Will Lifting Small Weights Allow You To Stay Lean?

Will Lifting Small Weights Allow You To Stay Lean?

A common misconception that many people have, especially females who are just starting to work out, is that if you lift heavy weights you will put on a lot of bulk.

They also think that the key to maintaining a lean physique is lifting light weights with extra high reps.

Well, that is not all true!

The main goal of lifting weights is to damage your muscles so when they repair themselves they grow. That is a vast oversimplification of the process, but for the purposes of this article, it will do.

So, lifting both heavy and light weights have the same effect. It is just that heavy weights damage your muscles faster and allows you to stimulate more growth faster.

But, this does not mean your muscles will automatically grow faster – all it means is that your workouts in the gym will be faster and more efficient with heavy weights. You can get the same effects to a certain degree with light weights, but it takes a lot more reps and your workout starts to resemble a cardio session than a muscle building session.

More so, the size of your muscles is more dependent on your diet than the size of weights you lift. For example, you could life like Jay Cutler all day, but if you weren’t in a serious calories surplus, you would not put on much size. So, if you want to stay lean and limber, adjust your caloric intake accordingly.

In conclusion, it doesn’t matter what king of physique you are trying to build, whether it be a lean one or a bulky one like a bodybuilder. To make progress, you should lift as heavy weights as you can! If you want to get big, eat big. If you don’t, use smaller portions and maintain a caloric deficit. Leave the 2 pound dumbbells to the kids in high school…