Benefit of Combining Heavy and Lightweight training?

[seahawks206]

Hey guys I know this isn't a specific exercise question but i'm new to this site and I didnt know where to post it. I started a workout program that has a heavy day,medium day, and a light day and I am wondering what are the benefits of medium and lightweight training? Does lightweight with more reps tone your muscles because of fat loss and muscle exhaustion?

I've seen programs that go high, medium, light but I don't see the point. You do get muscular endurance from training with lightweight and workout different muscle fibers. Is there a benefit to train for endurance while trying to put on mass? For example could you train heavy monday and wednesday but go light on friday?

I understand that some people claim that "low weight/high reps for toning" is just a myth but light weight training does exhaust the muscle more burning more calories so technically it does kind of help.

Can somebody give me there opinion on this? I understand most people will stay always lift heavy.

[seahawks206]

People say lightweight training is pointless but yet push-ups is one of the most popular exercises around and its about 50% of your bodyweight. Instead of knocking out 20 push ups, wouldn't benching 60-75% of your bodyweight be more beneficial?

[supersaiyan92]

Hey guys I know this isn't a specific exercise question but i'm new to this site and I didnt know where to post it. I started a workout program that has a heavy day,medium day, and a light day and I am wondering what are the benefits of medium and lightweight training? Does lightweight with more reps tone your muscles because of fat loss and muscle exhaustion?

I've seen programs that go high, medium, light but I don't see the point. You do get muscular endurance from training with lightweight and workout different muscle fibers. Is there a benefit to train for endurance while trying to put on mass? For example could you train heavy monday and wednesday but go light on friday?

I understand that some people claim that "low weight/high reps for toning" is just a myth but light weight training does exhaust the muscle more burning more calories so technically it does kind of help.

Can somebody give me there opinion on this? I understand most people will stay always lift heavy.

lets take a look at rep ranges and their effects....

1-5 reps; training for power gains and less size gains.

6-8 reps; training for strength and size. best of both worlds

10-12 reps; size is what your gonna get but strength isnt so strong like lower reps.

13-15 reps; dont bother if your bulking... this rep range helps with endurance and pump not really for strength. although this rep range is great for legs! legs are endurance machines.

apply these rep ranges to your routine. lifting heavier is what helps with strength. 6-12 reps is optimal in my book but its good to have a heavy day 4-6 reps to get strong. isolations excercises are more 8-15 rep range.

Hope this helps..

[Determinednoob]

Well it depends on other factors in the routine. It may serve as built in deload so you don't have to specifically deload individual lifts at different times or do a full on deload week. If it is something like the allpro's beginner routine stickied in this thread it may also be that you do the same lifts (which would be more than an alternating routine) every workout which would be too taxing if you did them all heavy 3 times per week.

[seahawks206]

lets take a look at rep ranges and their effects....

1-5 reps; training for power gains and less size gains.

6-8 reps; training for strength and size. best of both worlds

10-12 reps; size is what your gonna get but strength isnt so strong like lower reps.

13-15 reps; dont bother if your bulking... this rep range helps with endurance and pump not really for strength. although this rep range is great for legs! legs are endurance machines.

apply these rep ranges to your routine. lifting heavier is what helps with strength. 6-12 reps is optimal in my book but its good to have a heavy day 4-6 reps to get strong. isolations excercises are more 8-15 rep range.

Hope this helps..

My main question is if there is a benefit of having 1 day where you have 13-15 reps for all lifts to train for endurance while you are bulking? Like is it beneficial to train for size and strength with the 3-5 or 6-8 rep range twice a week but then have 1 endurance day?

Also if the 13-15 rep range doesnt help with strength gains, why do coaches and trainers around the world have athletes do push ups?

[seahawks206]

Well it depends on other factors in the routine. It may serve as built in deload so you don't have to specifically deload individual lifts at different times or do a full on deload week. If it is something like the allpro's beginner routine stickied in this thread it may also be that you do the same lifts (which would be more than an alternating routine) every workout which would be too taxing if you did them all heavy 3 times per week.

