5 Advantages To Lifting Light Weights

Most people new to lifting weights believe that they need to lift heavy to observe all the benefits. However, it's a misconception because lifting light weights provide plenty of health benefits as well. In fact, it’s wiser to lift light weights when you are just starting out or have to rehabilitate from an injury. Plus, although lifting heavy can help you achieve better strength gains, lifting light helps to achieve better endurance. In this article, we will discuss the most important benefits of training with light weights.

 

Here are 5 advantages to lifting light weights:

 

1. Greater range of motion - No matter what type of exercise you do, it’s crucial to do it with the proper range of motion required to gain the maximum benefits. For most people, it becomes difficult to follow through the full range of motion when they lift heavier loads. However, it’s easier to complete the full range of motion when you lift lighter loads. Thus, when you lift lighter weights, you gain the full benefit of that exercise.

 

In fact, a study published by The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2014 showed that when two groups of people performed 12 weeks of strength training, the group that was able to lift weights with a full range of motion achieved greater strength and improved the size of their muscles more than the group that performed the exercise with a shorter range of motion.

 

2. Hypertrophy gains - Various studies have documented that hypertrophic gains are not dependent on exercise load. Thus, you can gain the same amount of muscles from lifting light weights as when lifting heavier loads. The crucial thing is to focus on the total workout volume and train till your muscles are fatigued to trigger the growth hormones that help to recover broken muscle tissue and build more muscles. In fact, lifting lighter loads would allow you to perform more repetitions of an exercise which also helps to develop overall strength.

 

Plus, when you lift heavier loads, your compensatory muscles kick in to assist with the movement which reduces the pressure put on the intended muscle group. Thus, it’s more beneficial to train with light weights if you want to induce hypertrophy in isolated muscles.

 

3. Less risk of injury - One of the disadvantages of lifting heavy loads is the risk of injury. People often underestimate the chance of getting injured when lifting loads that they cannot sustain. Accidentally dropping weights on any of your body parts can result in an injury but that’s not all. Chronic lifting of heavy weights may also lead to the formation of scar tissue, damaged muscle tissue, and cartilage problems.

 

It’s been proven that lifting light weights drastically reduces the chance of injury and also helps you to slowly acclimatize with the weight lifting procedure. In fact, it’s the recommended way to train for beginners and people with a chronic injury.

 

4. Improved stamina and endurance - The importance of having good stamina and endurance cannot be understated. In fact, it can be argued that having more endurance is more beneficial than having greater strength since no matter what you do, you will use up your energy but you may not need to exert yourself to the fullest for everyday activity.

 

People who train with light weights have the privilege to train for higher reputations which help to build their stamina and skyrocket their endurance. As a result, they can do all kinds of activities from everyday chores to pushing themselves to the limits but still may not get exhausted. Thus, if you want to feel more energetic all the time, it would be more helpful for you to train for endurance instead of strength.

 

5. Improved form - In order to reduce your risk of injury and gain the maximum benefits while doing any exercise, it’s crucial to maintain the proper form. Unfortunately, most people have to rely on momentum when lifting heavy weights. However, relying on momentum only makes you feel powerful, while in reality, it reduces the effort. Plus, it leads to bad form which results in a higher chance of getting injured.

 

However, when you train with light weights, you can dedicate your attention to the proper form and form a superior mind-body connection which helps to induce better gains. Thus, if you are just getting started, it’s best to start training with light weights to perfect your form and reduce your chance of injury. You can always train with heavier loads when you develop the proper form and the strength for it.