Are you lifting heavy enough to build muscle? What if you want to lose fat? Can high reps be just as effective as heavy lifting? It all comes down to your goals. (Besides weight, there are many other factors that influence your progress, such as nutrition and workout intensity.)
Bodybuilding isn't the same as powerlifting. Conditioning isn't the same as strength training. Training with heavy weights does help, but it's not everything. Here are some things you should know before hitting the gym:
Why Lift Heavy?
The benefits of heavy lifting go beyond muscle growth. It's the best way to rev up your metabolism, build strength, and improve body composition.
Training with heavy weights leads to muscle and strength gains. The stronger you are, the more lean mass you can build. More muscle equals a higher metabolic rate, which allows for greater results for fat loss.
Heavy lifting also increases bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis. Moreover, it stimulates the release of anabolic hormones and suppresses excess estrogen. In the long run, it improves fat distribution and lowers injury risk.
Heavy Lifting: Yay or Nay?
How much weight you should lift depends on your goals and fitness level. Training for strength is different than training for size. Even though the two aren't mutually exclusive, it's essential to adjust your workouts based on the end goal.
Let's say you want to get stronger. In this case, stick to the 1-5 rep range. This leads to thicker muscle fibers and increased strength. For best results, lift the maximum amount of weight without sacrificing form.
If your goal is hypertrophy, complete 6 to 12 reps per sets. Your muscles should be burning by the end of a set. You'll lift lighter weights than when training for strength, however "lighter" should still be challenging to complete. This helps increase the amount of fluid in the sarcoplasm of muscle cells, leading to hypertrophy.
To gain endurance, do at least 15 reps with lighter weights. Endurance athletes can complete as many as 100 reps per set, although likely 30 reps and under will do the trick for those individuals who want to focus on endurance training in the weight room.
Regardless of your rep range your weight should be heavy (read: a fight to finish,) relative to the total rep range you’re aiming for.
How Much Weight Should You Lift?
Regardless of your goals, it's crucial to gradually increase the weight. This concept is known as progressive overload. Basically, you must challenge your body into growth. If you keep using the same weight, your muscles will adapt and stop gaining size and strength.
For instance, if you're training for hypertrophy, you should do six to 12 reps with the heaviest weight possible. Don’t sacrifice form for volume! Pick a weight that allows you to maintain good form and complete at least six reps.
If you’re looking for a way to ensure your weights are not too heavy and not too light for your goals, checkout our breakdown of a concept known as Reps In Reserve (RIR,) utilizing the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE.)