Assigning Weight (Load) to Your Workouts
When weight
training, it is absolutely necessary to track your progress by keeping a close
tab on controllable variables – such as which exercises, how many sets, number
of repetitions, and how much weight. You
should record these variables regularly so that you can compare them to past
performances. Additionally, if you have
these variables to review, you’ll know when they need to be pushed for
improvement, as well as when they need to be changed.
HyperStrike
includes these variables into many of the exercise program designs. Depending on the program you use, we assign
exercises, reps, sets, and rest. The
only one variable we don’t assign is weight.
Why Doesn’t HyperStrike Assign Weight to Exercises
Everyone is
different, with varying levels of training experiences and strength. We have literally thousands of members who,
naturally, possess different strength levels. Further, even strength can be different within the same person from one day
to the next. How is this possible?
Many
factors affect your strength from day to day – things such as sleep, food
intake, mood, stress, daily activities, motivation level, and other factors
even less apparent. For these reasons it
is necessary that weight is
not assigned
to exercises, but rather it is left to you to select and record. As you might have experienced, some days
you’re dragging and just don’t have the extra oomph, while other days you’re
full of energy and feel invincible. Because of this, you will naturally select your weight with slight
variations from day to day. Only you can
do this, not anyone else.
Weight Selection Also Depends on the
Sets and Reps Assigned
Obviously
as you become stronger, the weight that you can use will change. But aside from that, the weight selection of
an exercise changes necessarily when different reps and sets are used. Because it is important to maintain variety,
reps, sets and rest are often changed. (Remember,
these variables need to be changed frequently to bring further positive
adaptation; therefore, the weights you’ll select are often different.)
The reason
the weight you select must change with the reps, sets and rest are pretty
obvious: The weight you can use for 15
repetitions is different from the weight you can use for only 5
repetitions. If you’re using a weight
that’s truly heavy enough for only 5 repetitions (and no more), then you had
better select a lighter weight if you’ll attempt 15 reps!
Track Your Weight
HyperStrike
therefore does not prescribe weight and leaves that up to you. It’s important that you track your weight for
many of the exercises you perform. You
can use a little inexpensive journal or notebook. This way you always have an idea of what
weight you have used for a particular exercise with specific reps, sets and rest. Additionally, for that particular exercise, sometimes you’ll use
slightly more weight, other times you may use slightly less weight; it all
depends on your physiological and psychological state coming into the exercise. But one thing is for sure, you’ll always want
to give your best effort when doing any exercise!
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