Light Weight
I think Ronnie Coleman had the right idea when he would approach a heavy weight that he was about to lift. He would always look at the weight and say, “Light weight.” Ronnie’s self-talk and thoughts were not focused on how hard the lift was going to be, instead he was focused on how strong he was to the point where he saw the weight as light, even though it was heavy. Did he psych himself up for his heaviest lifts? Undoubtedly yes, but there is a difference between being psyched out and psyched up. People who focus on the struggle and overwhelming weight are psyching themselves out. In contrast, psyching yourself up is based on believing you are strong and will conquer the weight. Ronnie psyched himself into believing he was so strong the weight would feel light.
If you watch the following video, there several instances in which Ronnie uses positive self-talk by declaring, “Light weight,” before he starts lifting.
The belief that workouts must become harder and harder is backwards thinking in my opinion. Of course workouts must become heavier and heavier over time, but that doesn’t mean they must become harder. If your strength gains keeps up with the increases of weight, then the increases of weight aren’t going to keep getting harder and harder. The workouts may occasionally be harder when you initially increase the weight, but the increase in weight should be followed by a time period in which you allow your strength to catch up with the increase in weight. During this time period, the same weights should feel progressively easier to lift, not harder.
One of the basics of precision point training is that when you reach your marker rep where rep speed starts to slow down, stop the set and make it the last rep of your set. You should not increase the weight or reps in future workouts until it becomes easier to perform the same number of reps. Your goal is to become strong enough to do the same number of reps without slowing down your rep pace when you reach the last rep of the set. When you accomplish this, it is a sign that you have become stronger. This system of progression is based on the same weights feeling as though they are becoming lighter and easier to lift instead of harder and heavier.
When your mindset is based on seeing the weights as easy to lift instead of hard to lift, and you combine this mindset with allowing the same weights to become easier to lift over time, you will find that consistent strength gains are a natural byproduct. Try thinking lighter and easier, even when you progress to heavier weights. You’ll find that workouts are more productive when your mental and physical approach are congruent with each other. Best of training to you.