy is relative. You don't NEED a gym, but if you don't have the equipment then it's hard to do at home (but you can do some great body weight stuff too which is awesome: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ )

    Also, my personal opinion is that free weights > weight machines. Here is an explanation of why I believe this:
    I spent my first few years in a gym working out using machines because I was afraid of free weights. After all, a machine are safer, right?

    WRONG!

    Machines are the devil ; avoid them at all costs. Machines might be safer because you can’t drop a weight on your toe, but other than that they can actually do some serious damage in the long run. Here’s why:

    When you use a weight machine instead of free weights, your stabilizer muscles have nothing to do. All of the work that they SHOULD be doing is being done by the weight machine! This means that as you get stronger and stronger by increasing the weight on the machine, your stabilizer muscles get proportionally weaker and weaker as they’re not being used at all. Sure, you might get bigger muscles, but they’re held together by weak stabilizer muscles. We call this “non-functional strength” as it doesn’t translate very well to real world situations.

    We also call this “a fail.”

    When you have to suddenly take off in a dead sprint (to run away from zombies), pick up your kid, move furniture, or do some other activity that requires multiple muscle groups, your stabilizer muscles have no clue what to do…and injuries happen.

    Secondly, weight machines generally only operate on a single plane – up and down, left and right, forward and back. For example, in the dreaded Smith machine (BOOOOO SMITH MACHINE!), the bar only moves up and down. Try to do a squat right now; notice that your body does NOT move in a perfectly-up down movement. Machines force your body into compromising positions because they only allow you to move on a single plane.

    This is also how injuries and imbalances happen.
    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/12/01/11-things/
  • Galletakek
    Galletakek Posts: 285
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    does it mean with free weights or lifting on machines count? also does it have to be a gym. I am currently using 3-5 lb weights with my exercise tapes. if I up it to 10 lbs and gradually increase is that heavy enough to begin with? What about how often and can it be split into upper and lower body workouts?

    I think free weights are better but you should do both :) . Mix it up shock the body
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    For me, heavy is 3 sets of 5-8 reps and reaching functional failure at the end. But like others have said, heavy is relative.
  • Classalete
    Classalete Posts: 464 Member
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    Lift beyond muscle failure for growth. Keep your form impeccable, disregard showy weight stacks that's good for your ego, not your muscular development.

    Slow, refined, controlled movements...You control the weight, it does not control you. Focus entirely on the muscle your attempting to enhance/sculpt and contract it throughout the entire motion.
  • reba971
    reba971 Posts: 80
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    I was wondering what kind of exercise tapes you are doing? If it is cardio or aerobic then it will be hard to use larger than 10 pound weights, at least it would for me. But if you are following a weight lifting, or total body workout kind of workout then heavier weights are good.
  • debussyschild
    debussyschild Posts: 804 Member
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    Weight machines are not the devil... They're used for isolation exercises, that's what they're for. You can workout your "stabilizer" muscles by using free weights. From what I've read, 3 sets of 10-12 reps (from bodybuilding.com), use weight that causes you to reach failure--you physically cannot perform another rep--at the end of each set is the way to go. Free weights and weight machines have their pros and cons. Weight machines need to be adjusted properly so you don't hyper extend ligaments or injure yourself. You also need to make sure you're using good form and technique when using free weights otherwise your workouts will be mostly ineffective and could cause injury as well. It's to each his/her own, just make sure your muscles are working hard and you're struggling to complete the last couple of reps in each set you do.

    Edited to add that on bodybuilding.com, you can search their exercise database for video and instructions on how to perform TONS of free weight, no weight (body weight, plyometric), and weight machine exercises properly. Knowing how to perform a clean properly, for example, is the only way that exercise is going to be effective, so I get what info I can on how to perform it correctly.
  • Raclex
    Raclex Posts: 238
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    Either really. But 10 lbs is not heavy by any means. Heavy is defined by "you can't do more than 8-10 reps even if you tried". So if you can do more than 10 reps with a weight, it's simply too light. You need to be struggling on rep 7+

    Thanks for putting it simple! I always wondered but was never too sure...
  • Jess5825
    Jess5825 Posts: 228
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    10 lb is not heavy at all. I carry dogs around that are much bigger than that. I'm up to 208 lb leg presses. I lift heavy once a week til my muscles give out. This was advice I got from a trainer. I increase the weight as I go along.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    Yeah, "heavy" is basically as heavy as you safely can. 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps. And then you move up weight at often as possible.

