Lift heavy to build muscle: that’s advice you’ve probably seen in a million places. But how heavy is “heavy,” and how do you know if your workout qualifies?

There’s no specific number of pounds that will constitute “heavy” for everyone. What’s heavy for a teenage girl picking up a dumbbell for the first time will be a lot less than what’s heavy for a pro strongman. (If you do want to compare your lifts to other people, sites like Symmetric Strength can show where you stand — but please consider these comps as just for fun.)

Training “heavy” is shorthand for resistance training that is in a low-rep range and gets heavier over time. This is the type of training that gets you the biggest gains in strength and muscle size.

Training this way is not the only way to build muscle, but it’s a very effective one. So let’s look at what does and doesn’t count as training heavy.

How many reps are you doing?

Training for strength usually has you doing 1-5 reps in each set. Training for hypertrophy (bigger muscles) is often in the 8-12 range.

The truth is there isn’t much difference in results between the two; getting stronger gives you bigger muscles and getting bigger muscles makes you stronger. I’d say that as long as you’re doing 12 reps or fewer, you’re in an appropriate range to say you are training heavy.

Once you’re doing much more than that — 15, 20, 50 reps — you’re training your muscular endurance more than strength. You can build some strength this way, but it doesn’t really count as training heavy.

How hard does the set feel?

OK, let’s say you’re doing squats in sets of 8. That could count, but only if you’re loading the squats enough that it’s hard to do 10 of them.

For some exercises and some goals, you might be aiming for failure — literally, going until you can’t do another rep. An example would be if you’re doing 8 bicep curls and couldn’t manage a ninth.

But you can also get close to failure without quite going there. For example, if you’re doing squats, a set of 8 might be done at a weight that you could squeeze out 10 or 11 reps of if you really pushed yourself. That still counts as heavy training.

What doesn’t count is if you’re doing eight reps of goblet squats with a light dumbbell because it’s the only dumbbell you have, or because you’re intimidated about going up in weight. Heavy lifting is when you’re doing the appropriate rep range with a weight that is challenging within that range .

Are you increasing the weight over time?

The only way to keep the lift challenging as you get stronger is to keep increasing the weight.

To use our goblet squat example, maybe squatting with a 9 kg dumbbell was challenging the first time you tried it. But a week or two later, you can probably do the same eight reps with a 11 kg dumbbell. Before long, it may make more sense to do front squats with a barbell, to make it easier to add more weight. You’re lifting heavy.

But if you kept doing the same sets of 8 squats with the same 9 kg dumbbell, you’re not efficiently challenging yourself to build muscle or strength — you’re just doing an exercise that keeps getting easier. That’s still good for you, because it’s still exercise, but it no longer fits the description of lifting heavy.

Are you resting between sets?

This is where a lot of people go wrong, especially if they’re doing home workouts or are concerned about calorie burn during a workout. We don’t lift heavy for the calorie burn during the workout; we lift heavy to build muscle, and save the cardio for another day.

If you’re constantly working to keep your heart rate up, with little to no time to rest between exercises, you aren’t training heavy. More likely, you’re doing circuit training. Crossfit “metcon” WODs often fall into this category, as do many home workout videos that bill themselves as high-intensity interval training (HIIT). They’re usually not real HIIT, but that’s a rant for another time.

If you aren’t resting, that means you aren’t approaching each set of lifts when you’re fresh. Reducing rest times makes the workouts feel harder, but it also means you’ll be working with less weight. That means they usually don’t fit our definition. They might still help you build strength or muscle size, but not nearly as efficiently as lifting heavy.

If you take a few minutes’ rest between exercises, then you’re lifting heavy. A typical range would be 2-4 minutes between exercises that work smaller or fewer muscles (like curls or presses) and 3-5 minutes or more between sets of big compound lifts (like squats or deadlifts). With an appropriate rest time, you’ll be able to properly lift heavy.

