Heavy weight training, on the other hand, is when you can lift only 3 to 5 reps with good form. Most of us beginners reach that point with as little as 2 or 5 pounds on the side laterals that train the middle deltoid (shoulder). So 5 pounds may seem ‘light’ but it has employed the anaerobic pathway for contracting the muscles involved and is therefore ‘heavy’ due to EPOC and other factors. This same 5 pounds on a lunge could allow you to do 20 reps and therefore qualify as light weight training as it has employed the aerobic pathway for the muscles involved.
