The Pros & Cons Of Working Out With Lighter Weights
I have worked out with lighter weights forever. Apart from the pandemic and just before group fitness opened up again, I did go to the gym and lift heavier. What was surprising was, I could actually lift the heavier weights pretty well. It took me a wee minute to get back into it, but there was a realisation that the lighter weights with lots more reps provided a neat spring board into heavier lifting.
Thing is, as soon as classes opened up again, I was back in them. I talk about personal preferences constantly. Lighter weights with more reps, is me. I feel fit and my body tells me so.
There has not been many times that I have not worked out in my life, but the pandemic was a time when I did slow down. I felt it coming back but still, just took my time until I felt as fit as I did. A couple of years later back on the lighter weights, all good. I did add more yoga into my life for greater flexibility. Again I have had surprising results there too, in so much that, my ability to sustain planks and hovers has increased. More mountain climbers anyone lol?
What are the pros of working out with lighter weights?
For hypertrophy and body composition, it doesn’t seem to matter how much weight a lifter uses, as long as three conditions are met
(1)As long as the load is at least 30% of what you could lift – if you could only do one rep.
(2)The volume of workouts (load x sets x reps x sessions) needs to be around the same as what someone else would do in a gym.
For me personally, e.g. I teach Body Pump (as many of you know) and so the rep effect from Body Pump would probably be equal to what I might do in the gym, if I were lifting heavy weights. I try to make sure that I feel the burn, heat, get breathless and keep moving forward when I feel strong. And so, I am considering the volume of workouts with the 30% RM rule on the first item above.
Two classes per week for me. Results wise, as a post menopausal female, my body composition is roughly the same as it always is. I feel fit and healthy. Which is what weight minding is all about:)) A healthier lifestyle.
(3)You need to go to concentric failure (like you could not do another rep) Body Pump can absolutely do this.
What are the cons of working out with lighter weights
The lighter the load, the greater the effort to get results. But, if you are putting in the reps and listening to your body. You will see results.
Where you have any weaknesses or imbalances in your own chain of movement, it tends to show up when you work faster with higher reps.
If you do not progressively overload your workouts, nothing much is going to happen. Hence the 30% statement above. At some point, you will have to go heavier than 2 water bottles.
Extra Bonuses Working Out With Lighter Weights
I like this weight minding tip. Glycemic control. Muscles take in about 80% of glucose that enters your bloodstream. There it is converted into glycogen and stored in its “locker” until required. That advantage of using light to moderate weights means more reps. More muscle contractions. More glycogen used. The more it needs to be replaced.
Summary
If you are using lighter weights, chances are that you are not really wanting to have massively substantial strength gains. Perhaps like someone who is bench press 80/90% to 1RM.
More importantly, you are probably someone just like me, who wants a carry over into everyday life.
Getting you into fat burning mode, losing fat with this beginners metabolic conditioning workout. The “conditioning” word being key.
People don’t really see the fat burning results they are looking for when the work continually out of “oxygen debt” you’ve probably saw people who go to classes all of the time but never seem to change their composition. What we want is your body to use carbohydrate to act as a “fire lighter” igniting fat burning. Metabolic conditioning can do this for you.
This is a link to the above beginners workout to help ease somebody, not completely new to exercising – wishing to do a little bit more.
We’ll do 5 exercises here together over 3 rounds with 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off.
Do the default option that suits you. So if it is on your knees etc. so be it. We don’t want your metabolism becoming overly stressed.
Remember you are building up your endurance. You may take a bit of time to do this, so be kind to yourself. It took me a while to build my fitness back up after the pandemic. I had to be patient and not get frustrated. I am fit for my age and intend to stay this way.
This video explains the following quick workout you can do when you only have 10 minutes or so but still want a wee blast. Here are the exercises described:
1. Dumbbell Deadlift to Upright Row
2. Three marches one shoulder press L
3. Three marches one shoulder press R
4. Weight Bearing Backward Stepping Lunge with back leg lift.
5.Renegade Row-Move Weight- Press Up – Renegade Row on the other side. Put some music on and go around the circuit 3-4 times or how long time allows.
If you’ve got some more time on your hands try the True Tone Workout for a different feel. I have some juicy exercises here for you to give a go! go! go!
How about learning how to do a woodchop and get great results from it! You will find this right here
Are you looking for a way to work your core, upper body, and lower body all at once? Look no further than the woodchop exercise.
This exercise is a great way to work your core, upper body, and lower body all at once. But what makes the woodchop exercise so special?
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you the benefits of this powerful move and why you should consider adding it to your workout routine.
I’ve been benefitting from the woodchop exercise for years and years. First doing it twice weekly as an LM group fitness cx works instructor.
Buuuuttt!
First and foremost, the woodchop exercise is a fantastic way to work the “sling muscles” of the body.
These muscles include the obliques, transversus abdominis, and quadratus lumborum. These muscles are important for maintaining good posture, stability, and balance.
That muscle tone also gives your waist a nice shape.
As we age, these muscles tend to weaken, leading to an increased risk of falls and injuries. The woodchop exercise targets these muscles by working through a diagonal movement pattern, which mimics the natural movement of the body.
You may also lose that nice waist shape that you once had. I have never had a really curvy waist, but I do know that these core exercises have help preserve a lot of what I still have.
Also, by strengthening these muscles, we can improve our overall balance and stability, reducing our risk of falls and injuries.
But the benefits of the woodchop exercise don’t stop there. This exercise also works the muscles of the upper and lower body, including the glutes, hips, and shoulders. This helps to develop overall strength and stability, allowing us to move through our everyday activities with ease. Additionally, the woodchop exercise can help to improve your balance, coordination, and power, which can be beneficial for sports and other activities that require quick movements.
Another great thing about the woodchop exercise is that it can be done with a variety of equipment, as well as a resistance band, physio band, Pilates ball, weight plate, dumbbell, medicine ball and cable machine.
Maybe not the axe please
This makes it easy to add to any workout routine, whether you’re at the gym or at home. And, as with any exercise, it’s important to start with a light weight and progress slowly to avoid injury. Even maybe body weight is ok.
Anchor yourself well.
Gently brace abs.
Range of motion is from the outside of your knee to the direction of the opposite shoulder stopping in line or just below. This is important!
Whatever you do, don’t go above the line. It won’t do you any good.
In conclusion, the woodchop exercise is a fantastic move for working the sling muscles, improving overall strength and stability, and reducing the risk of falls and injuries. So next time you’re at the gym or working out at home, consider adding the woodchop exercise to your routine.
Your body will thank you!
It will also thank you for signing up to my emails right here which highlight a recipe, workout and mindset work, to help you live well, live healthy and maybe even a tad longer.
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