Reply to If you are a fairly small woman, what does "lift heavy" mean to you?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]^ Yes, but lifting heavy isn't just weight. It's about using big muscle groups, not isolating vanity muscles like triceps that contribute very little to overall muscle mass and metabolic burn,[/quote]

DP but why are you being a d**k? The PP didn't say they only do skull crushers and other isolating exercises (though isolations absolutely can be incredibly useful for overall fitness and are not just about "vanity").

And yes, you CAN use dumbbells for exercises that utilize large muscle groups. Doing squats (including split squat and pistol squat variations), lunges, and dead lifts with two 25lb dumbbells is a fantastic way to "lift heavy" at home, especially if you are on the small side and 50lb is about 40% of your own body weight. You can also do shoulder presses, chest fly, rows, and even single arm snatches with dumbbells. All of these exercises utilize large lower and upper muscle groups and if you use heavier dumbbells, can load the body with plenty of weight in a way that absolutely counts as "lifting heavy." Especially for unilateral work, but you can also use dumbbells for bilateral work in much the way you'd use a barbell. As a PP just said, heavy dumbbells can be hard to hold for many of these exercises. Well, duh. That's the point, to do something that is hard. That's how you get stronger.

I find the attitude that dumbbells are too easy, that working out at home isn't good enough, that in order to "lift heavy" you must be utilizing certain equipment or even lifting a specific number (it is going to depend on your size and fitness level, everyone is different) to be a bunch of unnecessary gatekeeping. Attitudes like this are what keep people from pursuing fitness and especially strength training, because people like you and others are eager to talk down to people and insult training activities that are *perfectly reasonable* for their individual goals, in an effort to position yourself as some kind of weight training guru. I have worked with personal trainers who would laugh at you for this attitude because they understand that the way you help people get fit is by encouraging them at whatever level they are at, not making fun of them for not being at your specific level.

Stop being a meathead.[/quote]

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