Too many people go into the gym and do the exact same exercises with the same amount of reps and the same amount of weight. While this is certainly better then sitting at home and doing nothing, eventually your progress is going to stall and give out.
If your body is not being challenged it's not going to change. You can't do the same thing day in and day out and expect good results. But have no fear: it doesn't mean you need to do something crazy different each time you're in the gym or try to lift ungodly amounts of weight. You just gotta push yourself a little harder.
And today I'm going to teach you a simple way to make sure you're pushing yourself hard enough in the gym so you see results.
Today we're going to talk about how heavy your weights should be, how to pick that number, and when you need to go heavier (or lighter!).
If you hear the word "heavy" and start thinking that I'm going to encourage you to lift super heavy, all the time, don't worry. That's not what's going on.
This is not how I want you to feel when you leave the gym. No pain no gain? Psh. Leave that for the bros. You don't need that. (No one does.)
I'm going to explain to you just how much weight you should be lifting with each and every rep to make sure you see progress.
You're going to learn all about the RPE scale, or "Rate of Perceived Exertion". But RPE rolls of the tongue a little it better.
In short, the RPE is a scale of 1-10, with one being "easy peasy lemon squeezy", and 10 being "holy shit balls I nearly died doing that set". Obviously I don't want you feeling like you're about to die and if it doesn't challenge you, you won't progress.
Alright, so how do you use this in your workouts?
When you finish a set, you ask yourself: "Okay, 1-10, how heavy was that weight?" If it felt too easy, go heavier next time. If you couldn't finish it with good form, go a little heavier. A 6-8 should be your sweet spot. This is where the magic happens. Your muscles are getting worked, you're feeling it, but not so much that you're form is being compromised and you think you might quit. You feel the burn but could also do 1, maybe 2, more reps with good form.
If this is your first time doing any particular exercise, go light. Make sure your form is down and awesome before you start thinking about RPE. Form > Anything Else. Got it?
Why RPE? Why not just keep track of how much weight I was lifting last week and try to go heavier?
Ah, great question, dear reader.
You're a busy person. Maybe you have a crazy job, kids, dogs, a lot going on. Whatever. Days are long and packed. Some days you're just going to go to the gym with less gas in the tank, even if you did have 3 scoops of pre-workout.
Less gas in the tank means there's a good chance you won't lift as much as you did last week, or at least not add any weight to the bar. And that's fine. The RPE scale - if you're honest with yourself when you use it - makes sure that you are putting out a good amount of effort and intensity into your workout. It helps you take a step back and go "Okay, my deadlift was 10 pounds lighter than last week, but I'm happily exhausted and running on 4 hours of sleep."
It's easy to get frustrated at yourself when you don't consistently hit the same numbers or don't progress. I've been there. I'm sure you have, too. The RPE scale can help to get rid of the frustration, take the focus off of the weight, and on to you and how you feel.
PRs are great. Challenging yourself is great. Leaving the gym satisfied and in a good mood, pumped for your next workout, is the fucking best.
Oh look: a handy little inforgraphic to help you remember what you just learned:
Comments