If you’re unhappy with your physique – and I’ll guess that you are less than delighted if you keep on reading – then it’s time to start lifting some weights.

(Even Santa’s got the message!)

The heavier the better. The sooner the better.

This article is written with one thing in mind – to convince you that light weights and high reps won’t get you far. It will demonstrate why going heavy in your weight training program is the answer to:

• A sharp increase in strength.
• The quickest route to building muscle.
• Protecting against injury.
• Burning more fat.
• Becoming more toned.
• …and improving your confidence.

Little Resistance = Little Progress

Too many people are put off even getting started because they are embarrassed about not being in shape and how weak they think they are. That was my situation as a teenager. I bought a bench and cheap weights set to train secretly in my bedroom – because I didn’t want to be seen grabbing the lightest dumbbell on the rack in the gym.

There were two problems training at home which hampered my progress. The cheap weights set was too light and when I reached the maximum level I was forced to do more reps because I couldn’t add on any more resistance. I was also limited by the types of exercises I could do with my equipment so I got stuck in a rut of doing the same routine with light weights.

While I was stronger than when I first began, my physique hadn’t changed much, and I was definitely capable of lifting more. Six months on, I finally joined my local gym and trained using progressive overload so that my muscles were properly being tested with heavier resistance.

And that’s when the noticeable results came in muscle size, strength and power.

We Limit Ourselves Because We Don’t Push Ourselves

Have you also ended up like I was? Stuck in a boring routine lifting the same weight, doing the same exercises, and usually in the same order? Trust me, you can be much stronger than you think. We limit ourselves because we do not push ourselves.

When the aim is to add muscle, increase strength and develop an athletic physique then lifting heavy is the only way to go. Lifting light weights with higher reps will result in minimal muscle and strength gains, and a flatter, less toned body. Here’s why…

The Science Of Muscle Growth Made Simple

Muscle tissue is made up of two types of fibres: fast twitch and slow twitch. They both have separate functions in the body and are stimulated by different types of exercise. Muscle fatigue through training leads to hypertrophy – the process of muscle growth.

Fast twitch fibres

These guys are made for strength and power, but tire more easily. Lifting heavy weights with lower reps targets the fast twitch fibres. Working out hard with heavy weights causes tiny tears on these fibres, and a shorter amount of repetitions are needed to reach muscle fatigue. This shocks the muscles into myofibrillar hypertrophy.

Slow twitch fibres

Slow twitch fibres are made for endurance and have a high supply of oxygen which made them harder to fatigue. Lighter weights bring more slow twitch fibres into play because there is less need for strength and power. To tire out the muscles using lighter loads it takes a higher number of reps – and this leads to a different type of growth called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Different Weights, Different Outcomes

Let’s take an example of two guys lifting weights in the gym. They both train for an hour and do the same exercises – but their weight training program involves different resistance and a different number of reps.

Guy #1 lifts around 50% of his maximum weight and performs between 15 and 20 reps for every set. This type of weightlifting is big on endurance, but not strength. It uses more slow twitch fibres, and fewer fast twitch. He may well tire his muscles out but it will lead to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy – which increases the size of the muscles temporarily by flooding them with energy-rich fluids.

The key here is that lifting little weight only creates a temporary ‘pump’ in your muscles – which doesn’t last. You will gain little muscle mass.

Meanwhile, Guy #2 lifts around 80% of his maximum weight and manages to lift between 6 and 8 reps during all the same exercises. It is a struggle and the increased resistance forces the fast twitch fibres into action as he needs power and strength to complete every rep.

The heavier weight leads to progressive tension overload and muscle fibre damage. This time the body experiences myofibrillar hypertrophy, which causes your muscle fibres to grow bigger and stronger.

This study in 2008 underlines the different outcomes in heavy versus light resistance training. Eleven men, all aged around 25, trained one leg using a heavy load (70% of their 1RM) and the other with a much lighter weight (15.5% of their 1RM).

After doing this for three times per week for 12 weeks, researchers concluded that the light load was “inferior to heavy load training in evoking adaptive changes in muscle size and contractile strength and was insufficient to induce changes in MHC (myosin heavy chain) composition.

