“Rather than grunting and straining to lift heavy weights, you can grab something much lighter but you have to lift it until you can’t lift it anymore,” says Stuart Phillips, associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University. “We’re convinced that growing muscle means stimulating your muscle to make new muscle proteins, a process in the body that over time accumulates into bigger muscles.”

Click Here to read the rest of the article.

On the other side of the fence; other studies have shown that lifting heavy with short resting times burns more fat. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education (Oslo) found that using weight that allows for only six reps increases subject’s resting metabolic rate higher and for longer after a workout than 12-rep sets. A study from the College of New Jersey (Ewing) reported that men rested just 30 seconds between sets of bench presses, burned 50% more calories. To burn more calories during and after training (which helps burn bodyfat), use a 6-8-rep range and keep rest periods to less than one minute.

Source Muscle & Fitness Oct.2010 issue.
I personally like to lift heavy at least twice a month. Why?
1.    I like to see how strong I have gotten. It took me most of year to get to bench 255 pounds 1RM.
2.    By lifting heavy I shock my muscles.
3.    When I lift heavy I do a total body basic lifting by working out the whole body I utilize muscle confusion to burn more fat.
4.    It’s inspirational to see how far I have gone. Example my Deadlift went from 135, 185, 205, 210 to 225!
Let me extremely clear here. I don’t lift like this all the time. During a regular workout I lift a weight that I can complete 8-12 reps with.
My Heavy Lift workout includes the following.
1. DeadLift – Max 225 Reps 5
2. Shurg – Max 225 Reps 8
3. Squat – Max 225 Reps 10
4. Front Squat – max 185 Reps 10
5. Calf Raises- Max 225 Reps 10
6. Bench Press – Max 255 Reps 2
7. Incline Bench Press – Max 185 Reps 5
8. Military Press –Max 105 Reps 6
9. Straight bar Curl – Max 105 Reps 4
10. Bent over row- Max 185 Reps 6

All of the above are done with a 7foot 45lb.Olympic Weight bar. I pyramid the weight, which basically means I start at weight that I can do between 4-6 reps with and work up to a 1Rep Weight. I rest longer between sets 60-90 seconds giving my muscles a little bit more time to recuperate. Longer rest periods help grow muscle mass.
My Heavy Lift workout takes about an hour and a half due to the longer rest periods.

WARNING! Don’t try lifting heavy without acclimating yourself to the weight by a steady weight training progression.

All of the above are done with a 7 foot 45lb.Olympic Weight bar. I pyramid the weight, which basically means I start at weight that I can do between 4-6 reps with and work up to a 1Rep Weight. I rest longer between sets 60-90 seconds giving my muscles a little bit more time to recuperate. Longer rest periods help grow muscle mass.
My Heavy Lift workout takes about an hour and a half due to the longer rest periods.
WARNING! Don’t try lifting heavy without acclimating yourself to the weight by a steady weight training progression.
Lifting 275 – This is the most I have ever benched.
Let’s put it in perspective I weight between 167 and 170 depending on the time of the day. 275 is a 105 more pounds than I am. That is a lot!!! I did make a mistake I should have lifted 5 to  2 pounds more than my 1 rep max. Going 25 pounds more than what I am used to was not smartest thing for me to do. I could of pulled something or seriously damaged myself.
Knock on wood nothing happen except for me being sore the next day. What happen during my attempt I was able to lift the weight off the clean bring the weight on the negative to my chest. On the way back up to the clean just 5 inches away to doing one rep I couldn’t do it! Complete muscle failure I had to bring the weight down to the safety spotters and do a quick set of 255 two reps.
Even though I didn’t complete the rep I did see how far I could go. This was a incredible spirit and confidence boost.
So lifting heavy I say it’s up to you, it does have its benefits. Be smart about it, build up to your 1 rep max you will be surprised how strong you are.

5:30 Am Wake up – Walk the dog
5:45 Downstairs Working out
6:45 Workout Complete Breakfast and Supplements
7:00 – Shower
7:20 Dressed walking out the door to catch the 7:40 train.
7:40 catching training
8:20 Arrive in city walk to work.
8:50 Arrive at work ( 2.3 mile walk)
9:00 am get coffee and protein bar work day starts.

I won’t bore you with the details but work usually starts at 9 am finishes anywhere between 5:30 and 7:00 pm on a good day. On a long day I could be there till about  8 pm  than I am taking the work home with me.

You basically get the idea, if I don’t workout in the morning my day is to hectic to even try working out during the day.
The Men’s Fitness article covers euipment you can buy for your home gym and workouts you can do also.
Links:
MF’s Back to Basics

Sprinting:
Sprinting raises your resting metabolism, which means you burn extra calories after your workout as well as during your run.

Interval Running:
Run sporadic intervals, with one thing in mind: As soon as you hit a mark, have a new one in sight. “This keeps your brain and body active.” This is also a great way to keep yourself form getting bored.

Train harder:
Is there a portion of your workout that you’re walking when you could be running?
Think about it. Raising your intensity may be more important for burning off belly fat than how often you exercise or for how long.

Check out the article for yourself.

