Why is it harder to lift the same weight Both are fine - just depends on what your goals are. body recomposition – converting fat to muscle). You have to consider angular displacement and angular work, which is the same for nearly every lift except deadlifts. A person has the weight spread out in limbs so you can move it around a little at a time. Why work harder to lift the same amount of weight? Even more aptly, why not work just as hard, but lift more weight? Sep 16, 2022 · Much like our bedtime ritual, most of us tend to gravitate toward routine when it comes to lifting: We often use the same amount of weight, over and over and over again—it’s particularly comforting to select a weight size you know you can handle when you’re at the gym. Add another pulley, one third the force, etc. I was lifting more at the beginning, and while we both still get stronger, the ceiling is always higher for me. Sep 11, 2024 · In the illustration above, the second guy’s forearms are 20% shorter, allowing him to lift 20% more weight, even if his muscles are the same size. My weight lifting poundages have dropped in every exercise. If the weights were to move a shorter distance than the bar moved, you had an advantage. People tend to orient themselves for maximum comfort which helps keep weight balanced and easier to carry. Jan 25, 2016 · Why can't I do the same 21kgs I've been doing for months now from the moment I start weightlifting? I experience the same with primarily abdominals, forearms and traps but not with other muscles. With the same weight you can: Do more reps per set more sets total same set/rep scheme but on additional days same rep/set scheme but with less rest myo-reps rest/pause work drop sets (actually uses less weight) use harder variants and all of that would be progressive overload. Using free weights also makes it easy to bail — aka drop the weight — if you need to mid-lift. When you use free weights, the weight is unevenly distributed across your body. May 2, 2025 · Muscle mass is a lot denser than fat mass and that’s why you’ll gain weight from lean muscle gains. Apr 14, 2012 · On one of them (A) the shafts (supporting the rope) are smaller whilst on the other (B) they are larger. As a result, you could end up hitting a plateau. Feb 9, 2023 · On day one, I would squat 5 sets of 6 reps, at a challenging but manageable weight. That is why everyone can leg press a lot more plates than they can squat. Feb 1, 2017 · If you can lift two more reps than you intended during two consecutive training sessions, it is the time that you add more weight to your workout sessions. Home Gym; Weightlifting Equipment; Health & Fitness; Diet; Workouts & Exercises; Tips & Hacks May 21, 2011 · Yes, looking at the extremes is the best way to understand it. You struggle to hit the fast paces or lift the same weight as you could in the past weeks (you may perceive your exertion to be higher at the same intensity as before). Nov 5, 2022 · There are a few reasons for this: 1. Alright, this is cheating a little bit, but there’s often very little reason to EXCLUSIVELY use dumbbells. When you start lifting weights, even light weights feel challenging. Jul 25, 2013 · Everything I lift with these bars feels at least 10 pounds heavier than the same weight felt at my normal gym. The 6'3 is doing 50% ( (36-24)/24=0. Resistance weight training during caloric restriction enhances lean body weight maintenance. Muscle hypertrophy with large-scale weight loss and resistance training. And it’s as simple as: Tired muscles can’t lift as much as muscles which have fully recovered from the previous training session can. The squat may be the most psychologically challenging lift, but it is well known that the most dangerous exercise in the weight room is the bench press. Reasons why some movements are harder for taller people 1. Use progressive overload by increasing weight, reps, sets, or intensity over time. Oct 19, 2023 · The angles and pulley-cam systems create different “leverages,” making a given weight easier or harder to lift. Apr 1, 2025 · Lift more weight: Gradually increase the weight you are lifting on both exercises. for a skinny guy, this overloads his muscles, which then adapt as a result. You can thank you long limbs for this. It also depends on what your progression is. Mar 7, 2018 · If you do, chances are you are a taller person who likes to lift. There are plenty of older people at my gym who lift the same amount of weight (a decent amount at that) and don't try to add more. They also change the direction of the force, adding versatility to the machine. Repeat a few more times. Hey, its not just you mate. Instead, you would be compensating for the shifting parts of the pile, adjusting your grip and balance with every step and change in weight distribution. This is called the mechanical advantage (ME) and your two-wheeled pulley gives you an ME of two. A weight has all of the mass sitting in one place on the floor. We look in the mirror and see some muscle definition but we do not look noticeably bigger! I think you get conditioned to the weight. Try lifting at the gym without locking the plates in. The reason for this is that the rope has to travel twice as far to lift the load, so the same amount of work is done. