Anyone stop doing heavy weight?

Cassy · 09-03-11, 06:10 PM

When I worked out at a gym I used to try to lift as much weight as possible. So when I switched to working out at home and trying CLX I got a set of select techs from Costco (about 3 months ago). Well about a month into it 1 of the weights was getting hard to change.

Now I've moved into mainly low weight high rep workouts. But today thought I would try a cathe workout that was higher weight. But my select tech is now super hard to change the weight. To the point of being a complete pain. I mean I can muscle it into the changed weight but it's not easy and of course for what I paid it's pretty annoying.

So I'm wondering what to do now. Costco doesn't always have the selecttechs. So I can either struggle with these not working well or return them. But I'm wondering if I'll miss having the heavy weights around.

I look at Jari's or Sylwia's arms and they look great. Even TA's arms are ok with me. I guess I just want to reassurance that it's ok to return these and be without the heavy weights.

I'm also over 40 so wondering where you over 40 people end up moving to. I still have individual 2,3,5,10,15lb weights.

upperwside · 09-03-11, 07:56 PM

I stopped doing heavy work for a while.. and did high rep/low weight. I did not loose the shape in my arms. I found with using light and still lifting to failure.. i still had nice developed muscles... maybe even more developed! I think it is good to change it up and do a mix of light and heavy ( i am doing heavy again now for a while).. but i think with the weights you have you will be fine. Kelly Coffey's Split Sessions .. i use 10's 12's and 15's and it was an amazing workout and my muscles were fried. Jaril you can use 5's 8's and 10's and with Sylwia.. you can use 2 and 3's. That would be good enough for mixing it up IMO. I am not over 40.. but doing anything is good i think!!

Enjoy!

mommyofjoeyp · 09-03-11, 08:02 PM

I agree that you will be fine with the weights you have. I stopped doing heavy weights a year ago and my arms look way better now than they did then! I gain muscle very easily in my arms and when I look back at pictures from last summer my arms looked really big and I looked bigger. Now my arms are leaner looking but with really nice definition. I use 8 and 5 lb weights when I do P57 but otherwise all of my upper body work is with bodyweight or weights less than 3 lbs (and surprisingly, the workouts I do with 2 and 3 lb weights kill me!!!)

Forgot to add that I'm not yet over 40 but I'm getting dangerously close!!!!

LindaL · 09-03-11, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassy

When I worked out at a gym I used to try to lift as much weight as possible. So when I switched to working out at home and trying CLX I got a set of select techs from Costco (about 3 months ago). Well about a month into it 1 of the weights was getting hard to change.

Now I've moved into mainly low weight high rep workouts. But today thought I would try a cathe workout that was higher weight. But my select tech is now super hard to change the weight. To the point of being a complete pain. I mean I can muscle it into the changed weight but it's not easy and of course for what I paid it's pretty annoying.

So I'm wondering what to do now. Costco doesn't always have the selecttechs. So I can either struggle with these not working well or return them. But I'm wondering if I'll miss having the heavy weights around.

I look at Jari's or Sylwia's arms and they look great. Even TA's arms are ok with me. I guess I just want to reassurance that it's ok to return these and be without the heavy weights.

I'm also over 40 so wondering where you over 40 people end up moving to. I still have individual 2,3,5,10,15lb weights.

Cassy - your post is very timely for me. I'm 44 and suddenly got just exhausted from heavy weights this year. For a long time I was pushing as heavy as I could with kettlebells and STS. In the end, other than being strong and fit, I wasn't crazy about how I looked, and I lost the drive for it.

For the past 2 weeks, I've been working on Leah Sarago Ballet Body which doesn't use more than 3 pound weights for upper body and no weights for lower. I was just telling DH this morning that, quite frankly, Leah's stuff is harder for me than my heaviest Cathe workout. I mean Leah literally has me wimpering on her upper body segments (and lower as well) and I can't finish all the reps either. Now I've dabbled in barre workouts before, and they are definitely not all cut from the same cloth. I don't see myself losing definition or strength with Ballet Body. If anything, I'm gaining strength and my arms still look defined.

I know exactly what you mean when you mention Jari and Sylwia. I say that if you feel you need to back down a bit from the heavy weight, you should definitely go for it.

