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Henry Cavill just posted another workout post to his Instagram feed—but the former (?) Superman star wasn’t boasting about throwing around some heavy metal and reaching a new one-rep max PR.
When you check out the post, you’ll notice the same big shoulders, same massive arms, and the same beat up Kansas City Chiefs hat that Superman sports in most of his gym posts. What’s different here is the weight Cavill is hoisting in his curl. Those low-profile dumbbells look to be a lot smaller than what those guns could easily carry. Unless they’re secretly lined with kryptonite, it’s tough for the casual observer to understand why such an unimpressive pic warrants the share.
But as the star points out, and Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel affirms, sometimes smaller weights can yield bigger results.
Cavill captions the post: “Having a little flashback to my days in Budapest on The Witcher and found this photo. I like it because it shows that it doesn’t take huge weights everyday to achieve results. I was doing everything I could in a busy busy schedule to try and get something in, whenever I could. During this period I learned that it’s not the weight that matters, it’s the workout. So if you’re shy about going to the gym because there is always someone next to you using mahoosive weights, don’t be. You do your weights, just make every workout count. You might end up looking better than the fella or lady next to you that’s using those heavy weights.”
Samuel agrees. “You don’t need to train heavy to get jacked,” he says. “A biceps curl that’s actually driven by the biceps with strict form with 25 or 30 pound weights (which is what it looks like Cavill is using) is going to grow your arms way more effectively than a sloppy curl with 40 or 50 pound weights that are driven by a rock at the waist. The lighter curl is also going to keep your shoulders (and all joints) healthier too.”
While some might point out that the cheat curl was a favorite of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday, it’s important to remember there’s a time and a place for everything—and you’re probably not in the middle of prepping for a Mr. Olympia contest.
Keep you focus on form over weight, at least to start, and you can’t go wrong.