The post What Does It Mean to Lift ‘Heavy’? appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

I never realised how many of my friends and acquaintances are healthcare workers until my social media feeds started lighting up with vaccine selfies. People flash their reminder cards or brandish their bandages, and that’s a good thing: Each vaccine selfie is a little public health message, and you’re doing your part to make vaccination a normal part of life.

With the COVID vaccines being so new, a lot of people are waiting and watching as those around them get vaccines. If you’ve heard misinformation about the vaccines being harmful, that gets harder to believe as you see people in your life safely get them. And when you know who among your friends has decided to get the vaccine, you also know who you can talk to if you have concerns or want to know what it’s like.

We did ~200 Somerville seniors today! And I got my second dose of @moderna_tx . So glad to get a local vaccines [giggle]. You know, fewer vaccine miles. Nurses enjoyed photos with #FlatFauci too. #ThisIsOurShot #igottheshot #VaccinesSaveLives pic.twitter.com/zwHQWZqamm

— Dr. mem_somerville | Wossamotta U (@mem_somerville) February 10, 2021

That’s why something as simple as a vaccine selfie can help beat the pandemic. By posting on social media about your vaccination, you can help others make an informed choice. As more people get vaccinated, the virus becomes less able to spread, and we all get closer to a return to something like normal.

So here’s how to take the best vaccine selfie:

Plan your shot

You’ll send a great message whether you take your selfie before, during, or after your shot, but think about the specifics as you’re planning your appointment. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing if you want to show off your bandage or the shot itself.

While you can take a selfie anywhere, be sure to take a look around the vaccination site — some even have selfie stations set up for this purpose.

Respect others

The person giving your shot may not want to be in the photo, so don’t count on being able to take a video mid-vaccine. Sure, plenty of celebrities and politicians have had a camera crew follow them into the clinic, but that doesn’t mean providers want to be photographed or videoed while they’re at work — so either save your selfie time for afterward, or ask whether the provider is ok with you taking a pic while they’re in it.

And definitely make sure you don’t get other people in your shot who didn’t agree to be there. That’s basic manners, but sometimes we forget that others may be accidentally photobombing us. Consider who’s in the frame before you take your photo.

Done with round 2 #igottheshot ⁦ @SaratogaChamber ⁩ ⁦ @BSCSD ⁩ pic.twitter.com/qTm9gslUir

— Adrienne Snow (@MrsAdrienneSnow) February 13, 2021

Cover any personal info

Posing with a vaccine reminder card is a great alternative to showing the needle or the Band-Aid on your arm, but don’t forget that your reminder card usually has your full name and birthdate on it. Block out that info if you want to share such a pic.

Write a caption

Once you’ve taken your vaccine selfie, share it with pride! Add a caption explaining what you’re doing and giving any information you like about how you feel about it or how you made your decision. If you’re tempted to add a joke about how you got microchipped today, please make extremely clear that it’s a joke. Posts that are misunderstood can be screenshotted and passed around as misinformation, so do your best not to fuel that fire.

You can use these tips for flu shots or your baby’s vaccines, as well. Often, people don’t hear much about vaccines except in the context of misinformation or complaints, but the truth is that most parents vaccinate their kids, and around 40% of adults get a flu shot in a typical year. It means a lot just to see that trusted people in your life are getting their shots.

The post Why Vaccine Selfies Are Actually Good appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

The fit of your mask is crucial. The CDC’s recent recommendation we start double masking was only partly about the layering. The second mask also results in improved fit, Anthony Fauci told the Today show . And there was another fit-related tip in the CDC advice: consider using a mask fitter, also known as a mask brace.

Unlike the mask brackets that go inside your mask , a mask fitter goes outside your mask, snugging the material up against your nose, cheeks, and chin. Unlike a second mask, it doesn’t provide an extra layer of filtration. You can use it to improve the fit of any mask you wear, whether disposable or cloth. And as a bonus, they’ll stop your glasses from fogging up.

Several companies make them, and there are also DIY instructions if you’d prefer to build your own.

