One aspect of fitness that becomes more challenging as you gain experience is determining the intensity of workouts. Largely a subjective measurement, your perceived exertion will be paramount in the efficacy of your exercise.
At some point, no matter how consistent you become, you can hit a plateau that will leave you wondering what you need to change to reach your goals. And longer training durations might not always be the answer. A recent study on training duration found that longer exercise sessions don’t always elicit a change in body morphology.
I’ve received this question a lot, especially from members who are already struggling to find time for a workout in their days or weeks, so how do you know how hard you should be pushing yourself?
Using Internal and External Feedback for Training
I usually answer that question by figuring out a person’s training history. For people who are just starting a new resistance training routine, the most sizable gains in muscle and fat loss happen in their first four to six weeks of training. After that initial period, the body adapts, and new strategies are sometimes required for continued progress.
For more experienced exercisers, consistency isn’t usually the problem. It’s whether or not variation – or even experimentation – is needed. Those who’ve built a strong base of resistance training will have less trouble with implementing new strategies, but it all depends on which strategy you choose. A common place to look is inward.
The concept of “mind-muscle connection” is something that’s always being debated when it comes to overall training effect. Evidence points in both directions -- “attentional focus strategies,” or thinking of the working muscle during a specific exercise, did improve muscle mass in one 8-week study. But there’s a lack of data to suggest that this type of thought-based muscle activation continually works long-term for seasoned gym goers.
Fortunately, there are a couple of methods that can serve as mental milestones for training that have proved effective. Whether you’re someone 8 weeks in, or 8 years in, visiting (or re-visiting) these principles can help drive results if you’re stuck.
Finding your One-Repetition Maximum
Lifting heavier weight is almost always a better solution for changing body composition, despite the undying myth that it will bulk you up (it won’t). But sometimes it isn’t as simple as adding 5 pounds every week. You may consider testing for your One-Repetition Max (1RM), or the total amount of weight you can perform on a given exercise for one high-effort repetition.
This isn’t to say you should throw 300 pounds on a barbell and try to rip it off the floor for a deadlift. But knowing what your maximum number is – or at least what ballpark it’s in – can drive strength and hypertrophy, regardless of training experience.
For example, if you can barbell bench press 100 pounds thirty times (for three sets of 10 repetitions), you can safely assume that your 1RM is somewhere well above 100. For the amount of muscular tension that thirty 100-pound reps require, your body could theoretically handle one rep somewhere above 180 pounds. There are websites that can help you calculate this number.
So, if you’ve consistently benched 100 pounds for weeks now, it might be time to figure out what your 1RM on bench could be, and strive to push closer to that number. Instead of three sets of 10 reps at 100 pounds, you might aim for three sets of 8 at 120 pounds. This will lower the overall training volume, but allow you to gain the muscle mass and strength to eventually return to a 30-repetition clip before adding more weight again.
Having an idea of your 1RM on multiple different exercises can allow you to restructure your workouts to maximize the time under tension each muscle gets and further your results.
Exploring Repetitions in Reserve
In the above paragraphs, I used the word “experimentation” for determining training outcomes. It works aptly for Reps in Reserve (RIR), since this method isn’t as calculated as finding your 1RM.
Instead, Reps in Reserve is usually for experienced lifters who have a good sense of their muscular endurance. It’s the amount of repetitions you have left in the tank before your muscles give out and you can’t complete the lift, so those who have trained muscles to the point of exhaustion (whether intentionally or unintentionally) will understand the feeling.
Your target RIR will depend on the amount of repetitions in a given circuit, but if you are training for general strength and muscle mass, the “sweet spot” lies somewhere between one and four repetitions for most movements. This means that at the end of a given exercise, you train until you believe that two more reps would lead to imperfect technique (or, at the very worst, a failed lift/dropped dumbbell).
Trying Each Method: Best Practices
In either of these methods, it’s important to listen to your body and be realistic. Both beginners and experienced lifters run the risk of injury if there aren’t definitive goals for employing one of the techniques.
Avoid attempting your true 1RM lift unless you are confident that you’ve properly structured your training to lift it. Asking for a spotter is always a good idea when aiming for a lift that demands a ton of energy expenditure. And make use of the workout space constraints – squat rack safety bars, smith machines, or other assistance-based machines – to prevent any mishaps on your quest to move the needle.
Fran Kilinski is a Tier 3+ Personal Trainer at Equinox West 92nd Street. He is certified through the National Council on Strength and Fitness, and holds a Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is a Level 1 Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition. He also coaches basketball and track and field.