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HWN Suggests

Lift Weight, Not Too Much, Most of the Days

A common idea in weightlifting is that you should lift until you can’t do another rep, purposely damaging muscle tissues so they grow back bigger. But muscle failure, Tsatsouline writes in his 1999 book, Power to the People! Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American, “is more than unnecessary—it is counterproductive!”

Instead, Tsatsouline advocates lifting weights for no more than five repetitions, resting for a bit between sets and reps, and not doing too many sets...It’s not exactly the brutal routine you’d expect from someone billed as a Soviet weight lifter. But Tsatsouline contends this is the most effective way to build strength.

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Featured

 Even a Little Weight Training May Cut the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Despite the muscle-building, flab-trimming and, according to recent research, mood-boosting benefits of lifting weights, such resistance exercise has generally been thought not to contribute much to heart health, as endurance workouts like jogging and cycling do. But a study published in October in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise provides evidence for the first time that even a little weight training might reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. People appear to gain this benefit whether or not they also engage in frequent aerobic exercise.

 If You Tried Olympic Weightlifting You'd be Fit by Now

It's one of the fastest ways to get stronger and feel more confident.

 Lifting Lighter Weights Can Be Just as Effective as Heavy Ones

Upending conventions about how best to strength train, a new study finds that people who lift relatively light weights can build just as much strength and muscle size as those who grunt through sessions using much heftier weights — if they plan their workouts correctly.

 Lifting Weights? Your Fat Cells Would Like to Have a Word.

A cellular chat after your workout may explain in part why weight training burns fat.

 The Health Benefits Of Weightlifting And The New Science That Supports Strength Building

Weightlifting has been controversial in the fitness industry, in medicine, and in social discourse. New scientific research on the health benefits of weightlifting however, is beginning to debunk the many myths that have undermined the positive aspects of training with weights.

 There's a HIIT for weight lifting, too. And it works really well

As for whether you should do it, that depends on your fitness goals. If you want to lift the most weight possible, hypertrophy should be the aim and HIIT is a great way to do it. You’ll spend less time at the gym and see at least the same gains

Articles of Interest

How to Claim Your Space as a Woman in the Weight Room

I’m not writing this to continue the long-standing war of weights vs. cardio or even men vs. women. I write this because even after nearly 13 years of working and training in numerous gyms all over the country, I still bear witness to the stark gender divide in commercial gyms.

How Weight Training Can Help Women Stay Strong

For years I was a totally lopsided exerciser. I did aerobic workouts until the cows came home, easily meeting the government's recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. But I rarely picked up a dumbbell or did a pushup. I definitely didn't follow the government's advice to work out all my major muscle groups with resistance training at least twice a week.

Lift Weights, Eat More Protein, Especially if You’re Over 40

People who would like to become physically stronger should start with weight training and add protein to their diets, according to a comprehensive scientific review of research. The review finds that eating more protein, well past the amounts currently recommended, can significantly augment the effects of lifting weights, especially for people past the age of 40. But there is an upper limit to the benefits of protein, the review cautions.

Resistance training vs weight training

Not sure how resistance training and weight training work and which might be best for you? Both have their plus and minus points and a lot will depend on what you’re hoping to get from your training. This guide discusses some of the key differences between resistance training and weight training and where they can fit into your fitness regime.

The Benefits of Pumping Iron in Later Life

While old-school wisdom held that older adults were too frail to pump iron, a growing body of research is showing that strength training helps stave off age-related disability, preserve bone mass in women and even boost brainpower. “It’s way more dangerous to not be active as an older adult,” says Miriam Nelson, professor of nutrition at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston.

Why You Should Not Ignore Weights At The Gym

Every workout should include strength training. Amongst other health benefits, this type of training burns calories more efficiently, increases lean muscle mass and builds stronger bones.

Women Want Real Weights at the Gym

More traditional gyms and boutiques are expanding weight areas to meet rising demand from women. They are also introducing heavier weights to the historically female realm of exercise classes. Gyms aim to accommodate women who want to lift but feel elbowed aside or self-conscious in weight areas. Many women have used five- or 10-pound weights as part of workouts. But in recent years more women are lifting heavier weights, spurred in part by intensive regimens like CrossFit that use Olympic-style barbell lifts.

Resources

10 Reasons Why Weight Lifting is Great For Women

Many women believe the only way to lose weight is to do cardiovascular (aerobic exercise), but without adding weight training to their workout routine, they are missing a key component to weight loss.

13 Reasons To Start Lifting Weights

Maybe you’re convinced you shouldn’t lift weights because you prefer not looking like The Hulk. Maybe you figure you just wouldn’t like it, since you’re not one of those CrossFit types. We hate to be confrontational about it, but frankly, you’re wrong. Despite a prevalent allegiance to cardio machines for things like weight loss and overall health, strength training not only builds muscle but can prevent disease, improve mood and — really! — help you lose weight.

9 Weight Lifting Tips for Beginners That Will Make Your Workout More Effective

Lifting weights just got way more fun.

MamaLifts

It’s not easy juggling fitness with mom life. It feels selfish — they’re only young once, right? But by prioritizing your fitness now, you’re ensuring that you can be the strong mom they’ll need as they grow.

The Training Lab

This isn’t some fitness blog trying to sell you a cheap diet or a new magic pill. Our writers are sourced from the top minds in the strength training industry. The Training Lab is a forum to share knowledge within a vast network of coaches and athletes around the globe.

International Weightlifting Federation

The International Weightlifting Federation is the international governing body for the sport of weightlifting.

WeightLifting.org

Developing amateur athletes for national and international Weightlifting competition (in Olympic-style weightlifting competition of the kind held at the Olympic Games) by recruiting, coaching and providing training facilities for them.

USA Powerlifting

USA Powerlifting, established in 1981 as the American Drug Free Powerlifting Association, Inc, is the leading drug-tested powerlifting organization in the United States. Distinct from weightlifting, a sport made up of two lifts: the Snatch and the Clean-and-Jerk, where the weight is lifted above the head, powerlifting comprises three lifts: the Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. Powerlifting competitions may be comprised of one, two or all three of the lifting disciplines.