I have lost count with the amount of times I have been in a gym and have seen guys thinking they're Dwayne Johnson. Going in the gym and simply trying to lift as much as you can is not the way to build a strong, good looking physique. The problem is, some guys simply don't want to lower the weight, as they think that will make them look weak. You may be able to bench press 100kg, but your form could be absolutely shocking, and your simply doing everything possible to lift that weight, not caring what muscles you are actually using. That is not what you should be doing, if having a strong, muscular physique is what you're after. Instead, you want to lower the weight, to a manageable level, so you can really target the muscles that are intended for each lift. With a bench press (use that as an example as it's common) you want to obviously target the chest, so make sure you pick a weight to start with that is fairly comfortable, increasing the weight sensibly each set, still being able to keep good form. Correct form is crucial to building muscle mass. If you watch any guy who's in great shape when they train, I would guarantee they have awesome form, as it allows you to hit the right muscles, and you can then gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.
Yes, you would be lifting less, but you would be doing a far, far better job, and your workouts would actually be worthwhile. I think every guy at some point kept his ego in the gym, and just tried to lift as heavy as possible, completely neglecting form. I know a few well known trainers who have said they have done that, and it's a common and easy thing to do. The gym can be a very egotistic place, and a lot of 'gym rats' can be very egotistic, so I can understand why some people don't want to lift less weight, but it's the right thing to do. I have done it myself - when I first started working out, I wanted to see how much I could lift (which doing that is not bad, finding your 1 rep max is a good thing) but then I didn't want to lift less as I thought that would be going backwards, but I have long learnt my lesson.
It's like with a lot of things in life, you have to start off small before you jump into the big leagues. Look at racing for an example. Nobody jumps straight into a high powered sports car, they start with a small engine car and learn the skill of racing, and then gradually build up the power of the cars. With weight training, you have to learn the right techniques, using lower weights, and then you can gradually increase the weight as you get stronger and have a solid technique.
Just a quick post today, but something I wanted to write about, as it is a common problem. It may be hard to do, but leave that ego (if you have one that is) at the door. Train smart!
Lee Gregory Fitness