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. This has been affecting every excise I do. This ratio is crucial in understanding why the same weight might feel lighter on one machine and heavier on another. So therefore, it appears quite obvious to me that a shorter arm (bicep + forearm combo) can lift more, due to the decreased angle. But Mar 18, 2007 · She helps you lift her when she is awake and hinders whe she is asleep. The weight you can lift for five sets of five will always be lower because each set creates fatigue . Rest 10 seconds. The height is a disadvantage because of leverage and weight. If it’s the same distance, the effective weight is the same as the actual weight. When you first started lifting weights, you probably felt like you were pushing your limits with each rep. im trying to remember my Look at it this way - Take two guys lifting the same weight, lets say bench pressing 60kg's. Lift as many reps as you can with the same weight. At 0 degrees, the two support the same weight (mg/2) whereas at 90 degrees, the person at the bottom supports all the weight whereas the person at the top supports nothing. Mechanically, it's the same work to lift it if it's the same total weight. 5 years later the scales show we’ve put on weight or managed to maintain the same weight (i. Does having a high range of motion affect the amount of weight im able to lift? Does it affect fatigue in any way as well? For example, during bench press, are my muscles having to work "harder" than someone who is 5'10" lifting the same weight? Im sorry if thats a dumb question, im still a newbie. The correct answer is that the man with the larger shafts has to pull harder. Jan 25, 2016 · After 15 minutes, I can do the same 21kg with ease for several sets and sometimes even with higher weight. It’s the same the other way around: If you know you will have to tackle a long run the next day, do not lift heavy or even work on your legs the day before. Track your workouts, prioritize recovery, and stay consistent for long-term results. Therefore, weights with counterweights have less dead weight and are easier to lift. 2/3rds of your bodyweight). In other words: men being ~33% stronger than women in that weight class. For example, if you have been doing three sets of 10 to 12 reps, drop down to three sets of 6 to 8 reps with heavier weight. To find the two forces at an arbitrary angle, one must use torque in addition to force. By $$ F = m g$$ where g is the acceleration due to gravity, you see that a greater mass causes a greater gravitational force that has to be balanced by the force you apply to the object by holding it or lifting it at a constant velocity. In practice, to stimulate muscle growth, you need to bring your sets close enough to failure. The grip is right by our body’s axis of rotation which decreases the leverage on the low back, but makes the weight MUCH easier to lift. For instance: the bench press could kill you. In a pushup, for instance, a talker person using the same relative width as a short person will ever more work because they are applying force to joints that are farther apart. ELI5: why is it harder to bench press a specific weight with two dumbbells than it is to press the same weight with a standard barbell? As I understand it, there’s some compensation from stronger sides of the body when pressing the weight as one unit instead of two separate weights, but is the compensation really that drastic? That’s why most folks can lift about 20 percent heavier with a barbell compared to the total weight of two dumbbells. There are a couple things that could make it feel different: If the bar is different for how you grip/hold it, that could make it feel different, or make your kinematics less efficient, or just different, than what you've trained with before. Ballor DL, et al. 2. May 29, 2021 · Athletes within a weight class tend to be within the same height range and share similar body characteristics: few are thin or rangy; most are boxy and broad. Apr 6, 2009 · i know where youre coming from . Maintenance/State of the machine: Because of what I mentioned above, if a machine is newer/has better maintenance there will be less friction, requiring less force to move the same weight, so you could literally have 2 identical machines and one could be easier to lift with than the other if they generated different friction) Jun 30, 2022 · Many lifters use heavy weight for deadlifts, so it's important to be able to continue progressing. Say, I can do the same weight as last time with my biceps as soon as I start weigthlifting. OHP Deadlift Sep 24, 2013 · So how does all this apply to lifting weights? Knowing how to adjust a position can help to reduce the lever length acting on the object being lifted, increase the lever length of the force application, increase the mechanical advantage, and make the movement easier at the same weight. Here is the massive muscle anatomy and Why is it getting harder to lift the same weights? Over time, your muscles grow and those weights that used to really challenge you