You Do Not Need High Rep, Low Weight 60 Minute Workouts
There is an old myth that in order to lose fat you have to do long sets of high rep, low weight workouts (this is doing 15-20 reps per exercise). There are several reasons this is not true which we will discuss here but the biggest problem I see is the amount of extra time required when doing this type of workout. A high rep, low weight workout will easily consume 60-90 minutes of your day. This to me is one of the biggest reasons people do not stick to a workout routine, after few weeks they think “I Just don’t have the time”. Is it an excuse? Sure it is, I’d even say a cop out. At the same time, people are busier than ever these days. not just with work and family obligations but there is no denying, just about everyone loves to surf the internet and spend time on their smartphone. If you are looking to bulk up, using this routine will never get you the muscle you desire. I will be writing a Grow Muscles Advance Routine article to follow up with this but for now, lets bust the high rep, low weight workout myth.
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High Rep Workouts Are Not Evil
First of all, just getting to a gym or a place to workout is a good thing. Moving your body in any form throughout the day is great and adding intensity is even better. A 1991 study by Dr. William Kraemer, found that higher volume training (3 sets of 8-12 reps vs 1 set per exercise) followed by a short rest period of 1 minute will cause your body to a greater acute hormone release. Plus, the lighter weight is easier to handle which meant less pain which several people find attractive.
Why Going Heavier For One Set Works
As mentioned before, this type of exercise is not for a beginner.. If you are not used to lifting weights or out of shape, stop reading this article and read this instead. When I am talking about low reps, I mean you will be lifting your max weight for 1-3 reps, 5 max. Working your muscles to failure using this method is extremely effective in building muscle as long as you are doing the right exercise with proper form. You want to isolate muscles, like using a preacher curl or seated one arm concentrated curl for biceps with a heavy weight you can only lift a few times. Doing this type of exercise will require more muscle tightness and require you to really focus. it will also require more muscle fibers as every muscle of the body part is required to lift your max. You should rest 3-4 minutes between sets for full recover. Give this a try, you’ll be amazed at the results.
What is your opinion of a high rep, low weight workout routine?
Low weight long workout is great if you can maintain it for a long time. As you have said, it’s very difficult for us to maintain 60-80 minute workout for a long time.
I’m doing light weight lifting for almost 9-10 months. So I think, now it’s time to step up. I’ll try this heavy lifting for just only a single set and will post the result here.