How much weight lifting is too much? How will I know when to stop?!


Question: How much weight lifting is too much.? How will I know when to stop.?
Lately I have been weigh lifting more frequently in the week to tone up a bit (going on a cruise in 6 weeks and want to get the best and fastest results for slimming down), and I've heard that you don't want to do too much or else it will just tire out your muscles and that's not good. But why exactly is that so bad.? What happens to your muscles if you work them too hard, the majority of the times you weight lift.?

I take a pump class at my gym and it's a pretty good workout, but often times I walk out feeling like I could and should do more. And I don't see why it would be bad if I did a couple more lifts on certain muscle groups if I really felt like I had the energy to do it.

By the way, this isn't about weight; more rather repetition. I know how much weight I can lift, and when I am doing a set I know I'm really working that muscle, pushing my limits and "feeling the burn", but after I move on to a different muscle group I'm always thinking "I should make my way back to that muscle because I feel like I can do more reps."

So I guess I don't really know when to stop unless I keep going until my muscles get shaky and I don't feel like I have enough energy anymore.....and then that's probably where I went too far and tired out my muscles. But how is that terribly bad again.? And if I don't do that, then I walk away feeling like I didn't do enough to bring results and I won't meet my goal in time.

I also don't know how often I should work out. Because I will work a muscle one day and feel good enough to work it again the next day. I hear that is bad as well and that I am not giving my muscles enough time to repair themselves.....but if i feel ok to weight lift; doesn't that mean they are somewhat repaired.?.?.?

Please help!

****I already asked this question once; I'm not looking for "3 times a week is good" or "let your muscles rest a few days"....I want to know WHY, with details, like what is exactly happening to your muscles!!!****
Health Question & Answer


Answers:
It depends on your rep range:

If you are lifting light weights for higher reps (20+) then you aren't doing much if any damage to the muscle fibers. What you are doing is building up lactic acid which makes the muscle less efficient and you are burning glycogen stores. Eventually you stop doing reps because your body no longer has the energy or because the acid levels are too high. But not because your muscles are too damaged.

If you drop the rep range and start causing micro tears then things get a little different. You eventually damage enough fibers so that you muscles are damaged and can no longer properly function. Damage enough of them and you will no longer be able to lift that same weight for as many reps, even with 5 or 10 minutes of rest. That is the range you need to be in to gain muscle mass.

The mechanism for muscle growth is a combination of hyperplasia (fiber splitting) and satellite cell recruitment. Thats the one you are asking about. Basically you damage the muscle cells and your body sends in satellite cells to repair the damage and help thicken up the fibers, making them stronger. But this action depletes the satellite cell supply which your body must regrow.

This is where that whole "rest X days before working a muscle again" thing comes from. That is the general rule of thumb on how long you need to allow your body to regrow all the satellite cells it used up last time.

Of course that assumes that you are exercising in such a way that you are depleting the cells repairing things. If you are training with high reps then you aren't doing the same amount of damage and therefore can train the same muscle group more often.

And that is probably why you feel like you can go back and work a muscle out again. Eventually your body cleans out the lactic acid and your muscle is more or less fresh and ready to go again. It is the difference between sprinting and running a marathon, just with weights.Health Question & Answer

When in a weightlifting regimen, you need to give the muscles around 48 to 72 hours of rest. The reason being that when lifting heavy weights, the muscles fibers get torn. Muscles are built when the body repairs the damage.

Lift hard and go all out when you are working out. But also be sure to get enough rest between workouts to repair your body. If you don't get the rest, your workouts will not be as effective and you may actually become a little weaker.

Try the following sites about weightlifting.Health Question & Answer

What's happening to your muscles is that you're damaging them, on purpose. That's how we build muscles: we lift until it hurts and/or we can't do it anymore, and then, during the time that you're sore afterwards, your muscles are rebuilding themselves stronger and better than before. That's why you don't want to push it too hard or too soon after lifting, because you need to give your muscles the time to rebuild. also, you have to make sure to eat lean protein so that your muscles have the necessary building blocks to get stronger. Hope that helps!Health Question & Answer

My suggestion is sure, if you feel as if you can handle it, go for it.

Most people say not too lift to often because those specific people most often lift very hard / for long periods of time.
Causing the muscles to rip and tear, therefore you need time in order for them to repair themselves to get stronger.Health Question & Answer

When you lift weights, you actually tear the little muscle fibers. You are supposed to rest because it gives your muscles a chance to repair itself and grow back and become stronger.

If you want to lift everyday, work a couple of body parts each day.
Monday- upper body (biceps, triceps, shoulders)
Tuesday- Upper body (lower back, and a variety of ab work
Wednesday- lower body (squats, lunges, calf raises)
- you get the picture

I suggest that you do 3 or 4 sets with 8-15 reps, depending on the weight- and more isn't always better. Pick a weight that you can do 8 reps with a little struggle and after that you are putting a lot of effort into it.

Do not neglect CARDIO. When your heart can pump more oxygen to your muscles, you burn more fat. You'll look more lean and cut. Plus, your metabolism will become higher and burn fat and calories even when youre not exercising.Health Question & Answer



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