Keeping Track (continued)
Don’t expect to beat your previous by a lot, just by very little. Especially if you’re someone who’s been lifting for a while, you’re not going to make fast gains, it’s going to be very gradual. For your heaviest set on a particular exercise, you may just beat your previous by 1 rep. The key is to keep increasing the weight and reps as much as possible, but understanding that it’s gradual.
For example, let’s say you’re doing dumbell presses for chest, and you normally do 3 working sets of 6 reps, 8 reps, and then 10 reps (excluding warmup). Your previous workout (baseline), you did 60 pounds for 6 reps, then 55 for 8, and then 50 for 10. Next workout, start with 65 pounds. You may only get 4 reps, but that’s ok. Do your 65 for 4 let’s say, then 60 for 7, and 55 for 9. In your 3rd workout, you should be close to achieving your 6/8/10 rep targets, thus allowing you to once again increase the weight in your 4th workout. It’s really not much of an increase, should be pretty doable. At the very least, make sure you EQUAL your previous, and then beat it next time.
Don’t be someone who does the same exact weight for the same exact # of reps workout after workout after workout. 3 sets of 10 reps with the same weight over and over and over won’t keep your muscles growing, gradually increasing reps and weight will!
January 4, 2008 at 10:25 am
well, since im one of those people who was stuck doing the same ole 3 15’s and so on , i have just started doing this with the heavey light and lifting more but less reps and ladies let me tell you .. never knew my bi’s were so strong, but hurt like a big ole mother the next day, loved the blog .. keep posting… take care cc