Do you ever wonder whether you should be lifting heavier weights?
If so, you’re in good company.
It’s a conversation I have with a lot of the people I coach.
Or at least the people I coach online.
In person, I typically just hand them weights based on what I see from their performance.
Then they move them until it sucks.
But when you’re on your own, it’s different.
Unless you’ve spent a decent amount of time moving weight around, it can be tough to know whether or not you need to move up.
Which is why I made a quick reel yesterday while putting away weights at the gym.
And it’s why I’m writing this email.
If you’re not sure whether you should be trying to lift heavier weights, then here are three signs it might be time to move up.
1 – You keep hitting the top of your rep ranges.
A lot of strength programs, including most of the ones I write, will include rep ranges for most exercises.
Something like “3 x 8-12” (three sets of 8-12 reps).
If you hit the top of the rep range for all of your sets this week (ie 3×12), then it’s time to try increasing the weight.
Now if your program isn’t using rep ranges, this can be a little harder.
But I’d also argue that unless you’re working directly with a coach who’s programming all your weights or trying to compete in strength sports, you should probably be using a program that gives you rep ranges.
So if your program just says “3×10” then it might be time for a new program…
But that’s a conversation for a different email.
It’s also not the only sign.
Another clue you should try lifting more weight in the gym is…
2 – It’s not challenging.
If your goal is to get stronger, then lifting weights probably needs to be kind of hard.
It shouldn’t be absolutely terrible.
You shouldn’t be worried for your safety or question all of your life decisions that brought you to this point.
But it shouldn’t be easy.
The last rep should probably move slower than the first one.
It should look about the same from a technique perspective, but it should definitely move slower.
If you’re knocking out three sets of 15 and nothing has changed between the first and the fifteenth rep…
You should pick up something heavier.
Finally, the third way to know it might be time to increase the weight…
3 – Try it.
It’s training.
It’s as much an art as a science.
And sometimes that art just involves trying something and seeing how it goes.
The next time you go lift, try picking up the 25s instead of the 20s and see what happens.
Worst case, you do two half-hearted reps with a weight that was too heavy, return them to the rack and go back to the 20s.
You’ll share a look with some guy taking up way too much space right in front of the rack and while you might think he’s judging you, he’s probably not. He just did the exact same thing last week with lateral raises – because the weight never fucking goes up on lateral raises – and he knows how it feels.
Then you’ll take a step back from the rack like a sensible human and do your sets using the 20s with a newfound confidence that you’re using the right weight.
For now.
Lifting is like running.
Sometimes you learn you can’t maintain a pace by trying to maintain that pace.
And sometimes you learn a weight is too heavy by trying to move it.
Now this is where I should probably say something about safety.
Because yes, you can get hurt in the gym.
And yes, every day I see people who really need to remove some weight from the bar and focus on using more control and a bigger range of motion.
Unsurprisingly, they’re usually dudes with more ego than sense.
Been there.
But even then, they rarely get hurt – because at the end of the day the gym is pretty safe if you make any effort to maintain some level of control over your movement.
Because even though I see a couple of those guys every day, they’re really not that common.
For every one of the dudebros I see, I also see five people who show up week after week, making zero progress because they don’t actually challenge themselves.
They’re either worried about getting hurt or they just don’t have the confidence to lift heavier. As a result, they never make any appreciable amount of progress.
And what really sucks?
They often get discouraged, feel bad about themselves, and never come back.
It’s why we offer free fitness consultations at the gym, but very few people ever actually use them.
So here’s my request.
Try lifting heavier.
See how it goes.
If you aren’t sure about your form, video yourself and watch how you lift.
Shit, if you still aren’t sure, video yourself and send it to me and I’ll be more than happy to look at it.
Real offer.
I bet nobody will take me up on it – much like the gym consultations.
No matter what, if you’re looking to get stronger, lifting needs to be challenging.
If it’s not, then you’re just not creating enough of a stimulus for change.
Hope you found this helpful.