Find out when and how to lift a working weight. Also, you will become familiar with the methods of bringing muscle growth to a new level. Everyone knows that increasing working weights promotes muscle growth. But very often athletes are interested in knowing how and when to increase working weight in bodybuilding. If you look closely at most of the well-known training programs, then they have a large number of approaches and repetitions. To increase the working weights in this case, you will have to compare these schemes with different numbers of sets and approaches in them. As a result, not everyone understands how you can make progress in one workout program. Today we will answer this question.
Exercise loading will increase your working weight
Immediately it must be said that you need to make progress in each lesson. If you lower your training requirements, the results will quickly begin to drop. At this point, when muscle growth has stopped, the body may decide that it is enough to increase muscle volume.
Amateurs often say that they do not have a goal to be like the stars of world bodybuilding, but such a statement can be interpreted as a simple reluctance to give all the best in the gym. For such athletes, I would like to say that even the smallest goal requires a lot of work.
Fixed sets for increasing working weight
Take the following program as an example:
- 3 sets of 6 reps
- 4 sets of 12 reps.
The essence of the progression method with fixed approaches is not to increase the number of repetitions in one approach, but to achieve the set goal - to finish off the required number of repetitions. An example would be a 3x12 scheme.
You can make progress by using one weight for each of the three sets. After you start doing 10 reps on the first set, you can increase your working weight. For the next two sets, the reps will decrease depending on how tired you are.
You can also use the second method. You also use the same weight on all sets. Increase the weight when you complete all 10 reps in each set. You can also do more reps in the first sets.
Target rep range and weight gain
Very often in the training program, a certain repetition range is set in which the athlete must work. It might look like this:
- Three sets of 6 to 10 reps
- Four sets of 10 to 15 reps.
The essence of this method is very similar to the previous one, in which the number of repetitions was fixed. As an example, consider the first case in which the weight can be increased after doing ten reps on the first set, or when you do all 10 reps in 3 sets.
Athletes often find it necessary to use a different number of repetitions and different weights for each set. This judgment is not entirely correct. Of course, you can increase the weight with each new set, but it is quite exhausting. In this case, you will have to keep a record of the results of each set. It is best to use the same weights in the given repetition interval.
Increasing working weight with descending pyramid approaches
The pyramid set is very popular with athletes. One of these schemes is as follows: you perform four sets of 12, 10, 8, and 6 repetitions. It should be noted that there are two ways to progress within the same pyramid.
You are probably already starting to understand how and when to increase your working weight in bodybuilding.
Unchanged weight
Consider the previous example again, where the athlete uses the same weight for all sets. After the last set has been completed in the first set, you can increase the weight. In each subsequent set, the number of approaches will decrease due to fatigue. This is one of the main reasons for the high popularity of this method. It should also be said that there is no need to strive for the exact implementation of the entire number of repetitions. For progress, it is more important to perform each set well, rather than worrying about the exact number of repetitions.
Increasing weight
Often, athletes prefer to increase the weight before each new approach, and with each increase, the number of repetitions will drop. This is definitely a great type of pyramid that is also very effective. However, it is best to increase the weight after you are able to complete all the required reps in the last set.
If you wish, you can use the original technique, i.e. increase weight after each approach. But very often, as a result, it happens that in all approaches the athlete will begin to use very similar weights or even the same. Since fatigue will gradually build up, you will most likely not be able to perform equal number of repetitions in the final sets. If, for example, in the initial set you were able to squeeze 100 kilograms 10 times, giving all your best, then in the second set with the same weight you will most likely be able to perform 8 repetitions, and in the third even less.
Conclusion
Beginner athletes often carefully study the popular training program and, as a result, fixate on the number of repetitions. They, out of their inexperience, assume that their future progress depends on this. This is a misconception.
The secret of progress lies not in the mystical number of repetitions. Most often, these numbers are strictly advisory, but not mandatory. This is a simple guideline that should be followed, but followed unquestioningly. Do not get hung up on reps, and also reduce the working weight after each of the sets just so that all the reps are completed. You need to gradually progress and this is what you should focus on.
It is important to remember that in any sport there are no secret methods and strategies that guarantee 100% success. You just need to gradually approach your goal without skipping workouts and pay great attention to your nutrition program.
That's all there is to say about how and when to increase your weight in bodybuilding.
Find out more information about increasing your working weight in this video:
