You know a mixture of heavy and light weight training is beneficial for muscle growth
Because today, I will explain why you should lift heavy or heavy first
Both training programs and training sessions should begin with lifting light weights first before progressing to heavy weights
Lifting at light loads will prepare your muscles before they experience intense physical exertion from lifting heavy weights
This allows you to safely lift heavy weights
I was also confused by this dilemma when I started weight training
That’s why today I want to share my research and personal experience (I was able to gain 40 pounds of muscle on my own) on the question of training order
Should You Lift Heavy Or Light Weights First? The Meaning of Heavy and Light WeightsMoving From Light To Heavy In An Exercise ProgramMoving From Light To Heavy In Every ExerciseTwo Ways To Lift From Light To Heavy In ExerciseWhy You Should Lift Heavy Weights To Gain Lean MuscleWhy Bodybuilders Lift Heavy Or Light Weights First?
Should You Lift Heavy Or Light Weights First?
In the context of building muscle, lifting heavy weights is recommended to promote muscle growth
Conversely, lifting light weights is ideal for warm-ups and smaller exercises such as bicep curls
So should you lift weights first or last?
As I said before, you should lift light to heavy (as a general rule)
In other words- should you start a 12-month training program by going all out in weightlifting?
Or should you start with light weight, then develop to heavy weight through the month?
In other words- should you start your training session by completing your weight lifting first?
Or should it start with lighter lifts and then progress to heavier weights through the course of a workout?
The good news for you is that in both contexts, you should generally go from light weight to heavy
Meaning of Heavy and Light Weight
A heavy weight for one person may be light for another
So what is considered heavy and light in weightlifting?
Heavy weight is 60 to 100% of your maximum lifting capacity for the exercise, also known as 1-rep max
In contrast, light weights are 0 to 60% of your maximum lifting capacity for the exercise
Therefore, it is highly recommended to set your 1-rep maximum for each exercise
To estimate your 1-rep max, simply search for your exercise and details in the Strength Levels database
It will then estimate the maximum weight you can lift at once, for a specific exercise
From here, you can take 60-100% of your 1-rep max for heavy weights, or 0-60% for light weights
This can be calculated by multiplying your 1 rep max by 060 to 100 for heavy weights, or 000 to 060 for light weights
For example- if you estimate your 1-rep max bench press to be 51 pounds, then the heavy weight for you will be 31-51 lb, and the light weight will be 1-30 lb
Find out how much weight to lift in my other posts!
From Light To Heavy In The Training Program
As someone looking to build muscle, you will want to lift heavy weights (eventually)
Instead, you should start lifting lighter weights before you lift heavy weights
By starting with a lighter weight, you can safely get used to training
And when you have adapted to the exercise movements, and your muscles have developed a foundation of novice strength, you can progress to heavier weights
So how much weight should you lift as a beginner, relative to your own body weight?
This is a light weight for people who exercise regularly
And this will allow you to lift heavier weights as you progress in your training program
If you’re into training with dumbbells, then a pair of adjustable dumbbells like these Powerblock Elites will allow you to easily transition from light to heavy lifting
From Light to Heavy in Every Exercise
During each workout, you should also lift light weights before heavy weights
In general, you should lift light weights to warm up your muscles
A warm-up set involves running the movement for a given exercise, but with light weight
After warming up, you can start your exercise set
Jay from A Workout Routine recommends this warm-up set structure:
Scheme of warm-up sets of A Exercise Routine
Once you have warmed up with light weights, you can then start tackling heavy weights, which will set your muscle-building
Powerblock dumbbells are fully adjustable and each dumbbell contains light and heavy settings, making it a great way to progress at home
Check out my other posts for tips on how to build muscle as a hardgainer!
Two Ways To Go From Light Weight To Heavy In Exercise
I have discussed why you should lift light weights in the form of warm-up sets
Compound exercises (also called “big lifts”) activate several muscle groups at once
They are mass builders and you are recommended to lift heavy in these exercises (70-80% of 1-rep max in 6-12 reps)
Isolation exercises (also called “small lifts”), on the other hand, activate a single muscle group
It is used to add volume to specific muscles, and you are recommended to lift lighter in this exercise (60 -70% of 1-rep max in 10-15 reps)
The type of exercise you choose to start with will depend on your goals
The table below will help you decide whether you should do heavy compound lifts or lighter isolation lifts first
You may also be interested in my other articles to know what dumbbell weights are considered light and heavy
Heavy Compound Lift First Isolation Lighter Lift First More energy for the “big lift” More energy for the “small batch” Increase the overall mass
As you can see, whether you choose to lift heavy compounds or isolate lighter ones first, depends on your training goals
But regardless, you should still pick up a light warm-up set beforehand
So technically, you should always lift light weights first, then move on to heavier weights afterwards
Why You Should Lift Weights To Gain Lean Muscle
So why should you lift heavy weights to build muscle?
Heavy weights are necessary to build muscle because it introduces mechanical tension to the muscles being trained
As I said before, the best way to lift heavy weights is to start with light weights and gradually increase the weights over time
This process is called progressive overload, and it is important to gain muscle
To understand why progressive overload is important, see the stimulus-recovery-adaptation model below
As you can see- it is important to introduce more demanding stimuli for your muscles to grow
Without progressive overload, your muscle gains will plateau very quickly
And it’s not good if you want to gain big muscles!
If you like it, you can also like my other article to learn how to overload the treadmill with dumbbells
Do Bodybuilders Lift Heavy Or Light Weights First?
Now let’s see how the elite build muscle – bodybuilders
Here’s Arnie’s take on whether to lift heavy or heavy first
In agreement with this article, Arnie advocates a light warm-up set before jumping into your heavy compound lifts
To put it simply, you should always be looking for ways to introduce new stimuli to your muscles
Therefore, by all means, focus on lifting the weight of the heavy compound before the weight of light isolation
But every once in a while, it can also be beneficial to lift light isolation weights first
If you are interested, you can go to my other post for home dumbbell bodybuilding exercises!
Today, I have explained why you should lift heavy or heavy first
In general, you should always lift light before progressing to heavier weights in the training program
In addition, you should also lift light weights (in the form of a warm-up set), before lifting heavy weights in training
After your warm-up set, it can be beneficial to lift heavy compounds first or lift light isolations first
Do you prefer to lift heavy weights or light weights first?
Alternatively, download the Free Kalibre Muscle Blueprint to find out EXACTLY how I turned my skinny body into a hardgainer!
Thanks for reading guys!