Should I Lift Heavier or Lighter Weights?

The chief operating officer at Seneca Resources in Virginia, Robert Persiano is an experienced leader with more than two decades of experience in strategic sales, general management, and strategy solutions. Outside of work, Robert Persiano maintains an active lifestyle and enjoys weightlifting.

When it comes to weightlifting, many people debate about whether lifting heavier weights with less reps is better or worse than light weights with more reps. However, both strategies are valid because they both help people gain strength. The key with weightlifting is muscle fatigue. So, whether a person does 20 reps with a 5-pound weight, or five reps with the 20-pound weight, the end result should be that their muscles are tired.

For pure strength-building, light weightlifting does take longer because a person must perform more repetitions to get their muscles tired. Due to this, though, light weights are great for aerobic energy and can increase muscle endurance. This makes them a great option for people training for a marathon.

With heavy weights, the process of building strength is faster. Heavy weights let people target more specific muscles or muscle groups. This makes them much more viable for people who are building strength, alone. Heavier weights for strength building is much more time efficient than using light weights, but the body will only develop strength instead of also improving muscle endurance.