How Constantly Testing Your PR´s Is Keeping You Away From Lifting Heavier
It can be really hard to determine if all your effort in the gym and the changes you just made to your training routine are ACTUALLY helping, and that you are getting better - because we all have our ups and downs.
And even though in the beginning we set new records all the time those tend to hit us less often with further between them once we have been training consistently for some time.
After reading this post you will better understand why constantly loading the bar up and trying to hit a new PR in training is actually slowing you down from progressing with your training and probably doing more harm than good.
What should we be using as a benchmark for how well we are doing?
Some people use their sweat or soreness as their barometers for workout success and do not feel satisfied unless they are dripping by the end of a workout and/or can´t get out of bed the following day. But those are largely irrelevant in judging a workout actual effectiveness in terms of getting fitter or stronger.
Too many people have an expectation that they are CONSTANTLY improving their personal best (PR or PB), adding more weight to the bar, and attempting big lifts on a regular basis. But that is not realistic in the long run, and we need to learn to distinguish between TRAINING and TESTING.
TRAINING vs TESTING - What is the difference?
Where in TRAINING, the focus is on movement quality. This is done by performing multiple reps with good form at about 75-90% of our maximum capacity (RPE 6-8) to "strengthen" the movement patterns and make them more smooth, routine and automatic.
TESTING is to push above those 90% benchmarks. Above that range, its way more likely the movement patterns start to fall apart slightly - old bad habits resurface and we push our physical and mental capacity to the limit.
IF on all our TRAINING reps we are trying to TEST and are therefore done at this range 90%+, where it looks and feels kinda bad. You are in-grading this movement pattern into your brain and making it automatic. This means that you are teaching your brain to move poorly and fail reps. Pretty counterintuitive when what you really want is to get better.
Check Out Blog: How Heavy Should You Be Lifting To Get Stronger
What To Look Out For So You Can "Trust The Process"
Luckily, there are many other ways to measure a good workout than if you PB/PR your lift in that session, and not all of them are physical. So whether you’re a data-driven fitness geek or a more intuitive exerciser, here are some ideas to what you can look out for to measure progress in your training.
Better Technique and Movement Efficiency
More Work Completed With Less Effort
Better and faster recovery with less soreness and you are capable of more workout days each week.
More reps at a higher % than before.
Faster Times or Heavier Loads for a given workout / exercise.
Check out here BOOST YOUR MOTIVATION WITH TRACKING
Realistic Expectations:
The biggest dilemma with the PR culture and expectations is the timeframe we give ourselves. While it is helpful to be goal driven and oriented, most of us set out with VERY ambitious goals or underestimate the time it takes us to reach them.
Getting demotivated and quitting is not going to speed up the progress of achieving BIG things, but trusting in the process, looking out for small signs of improvements and tracking them will help you stay motivated for longer.
Depending on what program you are following and what kind of training you are doing, a good time to RE-TEST your progress is every 4-8 weeks, taking a few days easy bringing the load back by 25-50% to allow your body to recover and adapt to the work you have put in. And then going in with the intention of TESTING, pushing your limits and beating your previous score!
Bottom Line:
Don´t stop dreaming big,
Don´t stop working for those PR/PB
But stop yourself from TESTING daily instead of TRAINING to get better.
