How heavy should you be lifting to get stronger?

I often get asked this question from both beginners and advanced gym goers - how heavy should I be lifting to get a maximum benefit from my training?

And I 100% understand you need to know that, once you have mastered the skill of going to the gym, of course you want to get the most out of your time there.

Many people would assume it takes some MAX testing or some extreem methoods to figure that out, but there is a easier way, that does not require you to do a max test strength or play the guessing game.

This is important because Max testing, where you push yourself to the absolute maximum can be complicated and dangerous for the casual gym goer. And keeping your max numbers up to date is not always practical when you are training to be better at life or longevity.

In addition to that your numbers, if you are a "normal" person with “normal” life stress outside the gym can vary greatly between sessions. It’s not the same as for the full time athletes that base their training of % of their MAX lift, they also spend most of their time recovering, sleeping and eliminating stress like pro athletes that allows them to hit those numbers.

What can we do?

Luckily, there is a way. Science shows that the method of using RPE (Rate Of Perceived Exertion) scales can be just as, or even more effective than standard intensities established by training percentages and max testing.

What is RPE?

Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a way for coaches and athletes to assess and self regulate their training intensity based on a numeric scale. Instead of working off a percentage of their max lifts, you can evaluate how hard the effort was on the scale of 1-10, or describe how many more reps you could have done.

Who is it for?

This is great news for anyone that does not know what their max bench press or deadlift is. You can now train at a beneficial intensity without the hassle and stress around testing. Science has shown benefits in using this method for both newbies in the gym as well as advanced lifters. This tool can be a great addon to your training journal to help you assess your session and performance.

Using RPE in practice

Scale is a numeric scale rating from 1, no physical excursion, and 10 being your max effort. Words and descriptions are as follows:

An easy way to figure out your effort scale is by how many more reps you could have done in a given set. So if for instance you finish a set of 10 reps and feel like you could do at least 3 more, your effort is 7 RPE etc.  If you feel like you maximum could have pushed yourself to do 1 more rep, its 9 RPE.

Benefits from strength training are most when you are training at a 7 or higher on the RPE scale. It’s important to note here if you are doing a set of 5 reps (and feel like you could do 3 more) or a set of 15 reps (and feel like you could do 3 more) both of those efforts would rate a 7 on the RPE scale.

Print these scales out, or save them as notes on your phone. Pull them out the next time you are at the gym lifting weights and see if you are in that beneficial range!

That's All For Now.

Happy lifting

Coach Eik