The overall competitive atmosphere at the gym may often provoke you to ego-lift heavy weights without thinking about the consequences, which leads to the risk of injuries most of the time. One might feel intimidated when others are lifting heavier weights, and unintentionally the whole purpose becomes competitive. But is it all about how much weight you can lift?
Even if recommended, muscle growth doesn’t necessarily depend on how much you’re lifting. Whatever your goal may be, if you start with lighter weights and be consistent with them, you can achieve noticeable results and eventually move towards heavier ones.
What should be your Aim then?
To work your muscles to the point of fatigue when you’re working out. So even if you exercise with lighter weights, you’ll develop strength as long as you train the muscle to some sort of fatigue.
A study conducted by McMaster University states that lifting weight to the point of exhaustion is what matters, no matter heavy or light.
What Differences would you see?
Lightweights help with building muscular endurance. Doing 20 reps with a 5-pound weight will result in the same way of doing 5 reps with a 20-pound weight. But if you don’t feel tired even after finishing 30 reps, then you got to increase weight.
Whereas, in the case of heavyweights, they focus on developing strength and are very useful if you want to work on a specific part of your body. If you’re opting for pure strength gain, then lifting heavyweight is the best option. Hence, you won’t need to do too many reps if you lift heavy weights, which is time-efficient.
Follow a routine of Progressive Overload
No matter the weights you lift or the reps you do, do not stick to the same weights, you have to keep challenging your muscles to continue seeing results. This principle is known as Progressive Overload, where you need to challenge your muscles more over time, forcing them to adapt to maintain the general progress, so that they don’t get used to the same old workout pattern.
What matters most is that you focus on your target and enjoy the workout rather than following what other gym-goers lift. Heavyweights are not unhealthy, as long as they take you closer to your goals. If you aim to go for a lean-but-built and not so bulky look, lightweight-heavy reps are the one for you. To get the best out of your workouts, remember to eat healthily and stick to a calorie-surplus diet.
Text by: Ipsita Ghosh, IBTN9
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