The Lifting “Heavy Weights” Conundrum

People aren’t dumb. Let’s agree on that. Or, let’s just agree that people aren’t interested in doing things that are against their own safety and self-interest. There is positive intent behind the sentiment that people share when they express fear or resistance to the idea of heavy weights. 

There’s one key problem, though. 

There is an assumption built into this resistance. The assumption is that these weights aren’t appropriate. The beauty of strength training is that the weights involved must be relative. They have to be! They can’t not be! 

Or, the training wouldn’t work. 

When people who run away from heavy weights, they are running away from the idea of something unsafe or inappropriate. What I’d like to offer is that built inside of a strength coach’s view of “heavy weight” is:

• A load you can move beautifully
• A load you can manage safely
• A load that will feel relatively the same for all different types of people

And, this is why training heavy is for you. Training “heavy” means moving the prefect weight for you and nothing else. Period. Full stop.