no longer have the same effect . tall lifting weights scenario is that shorter people will generally be able to lift more “relative weight”, whereas tall people will lift more “absolute weight”. The leverage is because you have longer moments due to longer limbs. Thunk of as buying extra strength by paying for it with time. If the stick is lengthened it becomes progressively harder to raise the same amount of weight. If op keeps hitting the same reps at the same weight, he should think about changing it up and go for lighter weight with more reps or heavier weight with less reps. Jun 3, 2020 · It is the same reason that a trap bar is safer to lift, but also much easier to lift heavier loads. As the title says I have deloaded for a week by keeping the same sets and reps but halving the weight I have added to my movements. Failing to do so will likely result in injuries or imbalances in your body that can lead to long-term discomfort. For example if you take a long break from lifting (still strong enough to lift the weight) it will feel much heavier than if you lifted the same weight everyday. lift what you can lift with the weaker arm and do the same weight with your right. Dec 13, 2023 · A well-executed movement pattern ensures that you’re engaging the right muscles efficiently. Jan 8, 2012 · If use lift 80% of your 1RM, repetition maximum, why is it easier on a barbell than lifting the same weight if it was in a solid lump, however please this solid limp has handles just like the barbell, and its “not” at all awkward to pick up. g. I'm pretty sure its the first lift that everyone (or most people) fail in their progression. At some point you want to maintain your strength while reducing the likelihood of injury, and if your goal is to be fit in your older ages this is the best way. You feel hungrier before/after working out. Alternatively just consider the vectors. Starting Strength is an amazing book. This means that for your long limbs (e. My old lifting buddy was like 5’7” and 160lbs. Then again, perhaps you go from gym to gym. Feb 19, 2025 · In simple terms, it means doing more over time—more weight, more reps, more sets, or even just improving your technique. A partner who is holding her center is easy to lift. The session after you’ve reached the high end of the rep range (6 reps) on all your sets, increase the weight on the bar by the smallest increment possible. Get the arms over your shoulders and pick up the torso wilhe the legs are still lying flat and you are adding weight over time when you have a better position to lift which isn't quite the same thing, because a taller person also has to move through a longer range of motion, so they do more work even at the same weight. My workout partners said I will have good weeks and bad weeks but 5 weeks later I’m still at the same weight and can’t get any stronger. You don't plan for plateau's and failures. Nope. its a thought thats crossed my mind . The closer you get to a direct vertical lift, the harder it becomes to move the same weight. If manageable, do both on the same day and recover the next day. 8 m / s. I'm not totally sure about working them independently but i do know for most exercises (free weight bench, lat pull downs ect. Potential energy of the bar = mgh Work done = difference in PE from floor to top of the lift. I got mine here and for your weight classes I get 743kg vs 495kg. Push-ups are a part of my workout routine and I noticed that it's getting more and more difficult for me to get the reps in. Machines stabilize the weight for you so 100% of the effort goes to the targeted muscle. Nov 20, 2017 · Provided a taller and shorter person lift the same weight at the same acceleration, because a taller person needs to move a barbell further than the shorter person, they have to do more work. Looking at raw lifts, I was stronger. However, it is likely in this case that the people exert equal and opposite horizontal forces as well. To keep lifting more weight, you need to continue getting stronger. Feb 4, 2025 · 10 Reasons Why You’re Lifting Weights But Not Losing Weight, According To Experts Recovery matters more than you think. Dec 12, 2023 · Double pulleys are a type of pulley system that makes lifting heavy objects easier. Iron in the weight reacts with oxygen and water to increase the plates’ molecular weight, which is why this happens. Mar 11, 2025 · If your program calls for both lifts in the same workout, starting with the flat bench press is best because you can usually lift more weight with that variation. Like, there's nowhere for you to move, which is why lifting them is much harder. It could be genetics. Leverages are longer obviously but so are muscles. But experts say that sticking Apr 9, 2017 · We clean up our diets, find a good training program and hit the gym hard. You woke up sore each morning after a good weight-lifting session. Hopefully, this also means that you are able to stimulate more growth at that same weight by have a larger ROM though. Pulleys are key in distributing force across the weight stack, making it easier to lift heavier weights. It's super detailed though - I would say it's worth reading