If low weight high repetition workouts have no strength benefits, why are push-ups (around 50% bodyweight) such a popular strength exercise?

[supersaiyan92]

My main question is if there is a benefit of having 1 day where you have 13-15 reps for all lifts to train for endurance while you are bulking? Like is it beneficial to train for size and strength with the 3-5 or 6-8 rep range twice a week but then have 1 endurance day?

Also if the 13-15 rep range doesnt help with strength gains, why do coaches and trainers around the world have athletes do push ups?

yeah you could include the 13-15 rep range workout once a week. pushups are more of an endurance or a finishing isolation movement in a excercise. of course most dudes like you can definately do more than 13-15 reps at any given moment. pushups are just a standard excersise for getting in shape. once youre in shape you should go to heavier stuff like weighted pushups and bench press.

[seahawks206]

yeah you could include the 13-15 rep range workout once a week. pushups are more of an endurance or a finishing isolation movement in a excercise. of course most dudes like you can definately do more than 13-15 reps at any given moment. pushups are just a standard excersise for getting in shape. once youre in shape you should go to heavier stuff like weighted pushups and bench press.

Thanks man I repped you!

Would gaining endurance from the 13-15 range help in heavy lifts later on? Also I've heard that doing light weight training trains different mucle fibers and helps with metabolism and recovery

[jkdman81]

Out really depends on what and how you're doing each exercise...... But generally the heavy day ate a pure strength day the medium day is a hyporphy day, the light days are for endurance..... GENERALLY Thats the case

[matt3400]

If low weight high repetition workouts have no strength benefits, why are push-ups (around 50% bodyweight) such a popular strength exercise?

You're improving muscle endurance more than you are muscle strength with body weight push-ups.

[seahawks206]

Out really depends on what and how you're doing each exercise...... But generally the heavy day ate a pure strength day the medium day is a hyporphy day, the light days are for endurance..... GENERALLY Thats the case

I've only been lifting for a few months now so I guess what I'm trying to ask if what does an endurance day do for your body? Will you see any physical change in your muscles when you train for endurance? Like if not size gains will you gain definition?

[MoziPozi]

Dont see the point in doing 13-15+ reps for upper body exercises unless your warming up or trying to get a pump. If your trying to improve endurance add more SETS and keep the rep ranges moderate 8-12. This way you can make size and strength gains while improving endurance with extra sets.

[MoziPozi]

I've only been lifting for a few months now so I guess what I'm trying to ask if what does an endurance day do for your body? Will you see any physical change in your muscles when you train for endurance? Like if not size gains will you gain definition?

Improvement in endurance will help with increasing volume.

[seahawks206]

Dont see the point in doing 13-15+ reps for upper body exercises unless your warming up or trying to get a pump. If your trying to improve endurance add more SETS and keep the rep ranges moderate 8-12. This way you can make size and strength gains while improving endurance with extra sets.

I've tried 5x5 for Bench Press but I don't feel like it does anything for endurance. Adding more sets would mean lowering the "heavy weight" so that would still be medium weight right?

[MoziPozi]

I've tried 5x5 for Bench Press but I don't feel like it does anything for endurance. Adding more sets would mean lowering the "heavy weight" so that would still be medium weight right?

lets say you do 3 sets. On the first set you get 12 reps second set you get 10, and third set 8. Your strength is representative of the first set and the other two sets are mainly improving your endurance and time under tension. But if you were just monitoring strength gains you would just need to look at how many reps you get for your first set.

ALso the workout your talking about in your original post is it All pro's beginner routine?

If so the reason why theres a medium and light day as opposed to all heavy days is because of the volume in the program. If you were to do all three days heavy you'd tire yourself out and your lifts will stall faster. The reason why starting strength another popular fullbody routine can get away with increasing weight every workout and going heavy every workout is because the volume is considerably low compared to all pros. Because volume is higher in all pros, progression increases week by week in reps and month by month in weight, the linear progression is only tad slower compared to starting strength which goes heavy every workout because of volume.

