How heavy is "Heavy Lifting"?

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Lleldiranne
Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am hearing a lot about heavy lifting, especially for women, and I just wondered - how heavy are we talking.

It's been a few years since I lifted, but at my peak I was benching about 95 (with 15 reps per set, 3-4 sets). I'm a 5'0" woman and weighed about 120 then. Would this be heavy, or are we talking the type where you can only complete 5 reps in a set?
For that matter, does the lifter's size have anything to do with "heavy"?

TIA
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Replies

  • gerard54
    gerard54 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    When i lift "heavy' I only do 6-12 reps per set. if you can do more than 12 reps with that weight, then it isnt heavy enough...
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    It's different for each person and each exercise, but the concept is this:

    Do fewer reps (usually between 5-8) with enough weight so that the last rep is a struggle to complete. If you're goal is to do 6 reps, and you can do 8... you don't have enough weight.
  • ladyace2078
    ladyace2078 Posts: 460 Member
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    I target 6 reps for 3 sets. Sometimes I can lift 8 on the first set and only 5 on the last set depending on when I do the particular exercise. If I get to 10 reps then I increase my weight.
  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
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    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/categories-of-weight-training-part-1.html
  • Raiderxx
    Raiderxx Posts: 105 Member
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    Check out the StrongLifts 5x5! That will start you out light on the weights and gradually get you to the HEAVY LIFTING! :D

    http://stronglifts.com/
  • karensoxfan
    karensoxfan Posts: 902 Member
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    Heavy Lifting to me is as much as you can use to complete your workout with good form & free weights (not machines).

    I'm new to it, but I'm following the plan outlined in New Rules of Lifting for Women, and really like it so far. For me, benching 95 lb. would definitely be "heavy."
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
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    "Heavy" to me is anything that makes you grunt and scrunch up your face at rep 6-8 and seriously struggle to get rep 8-10 in the air, and sometimes, you're not even able to get rep 10 in the air and you just have to stop at rep 9.

    Whatever weights make that happen is your personal version of "heavy." :)

    Edited to say: Looks like some people target even LOWER reps than that. Like 5 or 6 reps maximum. That means even HEAVIER weights. Whatever works for you!! :)
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
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    When i lift "heavy' I only do 6-12 reps per set. if you can do more than 12 reps with that weight, then it isnt heavy enough...

    ^^^^ this

    the rule's the same for men and women, your own level of strength determines the weight
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,179 Member
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    Somewhere between a gallon of milk and a V.W. bug.
  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
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    failure at 6-8 reps
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
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    I am hearing a lot about heavy lifting, especially for women, and I just wondered - how heavy are we talking.

    It's been a few years since I lifted, but at my peak I was benching about 95 (with 15 reps per set, 3-4 sets). I'm a 5'0" woman and weighed about 120 then. Would this be heavy, or are we talking the type where you can only complete 5 reps in a set?
    For that matter, does the lifter's size have anything to do with "heavy"?

    TIA

    That would be heavy to me! It really is measured by the person though...6-8 reps and by the 8th you should be struggling. If you can go over, it's not heavy enough. If you were lifting 80% of your body weight, that's pretty impressive. I am no where near 80%!
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    The # on the weight is not what's important. What constitutes "heavy lifting" is relative to your strength. The key thing used to determine this is how many reps you can put out without compromising form or pausing to take a rest. For "heavy lifting" that usually means hitting that "failure" point in the high single digits, such as 6-8 reps. If you can bang out 15-20 good, clean reps without sacrificing form or taking a short rest, you're not lifting heavy enough to really be able to see the same kind of gains as someone who is.
  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    I've always treated heavy days as 4-7 reps. Anything more isn't heavy.
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
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    If you can lift the weight more than six times, it aint' heavy lifting. 7-12 is lifting. 12-15 is light lifting. 15+ is pretending to be lifting, but really just wasting time.

    :)
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
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    Weight lifting standards..........http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html
  • erxkeel
    erxkeel Posts: 553 Member
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    When i lift "heavy' I only do 6-12 reps per set. if you can do more than 12 reps with that weight, then it isnt heavy enough...

    Nailed it. ^^
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
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    I'm usually reaching my limit at about 6 reps to where I'm struggling and may need a spotter or I bail out pending on the lift :)

    Deadlifting on average about 150lb (1 rep max 245lb)
    Back squat about 150lb
    Front squat about 135lb
    Power snatch about 75lb
    Push Press about 100 -115lb
    Power cleans - gonna find out tonight

    *edited for weights* I don't use machines all bar bell
  • stacygayle
    stacygayle Posts: 349 Member
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    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/categories-of-weight-training-part-1.html

    Just read that and it just confused me more. ugh
  • nelsaphine
    nelsaphine Posts: 212 Member
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    Interesting responses!! So then what I had heard before about "light weight" with many reps is not correct?? I guess my lifting would be considered "light weight"...although I don't think it's so light...I really do struggle!!
  • oats4breakfast
    oats4breakfast Posts: 225
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    One has to actually lift something for it to be lifting. A bicep curl or a leg press isn't a lift -- regardless of weight & reps.
    Lifting heavy is exactly that - lifting something heavy.
    Curls and Leg presses are assistance exercises that help you lift something. Lifting is where you tax your central nervous system and utilize your posterior chain in an effort to lift a weight. Lifts are things like Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Cleans, Squats, Jerks and Snatches. Most everything else is an isolation.
    Rep schemes - heavy is usually about 70-80% and above of your 1 rep max.
    Do a bunch of singles (lifts, not assistance exercises) where the weight is almost as much as you can lift is a heavy lift. Doing 5 sets of 5 where you are taxing yourself is a heavy lift - again with a traditional lift, not an isolation exercises.

    Basically, if your entire body screams out at some point when you lift something off the ground, or move it while it's on your shoulder, you've done a heavy lift.
    If only your bicep or shoulder or calf muscle cries out, then you may have used a heavy weight and gone to failure, but it's likely you didn't lft anything and simply did an isolation/assistance exercise.

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