Looking to Slim Down? Try Bumping Up The Weight

With so many sources of information available to today’s media consumers – the internet, television news, magazines, books and more – there’s no shortage of misinformation and confusion that can arise.  Unfortunately, the world of exercise and fitness is not exempt from this trend, meaning that your efforts to improve your health and reshape your physique could end up being in vain.  There is a solution though – trusting only reliable sources of information and shaping your efforts around research and scientifically supported information rather than following the advice of Joe Bro or chasing every fitness trend that becomes popular.

Looking to slim down? Try bumping up the weight.

Of course, very rarely is incorrect fitness information spread on purpose. Most of the mistaken beliefs arise out of some partially true informationthat is widely accepted and never investigated in depth.  This leads to the perpetration of “muscle myths” that persist for years until challenged.  One such myth is the idea that lifting with heavy weights in the gym will make you big and bulky.  This belief often leads to those looking to slim down, or even just obtain a muscular and toned, but not bodybuilder-esque physique, to avoid heavy weights at all costs, instead using lighter weights and focusing on high repetitions.  And while the big weights = big muscles theory may seem logical, recent research shows that that formula isn’t reflective of reality.

A study from Georgia Southern University put this myth under the microscope using a group of students that are often told to avoid heavy weights – female students.  The researchers split the students into two groups – one that performed 15 repetitions of a weight that was 45 percent of their 8-rep max, and one that performed eight repetitions with a weight that was 85 percent of their 8-rep max.  Each group performed the same exercises in a session that lasted about 30 minutes.

While the amount of calories burned during the sessions was similar, those lifting heavier weights experienced higher heart rates during the session and a larger increase in oxygen uptake following the session.  Increased oxygen uptake reflects increased cellular respiration, or a higher metabolic rate, which means more calories burned. During just the first two hours following the exercise session, the group using heavy weights burned nearly 400 calories, while the light weight group burned fewer than 200.

So what does this mean?  Simple – using heavier weights in the gym maximizes caloric burn, so you’re more likely to have a slimmer physique; lighter weights won’t burn as many calories so you’re more likely to inadvertently be in a caloric surplus, which would actually lead to bigger muscles.  So don’t think that big, heavy weights will lead to the accrual of big, bulky muscles – they’ll actually help you slim down.

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SOURCE:

Thornton MK, Potteiger JA. Effects of resistance exercise bouts of different intensities but equal work on EPOC. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise;34(4):715-722