Training Essentials No. 1

So. You have your program set. You have the exercises all planned out, you. have the split routine with the supersets and TRI sets all ready to go. You have factored in the rest period as well as the weight numbers and have factored in the REP range you should be doing. Great. 

To understand what I am trying to explain, Im going to go through a Scenario. You're on the Bench Press and your REP Range is 10. You hit the first set and you're feeling pretty good. This is your first week in training on this phase and so you hit the 10 REP mark on the first set and you have another 3 SETS to go of 10 REPS. You can clearly hit another 3 REPS. Do you:

a. Hit the 3 REPS again?

b. Stay with the 10 REPS and keep the same weight for the remaining 3 SETS?

c. Hit the 10 REPS on the first SET and then increase weight for the last SETS?

This may seem trivial but situations like this occur every single day in the gym nd if you stuck in gaining strength or size, tweaking these things can make all the difference between hitting that 140kg Bench Press or not. You see a lot of clients that I have had in the past will normally just hit the 10 REPS as they have programmed their brains that that is what the REP range should be so they stick to it. However, those extra 3 REPS could be the difference between hitting that target in 4 weeks time or not, especially if you continue to implement that over the weeks.

"Think of any REPS that you have planned as a warmup, the last 2/3 are the golden ticket to where you want to be"

The trouble is that a lot of lifters that fail to achieve their goals are because they do not see this principle. Remember, the REPS that you do in your plan, treat them as a warmup. The magic will happen in those last few REPS that you push.

Dont be afraid to ask someone to spot you. It takes 5 min and its a great way to get to know people of the same goals. 

Stay Strong 

Ben