weight / reps

[klc9100]

i'm 40 and just started back working out about 6 months ago. i feel like i'm back in full swing now. i don't care about being "BIG". my goal is cutting bf%, firming, toning, ect. i was told by a guy at my gym (who is in WAY better shape than myself) that in addition to alot of cardio, i need to workout with lighter weights and do higher reps to achieve that. he said to try to do 3 sets of 15 reps on all my exercises. once i can do that for 2 workouts in a row, add 10 lbs and work up to 3 X 15 again. does that make sense?

 

[bbud]

I'm no expert by any means, but it sounds like good advice to me. I know that muscles will burn calories long after you've racked the weights. Besides, who wants to be a skinny guy that doesn't have enough strength to hoist a brew now and then?

I'm in the same boat .... well, almost. I'm 58, and retired a few years ago. I rode my bike to work and home each day (18 miles total) for 20 years, and worked the weights in our business gym each morning. Once I retired, I felt my strength and endurance really wane, so I'm back in the fight again too.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Phineas]

Higher reps won't "tone" or "shape" or "firm" your muscles any differently than heavy weights will. This is one of the biggest weight lifting/bodybuilding misconceptions.

Shape is determined by genetics. Firmness and tone is determined by bodyfat. Higher reps will give your muscles more endurance, but they won't look different.

Even if you don't want to be "big" you still need to eat over your caloric maintenance level for a little while to build however much muscle it is you want. Any amount of muscle must be created on a caloric surplus. So, you can do your cardio while building muscle; just make sure to replace the calories so your muscles will grow.

For your muscles to grow you need to give them intense stimuli but also variety so they don't grow accustomed. Change exercises every 5 or 6 week (with a week of deloading in between for your CNS to recover) and incorporate non-linear periodization. This means use a different intensity (relative effort of your lifts...marked in percentages...eg. 60% would be more endurance while 70% is hypertrophy and 85% is power/strength), rep ranges, rest intervals, and tempos each week. So, one week might be 60% @ 3 x 10 with 1 min rest @ a tempo of 1-0-2, etc. See what I mean? Your muscles need variety. If endurance is your goal, orient the workouts more to that rep range, but still include some heavy workouts.

 

[Phineas]

Forgot to mention that although your periodization will have you lifting different intensities every week your program should still gradually culminate with either a max lift or something to conclude the program.

 

[jason81]

Higher reps for definition and fat loss is an old myth. Better focus more on 6-10 reps with heavy weights which burns more calories. Also concentrate more on compound lifts.

 

[Phineas]

Higher reps for definition and fat loss is an old myth. Better focus more on 6-10 reps with heavy weights which burns more calories. Also concentrate more on compound lifts.

You're mostly right. Heavy weights/low reps burn about the same as lighter weights/higher reps. Same idea as running; you can run 10km in an hour or 25 minutes...burns roughly the same calories..just different intensity vs time, is all.

Nevertheless, compound is still the way to go.

 

[PushAndPull]

I like mixing it up. For all the exercises in my routine, I have 2 heavy days,1 medium, 1 light a month. Reps go 5-8(heavy), 10 for medium and 15 for light, always 3 sets not including warm-ups. I don't have heavy, med, or light weeks though, they're spaced throughout the month.