In order to succeed at weight training, a sufficient training stress must be imposed upon the body to elicit an adaptation in the form of added strength. At the same time, the training stress must not be so demanding that it fails to allow for recovery. Your goal should be to create a manageable training stress that is sufficient to stimulate an adaptation while also allowing the body to recover.
Allow Training To Become Easier
Many lifters take the approach that the greater the training intensity, the greater the adaptation. In some cases, this is true from a short-term perspective. However, while the body is capable of gaining in response to high intensity training for a short time, most lifters will find that their body will eventually rebel against the severe demand of constant high intensity training. This is because strength gains are a stress management tool that your body uses as a means to decrease the severity of effort it takes to lift a given weight. Your body cannot do this if the severity of the training stress always remains at a maximum every time more strength is gained. Ideally, your body wants to get stronger in order to make it easier to lift the same poundages and workload over time. A good long-term training strategy will allow this to happen.
For the last seven years, I have held to the belief that most of your training time should be based on allowing the sets, reps, and weights that you are using to get easier over time. Once you have spent a sufficient amount of time allowing the same poundages, sets, and reps to become easier to lift, you should increase the weights to make them harder to lift. However, making your workouts harder should only occur a small amount of time. In other words, spend a lot of time on easier, then occasionally make the workouts harder. Each time you make your workouts harder, spend a lot of time allowing them to get easier again before making them harder again.
A Manageable Training Stress
To make this concept work, always start with a manageable training stress. A manageable training stress will challenge your body to adapt by getting stronger, but it will not be so demanding that your body fails to recover. If a manageable training stress is the ideal, how do you determine the right amount of training stress?
The right amount of training stress is based on training thresholds which are based on a sudden change in effort or performance. There are three basic indicators that help you to determine when these sudden changes in effort or performance occur. These indicators are discussed below:
Indicator Number 1
The first indicator is based on your ability to maintain a steady even rep pace within a set while lifting forcefully. When you reach the point in a set where It suddenly feels like you cannot repeat reps at the same pace as the previous part of the set, a sudden decrease in performance is occurring. At the same time, you will usually notice a sudden increase in effort. Stopping at this point in a set is enough to stimulate strength gains and usually occurs one to three reps before you reach max reps to failure depending on the individual lifter and the specific exercise being performed. Going for max reps to failure is not necessary and will often undermine recovery. If you want to make long term progress, manage your intensity in order to create a manageable training stress.
Indicator Number 2
The second indicator is based on your ability to repeat sets for the same muscle group as long as you are at full strength. When you reach a set where you begin to weaken in comparison to your previous sets, you are no longer at full strength and should stop repeating sets for the muscle group you have been training. You will know that you are growing weaker if you can’t perform as many even paced reps as you normally can within a set when you are at full strength. Once again, this is when you stop repeating sets for the same muscle group.
Indicator Number 3
The third indicator is based on your ability to perform reps using a smooth nonstop lifting motion that does not slow down at any point during the upward lifting motion. If the weights are slowing down within the upward lifting motion, you are lifting too heavy and you are either on the verge of grinding, or you actually are grinding out the lift.
The Risk of Exceeding a Manageable Training Stress
If you exceed your ability to maintain a steady even rep pace, or your ability to utilize a smooth nonstop lifting motion, or you surpass your ability to repeat sets at full strength, you will be at risk for applying a training stress that your body cannot manage effectively on a long term basis. It is possible that you follow these guidelines and feel as though the guidelines do not allow for training that is demanding enough to stimulate strength gains. If this happens, my suggestion is to add more workouts to your weekly schedule until you reach the point where it provides enough training to cause your body to respond.
After decades of trying out numerous training methods, I have found the guidelines presented in this article to be the most systematic, reliable means for creating productive workouts. The guidelines are designed to provide an overall training stress that consistently challenges the body to respond while allowing for recovery. If you have found a long-term strategy that works better, then let your results be the guide for how you train. However, if you are stuck and need to make some training adjustments, you may benefit from applying the guidelines set forth in this article. Best of training to you.