Fitness Tip Busted - Higher Reps/Lower Weight to Lose Weight

TLDL - Low weights high reps is NOT best for weight loss. High intensity via heavy loading, total body movements, and fast intervals is best for weight loss.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions in health and fitness.

Truth: Higher reps with lower weight is good at one thing – promoting low intensity workouts.

While a low intensity workout is better than no workout, it is – in essence – a waste of time if you could be doing a high intensity workout.

You lose weight by burning calories… not targeting “fat loss workouts”.

The way to burn calories is to perform workouts at high intensity.

High intensity can be achieved by combining total body movements (or supersets, circuits etc), with relatively heavier weights, and high heart-rate anaerobic cardio (intervals)

See this post for more information on achieving high intensity in a short workout.

Higher reps are useful (12+) when the goal is localized muscle endurance, or you are creating an anabolic circuit designed to promote high intensity.

So, it is certainly possible to create workouts that promote weight loss with “higher rep” training… But it takes some clever programming, or more of a CrossFit workout mindset.

And CrossFit does not promote high rep… they promote HIGH INTENSITY. Their key point is to move large loads (heavy), long distances (total body), quickly (intensity). Nothing about high reps.

This common fitness tip should read: High intensity, total body workouts to lose weight.

On a side note, adding muscle mass actually helps you lose weight by increasing your resting metabolism (calories burned at rest).

How should you target weight loss?

In the gym by combining some heavy, compound movements to build strength and muscle (squats, deadlifts, presses, pull-ups etc).

Then do some sort of combination of total body supersets, tri-sets or circuits… make sure to choose a combination of movements where some can be heavy, and some can be fast, while some can be corrective or vanity (CURLS!).

Then finish with some high intensity interval training.

Then dial in your sleep and nutrition since weight loss is NOT going to happen unless your diet and recovery are on point… especially as you get older.

What is a "good" total body, high intensity workout to lose weight?

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Low (6-8") Box Jump Repeats 3 x 10 reps, rest 20 seconds
Hang DB Snatch 3 x 3/3, rest 30 seconds
Hang Power Snatch 3 x 5, rest 45 seconds 65-75% 1RM Snatch

Back Squat 3 x 9/7/6/Max at 75%+ 1RM, rest 2 minutes

3 Sets
8 Heavy DB Incline Bench Press
12-15 Heavy DB Romanian DL
rest 30-60 seconds

4 Rounds
Max Pull-Ups (Should be 8+)
20m Walking Lunge with Medball Rotation
20 Band/Cable T Pulls
Minimal Rest

Row: 2 x 1 Minute Max Effort, rest 2 minutes between efforts

Cool Down (5 minutes)