As a Certified Personal Trainer my clients are always asking which is better; heavy weights, light weights or no weights. The answer usually depends on the results the person is trying to achieve. There are benefits to using heavy and light weights and using your own body weight as resistance can be a great workout too. Before you decide on one type of workout, consider the benefits of all three.
Heavy Weights
Historically people think lifting heavy weights is only for body builders and men who want to develop large muscles. However, using weights that are a little heavy can produce good results. Remember, a weight that is heavy for one person may be too heavy for you. Consult with a trainer first if you are not sure what weight to start with. Heavy weights can challenge you enough to improve muscle tone with relatively few repetitions. You need to challenge your muscles in order to see any improvement. Most people find more of a challenge with heavier weights. Challenging yourself with heavy weights will help create definition in the muscle. The fear that most women have of creating big muscles with heavy weights is unfounded for the most part. Most women just don’t have the body type or the right amount of hormones to create such large muscles.
Light Weights
Light Weights have become popular lately. Personal Trainers to the stars have started using light weights to sculpt lean bodies. When using light weights, you need to do high repetitions to really overload the muscle. The muscle will only respond when it is challenged or overloaded. Some people can do up to 100 repetitions with a light weight. For example, you could do a bicep curl with a two pound weight and do 50-70 repetitions before you feel your muscle exhausted. Many people believe using light weights will help you avoid creating bulky muscles. Most women don’t want bulky muscles so light weights may appeal to them. There are some videos that use light weights such as Tracy Anderson’s workout (Madonna’s personal trainer) and Physique 57 workout. Give either one of these a try if you are interested in using light weights to tone up.
No Weights
Using your own body weight as resistance can also provide a great workout. Exercises such as push ups and squats are done just by using your own resistance. Exercises that don’t use any weights can be done any time and any place. You can do them at home, on vacation or even at work during your break. Exercises such as the plank and pull ups can be difficult but can give great muscle building results. Consult a trainer if you want more information on this type of exercise.
Personally, I try to incorporate all three methods into my client’s monthly workouts so their muscles never get bored and they keep improving. If you use only one method, pick another to try this week and watch the results.
- Jennifer
Labels: Ask The Experts, Exercise, Jennifer
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I do it all.. I love change & mixing it up! I do have to be careful with heavier weights though because I am one of those women that can get big with weights... more so when I was younger than now but I still have to watch it... so mixing it up is good for me!