Defining Personal Limits in Weight Training
Joe Matejka is a Westlake, Ohio professional who leads Custom Fundraising Solutions as its president, and focuses on school-based fundraising campaigns nationwide. A fitness enthusiast, Joe Matejka has a focus on weight training as a way of building muscle mass.
There are a number of key challenges that many who workout must overcome if they want to truly progress. One is the tendency to get into a habit of doing the same progression of exercises, with the same number of reps and weights, every session. With every visit to the gym, a goal should either be to add weight or to accomplish more reps of the same weight. This pushes muscle tissue to go beyond what it was previously capable of.
At the same time, do not push too fast or too hard, as making progress incrementally helps avoid issues of constant fatigue and exertion that compromise recovery. One good way of gauging the proper challenge level is to be able to complete clean reps within any given set. By the last rep, the muscles should be fatigued to the point where it would just be possible to complete an extra rep or two with a spotter present.
Within a three set dynamic, this “clean rep” mandate often takes the pyramid form of 8-10 reps on the first set, 6-8 on the second set, and 4-6 on the third set. Having this rep range provides flexibility to be aware of one’s personal limits and train accordingly.
There are a number of key challenges that many who workout must overcome if they want to truly progress. One is the tendency to get into a habit of doing the same progression of exercises, with the same number of reps and weights, every session. With every visit to the gym, a goal should either be to add weight or to accomplish more reps of the same weight. This pushes muscle tissue to go beyond what it was previously capable of.
At the same time, do not push too fast or too hard, as making progress incrementally helps avoid issues of constant fatigue and exertion that compromise recovery. One good way of gauging the proper challenge level is to be able to complete clean reps within any given set. By the last rep, the muscles should be fatigued to the point where it would just be possible to complete an extra rep or two with a spotter present.
Within a three set dynamic, this “clean rep” mandate often takes the pyramid form of 8-10 reps on the first set, 6-8 on the second set, and 4-6 on the third set. Having this rep range provides flexibility to be aware of one’s personal limits and train accordingly.
