Hey, hey !!
Before we dive into this heavy weights situation, it's a new month and that means new gainz... STRONGER Way is open for enrollment. Sign up here to finally see the fruits of your lifting!
So, how heavy...
Lol, heavy - heavier than your purse.
Got a kid, a little one, if you will. 30 -40 lb toddler?
You're picking them up daily, right, from the ground, from the car, from the bed, etc.
Then, my dear, you can most likely squat more than 30-40 lbs, lift more, row more - at least a bit more than that, especially when you learn how to do the specific exercise properly.
Picking up heavy things in everyday life... you can lift heavier weights than you think.
Heavy is relative, as well as subjective.
There is no specific amount that constitutes heavy for everyone!
What is heavy for one person might be light for another, depending on the exercise and the range of reps.
For example, I can goblet squat 65-70 lbs for 8-10 reps.
Do I expect someone lighter than me, or someone with less training experience than me to Goblet Squat the same poundage as me? Heck no! You eventually can, though!
Lifting heavy means it's challenging; it does not tickle, lol. Towards the end of the set, you can feel some muscular fatigue.
The muscles feel worked, they feel challenged, they feel tense - it should be challenging for the rep range prescribed. You might feel like at 8 reps - you could do 2 more, but they would probably be sloppy reps, so you stop the set. Or
even get those 2 more if you pushed yourself and your form didn't fail. That's heavy, that's challenging.
Another example of "heavy" weight... keeping with the Goblet Squat.
So, if I tell you to do 4-6 reps... you go over 6 reps with 20 lbs and get 12 reps. Ain't that too light? Yes, STRONG friend. And if you can't hit the 4 reps, that's too heavy. Adjust accordingly for the next set.
For the tone (which means muscle) to occur, you have to give the muscles a reason to grow and adapt.
"Toned" muscles are much harder to get when you are doing high reps with light weights all the time. Also, you would have to train to failure all the time, and that's not good for recovery which will impede muscular adaptions.
I know you've been led to believe that high reps will give you long, lean muscles, but that is the biggest myth ever.
Higher reps are more muscular endurance-based. Not hypertrophic (hypertrophy) or strength-focused. In other words, if you only train with light weights and high reps, you are not gonna stimulate muscle growth or strength
increases.
The body won't adapt to its potential training in that manner.
So, how heavy is heavy...
It depends.
It will depend on how it feels during the movement.
If it feels too easy, then it won't be challenging for your muscles.
The simplest way to put it is to do one set for the prescribed rep range; if it isn't challenging and you're not exerting some oomph with the weights, it's too light.
Another great way to gauge the intensity - the weight used is by using the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) Scale.
It ranges from 1-10... 1 being very light effort up to 10 - you can not do more reps or weight. Generally speaking, you want to be working around an RPE of 7-9 most of the time - not all the time. There are
caveats.
Last but not least, don't sacrifice form for more weight increases. Going too heavy too fast can jeopardize form & safety.
You earn the weight increases the right way. If you are challenging yourself, add a little weight when you can week to week.
As I say... Train Hard, Train Smart & Recover Harder!
That's that, STRONG friend!
And if you are done spinning your wheels, ready to see muscle gains, get stronger, gain better mobility, and feel more capable in the gym....
STRONGER Way has your name written all over it.
Sign up here. A new program was released today. The focus this
month is Deadlifts & Bench!
Any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Have a wonderful day!
In Strength & to Your Success
Xo
Candace