• Fixthemask.com sells mask fitters made of silicone, with brush-like nubs on the sides of the nose to make sure the fitter contacts your upper cheeks. They cost $19 each, and are made in multiple sizes and sold in 2-packs or 10-packs.
• Fixthemask also “sells” (for $0) a downloadable stencil you can use to cut your own brace out of a sheet of rubber.
• The Badger Seal is a DIY mask fitter designed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It takes a few minutes’ time and work to assemble, but materials only run $1.50 per mask. You can download the instructions here .
• Or, log on to Etsy to look for pre-made mask fitters. ( Here’s a Badger Seal for $17 .)

Mask fitters typically use straps around the head, leaving your ears free for the earloops of your mask. They can also be reused, so you can have one or two mask fitters for use with your entire wardrobe of masks.

The post What’s a ‘Mask Fitter’ and How Do I Use It? appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

We’ve all been there: a groggy, middle-of-the-night realisation that, ugh, it’s time to pee again . While sometimes this is the result of a medical condition, often it’s just an inconvenient routine. In that case, there are a few simple fixes that can make nighttime bathroom breaks a lot less common.

But first, that caveat about medical issues. Definitely see a healthcare professional if you’re concerned about your sleep or your bladder. Sometimes, waking to pee (“nocturia,” they call it) happens because you’re peeing too much all the time. This can have a variety of causes, from common ones like a urinary tract infection to some serious ones like diabetes or heart failure.

On the flip side, you may be waking up because of other issues that are impacting your sleep, and then once you’re awake your brain says, welp, might as well use this time to take a trip to the bathroom. In those cases, the peeing isn’t the issue, so please seek medical help if something seems wrong. Otherwise, these tips might help:

Hydrate earlier in the day

Often we aren’t too thirsty in the morning, and maybe we’re too busy during the day to drink very much. If you find yourself drinking most of your fluids in the evening, that’s setting you up to go to bed with a full bladder. The fix here is easy: drink water earlier in the day, so you don’t find yourself filling up right before bed.

(If you chase a hydration target during the day — aiming for eight glasses, say — reconsider whether that amount of water is actually helping you. Many of us don’t need as much extra water as we think , so experiment with reducing that number to see if it helps.)

Notice we’re just changing the timing of how much we drink, not cutting water off and dehydrating ourselves. Being dehydrated can also make it hard to get comfortable at night, the Sleep Foundation notes , due to distractions like dry mouth or headaches.

Don’t drink right before bed

If you’ve hydrated throughout the day, it should be no problem to stop drinking liquids an hour or two before bed. This includes caffeine, for obvious reasons: you don’t want it to keep you awake. While caffeine is infamous for its diuretic effect (making you pee), if you’re habituated to it, the effect is pretty minimal .

And you shouldn’t have alcohol before bed if you can help it. Alcohol is definitely a diuretic, and it’s also known to disrupt sleep .

Elevate your legs

The Sleep foundation also suggests you try elevating your legs for a few hours before bed, because your body can reabsorb some of the water from your legs when you’re lying down. This can just mean sitting on the couch with your legs up; you don’t have to do a headstand. Work some quality lounging into your bedtime routine.

Make it easy to get back to sleep

Occasional bathroom trips will still happen despite our best efforts. Sometimes the problem isn’t that you had to get up, but rather that it’s hard to get back to sleep afterward.

So, do your best to make your bedroom an easy place to sleep . Use blackout curtains to keep your bedroom dark, or use a sleep mask, which is just a blackout curtain for your eyeballs. Earplugs or a white noise machine can help if noise tends to bother you. And whatever you do, do not check your phone just because you’re awake.

Consider adjusting the temperature of your house at night, since most of us find it easier to sleep in slightly cooler temperatures. Set up a nightlight or keep a small, dim flashlight by your bed so you don’t have to turn on any lights. (There are even toilet seats with a built-in nightlight for exactly this reason.)

