Muscles either shrink or grow They do not tone up
If you want that firm look, then you’re going to have to build some muscles.
Have you ever heard the phrase “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”?
Let’s apply it to your gym workout. Why would you expect different results if you lifted the same weight rep after rep every time you went to the gym?
Chances are, if you have enlisted the help of a personal trainer, then you probably want to “tone up,” build muscle, get stronger, or improve your fitness. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that you are looking to improve your appearance through exercise. The best way of doing this is through resistance training.
The number of times I have heard, and will no doubt continue to hear, “but I don’t want to build muscles, I just want to tone up.“Let me be very clear about this. Muscles either shrink or grow. They do not tone up”. Toning is not a physical action that muscles can take.
A toned physique typically refers to a lean, firm body with lower body fat. If you want that firm look, then you’re going to have to build some muscles!
One of the biggest misconceptions out there about weightlifting is that it will make you bulky. Bulking comes from eating more calories than you burn, hormones (testosterone), an intentional and consistent muscle-building routine, and good genetics. It really doesn’t happen accidentally. 2 – 3 gym sessions per week will give you some fantastic results, but it won’t bulk you up. If you need more convincing, go and read my previous article about this (Will lifting weights make me bulky?) and then come on back!
To get the most from your training, you need to be training smart, and that means using the right weights and repetitions for your goal.
Why lifting a weight that is too light for you will not give you the results that you are seeking
When we lift weights, microscopic damage occurs to the myofibrils within the muscle fibre. The body’s healing reaction is stimulated by these microtears. The body sends nutrients to the muscle cells to repair the damage and grow additional myofibrils. In other words, temporary damage must happen in order to convince the body to rebuild stronger, bigger muscles so that they can work more efficiently in the future. It is the process of adapting, resting, and recovering that builds the muscles.
If you don’t lift weights that are heavy enough to challenge your muscles, there is no reason to adapt and change. Nothing to recover from.
If it doesn't challenge you it won't change you
- Lifting heavier weights for fewer reps builds more muscle than high reps with a lighter weight.
- The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. Which means that even at rest, you will be burning more calories because muscle burns more calories than fat.
- You will burn more calories for 24 hours following a weight training session.
How heavy is heavy enough?
Your heavy is going to be different from the next person’s. There is no set weight you should be aiming for. The single most important point is that it should be challenging for you, within the rep range that is relevant to your goal.
If you want to build a sculpted-looking physique, you need to challenge your muscles. I can regularly be heard asking my clients, “how many more reps could you do?” It is so important that the weight is right, and I cannot emphasise that enough.
If you feel you could keep going way beyond the repetitions that your set requires, then the weight is too light. However, if you can’t maintain correct form during your set, then the weight is too heavy.
But how many reps should I be doing?
This question gets asked so often in the gym world, but the answer is, it depends. What are you trying to achieve? Be very clear about what it is that you want to gain from your gym sessions.
Training for muscle endurance – high reps, light weights
Generally, endurance exercise is cardio-based as oxygen plays a key role in energy production. However, to create this in the gym, use high reps (15+) with a lighter weight. Low-intensity, high-repetition training builds up the mechanisms in the muscle cells that make them more aerobically efficient. This type of training will increase the endurance of the muscles but not necessarily alter the size of the muscles. If you want to be able to maintain cardiovascular exercise for longer, train for endurance. Rest periods should be short to maximise aerobic gains, 30 seconds or less.
Training for muscle size – Mid range reps
This where the magic happens if you are looking to build a more toned appearance. Choosing a weight that you can lift 8–12 times targets the fast twitch muscle fibres that are prone to growing bigger and stronger in response to resistance training. These muscle fibres get tired fairly quickly, which is why you couldn’t lift heavy weights very many times.
If you can’t get to 8 reps with good form, then the weight is too heavy. If you are rocking and rolling, using other muscles to lift the weight, again, it’s too heavy. However, if you get to 12 and feel like you could do a few more or if you are able to hit 12 on every set, then it’s probably a little too light and it’s time to move up.
Do not make the mistake of thinking you must hit the upper range of your reps every time. Good form, contracting the muscles, using slow controlled movements leads to changes. Forcing reps leads to injury.
Your rest periods should be 1–2 minutes. If you can lift the same weight again after only 30 seconds, the weight wasn’t the right weight for you.
If you train to build muscle, undoubtedly, you will get stronger, just as if you are training for strength, you will also gain muscle!
If strength or power is your goal, then you need to be focusing on low reps, ones that you can lift for only 1–6 repetitions. Spending some time working in the lower rep range focuses on making the nervous system more efficient. Since heavy weights are needed, every movement requires more focus and more stabilisation through the core. It is unfamiliar to your body and provokes some new results.
Rests should be 90 seconds to 5 minutes.
When would you lift light weights?
There are, of course, times when lifting heavier weights would not be appropriate.
If you are new to gym training or are learning new exercises, then a lighter weight is safer and reduces your chances of injury until you feel comfortable with the movements and are able to progress. As a trainer, I will always have my clients start with lighter weights and high reps. To begin with, the weight is not relevant; what is important is learning the movement patterns and correct form. Will results follow? Absolutely. We are building work capacity and confidence in the gym, which allows us to progress and work towards moving the weights up and the reps down.
If you are coming back from an injury or undertaking rehab work, it would be madness to stress your recovering muscles with heavy weights. The result would be further injury.
If you are working on increasing your range of motion, a lighter weight would allow you to do this in a much safer and more controlled way.
An older adult looking to keep functionally fit also needn’t be lifting overly heavy weights. Training around the movements that are required to function independently in day-to-day life is important.
What happens when progress stalls?
The body is incredible, and over time it will adapt. If you always train in the same rep range, progress will stall. So, what do we do? Answer: We mix it up.
We can all benefit from working within different rep ranges and by doing so, we are encouraging the body to adapt, grow and improve. Higher reps in the range of 8 – 12 for muscular hypertrophy and connective tissue strength, and lower reps for muscular strength and nervous system efficiency.
Most of us would like to be aerobically fitter, a little stronger and we all want that sculpted lean physique so by periodising the training working with different weights within different rep ranges we cover all bases.