Some exert themselves in lifting weights to give them prominent muscles, while others are afraid of lifting heavy weights for the same reason, most women believe that lifting heavy weights gives them huge muscles, so they choose lighter weights, or prefer to exercise without weights to get long and lighter muscles.
But none of this information is accurate, because choosing the right weight to lift it depends on an important factor, which is how the exercise leads to muscle fatigue, regardless of weight.
Do not rely on trial and error to know how much weight your muscles can bear and benefit from, so reduce weights a lot until you feel that you are exercising in vain, or you lift them a lot and have to swing your body to carry them, so choosing the right weight for the exercise is not black or white, but according to certain rules.
Gradual overload
There are 3 simple steps that may help you determine your weight and know when to lift heavy weights:
1. Learn the correct form of exercise, one of the most important things when lifting weights is focusing on isolating the target muscle, and avoiding moving our bodies. Any excessive movement can undermine the goal of the exercise, and cause the energy allocated to one muscle to be distributed to several other muscles.
Therefore, when lifting weights, it is advisable to try to press your back against any wall while doing the exercise, to prevent your back and core muscles from helping.
While keeping your back flat, shoulders square, hips and abdomen flat, and your head and neck raised, to ensure the correct performance of the exercise, and you can determine the appropriate weight for it.
2. Interact with your body and stop when you feel tired. People who exaggerate in weight or effort, and straighten their backs or lose weight, cause great harm to themselves.
They must reduce their weight to a reasonable level that will enable them to achieve their goals.
3. Commitment to the exercise time, and the rest pauses, from 30 to 60 seconds between each repetition and the next.
With these elements in place, you can determine the appropriate weight for your exercise, using the rule of "gradual overload".
According to Cnet fitness coach Heather Marr, "You should work your way slowly, and try to challenge yourself, by turning the last iteration into a struggle of will. The more you pass it, the more you demand, until you feel tired."
Which one makes us stronger?
According to the trainer and British nutrition consultant, Hannah Bright, for "Insider.com", "training with a lower weight and more repetition means a shorter recovery period between exercises, shorter rest periods between groups, which makes the number of calories burned higher, and pressure on the joints Less".
But "on the other hand, training with heavy weights contributes to enhancing strength, improving bone density, and losing more fat. But it will require a longer recovery period for the muscle group, which will make the exercise time longer, and put the joints under more pressure."
However, the aforementioned CNET website considers that both are valid options, provided that your muscles are exercising to the point of fatigue, or until you are unable to continue repeating the exercise, regardless of the amount of weight you use.
In this case, lifting weights and iron will definitely make you stronger, and lighter weights can achieve the same goal for you, but it may take longer.
Whether you exercise 5 reps at 20 pounds, or 20 reps at 5 pounds, for example, you will get stronger as long as you reach the point of muscle fatigue or inability to repeat.
A study conducted in 2012, the results of which confirmed a study conducted in 2016, revealed that "those who lifted heavy weights to the point of muscle fatigue gained the same muscle strength as others who lifted lighter weights, with more repetitions."
Lifting heavy weights strains muscles and gains the same muscle strength from frequently lifting light weights (pixels)
Benefits of lifting light weights
According to Niki Rein on the aforementioned Insider website, "lightweight training with repetition is suitable for those looking for specific muscles that are not prominent."
As for the trainer, Mar, she cites some reasons that favor the lifting of light weights, such as:
1. It is suitable for beginners who need some time to be able to perform exercises properly, before venturing to try the heavier ones.
2. It is considered the surest to reduce the risk of injury. A trainer, using a 5-pound weight, for example, is less likely to harm himself than a 50-pound training.
3. Combining it with other exercises may keep the heart rate up. Using light weights in some cardio exercises, carrying a weight of 2 or 3 pounds in the hands, raises resistance and makes cardio training more difficult and effective.
4. It contributes to weight loss, "With repeated exercise at low weights, your muscles begin to tense and burn more calories, which will melt fat and boost energy for days after exercise," says Ren.
Benefits of lifting heavier weights
If you are exercising with the aim of strengthening your strength and building prominent muscles, in the most effective way, lifting heavy weights is a good option for you, because gaining strength is achieved by straining your muscles, and heavy weights will get you to this faster, provided that you consume more energy than you burn.
Where you can use the heaviest load possible, to show more muscle in less time, making heavy weights effective and beneficial for losing weight as well, according to coach Marr.
And if you are looking to have more cardio exercises in your routine, you can achieve the same result using heavy weights, combining more than one benefit by doing all in one.
Therefore, Dr.
Alexander J.
Koch said, "To build strength, it is better to lift heavy weights, because it trains the nervous system to be able to recruit more muscle cells, to produce more force more quickly, which is something light weights will not achieve."