Cassy · 09-05-11, 01:47 AM

Thanks guys I decided to return the weights so I'm going to focus on BB, Jari, TA, and Tonique for a while and see how it goes

bearcatfan · 09-05-11, 04:07 AM

I have dumbbells from 3 to 15 lbs and honestly I rarely touch the 3s or the 15s. I do most of my lower body work unweighted, and when I need back work I do (heavily) assisted pullups.

melzie · 09-05-11, 04:14 AM

Over 40 here, and I stopped heavy weights and high intensity anything.

Heavy weights were causing some joint issues, so was high intensity. Shoulder, wrist, knees, and even ankles. I got worried as I am afraid of bone issues, my father had some, in fact one rotator cuff was said to have been just a shard from years of overwork, could not be repaired. So I just stick with 5, 8, 10 lbs now. I think that is fine for a non-athlete just working out for your health and physical form. I also do not use any heavy weights for high rep rotator cuff exercises, I have 2 lbs for those.

horsemom2 · 09-05-11, 05:00 AM

I rarely use dumb bells anymore and stick to sliding filler weights (Fitstix and homemade XCO trainers), light kettlebells/medballs and bands after aggravating both elbows several years ago going too heavy with palms up biceps curls. Also have vulnerable wrists and shoulders. Being mesomorphic and having great muscle memory, my muscles seem to be about the same strengthwise and if anything less bulky looking. I have no trouble lifting heavy objects when I need to. This past winter was the first winter in 3 years I could shovel snow without elbow pain. The connective tissue around the joints just couldn't handle the exta weight regularly.

Barb S
whose arms look better now at 62 than they did in my 30s and 40s
and looked like Tony Little's in my 50s when lifting much heavier LOL
(large but short boned)

Tanja · 09-05-11, 07:21 AM

and just started to work out with heavy weights at the gym once or twice a week.

For the past 17 years I used exercise videos with which I used up to 30 lbs dumbells and 70 lbs bars (Classic Firm, Cathe, beachbody, etc.). I do not consider bicep curls with 20 lbs dumbells or overhead presses with a 60 lbs bar heavy. I am an ectomorph and strong but with little hypertrophy. I am going to give the gym four months, twice a week to build me some muscle. If it works, I will post pictures.

Taramisu · 09-05-11, 07:49 AM

I think the heaviest weight I used to use was around 40 lbs on my barbell, that was only for Cathe's Slow/Heavy series. Otherwise 30-35 lbs was the max, that was heavy enough for me.

My heaviest weight is one 20 lb bell, which I use for back work. Other than that I can't see myself going higher than 15 pounders for anything, including leg work. I see myself using my 15's for short sets of leg work, but that's probably it. For the most part it will likely be 12 pounders for most lower body work, which seems to work well.

So, I am not one that used to go super heavy but I have opted to lighten up as I have gotten older. I think in the long run, it's better for me.

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09-03-11, 06:10 PM
Cassy Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Diego	Anyone stop doing heavy weight? When I worked out at a gym I used to try to lift as much weight as possible. So when I switched to working out at home and trying CLX I got a set of select techs from Costco (about 3 months ago). Well about a month into it 1 of the weights was getting hard to change. Now I've moved into mainly low weight high rep workouts. But today thought I would try a cathe workout that was higher weight. But my select tech is now super hard to change the weight. To the point of being a complete pain. I mean I can muscle it into the changed weight but it's not easy and of course for what I paid it's pretty annoying. So I'm wondering what to do now. Costco doesn't always have the selecttechs. So I can either struggle with these not working well or return them. But I'm wondering if I'll miss having the heavy weights around. I look at Jari's or Sylwia's arms and they look great. Even TA's arms are ok with me. I guess I just want to reassurance that it's ok to return these and be without the heavy weights. I'm also over 40 so wondering where you over 40 people end up moving to. I still have individual 2,3,5,10,15lb weights.

