Arnold Schwarzenegger teeth Even at 75, I’m still practicing hardand he regularly shares advice and insight stay healthy and building muscle and strength In his newsletter daily pumpIn a recent edition, Schwarzenegger addresses the myth that lifting heavier is always better, citing the following example. One of his idols is Eugen Sandow, the legendary bodybuilder who helped popularize strength sports in the early 20th century.
“He was the strongest man in the world, made incredibly famous on multiple continents for his body, and was known for doing 125 reps with very light dumbbells,” he said. “So if heavy weights make you happy, go for it. But if small weights make you happy, you have good company! Do whatever you like to train.” please.”
“The big mistake is to think you can grow with endless repetitions of light weights,” the newsletter continues. You have to work towards failure, which means you can do 20 or 30 repetitions sometimes.”
But he continues, it’s not just a matter of churning out lightweight, high-volume reps.
“Simply doing lots of reps isn’t enough. You need to push yourself to the limits of what your body can do, and that’s when your body grows,” he adds. “So every time you have to add reps, sets, weight, whatever. Progressive with progressive resistance.”
He also clarifies which exercises are worth lifting lightly, explaining that for several reasons not all movements have the same qualities and limitations.
“A high-rep approach doesn’t necessarily make sense for more complex exercises. You might think a set of 30 reps with 100 lb squats is ‘better’ than 300 lbs with 10 reps, but it’s not as simple as that. No. Those 30-rep squats can cause fatigue in other ways, make you more prone to injury (perhaps your back), or lead to bad reps that leave results on the table. A range of 5-12 reps is best. On the other hand, more isolation moves (think lateral raises, calf raises, bicep curls) may be safer to push in a higher rep range. ”
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the UK covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared on GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