their wiki up front - that's detailed too initially, but the book goes into a whole different level of depth. Mar 23, 2024 · In effect, not only do you have to lift and lower the bar and additional weight plates, you also happen to be fighting against friction. Dec 20, 2024 · Muscle growth requires new challenges — doing the same routine with the same weights leads to stagnation. I failed it in week 6 or 7 at 30 kg (66 lbs) and after a couple of de-loads am still at the same weight and struggling to higher. Worst case scenario, you fail a rep. Sep 16, 2022 · One day, you could not add weight to the bar and your numbers started to drop. Barbells allow bodybuilders to lift heavier compared to dumbbells. I have had training days where everything feels light (compared to normal) and I’ve had days where even warm-up sets feel super heavy. Am J Clin Nutr. I failed again on bench Press at 7 reps, when i was able to do 9 the last week. I’m still new to weightlifting and for the past week I’ve managed to increase the weights that i lift for a little bit. Awake, she might jump just a little so you don't have to lift so much weight and grab on your neck with both arms to reduce the torque. Sep 17, 2018 · Pick a weight you can lift for 15 reps (doesn’t have to be 15, but we’ll use it for this example. By Korin Miller Published: Feb 04, 2025 10:07 AM EST Jun 7, 2015 · McDonald L. Aug 22, 2019 · But why do we use the term “dead weight”? Outside of idioms, the term “deadweight” is used in ship cargo to measure the weight a ship carries, not including the weight of the ship itself. Final Thoughts. TL;DR your legs are way stronger than your arms, and it takes more force to lift something upwards than it does to hold it level above the Just seems to me being heavier makes it look like I'm lifting heavy but when your smaller, the lifts seem small but are actually big and pretty much the same (when compared to my lifts with bigger weights and smaller frame) Same same, just get strong and stop bitching about people lifting more than you. That means that twice the mass needs twice the force to be accelerated to the same velocity. Good genetics or not that’s a lot of hard work imo, except for the getting fat part lol. The acceleration, together with the mass, causes weight. e. In Today's workout, I warmed up for the same exercise and I tried to lift the 35Kg Dumbbells' and failed. It probably has something to do with how much sleep you had the night before (5 hours for me, new dad) and what you ate throughout the day (breakfast was the same, only had a quick bite - tuna sandwich and orange juice - for lunch). Feb 15, 2022 · Do another fixed weight progression block, but with 10lbs more than in the preceding block; The more blocks you do, the more solid the gains will be. Whereas my pull exercises are actually decent for my height and weight. Visualize successfully lifting the weight before you actually do it. Same weight but it requires good balance and technique in addition to strength. Nov 2, 2022 · People with longer limbs will use more forces to lift the same amount of weight when compared to a short person. Sometimes I can't even get to my target which I was able to achieve before. Your program sucks. It can be a little harder for taller people to lift as much just because they are having to put out a larger work capacity for the same weight as someone with smaller limbs than them. This is due to leverages which is why a taller person will find pulling exercises, such as the deadlift, easier than a shorter person. Sep 30, 2021 · To keep getting stronger, you need to keep lifting more weight. Visualization and Positive Mindset. When you lift the bag of water, the center keeps shifting. I can do 10 rep then 9 rep then 7 rep. 3. If people are confused, what this means is that you can get stronger in two ways basically: Hypertrophy: building more muscle mass, thus having a higher strength potential. If the forces were all vertical, they would both need to lift the same weight as before because the net torque still needs to be zero. When you hold a weight above the ground, you are providing a force upwards that equals force downwards. I feel pathetic lifting the same weights everytime, but I feel like I can't lift anymore because my arms are tired/i will just drop the weights. Did body weight exercises for a year and hit the gym for a year and a half after that. When you lift a weight off the ground, you are providing force upwards that exceeds force downwards. This is why we MUST use tools other than the scale to judge progress. Why can’t I lift weights anymore? Over-training or accumulation of fatigue will not only hinder your performance but also stunt your ability to lift more weights. Lifting it at a high speed requires about the same force as lifting it at a lower speed, but it takes longer to get it to the high speed (because the acceleration is roughly the same both times). Is it due to shaft size? I ask this because on B which is apparently a harder pull there appears to be a second pulley whereas on A there is only a single pulley. The Role of Pulleys in Weight Distribution. It's not the weight that changes, it's