Weight Training with Lower Reps

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GS-Deadlift-setupA while back, there was a post here in which Sensei Hutch described his preferred weight workouts with higher reps. Today's post describes my preferred lifting workouts with lower reps (and heavier weights).

Neither approach is "right." Different people with different objectives need different approaches. And there are many more variables to a program than simply changing the number of reps. These are only generalizations based on personal preferences.

(I know many people are not interested in lifting heavy weights. But keep in mind that "heavy" is relative. For example, powerlifters would not consider the weights I use "heavy." But I don't hold that against them.)

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For Non-Olympians Only

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(This post originally appeared in the August 14, 2012 edition of The StrongFast Planet newsletter.)

Olympic torchYou may know that the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London wrapped up over the weekend. There was plenty of excitement, including Michael Phelps becoming the winningest Olympian ever, and a shocking scandal in the Badminton competition. (That doesn't sound right, does it?)

Olympic competitors have widely varying fitness levels. We see the tremendous aerobic capacity of marathoners, the incredible strength of weightlifters, the amazing flexibility of gymnasts, the compelling uniforms of beach volleyball players, and so much more.

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“Cheat” Meals Are Detours

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road-detour-signsWhen people adopt a (usually short-term) diet regimen, there is considerable debate as to whether to allow "cheat meals" that willfully deviate from the diet. Proponents argue that occasional splurges help people stick to their diets without significant negative effects, whilst antagonists argue that they are slippery slopes that too often lead to abandoning the diet altogether.

But a better way to consider "cheat" meals is that they are not cheating at all...they're detours.

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Hitting Resistance

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wawawa-kneesResistance training is a time-tested way to improve strength. There are many ways to get resistance, including:

  • Barbells
  • Dumbbells
  • Kettlebells
  • Resistance Bands
  • Body weight

and more. But there's another form of training that most people don't realize is really a kind of resistance training.

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Weight Training With Higher Reps

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hutch-seated-cable-curlThere's no one "right" way to stay fit, and that includes lifting weights. There are different weights to lift (barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc.), machines and free weights (and hybrids), different sets/reps schemes, tempos (time it takes to raise and lower a weight), rest periods, and many more variables.

Sensei Hutch of Seven Tigers Martial Arts has been training with weights (machines and free weights) for many years. Recently, I had a discussion with him about his weight training methods. His commentary is paraphrased below.

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Is Saturated Fat “Artery-Clogging”?

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clogged pipePoor saturated fat...talk about discrimination! It's been regularly bashed for decades, often based on bad data or faulty interpretations. But it has a bad reputation that sticks, largely because it's easier to bash it than to think critically about the accusations.

One of the most common slurs it endures is "artery-clogging." Sure, we can expect this kind of thing from the mostly wrong Dr. Oz but it's a phrase that gets used by too many people who should know better.

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