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Chances are if you've been to the gym more than once then you're plenty familiar with hearing people say that they're going to go light since they had a heavy workout the day before. Well this brings us to the world of misconceptions involved with a light workout versus a heavy workout.
Let's start by saying that weight training is weight training, and the overtraining of muscles can lead to their inability to grow and can even lead to muscle loss in extreme cases of rest deprivation. You can push your body in small, intermediate steps, so that your muscles acclimate to the stress you incur and grow towards meeting the needs of that stress. But there's a fine line when it comes to establishing these intermediary steps-you want to do enough to max your muscle potential, but you don't want to damage your muscles by continually fatiguing them. If you really feel the need to go to the gym or work out at home, then try doing a nice cardio workout to get some aerobic processes going and work that precious heart of yours. Plus, we all know that a light workout can be great for stress relief, and since stress can be physically taxing on the body, light weight training could be beneficial for a very short period following a day of heavy weight training.
One way to avoid fatiguing your muscles is by avoiding light training on alternate days. In order to achieve new muscle growth, you'd have to push yourself harder than you did the day before, which means you'd actually have a heavier weight training session. So if you're not building new, lean and strong muscle, then you're much better off giving your muscles a much needed break.
Now, another way to look at light versus heavy weight training is the type of muscle you'll build. Typically, the heavier the weight training session you execute, the larger your muscles will be. With heavier weights, especially free weights, your muscles tend to be more compact and bulkier. Conversely, light weight training tends to produce leaner and longer muscles. Light weight training is typically referred to as toning or shaping your body.
Light weight training is excellent for runners, joggers and gymnasts. Meanwhile, heavy weight training is ideal for bodybuilders, professional football players and even construction workers.
