When I was younger, I used to try to max out the weights all the time. Even if I only managed three reps, if the weight was higher, I felt I'd succeeded. Now I'm older, I've completely changed: I don't bother putting the weights up much, I just increase the reps and sets. ATM, I'm on four sets of 12 for everything I do. And I have to say, it's improving my shape no end. Should I have done this years ago, or I am succumbing to the inevitable loss of muscle mass that comes with middle age? What do you do?
It sounds more like you're tightening areas that have become "loose" or "drooping" over the years. High weight, low rep is about bulk- low weight, high rep is about tone.
You should have been doing this long ago. Increased reps improves function, and the form comes along with it.
I really can't give any advice. Any exercise experience I have is tailored towards men--younger (getting older every day ) men, at that. Women have less muscle mass, so I really can't say how exercise works for them. But generally if you're trying to build strength and size you do low reps with high weight. If you are trying to tone and build endurance you do high reps with low weight. A sprinter would tend more towards high weight and low reps because he needs short bursts of explosive power while a marathon runner would tend towards low weight with high reps because he needs to be able to have a flat power scale over a long time.
More reps build endurance and 'shape'.....increased weight builds hard muscle and strength. Generally if you lift 3x3, or something like that, you're supposed to do it at 70-90% of your 1RM. Lift more reps, and you go 60% or lower of your 1RM. I want to build muscle, so I do 5x5s at 90% of my 1RM. 1RM = 1 rep max.
I'm happy you are happy with the way you look, thelurker. But either way, I shall honor our pledge. If either of us is not married by the time we are forty, I shall take you as my Bride.
I haven't lifted weights in almost 15 years. I would assume so, because you're creating muscle mass to burn calories for you--bigger muscles burn more calories just by existing, whereas light weights and high reps would do more to burn calories with the actual exercise and muscle recovery. (That's just me, thinking this through though. I have no actual formal heal/physical conditioning education.) Bringing this back to Linda's perspective, this is an advantage guys have over girls on weight loss--our bodies are designed to carry more muscle mass, so we can build up muscle that naturally burns calories. Apart from unusual girls, most women just can't pack on that much muscle, so you wouldn't see a lot of results from high weight low reps. But (again, just thinking here) because the high reps low weight would seem to burn more calories while doing the exercise and would definitely serve to tone existing muscles and probably cause calorie burn to make the muscles recover, I think that is what is happening for you.
changing your eating habits is a better way to change your metabolism. running helps increase metabolism as well.
I have changed my eating habits significantly. Today: Breakfast - 1 cup special k, 4 oz cottage cheeze Mid morning - protein drink (out of bars) Lunch - Can of tuna (6oz), 1/2 cup (dry) of brown rice. Cooked to just over a cup Mid afternoon - protein drink again (dadgum it bars!) Tonight, I'll have 8oz boneles chicken breast (grilled this afternoon) and probably a family size bag of baby spinach. Prolly some mandarin oranges in unsweetened sauce.
Quickest way to increase your metabolism would be to do a form of HIIT in the early morning. You'll be burning calories like a madman all day long. The best 'long' term way to increase the amount of calories you burn is to add more muscle. So because more weight = bigger muscles, yes more weight is better.
Yeah, I've heard about HIIT at johnstonefitness.com. I just... I'm so obese that I don't feel ready for it yet. Maybe in another month? I was pleased tonight, I weighed myself. It was good.
You post there? Me too. You can always start off slow...do a few minutes twice a week. Personally I think weights are the better option, long-term.
at least for me it's not so much what i eat as how i eat it. eating many small meals over the day speeds up metabolism (key word being small). eating 2-3 very large meals slows down metabolism.
True, but you're not making a huge difference in regards to how many calories you burn. Eating a big breakfast helps too.
