How do you know if you’re lifting enough weight to get stronger?

A common question asked when people start strength training is, “Are you lifting enough weight to get stronger?”

It’s Not Just About Lifting Enough Weight

Before answering that directly, a good thing to know about strength training is that in order to get stronger from it, you need to be putting enough stress on the muscles being used to provide a stimulus that directs them to adapt to become stronger.

How Do You Know If You’re Lifting Enough Weight?

Generally, that stimulus comes in the last few reps of any movement as muscular fatigue kicks in and you’re forced to work harder to finish. For example, if you’re doing 10 reps of a goblet squat, usually reps 8, 9, and 10 are where the stimulus starts to kick in.

Recognizing the Stimulus

But how do you know if the stimulus kicks in? Well, the broad answer is those last few reps should be much harder than the beginning reps. And to know if you’ve gotten those last few reps to be hard enough to create a strength increase stimulus, here are 3 simple metrics you can use to tell:

Sign #1: The “Ugly Face” Test

You make an ugly face during the last few reps. If you can perform all the reps of a given lift with the same facial expression, chances are you’re not lifting enough weight. The difficulty of the last few reps should have you making ugly faces.

Sign #2: You Can’t Talk Through It

If you can talk to your friend or trainer throughout all the reps of a set, chances are it’s not hard enough. When those last few reps get harder, it should force you to stop talking and focus on completing them.

Sign #3: Slowing Down

The last few reps are slower than the beginning reps. As the difficulty of the last few reps kicks in, you will start to lift slower due to the challenge of lifting enough weight. If you can lift all the reps at the same speed, chances are it’s not hard enough.

Ways to Increase Difficulty

A good thing to note is that making something harder doesn’t just mean making the weight heavier. To add difficulty, you can increase the number of reps you do, slow down the tempo of the lift, and increase the range of motion.

Final Takeaway

Use these tips next time you lift weights, and hopefully, it will help you bump up the intensity to the right level! We offer a free 40-minute workout and consultation. This gives you the opportunity to go over all your fitness goals