A good way to think about strength training is like driving on the Garden State Parkway.
You do not want to be going 25 mph in the right lane.
And you definitely do not want to be going 125 mph either.
One is too cautious.
One is too reckless.
Strength training works the same way.
If the weight is too light, you may feel safe, but you are likely missing out on results.
If the weight is too heavy, and all you care about is adding more weight, your form breaks down and your injury risk goes up.
The goal is the middle ground.
Safe enough to move well.
Heavy enough to force your body to adapt.
Recently, I saw both extremes.
At another gym, I spotted a guy on bench press who was obsessed with getting to 300 pounds. He kept adding weight until he missed 275. His plan was simple: keep trying 275 until it goes, then move up.
That is a very common mistake.
Sometimes people focus so much on adding weight that they stop focusing on quality work.
On the other side, I recently saw a newer member here at PPT moving with almost perfect form. Slow. Careful. Controlled.
That sounds good at first.
But there is such a thing as being too careful.
If the weight is so light that you can do every rep in slow motion with zero challenge, you are probably not pushing enough to get the best results.
We do not want reckless.
We do not want overly comfortable.
We want challenged and controlled.
Here are 3 simple ways to think about it:
- The weight may be too light if you never need even a little rest.
If you are flying from one exercise to the next without needing a few seconds to reset, breathe, or get set up, the weight may not be challenging enough. - The weight may be too heavy if you cannot hit the assigned reps.
If the trainer says 8 reps and you can only get 6 right away, that is usually too heavy. - The best training usually lives in the middle.
You should feel challenged.
You should have to push.
But the exercise should still look controlled and safe.
In many cases, 3 to 4 strong rounds in 10 minutes is a great target.
If you are getting more than 5 rounds, the weight may be too light.
If you only get 1 round because you are completely wiped out, the weight may be too heavy.
That said, 2 very hard rounds can still be extremely productive.
There is good reason to believe that fewer very challenging sets can produce similar benefits to more moderate sets.
The big takeaway:
Do not stay so light that nothing changes.
Do not go so heavy that form disappears.
Push yourself, but do it with control.
That is where better results tend to happen.
– James Pratt