the leverage. The larger your ME, the less force you need to lift a weight. you can build muscle and lose / maintain weight at the same time, you can also get stronger by neural adaptation without building any muscle. Jun 20, 2024 · To break out of a rut, aim for a program with heavier weight and low reps rather than one with low weight and high reps. Rubber dumbbells can have a very different weight distribution than iron dumbbells, which are more commonly used. But after a few weeks, that same weight feels easier because your muscles have adapted. A second guy, who is very muscular, lifts the same weight, his muscles are not overloaded as they are used to this amount of weight, and therefore do not adapt. It can make a huge difference in how heavy the weight feels, even if the difference in weight is only a gram or two. Feb 3, 2019 · Do you have some workouts that are better than others? Here's why that may be. I’d argue strength sports are harder bc you’re competing in weight classes, meaning you have to build more muscle to lift the same weight because of longer leverages. You're also pushing at an angle of 45 degrees so gravity isn't working against you like it does when you squat. What you should of done after the 2nd failure is reset your weight -10% and work your way back up. Plenty of women out there in the gyms train just a hard as any man. When I successfully do 8 reps for 3 of my 4 total sets, I up the weight and start back at 5 reps. I’m totally confused. I never wanted to get much higher in weight regardless, but focusing on strength-weight ratio is pretty fun and I like to keep the bodyweight lower for climbing. The next week I would push the 5×6 up in weight some, usually no more than a 5-percent increase, and keep the weight the same on the 10s. A partner who relaxes shifts around, and is extremely hard to lift. This would require more effort and strain for you, thus making it seem heavier than a compact 100-pound package. The right weight should be challenging but not undermine your form. You can deadlift with dumbbells or a barbell, which will allow you to add almost endless amounts of weight. If you grab the same person around their chest, you're standing straight, so you can't go up much more. . Namely, there’s the debate between barbells and dumbbells. Asleep, her center of gravity is far from yours: gravity is not just exerting force on you but also torque. How much is the weight of an object on the moon as compared to its weight on the earth ? Give reason for your answer. Apr 15, 2021 · Why is it harder to push a heavier object? In short, it’s harder to push ( W = F = m g) a heavier object because it has a larger mass, but acceleration is always just g = 9. With free weights, you have to balance the weight and so will be recruiting muscles other than the target muscle to create that stability (and therefore not getting the maximum effort on the target muscle). If the weight were to move FARTHER than your bar, you actually had a disadvantage and felt more than the actual weight. That method doesn't work at all the repsx weight isn't an accurate demonstration at all cause it's not about reps it sablut how many effective reps 10 reps I stupid cause it's only the last 2 or 3 that are even hard why do 6 or 7 useless easy reps and likely stop early cause it's harder to judge when your really done cause it's so light when We both started seriously weight lifting since we were about 17-18. However, this doesn’t mean you should ditch strength training altogether. With that question, can anyone show how a 1" further placement up the hand can create a harder lift? Use the same weight on the bar every session until you reach the high end of the rep range on all your sets, which would be 6 reps in this example. This not only prevents unnecessary strain but also ensures that you’re lifting the weight optimally, reducing the perception of heaviness. 3%. That fatigue makes it harder to lift your five rep max again and so you miss reps . However, “dead weight” can literally refer to anything being carried that isn’t alive – and yes, that also includes human and animal corpses. May 31, 2015 · Next we tilt the couch. Same reason why people can push more plates on smith machine chest press versus an actual bench press May 26, 2023 · Why do pulleys make things lighter? With a two-wheel pulley, you reduce the effort you exert to lift the same amount of weight. I used to believe that if you have to move around more than 30 lbs additional lbs of body weight that also makes your body stronger since you consistently have to deal with a heavier load consistently. This simply means that a short person will usually be able to lift more weight in relation to their own body weight. Cast iron weights, for example, are denser and have a different weight distribution compared to other materials, making them feel heavier. If the slow and intermediate fibers cannot handle the weight or tire out then the fast twitch fibers will finally be recruited. By the time we were both 25, we were about the same size we are now, but I was lifting much more at the same age. The taller you are the longer distance the weight