The answer to this question is ”it depends”. There are a lot of health benefits to lifting weights (aka- resistance training, weightlifting) which include: accelerated fat loss, improved strength, increased bone density, overall improved function, improved muscle toning and more. From a medical and injury standpoint, lifting weights and strengthening muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments can actually help with pain and recovery from an injury.
The reality is that even with working out every single day, building enough muscle to look bulky actually takes a lot of work. It includes training sessions at maximal effort longer than 60 minutes, sleeping enough to facilitate recovery, and eating enough food to cause muscle growth (it’s not just hamburgers), and other factors. Most of us might only have 45-60 minutes a day to workout, might only sleep 6-7 hours (if we’re lucky), and don’t eat enough food to foster muscle growth.
Contrary to popular belief, lifting lighter weights (60-80% of your 1 rep max) for higher repetitions (8-15 reps) and more sets (3-6 per exercise) is actually what causes an increase in muscle size or “hypertrophy”. Lifting heavier weights (85+% of your 1 rep max) for lower repetitions (1-5 reps) causes an increase in muscle “strength” or the ability to lift more weight and be stronger but NOT muscle size.
Here are the top 3 action steps to lifting weights if you are scared of putting on bulk:
- Hire a coach who can teach you how to lift weights correctly (to prevent injury and maximize results). An expert coach helps you maximize both your time and results while also reducing injury.
- To increase strength, aim for the lower rep ranges (1-5 reps) with higher weight, and to add a little more muscle size, get closer to 12 with moderate weight. (Super light weights with high reps will produce the “burn”, but will not produce that much lean muscle).
- Aim to get at least 6 hours of sleep and eat vegetables and lean proteins at each meal to facilitate recovery. Proper recovery is the key to seeing the results you want!
If you are ready to begin resistance training because of the benefits listed above and have no idea where to start, click HERE to set up a Free Intro. We got your back!
In strength,
Tim.
