Weight lifting theory
Inspired by
rhubarbbuddha's question on
baobh's LJ. Summary: she had heard that girls should lift with low weight and high reps. This is my rebuttal.
Note: these are in no particular order, and are geared towards novices.
#1: Any "trainer" who says women should use high reps and low weights to "tone" or simply because "girls are different than boys" needs to be tied in a sack with a chicken, a cat, and a dog, beaten with sticks, and thrown into the Tiber river. Muscle is muscle, regardless of who it is on. This punishment is also suitable for people who do bosu ball, swiss ball, and other such unstable surface training to "activate the core".
#2: There are three basic ranges for lifting. The ranges correspond to different number of repetitions.
A) Strength - High weight, low reps (1-5)
B) Hypertrophy - Mid-weight, mid reps (8-12)
C) Endurance - low weight, high reps (15-20)
Very low reps (1-3) are not useful for beginners, as your nervous system and joints cannot handle it. To gain maximal strength without much muscle volume, stick in the 3-5 rep range. The general rule is to use as much weight as you could do for 1-2 more reps than you need. So if you are lifting for 5 reps, you should use a weight that you could lift for 6-7 reps. ie--hard, but does not drive you to failure.
You should generally perform 25-50 reps total for an exercise. So 5 sets of 5 reps (5x5), 8 sets of 3 (8x3), 4x12, etc.
#3: Unless you are in physical therapy, you should not be lifting 3 pound weights for anything other than a few specialized exercises (such as external rotations or YTWLs).
#4: Lifting weights is not an easy task. If it is easy, you are either not using enough weight, or you are doing something wrong.
#5: Your "mirror muscles" (chest, biceps, abs) are the least useful muscles you have. Concentrate on your legs (especially hamstrings), shoulders, and back. The other things will come along on their own.
#6: There is no such thing as "muscle tone" in the way that the term is commonly used. To have "toned" muscles requires low body-fat and a decent amount of muscle. The firm, sculpted look is due to the level of body fat you have, which you will not decrease by doing sets of 20 reps with a pathetic weight. 20 rep sets have their place, but not in 99% of workouts.
#7: If you do not have a base of solid muscle, you can merely look "skinny-fat". ie--thin, but soft and kind of sickly.
#8: If you do not know how to properly squat, deadlift, and row, find someone to teach you. This excludes a majority of trainers. Try to find someone with a CSCS degree (certified strength and conditioning), or a power lifter. Powerlifters are usually large men who have a big belly and very muscular arms. If you see someone who looks kind of fat but is lifting a bar with at least 315# on it, chances are he is a power lifter. If the person you ask mentions anything about using a bosu ball, run away.
#9: Unless you are specifically bodybuilding, it is usually best to lift using a whole body routine, and exercising about three times a week.
#10: The best resource online: T-Nation The articles are incredibly informative. Look for stuff by Chad Waterbury.
For all of my friends: If you would like help learning how to lift, figuring out a routine, or need diet advice just ping me. We have a fairly complete home gym setup.
rhubarbbuddha's question on
baobh's LJ. Summary: she had heard that girls should lift with low weight and high reps. This is my rebuttal.
Note: these are in no particular order, and are geared towards novices.
#1: Any "trainer" who says women should use high reps and low weights to "tone" or simply because "girls are different than boys" needs to be tied in a sack with a chicken, a cat, and a dog, beaten with sticks, and thrown into the Tiber river. Muscle is muscle, regardless of who it is on. This punishment is also suitable for people who do bosu ball, swiss ball, and other such unstable surface training to "activate the core".
#2: There are three basic ranges for lifting. The ranges correspond to different number of repetitions.
A) Strength - High weight, low reps (1-5)
B) Hypertrophy - Mid-weight, mid reps (8-12)
C) Endurance - low weight, high reps (15-20)
Very low reps (1-3) are not useful for beginners, as your nervous system and joints cannot handle it. To gain maximal strength without much muscle volume, stick in the 3-5 rep range. The general rule is to use as much weight as you could do for 1-2 more reps than you need. So if you are lifting for 5 reps, you should use a weight that you could lift for 6-7 reps. ie--hard, but does not drive you to failure.
You should generally perform 25-50 reps total for an exercise. So 5 sets of 5 reps (5x5), 8 sets of 3 (8x3), 4x12, etc.
#3: Unless you are in physical therapy, you should not be lifting 3 pound weights for anything other than a few specialized exercises (such as external rotations or YTWLs).
#4: Lifting weights is not an easy task. If it is easy, you are either not using enough weight, or you are doing something wrong.
#5: Your "mirror muscles" (chest, biceps, abs) are the least useful muscles you have. Concentrate on your legs (especially hamstrings), shoulders, and back. The other things will come along on their own.
#6: There is no such thing as "muscle tone" in the way that the term is commonly used. To have "toned" muscles requires low body-fat and a decent amount of muscle. The firm, sculpted look is due to the level of body fat you have, which you will not decrease by doing sets of 20 reps with a pathetic weight. 20 rep sets have their place, but not in 99% of workouts.
#7: If you do not have a base of solid muscle, you can merely look "skinny-fat". ie--thin, but soft and kind of sickly.
#8: If you do not know how to properly squat, deadlift, and row, find someone to teach you. This excludes a majority of trainers. Try to find someone with a CSCS degree (certified strength and conditioning), or a power lifter. Powerlifters are usually large men who have a big belly and very muscular arms. If you see someone who looks kind of fat but is lifting a bar with at least 315# on it, chances are he is a power lifter. If the person you ask mentions anything about using a bosu ball, run away.
#9: Unless you are specifically bodybuilding, it is usually best to lift using a whole body routine, and exercising about three times a week.
#10: The best resource online: T-Nation The articles are incredibly informative. Look for stuff by Chad Waterbury.
For all of my friends: If you would like help learning how to lift, figuring out a routine, or need diet advice just ping me. We have a fairly complete home gym setup.