    Gyms help because they allow you to easily increase. Also big muscle groups such as your legs need way more than 10lbs. My deadlifts have gone from 65lbs to 135lbs. There's no way I could do that at home. Look into local rec centers. Mine costs $5 a visit, which is less than I'd pay for lunch.

    But something is better than nothing. Start with your at home weights, do squats with body weight (or a kid on your back if you've got one). Do pushups, crunches, ect.

    This. Heavy is relative. You don't NEED a gym, but if you don't have the equipment then it's hard to do at home (but you can do some great body weight stuff too which is awesome: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ )

    Also, my personal opinion is that free weights > weight machines. Here is an explanation of why I believe this:
    I spent my first few years in a gym working out using machines because I was afraid of free weights. After all, a machine are safer, right?

    WRONG!

    Machines are the devil ; avoid them at all costs. Machines might be safer because you can’t drop a weight on your toe, but other than that they can actually do some serious damage in the long run. Here’s why:

    When you use a weight machine instead of free weights, your stabilizer muscles have nothing to do. All of the work that they SHOULD be doing is being done by the weight machine! This means that as you get stronger and stronger by increasing the weight on the machine, your stabilizer muscles get proportionally weaker and weaker as they’re not being used at all. Sure, you might get bigger muscles, but they’re held together by weak stabilizer muscles. We call this “non-functional strength” as it doesn’t translate very well to real world situations.

    We also call this “a fail.”

    When you have to suddenly take off in a dead sprint (to run away from zombies), pick up your kid, move furniture, or do some other activity that requires multiple muscle groups, your stabilizer muscles have no clue what to do…and injuries happen.

    Secondly, weight machines generally only operate on a single plane – up and down, left and right, forward and back. For example, in the dreaded Smith machine (BOOOOO SMITH MACHINE!), the bar only moves up and down. Try to do a squat right now; notice that your body does NOT move in a perfectly-up down movement. Machines force your body into compromising positions because they only allow you to move on a single plane.

    This is also how injuries and imbalances happen.
    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/12/01/11-things/

    please listen to this girl. she's my latest work out buddy.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Basically, as was said above, heavy is relative. It should be all you can do to lift the last rep of a set. If all you can lift and barely do the last rep is 10#, then it is heavy for you. As your body adapts to the exercise, you will be able to increase your weigh more and more. As for the sets and reps, I don't agree with the above completely. It depends on what your goals are as to how many reps and sets you will use. The National Strength and Conditioning Association (of which I am a member) lists the following for guidelines for planning your workouts based on your goal.

    Strength--6 reps or less for 2-6 sets
    Power (which is strength with speed) for a single effort event (like in a power lifting competition)--1-2 reps for 3-5 sets
    Power for a multiple effort event (like a wrestler who has to overpower his opponent multiple times in a match)--3-5 reps for 3-5 sets
    Hypertrophy (to get that body builder look)--6-12 reps for 3-6 sets
    Muscular Endurance (The Energizer Bunny of weight lifting that keeps going and going and going. LOL)--12 reps or more for 2-3 sets


    I won't get into the fight about machines vs. free weights. They each have their benefits and drawbacks. Personally, I use both with my clients. I'll start with the free weights that require more stabilizer muscles and then finish up with the machines to totally fatigue the muscle we're trying to focus on. And yes, you can and should split it up so that you aren't trying to do the whole body in one day. You'd be in the gym forever if you tried to get the whole body all in one day with that many sets. You can split it up to upper body/lower body or you can split it by individual parts. Right now, I'm planning on doing Chest and Triceps on Mondays, Back and Biceps on Wednesdays, Legs on Fridays, and Shoulders and Abs on Saturdays for my new rotation. Just mix it up every few months to keep the body guessing as to how you are going to work it.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    For me, heavy is 3 sets of 5-8 reps and reaching functional failure at the end. But like others have said, heavy is relative.

