THE temptation to lift the heaviest possible weight is greatest when you hit the gym with your ego in tow and wish to impress those sharing space with you in the confines of the health club. But is that the best way to go?
Building lean muscle mass is not always about lifting the heaviest weight. Sure, over time, you will need to increase poundage to continuously see gains. However, lifting heavy weights should not be seen as an end in itself, but rather a natural progression as we seek to build lead muscle mass, unless you’re a competitive powerlifter. In that case, your one repetition maximum is all that matters. Train primarily for strength and aim for the highest load that your body can safely handle.
But when lifting for aesthetics, it is more about lifting the right amount of weights, with the most correct form and lifting technique possible, to stimulate muscle growth in support of your fitness goal.
Attempting to show off and lifting more than you can chew may possibly lead to unwanted injury, which may sideline you for prolonged periods. Not a pretty outcome.
Lift what gives you moderate difficulty for eight to 10 repetitions, with the proper form. More often than not, proper form involves doing the full range of motion, with no swinging and unnecessary movement. Contract the target muscle at the top of each movement, squeeze and feel the pump. For bench presses, for instance, let the bar go all the way down and touch your chest on the concentric motion, rest for a second, then explode up, short of locking out your elbows. If you cannot properly perform an exercise with a given weight, that means you must try lift lighter until your form is on-point.
Forget the guys and girls staring at you and belittling your lifting prowess. Chances are they aren’t. They’re too busy with their own workout to pay attention to yours
You lift to grow, and not for show. Those who lift to impress lose sight of the real objective, which is to grow lean muscle mass. The risk of hurting yourself and not stimulating muscle the right way is close by.
If you would ask me, I’d rather be lifting a moderate weight with impeccable technique and see significant gains than do partial repetitions with the entire weight stack and not maximize growth. When hitting the gym, leave your ego at the door. When starting out, doing light to moderate weights with the right form as taught by a competent fitness professional is the way to go. The heavier weights will come as you build strength over time.
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