The post How to Stop Waking Up to Pee appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

If you don’t have time to exercise, welcome to the club. (I do exercise a lot, but some days I get overwhelmed by how much time and effort it takes to commit to an entire workout done in gym clothes at a specific place and time.) A way around this: the exercise snack.

This is a snack-sized portion of exercise: a walk around the block, a set of pushups at the office when nobody’s looking, installing a doorway pullup bar and doing a rep or two whenever you walk through.

What good is a snack? Well, it depends on what the rest of your exercise routine looks like, if you even have one. If you currently do nothing, snacks are a good way to ramp up toward a full exercise habit. If you’ve been taking a break from working out, the snacks might whet your appetite enough to make you miss the gym. And even if you currently work out on a regular schedule, snacks are still nutritious and delicious, metaphorically speaking.

The beauty of the snack is its lack of commitment. You don’t have to change your clothes, because you’re probably not going to work up a sweat. You don’t have to psych yourself up for multiple exhausting sets of dumbbell work if you only plan to do ten reps and then put the dumbbells down and go back to your computer.

I snacked my way back into exercising a few years ago, after having a baby got me out of the gym habit. Now, look at me . I still have a pair of dumbbells on my porch and a pull-up bar in a doorway, and I’ll snack on them from time to time. I even took a walk around the block before writing this story. So give snacks a try, because exercise doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

This article has been updated since its original publication.

The post If You Don’t Have Time for a Workout, Try Exercise ‘Snacks’ Instead appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

With the new coronavirus variants still hitting headlines, masking up is more important than ever. But which masks are best? Sadly there isn’t a rigorous ranking or standard to rely on, but we know a few things about different options. So let’s take a tour, starting with the best ones.

N95 masks

N95s are the gold standard for pandemic prevention, but they’re also not easy to find. If you do manage to snag some, check that they’re not counterfeit masks that have been relabelled or improperly sold.

N95 Equivalents

A lot of us still can’t get N95s — they remain in short supply, and are the type most needed by healthcare professionals. But other countries have their own standards that provide similar protection. Those would be KN95’s from China, KF94’s from South Korea, and FFP2’s from Europe . The catch: there are counterfeit models out there, so check the manufacturer and make sure you get what you’re paying for.

Also in this category are elastomeric masks, the rubbery ones you can buy at a hardware store that look sort of like a gas mask. Yes, they’re heavy and sweaty, but they give good protection and last a long time. These masks use replaceable filters, but you don’t have to change them as often as you would an N95.

Whichever you choose, make sure the mask fits well, with a good seal around all edges of the mask.

Double masking

Doubling up on masks enhances their ability to filter the particles (including aerosol droplets) that you would otherwise breathe in. One popular and affordable combo goes like this:

1. Put on a disposable (surgical-style) mask. Adjust the fit, making sure the metal piece at the top is fitted snugly around your nose.
2. Top that with a cloth mask. Again, it must fit well.

When you’re doubling up, it’s especially important to make sure you aren’t creating jets of warm air at the sides of your nose or the back of your cheeks. If that happens, it means air is going around your mask, not through it.

A properly constructed cloth mask

Reusable fabric masks have become pandemic wardrobe staples. If you can wear one over a disposable mask, great! If not, make sure you’re using a good mask that is properly constructed.

It should have multiple layers of fabric, and be tightly woven. A quick spot-check is to hold it up to the light. If you can see through it, it’s too flimsy to do much good. (It also won’t be acceptable for use while travelling .)

And beware masks with a built-in valve. Your breath comes straight out of those valves , spewing your germs all over whoever is around. Check to see if the valve can be clicked closed — some can — and if not, tape over it.

Bandanas and scarves

Now we come to the bottom of the barrel, the things that are technically “face coverings” but that don’t fit as snugly or provide as many layers of protection as a proper cloth mask. We don’t recommend these in place of more effective masks.

