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Weight loss mistake #3 - Training with light weights and performing lots of repetitions
I have seen numerous women come to the gym, grab the lightest dumbbells possible, crank out hundreds of reps, and go home. These women usually do not achieve the results they want.
The problem with this type of weight training is that it doesn't burn many "extra" calories unless you spend a lot of time in the gym. Lifting Ken and Barbie size weights has a MET value of 3, which means that it burns just 3 times more calories than resting in bed.
By contrast, virtually anything you do during the day has a MET value of at least 1.2 to 2. Even browsing the web on your computer has a MET value of 1.5!
You have to realize that most anything you do during the day (average MET = 1.5) has about 50% overlap in calorie expenditure with training with very light weights (MET = 3). If you work out using super light dumbbells, only about half of the calories burned are "extra".
Of course, it is possible to burn a considerable amount of extra calories training with light weights, but you'll have to extend the duration of this type of training by a wide margin. Curling 5 pound dumbbells for 4 sets of 20 reps and talking for 20 minutes in the gym isn't going to burn many extra calories.
Remember this rule: The less intensive the activity, the greater the calorie expenditure overlap with normal activities. The less intensive the activity, the more time you have to devote to it in order to expend a lot of extra calories. Always subtract a MET of 1 to 1.5 to arrive at the additional expended calories.
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About the author:
Hristo Hristov is the owner of X3MSoftware, a company specializing in developing training and nutrition software. He has a Computer Science degree and a passion for powerlifting.
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