"Light weight" is an oxymoron

Not many things bug me. I'm pretty easy-going and even-tempered. Usually, that is.

Then I walk into my local gym and see someone doing an exercise using the same 5lbs dumbbells they have been using for the last 3 years. Most of these exercisers are women. Their argument, "I don't want to look like Arnold." So they continue to use their "hand weights" (that term is a dead giveaway...they are dumbbells, not hand weights) and they continue to look the same year after year.

"You won't" is my standard response. Women, and most men for that matter, do not have the genetic makeup or the hours to devote to lifting weights needed to create bulking muscles. Furthermore, lifting the same sized weights over and over again for weeks, months, and years is not doing ANYTHING to make you more fit.

No one ever got stronger lifting light weights. You should not do any exercise where you intentionally choose to use light weights. Yet glance at a group exercise class at your local gym and count how many people are doing bicep curls with 5 lbs weights.

What do you pick up in your day that weighs 5 lbs or less? A gallon of milk weighs 8 lbs, your purse or briefcase is over 10 lbs, your toddler is 20+, a shovel full of snow is 25+, a full suitcase...forget it. Lifting light weights is not making you stronger; it's not even preparing you to perform your daily activities.

How to chose the right weight?
The right-sized weight is a personal decision. The important thing is to choose the right weight for you and continue to choose heavier weights when your body is ready.

If you are doing 10 reps of an exercise, choose a weight where the 8th, 9th and 10th reps are challenging and fatiguing. If you finish 10 reps and could immediately do 10 more then you need to use more weight.

Once you've gotten strong enough to complete 10 reps with the weight you are using it is time to increase it. Using progressive resistance will make you stronger, give you more LEAN muscle, and give you the arms, legs and torso you are looking for.

Arnold will never show up in your mirror. I have two friends who do female physique competitions. They train for hours lifting weights and rigidly adjust their nutrition to look lean and strong for their competitions. And even then, when you see them in street clothes you would never say "hey, look at Ms. Arnold". More than likely you would say, "wow, I wish I had those arms".

For more information on how to put yourself on the path to fitness and the body you want, contact me at 267.626.7478.

Be well,

Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478