09-03-11, 07:56 PM
upperwside Join Date: May 2008 Location: On Canada 💗	I stopped doing heavy work for a while.. and did high rep/low weight. I did not loose the shape in my arms. I found with using light and still lifting to failure.. i still had nice developed muscles... maybe even more developed! I think it is good to change it up and do a mix of light and heavy ( i am doing heavy again now for a while).. but i think with the weights you have you will be fine. Kelly Coffey's Split Sessions .. i use 10's 12's and 15's and it was an amazing workout and my muscles were fried. Jaril you can use 5's 8's and 10's and with Sylwia.. you can use 2 and 3's. That would be good enough for mixing it up IMO. I am not over 40.. but doing anything is good i think!! Enjoy!

09-03-11, 08:02 PM
mommyofjoeyp Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canada	I agree that you will be fine with the weights you have. I stopped doing heavy weights a year ago and my arms look way better now than they did then! I gain muscle very easily in my arms and when I look back at pictures from last summer my arms looked really big and I looked bigger. Now my arms are leaner looking but with really nice definition. I use 8 and 5 lb weights when I do P57 but otherwise all of my upper body work is with bodyweight or weights less than 3 lbs (and surprisingly, the workouts I do with 2 and 3 lb weights kill me!!!) Forgot to add that I'm not yet over 40 but I'm getting dangerously close!!!!

09-05-11, 01:47 AM
Cassy Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Diego	Thanks guys I decided to return the weights so I'm going to focus on BB, Jari, TA, and Tonique for a while and see how it goes

09-05-11, 04:07 AM
bearcatfan Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ohio	I have dumbbells from 3 to 15 lbs and honestly I rarely touch the 3s or the 15s. I do most of my lower body work unweighted, and when I need back work I do (heavily) assisted pullups. __________________ Rose

09-05-11, 04:14 AM
melzie Join Date: Apr 2005	Over 40 here, and I stopped heavy weights and high intensity anything. Heavy weights were causing some joint issues, so was high intensity. Shoulder, wrist, knees, and even ankles. I got worried as I am afraid of bone issues, my father had some, in fact one rotator cuff was said to have been just a shard from years of overwork, could not be repaired. So I just stick with 5, 8, 10 lbs now. I think that is fine for a non-athlete just working out for your health and physical form. I also do not use any heavy weights for high rep rotator cuff exercises, I have 2 lbs for those.

09-05-11, 05:00 AM
horsemom2 Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NJ	I rarely use dumb bells anymore and stick to sliding filler weights (Fitstix and homemade XCO trainers), light kettlebells/medballs and bands after aggravating both elbows several years ago going too heavy with palms up biceps curls. Also have vulnerable wrists and shoulders. Being mesomorphic and having great muscle memory, my muscles seem to be about the same strengthwise and if anything less bulky looking. I have no trouble lifting heavy objects when I need to. This past winter was the first winter in 3 years I could shovel snow without elbow pain. The connective tissue around the joints just couldn't handle the exta weight regularly. Barb S whose arms look better now at 62 than they did in my 30s and 40s and looked like Tony Little's in my 50s when lifting much heavier LOL (large but short boned) __________________ Barb S Visit my blog for info about various video sites including tips for downloading or streaming video files: neverendingplateau.blogspot.com

09-05-11, 07:21 AM
Tanja Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Northern Alabama	I am over 40 and just started to work out with heavy weights at the gym once or twice a week. For the past 17 years I used exercise videos with which I used up to 30 lbs dumbells and 70 lbs bars (Classic Firm, Cathe, beachbody, etc.). I do not consider bicep curls with 20 lbs dumbells or overhead presses with a 60 lbs bar heavy. I am an ectomorph and strong but with little hypertrophy. I am going to give the gym four months, twice a week to build me some muscle. If it works, I will post pictures.

09-05-11, 07:49 AM
Taramisu VF Supporter Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: NA	I think the heaviest weight I used to use was around 40 lbs on my barbell, that was only for Cathe's Slow/Heavy series. Otherwise 30-35 lbs was the max, that was heavy enough for me. My heaviest weight is one 20 lb bell, which I use for back work. Other than that I can't see myself going higher than 15 pounders for anything, including leg work. I see myself using my 15's for short sets of leg work, but that's probably it. For the most part it will likely be 12 pounders for most lower body work, which seems to work well. So, I am not one that used to go super heavy but I have opted to lighten up as I have gotten older. I think in the long run, it's better for me.