has to go throughout the rep. Range of motion, or “ROM”. Leverage / torque. You are either leg pressing improperly or are loading too much weight. It was less noticeable on the squat, but it immediately felt heavier on my bench warmups, and the deloaded weight I used for my worksets felt harder than it shouldve. Do this for 4-6 rounds and your muscles will be on fire. 50) more work to perform the same lift. Another way to increase intensity is to do harder variations of an exercises. Breathing is more labored. Fortunately, this is an easy fix— Find a great workout program like 531 Forever and implement it; Drop the weight and increase your sets/reps, do not ego lift Mar 4, 2024 · Then the weight you lifted wasn’t your five rep max. Oct 25, 2002 · So basically if both weights of say 20KG are each placed near the end of either side of the bar, it becomes easier to lift (even with one arm). Furthermore, the weight distribution of the equipment can also play a role. 1 times his. The closer the weight is to center, the less flexion is in the bar so the bar is essentially dead and there's no bend in the bar to take up some of the initial weight. [bodyrecomposition] Donnelly JE, et al. Again, that is why lifting 400 pounds on a trap bar can be very different to that of a barbell. Linear displacement is the wrong thing to be looking at. Hard work and dedication get the results. Bench Row Chest flys Lat pull down Preacher curls Wednesday. It's why you center a bag on your shoulder or evenly space dishes on a tray. Is it better to train with barbells or dumbbells? Is one better for a particular goal? And which is better for things like core strength, or Apr 6, 2021 · You feel hotter, but it’s harder to sweat and cool off. Which is fine. Your body is designed to adapt to the demands you place on it. It's the toughest lift for me. Dec 22, 2020 · We will talk about the lift after the set. The only way for you to lift that person now is to lean backwards or stand on your toes, which obviously utilizes far weaker muscles than legs during a squat. This is just something talk dudes say as a cope. It just does not seem fair. May 17, 2022 · Ego Lifting Intro to Kettlebell Training Chrome Care We asked OpenAI's ChatGPT to 'Explain the Benefits of a Home Gym', the results were surprising The How and Why to Maximize Push Ups What Should You Do First Cardio or Weight Lifting? Categories. A great program will account for day-to-day or week-to-week changes and adjust accordingly. So it's harder. Lifting is moving weight up and Oct 19, 2023 · You wouldn’t be able to engage the same muscles in a continual exertion. For example, you could do 3 sets of 5 reps on the squat and 5 sets of 3 reps on the deadlift. You can then follow it up with the incline bench press as an accessory movement. With a dumbbell, it's like those spring mounted rides that bounce all over. I hate to throw in with "it's your genes", as I don't think that should limit the hard-work factor. It takes longer to recover between sets/repeats. 1993 Oct;58(4):561-5. However, the closer the weights are to each other on the bar, the harder it becomes to lift. Without more information and basically one sidedly using myself as a comparison since I seem to be in the same weight range and same age, you need to up your caloric intake. Why are heavier things harder to lift than lighter things? Apr 11, 2024 · A good way to look at the short vs. So, it is perfectly feasible that the “same weight” on a poor quality Smith machine will feel heavier. Doing the same lift with the same weight and it takes a lot more effort! How is this possible. Same with human bodies. Didn’t pick up a weight for 2 years and got fat. Why is the concentration of the same weight on the same bar more difficult to lift? Honestly the most important thing is tracking your calories. This is why at powerlifting competitions, shorter guys dominate the lighter weight classes. 5 times your weight, proper progression is a must. When was the last time you moved into a different phase of training? Have you been lifting the same weights for the same number of reps for weeks at a time? If so, that could explain why you’ve stopped making May 2, 2020 · Do not plan on a hard run and then a tough weightlifting session the next day. I have ripped muscles, but not like the muscles of guys I train with. With cable exercises, the weight is evenly distributed, so all of your muscles have to work equally hard. But Newton also made another huge intellectual achievement: He realised that gravity is caused by that same property: mass Simply put, if you’re not eating enough calories, enough protein, or even enough carbohydrates, you’re going to find it much more difficult to progress with the amount that you’re lifting. If it’s a big heavy exercise, like a 5-rep set of squats, then leaving 3–4 reps in the tank is probably enough. You lift the weight with half the force. Why can't I do the same 21kgs I've been doing for months now from the moment I start weightlifting? I experience the same with primarily abdominals, forearms and traps but not with other muscles. I dropped the lifting volume a bit from pre-climbing days for