Really, the best and easiest way to figure out
how much weight you should use on each lift is to begin by taking
your best conservative guess. After you have warmed up by using
a light weight for 12 or 20 reps, choose a weight for your next
set that will challenge you for your goal number of repetitions.
If you are not sure what that weight should be, choose a weight
that is likely to be too light, rather than making the mistake
of going too heavy and not reaching your desired number of repetitions.
For example, say you are trying to decide the proper weight for
a set of 12 repetitions on the Shoulder Press. Choose a light,
conservative weight slightly heavier than your warm-up and do
the set 12 times (repetitions or reps). When you come to your
twelfth repetition, if you feel as though you can perform another
repetition or two, while still using good form, you might as well
do that (to further promote blood flow to the shoulder muscle).
Since you know that the weight you chose was a little too light
(your 12th repetition was not a challenge), next time choose a
slightly heavier weight that will challenge you for all twelve
repetitions, or whatever your goal number of repetitions happens
to be.
Important Note: Your strength may gradually
decline as you progress through your routine. For example, on
your first set (after warm-up) of the Bench Press you did 12 reps
with 150 pounds--this would force a good amount of blood and fatigue
your chest muscles. If for your second set you're trying to figure
out the appropriate weight for 10 reps, you may or may not want
to slightly increase the weight. That is, 150 pounds might be
a challenging weight for 10 reps because your muscles are a little
fatigued from the first set. So, try to be intuitive and pick
an appropriate weight based not only on the weight you used on
the previous set, but also how fatigued your muscles feel.
It is important that the weight you choose for
each set challenges you for all of your desired repetitions, whether
the number is 6, 8, 10, or 12 repetitions. Similarly, if you choose
a weight that does not allow you to perform all the desired repetitions
in good form, do as many as you can and choose a lighter weight
for the next set. It is a good idea to keep a record of the weights
you use on each lift so that when you perform the same exercise
at another workout you know what weight to use on each exercise
set.
In general, if your goal is to get notably bigger
and significantly stronger, you will want to do fewer reps with
more weight, so 6-10 reps is a good target for you on most exercises.
Sometimes, on exercises like the bench press and squats, even
as low as 2 reps will be enough. If you are more concerned with
creating muscle tone, your rep number should be in the range of
10-15. Most people's goal is a combination of muscle strength,
size and tone; the target number for these folks should stay between
8-12 repetitions. Remember, however, that whether you are going
for 6 reps or 15, always pick a weight that will challenge you
for the full set.
Strength Training Program: Progressive Resistance
As your muscles adapt to a given exercise resistance
(weight), that resistance must be gradually increased to stimulate
further gains. The key to strength and muscle development is progressive
resistance, which is also called "exercise progression,"
or "the overload principle." This is the gradual and
continual addition of weight to the exercise over time, as the
previous weights become too easy to lift, so that your muscles
are continually forced to work harder and thus increase muscle
strength, size and tone. For example, in the Front Shoulder Press
you might start out pressing (lifting) 20 pounds. After two or
three weeks you may find that pressing 20 pounds has become too
easy, and that you can do more than your chosen number of repetitions
with little or no difficulty. The progression principle demands
that as soon as the weight you are using is no longer a challenge,
you must raise it. You progressively increase the weight you use
for a lift so that you continue to make gains in muscle tone,
size, and strength. It is important that you increase the weight
only if the previous weight is too light; increasing the weight
to push yourself harder can result in poor form and definitely
increases the risk of injury.
Please understand that an increase in repetitions
is an increase in strength. Many people think strength gains are
only obtained when they increase the weight. But if you have increased
the number of repetitions you can do with good form, you have
increased your strength and more than likely, your muscle size
and tone as well.
Please check back for Part five, where I'll
discuss exactly how to avoid the common mistake of overtraining.
Until then, be sure to use the right amount of weight and number
of repititions for each set you do so you can achieve the results
you desire. Good luck, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of
strength training.
>>
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