“…Heavy-load resistance training is undoubtedly the most superior way to train when muscle mass and strength improvements are aimed for.”

Key Benefits Of Lifting Heavy In Your Weight Training Program

The quickest route to building muscle

Your muscles will be stimulated to grow through myofibrillar hypertrophy, as explained above, and the body will be forced to adapt to the increased resistance. By continuing to lift heavy weights and progressively overloading your muscles in fewer reps it is possible to make more gains.

An increase in strength

By targeting the fast twitch fibres responsible for strength you will naturally become even stronger. By taking your muscle capabilities to the next level you will then be able to step it up in subsequent workouts…which will have a compounding effect of even more strength and power.

You will burn more fat

The stronger you are and more muscle you add to your body, the faster your metabolism will be. The intensity of heavy lifting naturally cranks up metabolism levels – and the post-workout burn can continue for up 36 hours after you stop lifting.

“High-intensity exercise training induces secretion of lipolytic (fat-burning) hormones including growth hormone and epinephrine, which may facilitate greater post-exercise energy expenditure and fat oxidation.” – B A Irving, University of Virginia.

Your Body Will Become More Toned

Noticed I said toned, not ‘bulky’, which is a common fear among people when it comes to lifting heavy weights. The majority of us—especially women—do not have the genes to build bulky muscles via any form of exercise. Those that do develop an unnatural physique are often taking dodgy supplements and consuming countless calories every week.

To become more toned you must lose excess fat and increase the size of your muscles to provide proper shape. Lifting heavy does this far more effectively than training with lighter weights. Low weight, high reps exercise does not stimulate enough muscle growth, leading to a flatter look.

You Will Protect The Body Against Injuries

Too many people avoid lifting heavy weights through fear of injury. Provided you maintain proper technique throughout, the opposite is actually true. Heavy lifting strengthens tendons, connective tissue and bones, making fractures or muscles strain muscles less likely in or out of the gym.

A report by the American College of Sports Medicine, which can be found here, states:

“Resistance training is beneficial for increasing bone strength, and muscular strength also appears to be positively related to bone mineral content and bone strength. As lower-body strength levels increase, the incidence of stress fracture is reduced.

“Reducing the incidence of injury by engaging in a resistance training program is as beneficial for the noncompetitive beginner as it is for the professional athlete.”

Improve Confidence

Working out with heavy weights takes a hell of a lot of concentration, focus and staying power to get through every set. But the pay-off is massive. As you hit targets, complete extra reps, and see steady progress in your weightlifting numbers it will supercharge your confidence.

You simply won’t get the same effect when lifting light weights for high reps and not pushing yourself. A stronger body inevitably leads to a stronger mind – which will likely have a surprising positive knock-on effect in other  areas of your life, such as your relationships and career.

Go Heavy – And Go Beyond Your Limitations

To achieve the benefits listed above you must take the following action in your weight training program:

1 – First master technique for every exercise and don’t falter. That means going low enough with squats, lifting the bar right up to your chin with upright rows, and a full range of motion with chin-ups and pull-ups. If your technique is poor, then it doesn’t really matter what weight you are lifting – and you will be in danger of causing an injury.

2 – Up the weight. It is time to properly test yourself. No more messing around with comfortable weights and easily knocking out a dozen reps. Take it up a notch, add more discs to the barbell, pick up a heavier dumbbell, and really feel the strain. It should be a struggle to squeeze out seven or eight reps, but that’s exactly what we are after. That is when you induce myofibrillar hypertrophy and spark proper muscle development.

3 – Stick to ‘progressive overload’ when training. This means gradually increasing the load as you grow stronger and the body adapts. So you managed 10 reps on the bench press? Mark it down and increase the weight next time. A good rule of thumb is to aim for between 6 and 8 reps. If you can’t manage 6 then you are going too heavy. If you hit 9 or more reps then add on more weight. Simple as that.

4 – And don’t waste all that good gym work by eating garbage and not getting enough rest. Lifting weights only takes you part of the journey. You must fuel and nourish your body with healthy, unprocessed foods and plenty of water to provide the tools for growth and repair. A minimum of seven hours of sleep is also a must for proper recovery and achieving your health and fitness goals.

“Believe strongly in yourself and go beyond limitations.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger