The Transformative Workout; Or, Of Lifting Too Heavy And The Plateau

Not everyone wants bigger muscle, and some people come to the gym to get away.

This advice is not for mavericks, just for those who want to repair or reshape their body.

When you select a heavy wight, that you can only lift 10 or 15 times.

You will only gain some strength, and burn up a touch of fat.

Mostly from just getting to the gym, being more mindful of your diet and moving around.

This is not a very good exercise, for repairing or reshaping your body.

Your body will adapt to lift a little bit more, but you will soon hit a plateau.

Because lifting heavy will end your exercise, before it has much effect.

You will stop lifting too soon, to gain endurance and adapt to lift more.

You will adapt a tad, and then no more, because you are stopping too early.

And to be clear, you are stopping to early, because you can't lift heavy weights.

Telling yourself that lifting heavy, will eventually make you stronger.

Is all too similar to doing the same thing, and expecting a different result.

You get cut off, you are overwhelmed too soon.

Your body, can't hear you.

Not only that, but you are forced to wait, to sit.

And your body will interpret that, as no adaptation necessary.

Because in the hour that you were at the gym, you worked out for a total of 3 to 5 minutes...

And sat around for 55, that not exercise, that rest and relaxation.

To give an illustrative example, and some real figures.

I was a lad today, pick 15 pound dumbbells as his easy weight.

And they shut him down, in less than a minute total, his entire exercise was less than 5 minutes, and 55 minutes rest.

He is just misinformed, it is a real problem.

But I used to sit around the machines as well, it took a while to figure out how everything works.

He is at the start of something great, but he does not know to start in the beginning and build up endurance.

To serve as a platform, for a transformative workout.

To really lift 15 pounds in each hand, you have to start with 5 pounds.

Use an interval timer to eliminate all need for rest, the way joggers do it.

And then once you are strong enough, move up to 8 pounds.

And then to 10, and 12, and finally 15, but 15 just seems dangerous.

Without endurance, and power of light dumbbells, you can't lift for long enough to do enough strength training.

To then switch to 8, 10, 12, and possibly the outrageous and dangerous 15.

Likewise, I bet there are Rangers, that can jog long distances with a 40 pound backpack.

But, that is not how they get up to that weight, they first learn to jog with an empty pack.

Then they weigh it down a little, and then some more when they feel they can handle it.

Training with a 40 pound pack from the start, would crush them before their body received any signals for increased endurance.

Meaningful, transformative training, starts with the lowest possible weights.

And first aims to run the distance, in our context, this means.

Working out with the lightest dumbbells, non stop, for an hour, and later two (or three if you are obese).

Only when you have the endurance to do a full workout, will you begin gaining strength beyond that initial 3 or 5 pounds.

And earn your way towards 8 pound dumbbells, and 10, and 12, 15 if you are out of your mind.

Finally, is lifting heavy a waste of time? no, it just won't grow you muscles huge.

Lifting heavy for a short time, just makes you stronger until you hit a plateau.

Which is defined by, you being cut off from completing your exercise.

Because you are lifting, too heavy.

It is certainly not a waste, it will create and maintain muscle.

But if you want a transformative workout, where you change the shape of your body.

Then you must first build the scaffold of endurance, 3-5 pounds per hand, for an hour or two straight.

This will burn up your fat, and gain muscle, establishing a foundation or a platform, for 8, 10, 12 pounds and beyond.