How heavy should you lift?

Hey folks!

We have seen a huge increase in strength work lately! It’s been awesome to be able to work on building up stronger muscles, more resilient joints and a healthier mindset towards resistance training. Lifting weights can be some of the most functional training you can participate in – we lift weights all the time in our day-to-day lives! They might not look like barbells or dumbbells or even weigh the same, but they are still weight that must be overcome.

So when you are in the gym working on your strength training, it’s good to know what is the most beneficial amount of weight to try and move to maximize your results. It may seem like the heavier the object you move, the stronger you will get. And to an extent, this has some validity to it – moving large loads, long distances will improve your power and strength. But if you are always trying to move your maximum weight or your PR weight for a certain lift, you won’t be able to do it that many times, and more importantly, you won’t be able to keep your technique solid either.

In my experience, I find that working within 75-85% of my max is the zone that will provide the best results safely. You can move the load you are working with multiple times and typically technique is easier to keep in check than 90%+. You will still progress your absolute strength by hanging out at these lower numbers. Every so often, it is a good idea to check what your new 1 rep max is for certain lifts so you can bump your percentages up, but that typically should only happen once or twice per year.

I hope that helps you understand a bit about weight training! 

Coach Caleb