What does it mean to lift heavy?

We always hear folks say “lift heavy”, but what does this even mean?

When you hear folks say “lift heavy”, it’s important to understand that “heavy” is relative to each person. It doesn’t necessarily mean lifting the heaviest weight in the gym but rather challenging yourself appropriately. 

The best way to gauge if you are lifting heavy enough for YOU (and this is what I teach my clients), is to aim to end each set feeling like you could only manage to do 1 to 3 more reps if you were to keep going. For example, if you’re doing squats for 10 reps, when you reach the 10th reps you should feel like you could handle a few more reps but not many (definitely not more than 3). 

If you find yourself breezing through your sets and feeling like its easy, this is your sign to increase the weight to keep challenging yourself. 

Now, when working out alone, especially with big lifts like barbell squats and bench press, it's crucial to set up safety measures.

Understanding how to use safeties ensures that, in case you can't complete a rep, you can safely set the weight down.

Once you are comfortable with setting your safeties up then lifting alone and really pushing yourself won’t be as intimidating. 

Don't forget, you can still lift heavy with machines. It's an excellent way to push yourself without concerns about dropping or getting stuck with weights during certain exercises.