Rule #4 for Maximizing Strength Gains: Produce Forceful Muscle Contractions
Lifting heavier weights = greater strength gains. However, interning in the NFL taught me that "heavy" is a relative term
[Header: this article is part of a 9-part series about maximizing your strength gains]
As we discussed in last week’s article, giving maximal mental effort, regardless of how much weight you lift, is perhaps the main key to getting stronger. So, if you’re apprehensive about lifting heavy weights, then go ahead and choose a moderate weight and lift with maximal mental effort.
But, for those of you looking to truly push the limits of your strength gains, then lifting heavier weights provides greater long-term gains in strength, but it also comes with a few qualifiers.
First, scientific research shows that lifting a relatively heavy weight (a weight that you can lift only 1-5 times if you gave maximal effort) will, over time, give you greater strength gains than lifting a relatively moderate weight (a weight that you can lift 6-12 or more times if you gave maximal effort). Of course, the key insight here is that choosing to lift heavier weights = greater strength gains over time.
But this insight raises a few questions: What does “heavy” mean for me? Does “heavy” depend on the exercise I’m performing? And, do I have to lift “heavy” every time I go to the gym? Let’s tackle these questions one-by-one —
What does “heavy” mean for me?
If you look around the gym, you might be tempted to simply select a weight that someone else is lifting. Don’t do that! Instead, focus on how much weight you can lift, relative to your own abilities, while using correct technique. Let me provide a quick story to emphasize that point —
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As a strength & conditioning intern in the National Football League, I remember one of my first times in the weight room: I walked past a future Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman incline-bench pressing 315 pounds and, while he was lifting this massive weight, he started having a casual conversation with me! After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I said: “Shouldn’t you be paying attention?”. And he said: “To what? Oh yeah, pay attention to the weight.” Then he stopped talking and continued incline-bench pressing 315 pounds.
The moral of the story: this offensive lineman could easily incline-bench press 315 pounds many times. If I simply chose the weight that he was using, I’d be crushed. Instead, I need to start with a relatively light load and learn, over time, how much weight I can lift for 1-5 repetitions for that particular exercise (while using correct technique and remembering to breathe throughout the lifting phase).
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Does “heavy” depend on the exercise I’m performing?
The short answer is “yes”. For example, most people can lift significantly more weight during the back squat than they can during the bench press, and they can lift more weight during the bench press than they can during the arm curl. So, not only is “heavy” relative to your abilities (not someone else’s abilities), but “heavy” is also relative to a particular exercise. So, for every exercise you perform, you’ll need to experiment to gradually find a weight that you can lift 1-5 times for that particular exercise.
Do I have to lift “heavy” every time I go to the gym?
While lifting heavy weights provides greater strength gains over time, it also poses greater risk of muscle and bone injuries. For example, some research shows that consistently choosing a “heavy” load (a load that could be lifted for only 3 reps), while producing greater strength gains over time, also presented greater risk of injury than consistently choosing a “moderate” load (a load that could be lifted for 10 repetitions). The authors of that particular study emphasized that training with heavy loads should be balanced with occasionally training with more-moderate loads to reduce the likelihood of injury. This means the answer to the question “do I have to lift heavy every time I go to the gym” is “no”. In fact, lifting heavy every time you go to the gym is discouraged. That said, even when you choose a moderate load, I still recommend lifting with maximal mental effort.
Finally, as you lift heavy weights, you might feel the need to hold your breath as you’re straining to lift the weight. Remember, holding your breath while lifting is discouraged; proper breathing can help avoid an unsafe rise in blood pressure.
To summarize:
If you’re apprehensive about lifting heavy weights, then go ahead and select a more-moderate weight (a weight than can be lifted ~8-12 times) while lifting with maximal mental effort.
For those of you looking to push the limits of your strength gains: lifting a relatively heavy weight (a weight that you can lift only 1-5 times if you gave maximal effort) will, over time, give you greater strength gains than lifting a relatively moderate weight (a weight that you can lift 6-12 or more times if you gave maximal effort).
“Heavy” is relative to your abilities (not someone else’s abilities) for that particular exercise. Don’t simply choose a weight that someone else is choosing; and don’t simply choose the same weight for every exercise. As you first begin strength training, you’ll need to gradually increase the weight until you find what “heavy” means for you (something you can lift from 1-5 times while using correct technique) for each exercise you perform.
Remember, you don’t need to lift “heavy” every time you go to the gym. In fact, balancing “heavy” training sessions with occasional “moderate” training sessions is advised to reduce the likelihood of injury.
When lifting heavy, don’t forget to breathe!