eli5: Why is it harder to lift a weight than to just hold it?

Question

Like, if I pick up something fairly heavy using my legs to pick it up but need it to be at a higher elevation it’s so hard for me to bend my arms up further but I could carry that weight around for a long while even if I’d started with my arms at that higher elevation.

I hope that made sense.

Edit: I have gotten two good answers that make me feel stupid.

In: 1

Answer 1

Its easier to pick things up assuming at a ground level because you are using your arms, back, and legs to lift an object while as when you lift it higher, your upper extrimities only does the lifting.