The gym can be an overwhelming and intimidation place. Finding a program that works for you is key!

“Bekah, what does it mean to Lift Heavy?” As a personal trainer, I receive this question almost daily. Especially amongst women 40+. The terms, “Lifting Heavy,” or, “Lift Heavy Shit,” or “LHS” have developed a lot of buzz the past few years. Much of the buzz is due to the tremendous work of Dr. Stacy Sims who has conducted research regarding the benefits of Lifting Heavy Shit especially for perimenopausal and menopausal women. But what does that term actually mean? How heavy is heavy? How do you know if your workout class that involves dumbbells or kettlebells is working? What does it look like if you LOVE to ride your mountain bike, and does “LHS” require a gym membership and fancy equipment? Let’s dive in…

Why Lift Heavy?

At its core, lifting heavy weights refers to using a load that is challenging enough to stimulate muscle growth, strength gains, and other physiological adaptations including but not limited to:

Increased Lean Muscle Mass: Heavy lifting promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth) by causing muscle fibers to break down and rebuild stronger and larger.
Enhanced Strength: Regularly lifting of heavy weights helps improve overall strength, making daily activities easier, like picking up your kid, or loading your ebike onto the car. Enhanced strength will also increase both your confidence, control, and endurance on the bike!
Improved Bone Density: Heavy resistance training is effective in increasing bone mineral density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Metabolic Boost: Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest compared to fat tissue. Building more muscle through heavy lifting can enhance your metabolic rate, aiding in weight management.
Improved Neural Pathways: Research has demonstrated that lifting heavy weights for older women can help improve cognitive function, short-term memory, and multitasking.
Resiliency: Pushing yourself to lift heavy weights can help build mental fortitude and confidence, translating into other areas of life! Yay!

The most common confusion I encounter behind the term, “Lift Heavy Shit (LHS)” is in contrast to other forms of exercise. I hear a lot of comments such as, “I have weights in my circuit class. My spin class uses dumbbells! My booty camp uses KBs and I leave exhausted!”

That’s all great. But what is your desired outcome? If you have bought into the logic behind the importance of lifting heavy shit then let me help ensure you’re using your time efficiently and can reap the rewards of all your sweat equity.

How do I know if my workout class is targeting maximum strength?

The top 3 things to look for in a true strength based program are:

Rest time - true strength workouts will have rest times of up to 3 minutes between sets! If the program you’re following only has you resting for :20-:30 seconds between sets or movements you can chalk that program up to a circuit or HIIT style of workout, not strength.
RPE or 1-3 Rep Max Tests. Max strength workouts should have you operating between a 7-9 on a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale where 10 = max effort and 1 = a very easy effort.
Progressive Overload - programs that utilize progressive overload have you perform the same exercise for at least 4 weeks and slowly increase the load or difficulty of that exercise. This means adding weight, adding reps, or adjusting tempo in order to increase the time under tension or create a greater muscle building stimulus.
If your workout class or program has you bouncing from one activity to the next, doesn’t track reps or load, and does not incorporate focused and structured rest time, you are most likely targeting your cardiovascular system more than your musculoskeletal system. As mountain bikers, and active humans in general, it’s important to improve both strength and aerobic capacity. But in my professional opinion, it is best to have your strength work focus on strength, and your cardio work focus on cardio. There will always be crossover benefits, but what frustrates me are circuit classes that sell themselves as strength work but are truly more of a glamorous cardio workout with weights. To be perfectly honest, a lot of strength training can seem boring. It’s the same or similar movements over and over and over again. But if you do them consistently, and add subtle variations, not only will you get stronger, but you won’t be bored. In fact, you’ll find yourself more and more engaged as you both build more strength and improve your mind-body connection!
On your end, if you regularly switch between programs, erratically attend workout classes or do whatever workout you can find in thirty seconds on YouTube, you’re going to struggle to truly build muscle and strength. If you truly want to improve your strength, the most, THE MOST important thing, is CONSISTENCY. If you are consistent in your workouts and you follow a well designed program, you WILL improve your strength. This means you pick a plan that meets the above criteria and you stick with it. Building strength takes years.

What if you want to lift heavy but…

You don’t have access to a gym
Don’t want to go to a gym
Don’t know how to properly and safely perform compound movements such as barbell deadlifts and squats.

Can you still create a muscle building stimulus without using “heavy weights?”

Yes!

A well designed program will incorporate variables such as exercise selection, intensity, rest time, and tempo to give you the maximum strength you seek. But remember, you need to consistently show up and put in the work.

The primary reason I developed buildCLASS Strength Training for mountain bikers, is to provide a strength based program that revolves around simple to use equipment such as 2 dumbbells and a cooler! If you are interested in checking out buildCLASS: go ahead and use code buildsolodemo to get started with your first month at no cost.

In conclusion, to lift heavy weights means to perform a workout where the desired outcome is to build muscle or increase strength. It is NOT to improve your cardio or aerobic fitness, although those are nice by-products. You do not have to go to a gym or work with a barbell in order to “lift heavy weights.” You can follow a well designed program, like buildCLASS, that incorporates intentional exercise selection, tempo and intensity so you can focus on building strength that will reap benefits for years to come.

I hope you found this helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions.

-Bekah Rottenberg, NASM Certified Personal Trainer.