"I Don't Want to Lift 'Heavy' Weights"

This is such a common phrase you hear among people who have never gotten under a bar and have likely stuck with fitness classes, the same weight on machines for years, or spend a lot of time with a 5 pound dumbbell in one hand, one foot on a bosu ball all whilst picking their nose.  Okay, I digress a bit.  There is seriously nothing too wrong with anyone doing just that.  However, the problem lies with their view on what "heavy" weight really is.  I think sometimes it's an issue of insecurity, like the guy who points at the biggest bodybuilder at the gym who seemingly has quite the pharmaceutical hookup and says "I want to put on size, but I don't want to get THAT big." as if having 22" arms is such an attainable goal if only they "wanted" it.

Alright, let's break this one down.  "Heavy" is a term relative to your own individual strength.  A lot of times I hear this from women who have a fear of lifting, so for now, I'll use a female example.  A woman might look at another woman doing squats with a mere 25 pounds on each side and say "I don't want to lift heavy like that." to which I would ask, "What do you consider heavy?"  Is it something you can only lift 3-5 times?  Is it a set in stone number like 75 pounds?  100 pounds?  What exactly is it?  I'd like anyone reading this who has shied away from barbell lifting to pick a weight they could only squat 4-8 times.  Probably somewhere between 35-55 pounds as a novice.  So, to you, that is "heavy."  What about 25 pounds?  You could squat that maybe 15 times?  So, I'm assuming this is a weight you wouldn't consider "heavy."  Here's where relativity comes into play.  When you see one of my female clients squatting 135 pounds, it's not heavy.  If they can squat the weight the same 15 reps as you can with even a generous 45 pounds, then isn't it of equal difficulty?  And if you think your skill is with higher reps, and theirs is lower reps, the same person squatting 185 pounds for 8 reps can probably squat your 45 pounds 100 times.  This isn't trying to cut you down.  After all, you're just a hypothetical piece to this puzzle.  And the good news is, if this does sound like you and you don't like it, you can change it.

So, if you both have been working out the same amount of time as someone else, why are they able to do more reps and weight as you?  It comes down to a progressive training style.  If your workout is done with the same weight, the same reps, for the same amount of sets, done under the same amount of time, you are never going to progress.  You will look and feel like someone who can only do the workout you've been idling at for multiple years.  But, if you just took the simplest approach to linear progression, you could make such a change in appearance and strength.  So, for example, if you are squatting 45 pounds for 15 reps and want to stay in that rep range, every time you hit a weight for 15 reps, you graduate to 5 pounds heavier your next workout.  Every time you get 15 reps, you go up.  Next workout 50 pounds, then when you get that 15, next workout 55 pounds, etc.  Now, this might not have you squatting 200 pounds in a few months, but it's very realistic for you to be squatting 90 pounds 15 times in 4-6 months depending on workout frequency.  If you were squatting 45x15 and now you're squatting 90x15, you've literally had a 100% increase in strength.  You are now, in mere months, TWICE as strong as you were before.  Now, instead of looking and feeling like someone who can only squat 45x15, you look and feel like someone who can squat 90x15.  This is how true body transformations happen.  You cannot do the same thing every workout and expect anything about you to change.  And in the end, this 90 pounds isn't so "heavy" after all, is it?  (Answer that in 4 months)

 And no, as a woman you don't have to worry about waking up with a gigantic neck and 20" arms.  Look at all the boys hanging around the curling bars every day and still have small arms even with the advantage of testosterone.  Some women definitely have genetically pronounced traps and shoulder muscles, and if you are worried, you can back off on targeting those muscles if they start to grow too much, but this is a very extreme case.  More than likely, you don't have to worry about it.  The women you are likely scared of turning into, you likely cannot.  Anyone who looks like a total "freak" (I say that with all due respect as I think most of the gym freaks would wear the term with a badge of honor) is likely using some sort of anabolic compound that allows them, through intense training, to look like such a beast.

The main takeaway here -- do not go into the gym and do workouts of an equal difficulty week after week.  Weight isn't the only thing you can increase workout to workout.  You can increase reps, perform more sets, reduce the total workout time, increase the rep speed, etc.  But, as a beginner, you really don't want to shy away from getting under a bar and putting some weight on it.  The only people who don't like it are the ones who don't seriously do it.  I'd trust the people who actually do it.  And, if you are in fitness classes, try to find a way to improve every time you go.