sure though, but still get at it. Same Weight = No Challenge. "For example, going from 5 to 10 pounds on a shoulder raise might be the same jump in poundage as going from 100 to 105 pounds with deadlifts, but one requires doubling the weight while the other accounts for a 5 percent increase in weight. Keep at it! A leg press stabilizes the weight for you. So, as you can see, using a Smith machine may not always be easier and lighter. How can I drop so much? Also, only do this for compound lifts, but you can try to change your progression scheme. At one gym the weights feel easy, whereas at another the same size dumbbells feel near to impossible to lift. The way this approach works is that you keep using the same weight from week to week (hitting a lift 1-3 times per week, ideally at least 2) but making the lifting/repetition style harder each week. ) Rest 10 seconds. ) use a whole bunch of stabilizing muscles that are very important for overall strength agility and balance. Read on to understand why those — and eight other lifting mistakes — stall strength gains and may even sideline you with an injury. It's also much harder to hold on to. About 1 to 1. Im 6'5" and my wingspan is around 80". Get stuck at the same weight again, reset once more -10% and work your way back up. Remember, the goal isn’t weight loss, it With rubber discs the distribution is further from the center of the barbell, so the bar will bend slightly (very slightly with 135kg) during a lift. Another advantage of using barbells is that you can work more muscle groups simultaneously. We all have days where our workouts feel great, where the weights feel light and you're able to lift more weight and do more reps than usual. arms) to lift the same weight as someone with shorter arms you need to do more work. So it's not only that I can't go for progressive overload but I can't even the weight I lifted last time. To check if the effort really feels the same or not, you can place the two objects one at a time on a tray and lift the tray. Aug 8, 2023 · The thing is, to actually reap all these benefits you can't be making common weight-lifting mistakes, like lifting the same weight every day or skipping mobility work. Also progress is not always about lifting more weight, but sometimes about getting more reps. It is quite to lift heavy weights on the earth but it becomes very easy to lift the same heavy weights on the moon. If the slow twitch fibers cannot generate enough force to lift the weight then the body will call the intermediate fibers into action. 5% and 37. Proportionate to weight, we are weaker. Jan 27, 2017 · Crockford recommends the “2x2 Rule,” which basically means that if you’re able to lift two more reps than you intended during two consecutive training sessions, then it’s time to add weight. Feb 22, 2015 · When you are lifting an object, you are exerting a force that balances the force of gravity on the object. Jun 12, 2018 · 3. "Breaking through plateaus is as simple as resting and taking time off," Brathwaite says. At the same time, some women use light weights and don’t challenge themselves when they train and then wonder why they don’t see the desired results from all the time they spend in the gym. The weight is evenly distributed. Aug 10, 2011 · Remember, the weight is on the hand and you bend at the elbow. Thus, it’s harder for a taller person to lift as much as a shorter person. Here is my current routine Monday. Bodyweight squats are not lifting your bodyweight with your quads, they are lifting all the weight from your hip hinge and above (est. With the bicep curls i wanted to push myself a little bit and use a heavier weight than last time but my form was bad so i had to go back with the current weight. Most dumbbell lifts can be subbed out for a barbell lift or variation, and the good thing about barbells (or EZ bars or hammer curl bars) is that they can be loaded up with significantly more weight. What causes a weight training workout to feel easy one time and harder another, even when you're doing the same volume and lifting the same amount of weight? Read on and discover five reasons your strength can vary from session to session. He was stronger than me in that sense. Is it workout to workout, weekly Jun 24, 2020 · $\begingroup$ As the answer below suggests, it might not take different efforts at all; it just might seems like it, when you have a different shape that is harder to grab and lift. Dec 7, 2021 · That means heavier weights and high-intensity strength training for years. The second day would be 10 reps at a time at a much lighter weight. By definition, your five reps max is the heaviest weight you can lift for one set of five. you will get more lifting power with more pulleys but, since each pulley decreases the rate at which the box raises, it will take more time (and rope!), to raise the same weight box the same distance as with one pulley. I did this for 3 sessions and went back to what I was moving before the deload but I am finding it even harder to lift the same weight as before Could you link those records? I looked up the 2022 records and the numbers for your weight classes are very