So you want to lift weights but you’re not sure where to start. You scroll through your Instagram feed looking for guidance, but all you see are fitness influencers touting the idea that you lift a lot or don’t bother.
That’s a bit intimidating and daunting, right? But as with most things, exercise and health, it’s really not that simple.
I’m an exercise scientist (and former Commonwealth powerlifting medalist and national Olympic powerlifting champion) researching resistance training, also known as powerlifting. Research suggests that lifting smaller weights and doing more reps (or, in gym parlance, “reps”) may play a role, but it all depends on your goals.
Bottom line: If your goal is to build great strength and bone density, lifting heavy objects is an efficient way to do it. But if you can’t lift heavy things or aren’t your thing, don’t think that lifting lighter weights is a complete waste of time.
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Wait: what do we mean by ‘heavy’ or ‘light’?
What is heavy for one person may be a piece of cake for another.
In resistance training, the load or “heaviness” of a weight is often expressed as a percentage of “one repetition maximum” (often shortened to “1RM”).
A one rep max is the heaviest load you can successfully lift one time.
About 80% of your one-rep max is often defined as “high intensity” or heavy lifting.
Around 40% or less of your one-rep max is often defined as “low intensity.”
In other words, lifting 80% of your one rep max would allow you to do about eight reps.
The more repetitions we do, the less accurate the relationship will be.
But some estimates predict that you could do about 20 reps at 60% of your one-rep max (of course, it varies by person).
It is worth remembering that not all they can heavy lifting, perhaps due to age, injury, or simply being new to the gym. And maybe even though I can’t lift heavy objects now, that doesn’t mean it will always be that way.
But the key is this: if you’re going to train at a lower intensity, say 40% of your one rep max, you’ll need to do a lot of reps to get a positive benefit.
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The benefits of lifting heavy objects
Lifting loads ranging from 40% to 80% of your one rep max It has been shown to cause improvements in muscle mass (hypertrophy). However, the research also shows higher loads need to be lifted to maximize improvements in muscle strength.
High-intensity exercise is probably the most effective type of exercise to maintain and improve bone health. The investigation has shown the best approach to bone health is to combine high-intensity resistance and impact training.
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Pick up lighter? This is what you need to know
The investigation has shown participation in high-repetition, low-intensity BodyPump™ classes may offset age-related declines in lumbar spine bone mineral density.
If you choose to lift lighter weights, you’ll need to do more reps to get the same benefits of lifting heavy weights.
Also investigate shows if you’re lifting lighter weights, muscle failure is likely required to cause muscle growth. In other words, you probably need to lift all the way to exhaustion.
Lifting heavy objects can give you the same benefit without exhaustion.
What about burning energy?
On average, a one hour low intensity/high rep style resistance training session can burn about 300 calories. A heavy session with longer rest periods equates to roughly the same calorie burn as a higher rep session with less rest.
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there may be also sex differences in the way older men and older women respond to resistance training. For example, older men may benefit from higher intensity programs, while older women may actually benefit from higher volume (more reps) programs.
It is worth noting that low-load training is difficult. In fact, it’s really uncomfortable to do a low-load, high-rep workout to or near failure (remember: “training to failure” means reaching a point where you can’t do any more lifts). It requires a significant degree of motivation and willingness to tolerate discomfort.
Making low-load training without serious effort it is unlikely to result in significant improvements in muscle growth and strength. So if you go for this style, make sure you’re ready to put in the effort.
The benefits of light weights include the fact that they are portable, which means you can work out in a pleasant environment like the beach, the park, or while on vacation. They don’t cost as much and are easy to store. For many, they are also not that intimidating.
For some, these benefits will make it easier to stick to a regular exercise routine. For others, these benefits may not outweigh some of the aforementioned advantages of more traditional weight training.
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depends on your goal
The moral of the story? It doesn’t matter what you do and how you do it. But, probably not as much as you think.
If an influencer or gym buddy says your way is the only way, question it with healthy skepticism.
They are not you, they do not have your exact goals or limitations, and there is probably more than one way to achieve the result you seek.
Read more:
75 Hard: What you need to know before taking on this viral fitness challenge
