At this point, we’ve all heard about the numerous benefits of weight lifting.
It not only helps you build muscle and develop strength, it also improves your sleep, boosts the metabolism, and lowers inflammation in your body.
It’s no wonder that weight lifting has become popular over the past few years!
But you may be wondering – how HARD should you train to get these fantastic benefits?
In other words, is it always better to train at the highest level of intensity?
The answer is – it depends on the kind of results you want.
If your goal is to develop the maximum strength, your workouts should be at the highest possible training intensity.
What is exactly training intensity?
In weight lifting, training intensity is defined as a percentage of your one-rep max.
If you can lift 100 lbs in a single rep, this will be your 100% training intensity.
Which means your 90% will be at 90 lbs, etc…
Now, here’s how hard you should train depending on your goals.
For strength, you should lift between 85% and 100% of your one-rep max and take 4-8 minutes of rest between sets.
For muscle growth, the ideal range is 65%-85% of your one rep max with up to 3 minutes of rest between sets.
Strength endurance requires you to lift between 40% and 65% of your 1RM and take 2-3 minutes of rest between sets.
However, training intensity isn’t the only important factor.
There are also training volume and density.
Volume refers to how much weight you lift in a single training session: it’s calculated as: weight x sets x reps = volume.
This means you can make your workouts harder by just increasing the number of sets and reps.
Another way to make your workouts more challenging is to increase the density.
You do this by taking shorter rest between sets.
Training density is calculated using the volume formula: completion time = density (lbs/min.)
You can increase the density by either increasing volume or shortening your workouts.
So here’s the main takeaway from all this…
If your goal is to progressively overload your body and get stronger, leaner, and more muscular, there are many ways to achieve this goal.
The exact ratio of training intensity, volume, and density is up to you.
Try different programs and see what works best for you!
Stay fit my friend,
Michael
Founder & CEO