    Heavy is relative. Don't let anyone tell you how many pounds you can or cannot do.

    I know for me, 10lbs can be huge for some shoulder workouts if I have 10 in each hand. I really do fail after 3 sets of 12 reps... so maybe if I do fewer reps, I can hold more, but what is heavy for me is super light for my husband, who has been working out for years. I am just beginning, so it is a lot harder for me at this point.

    However, my leg muscles can take who knows how much. I know my 10lb dumbbells don't mean a whole lot to my giant thigh muscles. I could probably pick up 20lbs in each hand and do a whole bunch of squats.

    The number of pounds all depends on which muscle, what your abilities are already, and how many reps or sets you're going to do. When you just can't take it anymore, you know you've found a good weight.
  • Nicola0000
    Nicola0000 Posts: 531 Member
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    Also depends on what you want to achieve - strength or endurance? For strength, so with a weight that by the end of 10 reps you are finding it hard, but not so hard that you lose good technique.

    For endurance, go for a weight that you can do 2 sets of 10, but make sure its heavy enough that you cant do more.

    Once either of these are "easy", then increase the weight.

    Dont worry about what other people say what weight to use. We're all different, and different muscles can lift different amounts eg I can lift 55kg on a adductor machine, 25kg on a seated curl, and only 5kg on chest press as I dont have great upper body strength. Write down what you can do on each exercise so you can track and improve. Good luck!! x
  • rlwzgd
    rlwzgd Posts: 46 Member
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    I haven't seen anyone say this yet... It kinda depends on what you are doing. If you are sitting at home doing biceps curls with 10 lbs weights, it's not going to get you much. But if you are trying to shadow box with 10 lb dumb bells in each hand, it might be a different story.

    To give you an idea, when I use weight machines/free weights at the gym, I'll lift as much as I can in order to do 12 reps for the first set, then up it 5-10 lbs and pray for 8-10 reps. If I can do 8-10, then I know I need to start heavier next time. If not, stay at that same weight. Trying to find the starting weight takes quite a bit of trial and error. I do bench right around 100 and squat around 250 and I'm a girl - and this is not nearly what some of the ladies on here lift. (This is just what I do, I'm not saying it right, preferred or even a good method). However, when I play along with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, some of the moves have me screaming and I'm only using 8lb dumb bells. A lot depends on what you are doing, but in all, don't be scared of heavier weights. There is no such thing as "too heavy" because you are a woman, just too heave because you aren't that strong yet.
  • wannalosew82
    wannalosew82 Posts: 97 Member
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    Thank you all for your replies. I am new to lifting weights. I have done aerobic tapes in the past, lifted some light weights at home and am currently doing the 30 day shred with 3-5 lb weights. I was therefore unclear as to how heavy "Lift Heavy" meant. I will definitely check out bodybuilding.com for different exercises and proper technique.
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
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    I classify lifting heavy as being all I can do for 3 sets of 3-5. If I can do 5 then I increase it the next time. But I count when I am training like this at least 1 second up, hold for 1 second, 1 second down, hold for 1 second so each rep takes 4-5 seconds. This way you're not relying on the elasticity of your ligaments and relying and focusing solely on the muscle.

    I laugh in my head when I see guys at the gym bouncing the bar off their chest and just pounding out as many as they can as fast as they can. Slow and steady wins the race.
  • Coltsman4ever
    Coltsman4ever Posts: 602 Member
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    Lift beyond muscle failure for growth. Keep your form impeccable, disregard showy weight stacks that's good for your ego, not your muscular development.

    Slow, refined, controlled movements...You control the weight, it does not control you. Focus entirely on the muscle your attempting to enhance/sculpt and contract it throughout the entire motion.

    ^^^Best advice yet.

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