Booze
Limit your alcohol intake to one drink a day; two or more can increase your risk for dementia later in life. After you’ve downed your daily allowance of tequila sunrises, try nipping an unsweetened iced tea instead.

Brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash Yes, again. On nights when you’d rather just collapse into bed, chew on this: According to an article in the The Journal of the American Dental Association, your mouth harbors 400 to 800 species of bacteria–and they’re making a beeline for your tooth enamel.

Turn off the TV and close your laptop an hour before bed. The glowing screens emit a blue light that keeps you up by suppressing melatonin, a hormone that regulates your body clock.

Crank Corinne Bailey Rae, take a warm bath, or slurp a cup of herbal tea: Calming pre-bed rituals like these can help you decompress both mentally and physically. Do them every night and they’ll start to cue your brain that it’s snooze time, making you nod off faster.

Set your coffeemaker Java is the No. 1 source of cancer-fighting antioxidants in our diets, and studies show that a good brew can help you perform better on tests that measure concentration, memory, and learning and even help protect against ovarian cancer. Limit yourself to two or three cups a day–or decaf–to avoid jitters and late nights staring at the ceiling.

Work out before work
Early workouts are easier to squeeze into your hectic schedule, and they save you the need to shower twice. That saves up to 72 gallons of water each year. And the good news continues: Studies also show that AM exercisers are more likely to stick with the program than those who hit the gym later in the day.

Unplug
Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that people who spent five or more hours of free time each day working on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games exercised 11 fewer minutes a day than people who didn’t. Pulling the plug may help you downsize not only your ass but your carbon footprint too: 25 to 40 percent of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are plugged in but switched off.

Mash up your workouts
Logging 20 minutes on the elliptical, then 20 minutes in the weight room, then 10 minutes on a yoga mat may sound like a kick-ass workout, but it doesn’t mimic how we use our bodies in the real world. (Shoving that heavy box of winter boots into the upper reaches of your closet, for example, requires you to use balance, flexibility, and strength…at the same time). So make your workouts like your favorite DJ Shadow CD and mix them up: Try a short burst of cardio exercise, then jump right into a quick power strength move, immediately followed by a flexibility drill. Repeat. You’ll see results sooner.

Add intervals to your cardio
Interval training (alternating short bursts of high-intensity activity with lower-intensity activity) has been proven to fry body fat and boost cardiovascular fitness more quickly than working out at a constant, moderate pace. Try a 30-second sprint for every five minutes of treadmill time, or in the pool, one lap of speed after a few laps of slower strokes.

Reach for it
If you spend your days stuck in Cubeville (Population: You), you’re losing mobility, and that sets you up for muscle strains and tears when you finally get out from behind the desk. Your hamstrings, calves, and pectoral (chest) muscles tend to be the most drum-tight. Abide by the wisdom of the American College of Sports Medicine and stretch them out two to three days a week. Aim for four 10- to 30-second reps per muscle group.

Sidestep knee injuries
Studies show that women are more likely than men to be weak in the knees. Your joint-saving solution: hips of steel. The stronger you make the muscles around your hips, the better you can control your femur (the thigh bone), which helps stabilize your knee. One easy hip-strengthening move: Tie a resistance band around your ankles, squat slightly and step side to side with as wide a stride as you can manage.

A multivitamin
While national surveys show that up to 80 percent of Americans think they eat well, only 1 percent actually meet minimum standards for a balanced diet. Choose a multi that contains at least 100 percent of the daily value of vitamins A, C, and E and folic acid.

Vitamin D
Studies show that popping 1,000 IU each day cuts your risk of breast and ovarian cancers in half.

Fish oil
Your breath may smell like the seafood counter at Kroger for a while, but these gill pills work wonders on the body–inside and out. Fish oil not only keeps your skin and hair healthy but also reduces the risk of heart disease and helps squelch inflammation. Experts suggest one gram per day.

Munch wet snacks, not dry ones Water-rich, fiber-packed foods like fresh fruit, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, corn on the cob, broth-based soup, or baked potatoes pack fewer calories into bigger servings so you feel full on less. On the flip side, dry foods like chips, crackers, candy, bagels, pretzels, and granola bars cram lots of calories into itty-bitty servings. Can you say snack attack?

Toss salads with Romaine, not iceberg. It may not provide the same satisfying crunch, but the darker leafy green has twice the fiber, B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, and potassium and seven times the vitamins A and C of iceberg.

Sip a skim latte, not black coffee Studies show that caffeine may contribute to osteoporosis by increasing calcium loss. But you can sidestep this risk by adding milk to your brew: Even two tablespoons will offset the negative effects on calcium. Sneaky, eh?

Drink coffee, tea, and red wine between meals, not during them These beverages all contain tannins, which compromise your body’s ability to absorb iron from food.

Use regular, not antibacterial, soap It KOs just as many germs, and some scientists argue that using too many antibacterial cleansers may tamper with the effectiveness of some antibiotics.

• 135 miles nonstop across Death Valley in 120°F temperatures WTF!
• Marathon to the South Pole at -40°F.
• 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the New York City Marathon, which he completed in three hours and thirty seconds.
• 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes without stopping

Dean Karnazes has written two books which I will read and review.
Stay tuned.

Ultamarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days — and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!