There was a study early in the pandemic that insinuated neck gaiters may be worse than no mask at all, but the evidence for that statement was never very strong . We do know, though, that those gaiters have several features that mean they don’t fit the definition of a good mask. Their fabric is thin, they tend to leak around the sides of the nose, and the threads that make up the fabric form fairly large holes. If you do wear a buff in place of a mask, at the very least double or triple the layers.

Likewise, bandanas and scarves are not snug-fitting enough to do the job, and they’re usually too thin as well. These coverings could go well over another mask, bringing us back to the double-masking category from a few slides back. Adding protection isn’t a bad idea. But don’t count on these on their own.

The post 5 Types of Masks and How to Use Them appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

Flour made from chickpeas has more protein than regular white flour, and more fibre. But if you’ve seen headlines recently about chickpea flour’s health benefits, there are some serious caveats you should know about.

What’s all the talk about chickpea flour?

The headlines, sometimes implying that chickpea flour can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, are based on a recent study . In the study, buns made with a specific type of chickpea flour resulted in a lower blood glucose spike than buns made with regular white flour.

But the flour in the study was not the kind of chickpea flour you can find at a grocery store (often labelled gram flour or besan). It was specially manufactured to keep the plant cells intact.

Cell walls are made of fibre, and the starch in plants is contained within the cell walls. When you eat whole foods (like actual chickpeas), your body takes more time to be able to digest the starch that is inside the cells. Grinding the cells into flour, however, makes the starch more available and more quickly digested.

So what the study found was that this specific, unusual type of chickpea flour made of intact cells (PulseON is the brand name) slowed down volunteers’ digestion a bit, which is a good thing if you are trying to manage type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. They did not test grocery store chickpea flour.

What about regular chickpea flour, then?

Still, this study may have piqued your interest in regular chickpea flour. The good news is that even the grocery store type is high in protein and fibre, and can work well as part of a healthy diet. Here’s how the nutrition facts stack up:

One cup of chickpea flour (92 grams) has:

• 356 calories

• 21 grams of protein

• 6 grams of fat

• 53 grams of carbs, including 10 grams of fibre

For comparison, one cup of all-purpose white flour (125 grams) has:

• 455 calories

• 13 grams of protein

• 1 gram of fat

• 95 grams of carbs, including 3 grams of fibre

And a cup (120 grams) of whole wheat flour has:

• 408 calories

• 16 grams of protein

• 3 grams of fat

• 86 grams of carbs, including 13 grams of fibre

So the chickpea flour has more protein than either type of wheat flour, although it has slightly less fibre than whole wheat. It also has fewer calories per cup. So if you like how the macros compare, and wouldn’t mind experimenting with a different flavour profile, chickpea flour could be worth a try.

How to use chickpea flour

When you’re looking for recipes, searching for “chickpea flour” tends to turn up American style recipes that use chickpea flour as a substitute for other ingredients — like these vegan frittatas that contain no egg. Meanwhile, searching for “besan” is more likely to pull up Indian recipes like these , including its traditional use in pakora (fried dough stuffed with vegetables or meat).

If you want to make baked goods, it’s possible to substitute some chickpea flour for regular wheat flour, but find a recipe that accounts for the difference in texture. You may have to add wheat gluten, or use a mix of flours. Either way, be aware that eating more fibre than usual can be a recipe for an upset stomach, so ease into any new dietary changes.

The post Is Chickpea Flour More Nutritious Than Regular Flour? appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

As you may now know, low-dose cannabidiol has been legalised in Australia. The decision, which came from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) late in 2020 , has come into effect this week (February 1, 2021). Prior to this point, CBD was only available in Australia with a doctor’s prescription.

CBD oil has skyrocketed in popularity in the United States , with reports of the product easing experiences of pain and feelings of anxiety . With increased accessibility here in Australia, it could be assumed we’ll see much the same result.

It’s worth pointing out here that CBD will not get you high. Although it does come from a cannabis plant, the compound that causes a high (THC) has been removed from CBD products.

Now, the news that Australia will now be able to sell CBD oil over the counter opens up a whole heap of opportunities. But what do we really know about CBD and relaxation?

