Heavyweights Training: Strengthen Muscles in a Short Time?

Heavyweights training is a great way to gain strength. Still, there are many myths surrounding this type of training. Get ready to learn the truth about these routines and whether or not it'll actually make you stronger.

Heavyweights training has some very specific goals. When training with weights, the main objectives are to gain strength, endurance and muscle mass. Now, there are several ways to achieve this. In this article, we’ll explain all about heavyweights training, one of the ways in which you can train using weights.

It’s important for you to know that you can’t start using the heavier weights at the gym from day one. Even professional athletes need to warm up and build their strength over time.

The use of weights during your workout requires a progressive weight increase that will, in turn, strengthen your body in a healthy way. Remember, you want to avoid overstressing your muscles, and joints as it could lead to injuries. Likewise, you should start with few repetitions, at least until you’ve mastered the moves using extra weight.

Using weights when working out

You can exercise using your own body weight or using some extra weight. Pilates, for example, uses small dumbbells sometimes. In the gym, you can change the counterweight on many machines to give you more or less resistance when training.

The measurement of the weight you use during training is really important for achieving your goals. Maybe you’ve heard that heavyweights training will make you stronger in no time, but are we really capable of determining the right weight and the number of repetitions we should do without injuring ourselves?

Making an appointment with a professional is a great way to start using heavyweights, as they’ll know for sure how to design your training program. Still, it’s advisable for you to know your own body and your own limits in order to develop your own training goals

How to start heavyweights training?

The first thing to know when you want to start heavyweights training is the maximum weight, as this will determine your whole training routine. The maximum weight in an exercise is the highest weight you can lift doing only one repetition. Remember, you have to make sure you’re doing the right movement and maintaining the proper form. Otherwise, you could injure yourself.

Once you know what the maximum weight is, it’s just a matter of measuring percentages. Heavyweights training involves working with weights that reach 85 percent of the maximum weight.

To increase the strength gain, you should use weights between 60 and 80 percent of your maximum weight. If a lower weight percentage is applied and more repetitions are made, some coaches believe that it’ll lead to muscle hypertrophy.

Still, it’s important to note that each training routine is specifically designed for the needs, objectives, and capabilities of each person. Therefore, although these parameters usually apply to many people, they may not be as effective for others.

Heavyweight for stronger muscles

Indisputably, working with heavyweights is really useful to gain strength. Those who perform this type of routines usually do no more than three repetitions per series. Sometimes, athletes do only one. It’s always important to work with someone who supervises you and is willing to step in and help, for greater security.

However, something important that we must clarify in this regard is that this type of heavy exercise is not usually recommended for isolation work. That is, we shouldn’t use heavyweights training to strengthen small muscle groups. You shouldn’t do heavy weights for isolation work because it could damage your joints without you getting great results.

On the contrary, it’s highly recommended to use heavy weights if you want to activate large muscles. If you introduce them from time to time in your routine, you’ll stimulate your body in a way it isn’t used to. Therefore, you’ll see great results every time.

Planning your heavyweights training in advance

It’s absolutely true that using large weights causes the muscle to stress, breaking the fibers. The science behind this is that when the fibers recompose, they grow stronger. This process is known as hypertrophy, and also influences the gain of strength and muscle endurance.

However, you must always be careful with how often you do heavyweights training. As we mentioned before, this training isn’t good for isolation exercises. Also, remember that this training demands a longer recovery period and a very healthy diet, high in proteins.

If you want to obtain more defined and ‘aesthetic’ muscles, what you should be doing instead is alternating heavy weights with lighter ones, with which you do a greater number of repetitions. We recommend you schedule your heavyweights training and plan it carefully in advance. Remember, you need to rest in order to gain strength and not injure yourself.

Finally, always remember the importance of warming up before exercising, especially when lifting heavy weights. More than ever, you must make sure that your muscles are prepared for the maximum effort they will be subjected to.