3250: Lifting Heavy for Beginners and How to Determine the Proper Weight For You by Lea Genders on Strength Training Basics

Optimal Health Daily - Fitness and Nutrition

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Fitness, Nutrition, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 677 Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3250: Lea Genders breaks down what "lifting heavy" really means, emphasizing that it's not about chasing numbers, but challenging your personal limits safely and progressively. She explains how to determine the right weight for your fitness level, why proper form and rest are essential, and how strength training can transform your body composition and boost metabolism. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.leagendersfitness.com/news/lift-heavy-for-beginners-and-how-to-determine-the-proper-weight-for-you Quotes to ponder: "Lifting heavy does not mean lifting heavier than your current fitness level." "Your effort level should feel at about an 8 out of 10. It should feel challenging, but achievable." "Reps with poor form don't count, so don't do them." Episode references: YouTube strength training tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=strength+training+proper+form Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Optimal Health Daily, lifting heavy for beginners, and how to determine the proper weight for you
0:06.5	by Leah Genders of Leagenders Fitness.com, and I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neil Malick.
0:12.7	Hey there, happy middle of the week Wednesday, and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I simply read to you from the best health and fitness blogs for free.
0:21.3	Then on Fridays, I do something a little different.
0:23.7	That's when I answer your questions.
0:25.7	You can send me a question by going to oldipodcast.com slash ask, or just send an email to
0:33.1	health at oldepodcast.com.
0:36.9	Now, today is Wednesday, and like I do every Wednesday, I'd like to share
0:40.5	a bit of inspiration with you. I thought I would share a quote from the wise master Yoda.
0:46.0	Quote, named must your fear be before banish it you can. Yoda. Now, I thought about doing the voice and the imitation, but I thought that would
0:56.6	just sound terrible. I tried to practice it, and it didn't come out right. And I don't think I got his
1:01.8	rhythm just right either, but hopefully you got the idea. All right, let's get right to today's
1:07.9	post and start optimizing your life.
1:20.5	Lifting heavy for beginners and how to determine the proper weight for you by Leagenders of Leagenders Fitness.com
1:21.7	It seems since the influx of CrossFit, everyone talks about lifting heavy, but no one really
1:28.3	explains what that means.
1:30.3	Obviously, what feels heavy to one person might be very easy for another and vice versa.
1:36.3	Lifting heavy does not mean you have to find the heaviest weight and try and throw it around.
1:40.3	You'll probably get hurt.
1:42.3	The key is to find the right weight for you at your current
1:45.5	fitness level. It's a perception. What feels heavy to you? That's lifting heavy. I see girls on
1:52.6	Instagram that are around my body weight pulling 200-pound deadlifts, but if I tried that today,
	...

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