[seahawks206]

lets say you do 3 sets. On the first set you get 12 reps second set you get 10, and third set 8. Your strength is representative of the first set and the other two sets are mainly improving your endurance and time under tension. But if you were just monitoring strength gains you would just need to look at how many reps you get for your first set.

ALso the workout your talking about in your original post is it All pro's beginner routine?

If so the reason why theres a medium and light day as opposed to all heavy days is because of the volume in the program. If you were to do all three days heavy you'd tire yourself out and your lifts will stall faster. The reason why starting strength another popular fullbody routine can get away with increasing weight every workout and going heavy every workout is because the volume is considerably low compared to all pros. Because volume is higher in all pros, progression increases week by week in reps and month by month in weight, the linear progression is only tad slower compared to starting strength which goes heavy every workout because of volume.

Its basically all pro's workout but i added upright row, bicep curls and long bar row for back and shrugs

[danamerican]

If low weight high repetition workouts have no strength benefits, why are push-ups (around 50% bodyweight) such a popular strength exercise?

because people dont really know what they are doing most of the time. exercise is exercise, but anything above 30 or so is like running and pump in the chest. find me some real bb's that prefer push ups to bench press or does sets of 40-50 with exercises.

OP, 13-15 is good if its for your second workout of the week for a body part and you are an experienced lifter. if should be done with short breaks between sets. a lot of bb's do stuff like that before comps when they are cutting and trying to tear the muscles down and have them rebuild faster. heavy training takes more times for your muscles to fully recover and is more taxing, so to not add too much stress and get another lift in, sets of 10-15 work well. i used to do a (heavy) chest/tri, back/bi, legs, rest, (light 15 reps) upper body, lower body, rest.

also, as mentioned above, legs can handle largeeee volumes and even doing 20 reps works well with them (back can handle high volume too and trying high reps might be something that would work)

[seahawks206]

because people dont really know what they are doing most of the time. exercise is exercise, but anything above 30 or so is like running and pump in the chest. find me some real bb's that prefer push ups to bench press or does sets of 40-50 with exercises.

OP, 13-15 is good if its for your second workout of the week for a body part and you are an experienced lifter. if should be done with short breaks between sets. a lot of bb's do stuff like that before comps when they are cutting and trying to tear the muscles down and have them rebuild faster. heavy training takes more times for your muscles to fully recover and is more taxing, so to not add too much stress and get another lift in, sets of 10-15 work well. i used to do a (heavy) chest/tri, back/bi, legs, rest, (light 15 reps) upper body, lower body, rest.

also, as mentioned above, legs can handle largeeee volumes and even doing 20 reps works well with them (back can handle high volume too and trying high reps might be something that would work)

Thanks man I repped you. I will try increasing reps for back. What about shoulders? I have behind the head shoulder press in my workout routine

[seahawks206]

Does muscular endurance training help with adding muscle definition?

[seahawks206]

or is that a myth?

[supersaiyan92]

Thanks man I repped you!

Would gaining endurance from the 13-15 range help in heavy lifts later on? Also I've heard that doing light weight training trains different mucle fibers and helps with metabolism and recovery

its good to mix all rep ranges and focus on your physique goal.

[seahawks206]

its good to mix all rep ranges and focus on your physique goal.

thanks man i'll do it

[danamerican]

Thanks man I repped you. I will try increasing reps for back. What about shoulders? I have behind the head shoulder press in my workout routine

burn out sets can be good for shoulder endurance, but i wouldnt do them for another body part. i usually stick to regular rep ranges for my shoulder lifts

[seahawks206]

burn out sets can be good for shoulder endurance, but i wouldnt do them for another body part. i usually stick to regular rep ranges for my shoulder lifts

alright i'll try it man thanks

[dday39]

the light work in All Pro's program is essentially a built in deload (which you'll love when you start pushing some real weight)

I'm not sure I see a benefit to adding: upright rows & 'long bar rows' (whatever they are) to the program (curls are in there and shrugs are OK)

[seahawks206]

long bar rows are for middle and upper back and i just added upight rows cuz i like em haha