Lightweight training is a good workout for improving endurance and strength.
We can use them as extra or an alternative to cardiovascular workouts.
This light and simple form of training can actually help you to burn calories.
What is the best lightweight lifting to do at home? Can it help to build muscles too?
We will find out more.
What Is Light Weight Lifting?
The concept of low light-weight lifting is working out with high repetitions for each set.
When a person lifts lighter weights, the muscles’ endurance is able to repeatedly lift the weights in more repetitions for a specific movement. In muscle strength terms, it is about the amount of force that your muscles can work in one repetition.
According to the American Council of Exercise (ACE), if a particular lifting weight has a greater amount of force all out in one motion, this will build muscle strength. High repetitions of a motion, will build muscle endurance.
So, it is all about the muscles’ endurance and strength during lightweight lifting routines.
What are the advantages of lightweight workouts?
1. For beginners, lifting lighter weights help you to reduce the risk of injury as your body strength is not fully geared up to handle the heavier weights.
2. Through lightweight training, you can absolutely improve your overall muscle endurance by doing repeated strength workouts. Your body is able to work for a longer time with better endurance and feels less tired.
3. Just as good as enhancing muscle endurance, your strength is enhanced too. The key to gaining strength is to get almost tired (from muscle fatigue) during a particular workout.
Try to lift lighter weights with more repetitions, you may notice your strength working longer periods before reaching a tiring mode.
4. Lighter weights enable you to work out on a greater range of motion which in turn boosts flexibility and strength, and targets particular muscle groups to work to their maximum.
5. Your muscles are working out most when doing light weight lifting and at the same time building strength, thus you are not really depending on the ‘momentum’ unless you like the heavy lifting.
Are Light Weights Lifting Useful For Lean Muscles Build?
Yes, indeed.
The same as lifting heavy weights, you can also build lean muscles by lifting lighter weights by performing more repetitions. The last two or three reps should be harder or at least until you started to feel tired or the workout is getting hard.
So, which is better to build muscles – heavy weights or light weights training?
I would say both of them. Why?
This is because regardless of whether you are going with heavy or lighter weights lifting, the result is almost identical. Both of these lifts will enable you to gain strength and muscle growth.
The key to gaining strength is due to complete muscle exhaustion and not the weights lifted. This link will help you understand better.
Can You Get Stronger With Light Weights Lifting?
Yes, you will.
In fact, you don’t need to lift heavier weights to get stronger.
Lifting light weights can do as much as lifting heavy weights in building strength and muscle mass.
Just as long you are almost reaching the failure point where your muscle fiber is subjected to longer stress and starting to be exhausted. This is when you are hitting the gains. You just need to know when to stop! That’s all.
You can still get stronger by lifting heavy weights but more muscle fiber is needed during the lift to reach the fatigue level. More protein macronutrient is needed to rebuild muscle fiber.
Can you get a big chest and big arms with light weights?
It works as well in these cases.
How?
For biceps or tricep workouts, lift the lighter weight (don’t lift too heavy weight) to focus on a form with the full range of motion. The key here is to give the arms a proper longer workout time and execute each rep perfectly.
For example, use a light dumbbell, and depending on your current strength level, do bicep curls for about 15 to 20 reps per set (high reps without stopping). This is also a great workout to have the muscles in full force set at pre-fatigue (warm-up) before beginning your main workout.
When you are doing the bicep curls, you can hold the position for 3 to 4 seconds and slowly return back to the start. It is an effective way to increase the tension time on the bicep because it pushes the muscles to work for a long time. This is how the result will progress.
Building a bigger chest by lifting lighter weights such as dumbbells is not easy but it is possible. For the upper chest, you can do an incline bench press and pec fly; for the middle chest, do the flat bench press and pec fly; for the lower chest, do the decline bench press and pec fly.
All the chest workouts are using two lighter dumbbells (not too heavyweight) and performing 10 to 12 reps for 3 sets, rest for about 60 seconds in between reps.
What Is The Best Light Weight Lifting To Do At Home?
Watch these five quick video tutorials for easy lightweight exercises. You need to get dumbbells (the weights should not be too heavy for you) to help you start:
1. Superman (8 – 10 reps). A fun easy workout helps strengthen your shoulders, back, arms, and buttocks.
2. Lateral raise (10 reps). The perfect workout for strengthening the smaller muscles such as the shoulders.
3. Hip lift and extend (10 – 12 reps). A bit challenging if you just get started and target the abs, arms, and glutes.
4. Triceps kickback (10 – 12 reps). Great in helping to shape the core, upper back, shoulders, and of course, triceps. This workout also helps your arms to move and function better.
5. Renegade rows (10 – 12 reps). This strength workout target the abs, chest, arms, and back. It is a combination of plank, push-up, and row workouts.
How To Do Light Weight Lifting At Home Without Equipment?
No dumbbells or kettlebells at home?
No problem.
Try using these methods to get started. Some are just normal household items.
1. Plastic water bottles, or laundry detergent. Fill it up with water with the weight that you can handle or is not heavy for you.
2. Pails. Fill in the pail with water. You can use this for working out on the biceps, arms, and shoulders. I do this method at home last time when the Covid-19 pandemic just hit.
3. Any canned food that fits well onto your hands can be used as hand weights.
4. Resistance bands. Great substitute for dumbbells for the lower and upper body workout.
Can You Do Light Weight Lifting Every day?
Yes, absolutely can.
In fact, if combined with a proper healthy diet (including protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats), regular lightweight training with some resting days can help you gain lean muscle mass which is vital in burning calories that lead to weight loss.
Lifting lighter weights regularly will ensure that your muscles will reach fatigue longer so as to give more tension for your muscles to grow. This is why higher reps on any of these workouts will enhance the muscles’ endurance.
You can begin a session for around 20 minutes a day, 2 to 3 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set. Doesn’t matter what type of workout, make sure the strength is working out on all the major muscles group.
However, do be careful when lifting light weights to the fatigue point. You may experience shaking or strain. My advice is if you are planning to hit 12 reps per set, stop at 10 reps. This may sound like you are not achieving the gains but over time, you will see positive growth.
My Overall Conclusion: What Is The Best Light Weight Lifting To Do At Home
The older version of saying ‘lift big to get big’ may seem to be true fact, for example, when doing your biceps workout.
However, research had also shown that lifting light weights actually does help to put some muscles.
So, we are now saying ‘lift light and see grow’ instead.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with heavy weight lifting. They are as much as effective as lightweight lifting in terms of building muscle mass. It just depends on how you use these forms correctly.
What I’m trying to highlight is that don’t have the impression that building bigger muscles can only be done by doing heavy weight lifting.
Remember, what you have read here will give you a better understanding of heavy and light-weight lifting. As long as these workouts give a metabolism boost, building strength, and endurance, it is just worthwhile to kick in.
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Have Your Fabulous Home Workout!
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