It’s almost six weeks since you enrolled in the strength training classes. However, your muscular endurance seems to have stagnated over the last few days. You are grabbing the 5-pound weights in barbell class quite easily. You're still picking up the same kettlebells that you started with when you started the strength-building program. The most likely cause for your plateau phase may because you aren’t lifting enough weight.
It is important to note that you will not bulk up overnight. Strength training and resistance building take time. Lifting weights will challenge your muscular tone and change your body with time. However, you may be searching for progress in your muscle-strengthening classes. Gradually increasing the weight that you lift at the gym may help dictate your progress. Here are signs that you need to increase the weight for your strength training exercises.
1. You Are Breezing Through Your Reps
If you are making the deadlifts with ease, you may not be challenging yourself enough. Every strength training program has specific goals that determine the weight, reps, and sets to undertake for each exercise. Hitting the top of your rep range during your sets with proper form can be a sign to go up in weight.
You may need to incrementally increase the weight. A general rule of thumb is to plan a 2 to 5-pound increase for the upper body and a 5 to 10-pound increase for the lower body. Adding more weight may improve your progressive overload, a basic aspect of any high-intensity interval training.
2. You Can’t See the Results
The goals set for your strength training class should dictate how heavy you can lift and the way to achieve it. There are different ways to achieve your fitness goals other than increasing your weight, such as increasing the number of reps. However, if you have been hitting the gym without much progress, it may be time to consider increasing weight to align with your fitness goals.
Staying on the same weight for too long may stagnate your progress to build more muscle. It may take you four to six weeks to incrementally build on the weight to the point that you can notice changes in your muscle tone.
3. Your Form Is Flawless
All the weight increase hype may be futile if the body isn’t ready to handle the extra pounds. You may need to ensure that your form is perfect, allowing you to perform the specific exercise safely. The effects of increasing weight without proper form may result in serious injuries, especially for strength-building exercises that may put a strain on your spine.
Being in great form allows you to record consistent progress over time. Ideally, a certified trainer at the local gym can give you real-time feedback on your form. You may also record yourself as you do the sets to identify areas you may be doing wrong.
Stagnating on the same weight over several weeks can slow down your fitness journey. Knowing when to add weight to your exercises is a critical part of your strength training program. If you are unsure about whether to increase weight or not, reach out to Texas Family Fitness. Our expert trainers can analyze your form and provide feedback on the right way to gradually add the pounds to the bars.
