Aside from the aesthetic benefits, weight lifting offers innumerable health benefits, including a faster metabolism, increased bone density, better functioning in all of your daily tasks, injury prevention, and so much more.
But if you’re new to weight lifting, you might not know where to begin when it comes to deciding on the amount of weight. You probably know that it’s essential to keep yourself challenged, but should that be with light weights or heavy weights? It turns out that what type of weight you choose depends on your goals, the specific exercise you are performing, and personal preference.
While there’s no specific weight range for light or heavy weights, what you consider to be light or heavy can be gauged by how challenging the weight is to move through the range of motion for the exercise you choose. Naturally, bigger body parts and movements that require multiple joints, such as squats and deadlifts, will lift heavier weights with more ease than smaller body parts like your biceps and triceps.
To get to the bottom of the benefits of lifting light weights vs heavy weights (and which is better suited for your personal fitness goals), we asked physical therapists Dr. Amy Schultz and Dr. Joscelyn Shumate Bourne.
Meet the Expert
- Dr. Amy Schultz is a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning coach for the Fit Body App.
- Dr. Joscelyn Shumate Bourne is a board-certified clinical specialist in sports and orthopedics physical therapy.
The Benefits of Light Weights
Using light weights helps with endurance strength training. “Light weights are beneficial for lean muscle since there is an aerobic cardio component to the exercise,” says Shultz. Light weights may also offer an advantage for beginners just learning the ropes.
Starting your weight lifting journey with lighter weights helps you focus on form, making sure it’s perfected before getting into the more heavy and challenging weights that require excellent form to prevent injuries.
Other benefits, according to Bourne, include:
- Easier to find equipment for a workout
- Improve technique and form
- Build lean muscle mass
- Build muscle strength
- Move through a greater range of motion
- Build endurance strength
The Benefits of Heavy Weights
Heavier weights are typically for strength or power training. The difference between the two depends on the speed of the movement. “This is beneficial for increasing the amount of weight you would be able to lift (strength) and explosiveness required by things like jumping or sprinting (power),” says Shultz.
Heavy weights, meaning ones that challenge you with fewer repetitions, are excellent for building strength and muscle. Other benefits, according to Shumate Bourne, include:
- Lower repetitions need to be performed
- An efficient way to build muscle strength
- Higher calorie burn from more effort
- Sends hormonal signal to your body to grow muscle
