Is lifting heavy necessary?
Training Theory Part 3:
"I don't need to lift heavy weights. I have nothing to prove"
Checking the ego at the door is an excellent practice to preserve but we can also remember that “heavy” is relative. Anyone who has experienced some intentional PVC work knows it does not take long for their muscles to be burning! The barbell is all that is needed for many people who are just getting started, but that is not the point of the mentality shift we are talking about today. What I would like you to reconsider is that lifting heavy is only for the athletes and young bucs. There are two reasons behind this. Reason number one is that, if you are training properly, what you consider heavy is going to change drastically, and reason two is that lifting heavy builds power. As we age, power is exactly what we lose. A study in 2015 found that to be about 1.25% per year from 30 to 70 years old. Let’s build that buffer now before it’s too late!
Point one: Your preconceived notion about what is heavy can and will change. As mentioned in earlier posts, if you take the time to establish sound mechanics, the weight takes care of itself. This is applicable to a hot-shot who wants to boast about a high max lift and the adult who couldn’t care less what their max is. Either way, the assumptions you have about how heavy you should be able to lift are not helpful. If you assume you are past the age of “lifting heavy” you will cut yourself short and limit your potential. If you assume that you should have a heavier lift than you do, you will psych yourself out causing the wrong muscles to tighten, impairing your movement and then likely miss your lift. Instead of placing the emphasis on the number, if you are relentless in improving your movement patterns, not only will you see quick and incremental progress but you can safely reach weights you never thought possible.
Point two: As an adult, why else should we care about power? There are incredible examples of feats of endurance, health and mental fortitude in the elderly population but the one thing that is a losing battle is power. As we age, it is inevitable that we lose the ability to generate greater forces over a shorter time period. So if this is a losing battle, what is our only option? Build as great a buffer as possible. One of the greatest ways to ensure healthy aging is to make sure you do not become under muscled. With most of us having a sedentary job, that is no easy task.
In summary, worrying about the specific number is likely counterproductive. Whether you think that number is too high or too low, you are limiting yourself. The safest way to protect against frailty is to add weight with sound mechanics. The quickest way to reach your highest max is to progressively add weight with sound mechanics. Our goal is always to help individuals optimize their movement. If this is something you are ready to get after, we can help you in that journey. If you are thinking “Ok now I get the importance of lifting heavy but when would I ever need to snatch, clean, handstand push up, etc in real life” the next post is for you.
Paolo Gava, Helmut Kern & Ugo Carraro (2015) Age-Associated Power Decline from Running, Jumping, and Throwing Male Masters World Records, Experimental Aging Research, 41:2, 115-135, DOI: 10.1080/0361073X.2015.1001648