different. This means that some muscles have to work harder than others to lift the weight. When you lose that weight you are no longer subjected to the additional weight and you have to work harder to maintain that strength. There is nothing wrong with this. If the 5'3 has to lift the bar 24 inches, and the 6'3 has to lift the bar 36 inches. I don’t have the strength to lift anymore weight. Idk if youre male or female or how tall you are, but personally, I consider 140 to even be on the lighter side. I could deadlift 550 at 270lbs and he could deadlift 500. When factoring in weight, I was lifting 2 times my body weight while he was lifting 3. Related: Eccentric vs Concentric Muscle Contraction. That's basically what's happening, and why it's harder. But there are different types of free weights you can choose from when setting up your workout routine. Had to deload 20 kg on my squats. Vary your rep ranges: Try lifting different rep ranges for each exercise. Imagine trying to lift a heavy weight upwards really quickly instantaneously - it would appear a lot heavier than it actually was. You get better leverage when working with a rigid body. Go slower More to your question, if a weight in a gym is attached to a cable that runs over a pulley and is attached to a counterweight, then the amount of weight you have to lift is less than the actual total amount of the weight. May 15, 2024 · Lifting weights every day can exacerbate the overall impact on your body, making it harder to adapt to the strain. First and foremost, it’s essential to remember that lifting heavy is a gradual process, and to be able to lift two times your body weight or 1. Rotate to barbell lifts. Apr 13, 2012 · When a load is placed on a muscle, the slow twitch fibers will be recruited first. In this system, the load is only half of the actual weight, but the effort required to lift it remains the same. My weight has only gone up about 5-10 lbs, to around 160 lbs, and I’m 5’8”. etc. Then hit the gym for a year straight. Aug 5, 2019 · If you’ve been stuck in a weight-loss plateau for a while, one of the first places you ought to look is your exercise programming. Weight Training for Fat Loss. I'll tell you why. " Try not to increase more than 10 percent week to week to keep your body safe and injury-free. Nov 30, 2010 · Everything in the thread so far is true - Why free weights is harder than machine weight - and that it's good to learn free weights. Put simply: the taller you are the greater the mechanical disadvantage. Yeah, happened to me yesterday. 1988 Jan;47(1):19-25. Biceps are small muscles and therefore progress is slow. With a bar, the weight is spread evenly, kind of like a see-saw with two people of equal weight at either side. Jan 30, 2023 · Free weights are a great way to build strength, build muscle, and improve overall fitness. Jun 14, 2024 · If you’re weight lifting regularly but aren’t seeing much progress on the scale, it’s natural to feel defeated. I think of it in the sense as a weight is put on a stick parallel to the ground and attempt to lift until perpendicular to the ground. I’ve written about this in more depth in my article on does muscle weigh more than fat. On the contrary though, I think we can all relate to workout days where the weights just feel heavier than normal. Mar 11, 2024 · But, when it comes to using the exact same weight at home you find it a real struggle to get anywhere near as many reps. Same workout levels, same lift levels, 10+ years of working out, and one of the guys I lift with is a nationally ranked bodybuilding champion. Taking every weight class from that link I sent gives a number between 31. What I do is 5 reps, next week 6 reps, next week 7 reps, next week 8 reps for for example flat bench, all with the same weight. They can lift more weight per unit of muscle mass. There are much worse outcomes. This, at first, has nothing to do with gravity, and can be applied in outer space, where objects basically do not weight anything. The people are still supporting it equidistant from the center of mass. If a lifter is to maintain balance, with the bar forward or backward of the middle of the foot, his stabilizing muscles will have to work that much harder to maintain proper position. Feb 2, 2017 · If you’re more-or-less following the same weight-lifting routine each time you hit the gym, it may be time to change things up—and here’s why. This is why it is much harder to increase your weights while cutting, compared to bulking, since unless you’re newer to weight lifting it is very We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. my own thoughts are that the weight using smaller plates, is distributed further along the bar toward the end of it , and may put different stress level on the arms ( im talking bench press here) whereas using bigger plates the load is more toward the central part of the bar and is more direct. I’m only 6’1 and have never had problems putting mass on. Apr 26, 2025 · Note: Explosive on the way up (concentric phase of the lift) and controlled on the way down (eccentric phase of the lift). qrnejircrnjnvqnkvihtjhuakkyrvrsuvgdbpsykmhqgkghnxcuuyughdoqeqgyhplfmtklqnhi