Suprise yourself! or....... What does "Lifting Heavy" really mean?

[do1more]

After my last post about what to do for a new program http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6001891 ...... I decided to go with MAX OT. (Many thanks to Amanda and Terra)

So to cut to the chase. The program in a nutshell asks you to do most lifts in the 4 to 6 range for a total of 2 or 3 sets, with a weight that you will fail with by the end.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well I have been doing this "training" thing for 13 months now, prior to this program I thought I was "Lifting Heavy". Turns out I certainly was NOT......

Truly , what a difference finding my weight max has made. My work outs feel totally different, my body is actually sore a day or 2 later........that has not happened in over 6 months!

And the best part is damn, I never realized I was this strong. What a rush. Silly example, my upright rows. I had happily been doing 50 lbs 3 sets x8. Now I do 90 lbs 2x6.

So my question to you ladies is what does "Lifting Heavy" mean to you?

Do you think maximum heavy is better or are you happier with a middle weight and more reps?

[Scarl3tbutt3rfly]

I havent read that article yet. It is on my to do list! Just been busy. But Ive been trying to lift heavy since I started bulking and I try to do 4 sets of a max of 6 reps each time. Sometimes I only get to 4 reps. I still feel in some exercises Im still looking for my max though. If I get to 7 or 8 reps I have been trying higher weight. I live with 4 if that is all I get to.

It is a big change for me as well as I was working out in more the 8-10 rep range. I figured Id play around and do some weeks where I go to the 8-10 range, and then back to 4-6. Then maybe 10-12. I have read the bulking diet on the contest prep section and they have a program where you switch it up like that. So far Im enjoying lifting heavy and Ive gotten soooo much progress from it, I havent changed yet

[strongforgood]

I have also been experimenting with heavier weights. Very careful, as my main goal is to keep this old bod injury free. A newbie lifter, I started light but have increased as soon as I can do three sets of eight, even if the last couple are tough. Besides injury, my main concern with going a lot heavier is that my form deteriorates very quickly, so I'm not sure if I'm getting the most out of the lifts.

[freebirdmac]

It sounds like a good program for someone lifting for awhile, not a newbie. My larger muscle groups are certainly capable of lifting more than I do, but the supporting cast members need strengthening first. I didn't appreciate my trainer's approach at 3x20 for our first several weeks. Now that we're getting into some heavier weights and pyramiding 15, 12, and 10 I do. Those smaller supporting muscles need to be there.

To answer your question lifting heavy to me is a moving target. It's whatever I can do at the moment, safely and without injury. And I aim to keep that target moving for quite some time.

[Amanda76]

After my last post about what to do for a new program http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6001891 ...... I decided to go with MAX OT. (Many thanks to Amanda and Terra)

So glad you're enjoying it! Now that you're whooping my ass in the UR row department, I don't think I'll share this with anyone else for fear they'll pass me up strength-wise, too.

You WILL be able to switch back to higher rep sets and be able to mimic the intensity now that you know the difference between how it feels to lift heavy and not. But, now that you know what it feels like, I'm sure you can understand how it would be difficult to keep that kind of intensity up for too many more reps for very long. After STARTING to get sore a day or two later, you can probably also understand where people are coming from when they question how hard a person can possibly be lifting if they can be sure they can work the every body part again in a couple of days. You WILL eventually move away from Max-OT a bit, but it definitely does teach you how to lift heavy.

As you get stronger with Max-OT, you will be surprised after a few months (Max-OT being a 12 week program) when you try doing a set of 8-10 and have jumped up in weight a lot faster than you would have, had you kept doing the 8-12 rep thing (you will be getting stronger at higher reps as well, even though you aren't doing them now). That's what I did after Max-OT...went back to training "normally," to see if I started to suck at higher reps. I was TONS stronger, no matter what rep range I decided to work in. So, if you're convinced you need to lift around 8 reps to grow (which is not necessarily true, IMO), this will make it so you are lifting heavier at those 8 reps when the time comes--which will stimulate more growth.

It sounds like a good program for someone lifting for awhile, not a newbie. My larger muscle groups are certainly capable of lifting more than I do, but the supporting cast members need strengthening first. I didn't appreciate my trainer's approach at 3x20 for our first several weeks. Now that we're getting into some heavier weights and pyramiding 15, 12, and 10 I do. Those smaller supporting muscles need to be there.

To answer your question lifting heavy to me is a moving target. It's whatever I can do at the moment, safely and without injury. And I aim to keep that target moving for quite some time.

Actually so long as you know the lifts, someone newer to lifting or who hasn't lifted in a while will do perfectly fine doing Max-OT. Your larger muscle groups ARE limited by what the assisting muscles can lift--that being the case, using proper form, you won't be able to lift enough to injure yourself because of those limitations.

I know several newbs who have done great on this...in fact, if you take a look at the program, doing 2-3 sets for 6-9 exercises probably is going to look like WAY too little work to you (it does look that way on paper)...but if you do it as you're supposed to and actually lift has heavy as you can (remember, heavy enough that you can only get 4-6 reps out and 4 is heavier than 6), you will get stronger and grow. It's great. Remember, heavy is relative--YOU may take a bit longer to work up to a 90 lb row for at least 4 reps than do1more did. I'm still working on that and I've been lifting with that kind of intensity for a while now.

[Euqinom]

For me, lifting heavy starts from 5 reps and down. Or, 85% and up. And a heavy work out means pain, gagging, and the Lifting Craze (whenever that comes over me, I feel like I can lift anything, for any amount of reps. Which is hardly ever true. )
I love lifting low rep, I cannot keep focused if I have to count over 12. ;-_

[strongforgood]

Inspired by this thread, surprised myself yesterday when I basically doubled my usual leg press weight. Felt great, actually got almost 8 reps. Just hadn't really pushed it before. I'll let you know later today if I can still walk...

[BOLDERNECK]

training heavy all the time wont work,taking all exercises to failure taxes your cvs to much..when you follow the same program the muscle becomes stagnant...going heavy for me would be using the heavyiest weight with proper form completeing the reqired reps...i have seen alot of people get messed up training beyond their limits...stimmulate dont annilate!!!