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My arms hurt just to think about doing that for five minutes straight.
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Spoiler: He couldn’t even make it through half the moves with those weights.
Lifting light weights for many reps is deceptively hard.
And if you only ever focus on lifting one waylight-weight-high-rep or heavy-weight-low-repyoure doing yourself a real disservice.
The truth is that both heavy and light weights have their placeit depends on your goals.
“Using higher reps is really good if you train for any kind ofendurancesport, she says.
Distance running, cross-country skiing,obstacle races, rowing, and triathlon are all examples of endurance sports.
What does high reps mean?
Lifting for pure strength is best partnered with heavy weights.
It’s also super time efficient.
You simply don’t need to do as many reps when you’re lifting heavier weights.
“Both are equal when it comes to gaining muscle,” he says.
The key is challenging your body with progressive overload.
Progressive overload meanschallenging a muscleto continue seeing results.
If you never change the weight or reps, the muscle will no longer adapt.
Lifting lighter weights over and over with improper form can also do harm.
The one thing to really watch out for isyour form.
When you lift lighter weights, you’re able to focus more onperfect postureand alignment for each move.
The catch is, you still need to focus on your form when lifting heavy.
If your form gets really messy on your last few reps, you should probably lower the weight.
When youre first learning an exercise, lighter weights can help you fine-tune your form.
As a trainer, I start with that.
It makes it easier to teach, so there is more time to practice the movement.
The focus is not on the load, but on learning it properly, Tumminello says.
Should you lift light weights or go heavy?
Or incorporate both into your training?
If youre training to gain muscle size:Do 6 to 12 reps per set.
If your goal is to increase strength:Do 6 or fewer reps per set.
If youre training for general health, you could mix it up if you want to.
The most important thing is to keep changing eitherreps or weightto continue to see results.
“you’re free to build your body with lighter loads and with higher reps.
It really comes down to a personal preference.
Before starting any fitness routine, its always a good idea to check in with your doctor first.
