It’s not just the weight stupid.
So over the past 4 months doing the HIT routines I have increased weight or reps on every exercise consistently. On leg presses I actually had maxed out the entire stack on Monday. I wasn’t really struggling to lift it either. I did start to notice a little soreness in my knees though. So I contemplated on that for a day or so, and when I planned out my new routine for this morning and the next 5 workouts, I decided to take a step back. I reduced the amount I was lifting on most exercises by about 20-30%. I wanted to really think about the muscle I was working. Make sure that the target muscles were 100% involved in the lift and that I was squeezing every ounce of effort out of those muscles at that moment.
So what was the result? Probably the best, most intense, muscle fatiguing, pumped up workout I have had in 2 months. I was laying on the floor after my last exercise which is crunches for 5 minutes letting my heart rate recover and catching my breath. I felt great!
So if you are totally focused on lifting more and more weight, don’t lose sight of the mind muscle connection. It is at least as important as the amount of weight you are trying to push. Even while maintaining strict form, I was likely using supporting muscle groups to push the higher and higher amounts of weight I had been adding. The lesson I learned is that even if you can lift the weight, it doesn’t mean that you are effectively targeting the muscle. Think about this the next time you are in the gym, I am sure you will improve the effectiveness of your workout.