The research on CBD and anxiety

Quieting anxiety is one of the best-understood effects of CBD — but that’s not saying much, because there have been very few studies in humans.

Studies of rats and mice have found that CBD usually, but not always, seems to make the rodents act less anxious. For example, researchers may put rats into an “ elevated plus maze ,” a structure where an animal can choose whether to be out in the open (which stresses them out) or in a more confined space.

So to be clear about what these studies were testing: they didn’t involve humans, and they didn’t involve anxiety disorders or human-relevant stresses like family drama and work deadlines. A review of the evidence on CBD and anxiety notes that sometimes CBD seemed to increase anxiety and that it may matter whether the rodent gets their CBD dose before or after feeling stress.

According to that same review, studies have found that CBD:

• reduces the anxiety that can come from THC
• doesn’t do much for your “baseline” anxiety level
• may reduce anxiety associated with the stress of public speaking or social anxiety disorder

Most of the studies involved healthy volunteers, so we don’t know if CBD works the same way in people with anxiety disorders or other underlying conditions. And the studies only looked at single CBD doses in a lab setting; we don’t know if the effects will be the same in the real world, including whether the effect will be more or less pronounced if you take CBD often.

CBD products’ doses are tiny compared to the ones used in studies

Before you celebrate with a CBD cocktail, there’s something you should know: none of those studies used low-dose products like the ones you typically see on the market (in the States).

For example, one study on CBD and public speaking anxiety used doses of 300 milligrams. Another used 600 milligrams. The doses used in mouse and rat studies varied widely, but were often in that ballpark or above.

For context, 300 mg is half a bottle of this brand , or three of these packets of gummies . As the ABC writes, the restrictions in Australia only allow for a maximum dose of 150mg per day for adults.

People who relax with CBD tend to go by experience, not evidence

So if the science says CBD only works in certain situations, at high doses, why do people take smaller amounts and agree that they feel relaxed or that they feel a “sense of well being”?

I’m here as your sceptical reality check, so I have to point out this looks like a textbook example of the placebo effect. People often feel better without any pharmaceutical action of the thing they take.

That’s for a few reasons: first, if you expect to be relaxed, your brain is interpreting feelings and deciding if you actually became relaxed. A shift in perspective is all that’s needed, not a drug.

Secondly, if you feel that you’re in need of relaxation, are you going to just take some CBD, say in a pill? No, you’re probably going to find a calm place, do some deep breathing, and maybe treat yourself to the CBD in the form of a delicious dessert — something that makes it a pleasant experience. Maybe those actions, rather than the CBD, are responsible for the effect.

That said, if you’re looking for experiments on low doses of CBD in real-world conditions, you won’t find their results in scientific journals — you’ll just have to try it yourself, or talk to people who have. Anecdotally, some people feel that these doses work for them . And there’s no science to say, definitively, whether or not that’s true.

If you experiment, there are some caveats

So far CBD seems to be safe, especially in low doses. But, again, the evidence is lacking. There’s also a very real risk of “treating” your anxiety with CBD on your own when you should really be seeking therapy.

CBD was approved as a drug by the USA’s FDA (Epidiolex, for the treatment of certain seizure disorders), which means that a company had to do clinical trials and document its side effects . They range from decreased appetite and trouble sleeping, to aggression, a fast heartbeat, and trouble breathing.

When the drug is used to treat seizures, doctors are advised to start at 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of the patient’s body weight, which means 170 mg for a 68kg person, and then to increase the dose as needed, up to 20 mg/kg (about 1300 mg). The higher levels are associated with a greater risk of the serious side effects.

CBD is also known to interfere with some of the enzymes in your liver. People taking Epidiolex may need to have their liver enzymes monitored. For the rest of us, it’s probably just good to know that CBD can interfere with other drugs you take, the same way that grapefruit juice can. So if you do take CBD often, remember to mention it to your doctor.

This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated to reflect current news.

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