If your goal is weight loss, an improved muscle-to-fat
ratio, strengthening your bones, and building confidence and self-esteem, then lifting
weights (strength training) is for you.
Building muscle is an effective way to lower your body fat,
because muscle is more metabolically active than fat. It requires significantly more calories of
energy to maintain muscle than fat.
Where a pound of muscle burns 10-20 calories a day, a pound of fat burns
only 5 calories a day. Surprisingly,
your muscle is working for you, even when you are not working your muscles!
Not only does muscle require more calories just sitting
around, effective strength training offers additional calories burned after a
training session. Steady state cardio
workouts burn calories at the time of the workout, but strength training keeps
burning calories after your gym session.
With the appropriate weight load, reps, sets, diet and
weight progression men have the physiology to gain size and bulk in their
muscles. Women do not because we don’t
have the testosterone levels to build big muscles. So don’t fear the bulk and lift heavy to
challenge and change your body for the better.
A certified personal trainer can help you determine the
appropriate weight or if you are experienced in the weight room you can do it
yourself. One way to determine the
appropriate weight for building lean muscle is to discover your specific 1 rep
max (1rm). Perform a bicep curl, or
chest press (or whatever exercise you are going for) with the heaviest weight
you can perform for 1 repetition (use a spotter if necessary). Work
your weights as a percentage of this 100%.
For muscle hypertrophy (muscle definition) you want to work at 75%-85%
of this weight. For strength endurance
(reduce body fat and increase lean muscle) you want to work at 60% – 80%.
You can also back into selecting the correct weight for your
resistance training using the last 2 rep rule.
The rule states that you will know you have the correct weight when the
last 2 reps of your set are very difficult (almost breaking your perfect form). Experiment with a given weight and check in
mid-set. Is this weight extremely easy
or extremely difficult? Stay away from
the extremes and try to find that weight that allows you to struggle for the
last 2 reps.
When the weight goes up, you can complete fewer reps. Focusing on your goals here is
important. The National Academy of Sport
Medicine (NASM) recommends for strength endurance complete 8-12 reps with 2-4
sets. For more muscle definition
(hypertrophy) 6-12 reps with 3-5 sets (less reps, more sets). If you desire to gain maximal strength (think
bodybuilder physique) complete 1-5 reps with 4-6 sets. Keep in mind the last 2-rep rule when
selecting your weight. No matter what
your goal, push yourself to do more reps or use a slightly heavier weight to
break through training plateaus. Only
increase your weight or rep range by no more than 5-10% at a time.
