Training with small weights, can you get pumped up in the gym or at home using small weights

Is it possible to build muscle mass by training with small weights? What is a large and small weight?

Odpoveď kulturistov.

In a fitness club, you can often see athletes pressing a barbell from the chest, on the ends of which an even row of huge pancakes is conveniently placed. Or holding dumbbells weighing as much as an average child in each of their hands. Are such impressive figures necessary to acquire an athletic body? Let’s find out from the professionals.

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One-time maximum

Before grabbing a barbell of 100 kg, thinking that a smaller weight will be too small, let’s understand how to understand what in fitness is considered a large/small weight of the projectile. Professionals have a concept of “one-time maximum”, which will help to determine the optimal weight.

founder of the Russian Bodybuilding Federation

One-time maximum is the weight that you can lift only once in a particular exercise. As a rule, a weight that is half or less of the one-time maximum is considered a small weight. If you bench press 100 kg on your chest, then if you train with 50 kg, that’s a small weight.

How to work with small weights?

Training with small weights in a large repetition range is called statodynamic work.
It uses about 30-50% of the single maximum, and the repetitions should be 40-50.
The exercise should be performed with slow lowering and rather fast lifting.

Who is suitable for working in statodynamics?

First of all, it is suitable for ectomorphs – thin people with thin limbs, bones and joints. They have very few glycolytic muscle fibers responsible for strength. However, these people are very hardy because of the large number of oxidative fibers. These athletes should start training with a small weight (40-50% of the single maximum), gradually increasing it and reducing the number of repetitions.

Therefore, if you are hardy, if you are good at long-distance running or any other sport that requires long, exhausting physical exertion, you should pay attention to statodynamic training.

bodybuilder, Mens Physique Pro.

You can pump up your muscles with low weights, but up to a certain stage of development. As long as you feel the muscle working and give your best at training, this approach will work, but not all the time. At some point, you’ll still need to incorporate heavy weight training into your plan.

Misconceptions about weights

Contrary to popular belief, muscle volume does not grow in proportion to working weight. Muscle development requires stress and increased heart rate. This will not happen with a small number of repetitions, even with a heavy weight. Therefore, do not have illusions about the numerical values of training.

Mr. Olympia

In recent years, I’ve discovered one surprising thing: working with constant tension on the one muscle group I’m training, I find that working with a 2-pound dumbbell is just as hard as working with a 10-pound dumbbell. The key to growth is muscle tension, and that can be created with low weights.

If you want to build muscle mass, you need to take into account several factors at once: body structure, physical preparation, mastery of exercise technique, goals and so on. But it will not be possible to completely give up working with heavy weights, because with each month of training, the human body will develop and improve.

Universal advice on whether to train with low weight or not, there is no universal advice for the reason that all people are different. In each case, a competent individual approach to training and an experienced mentor are needed. But in any case, training with a small weight will definitely be better than lying down and doing nothing.

Detailed comments of experts see in the video on “Championship”.

Source MuscleRussia.