Mar 26, 2024
The Evolution of Training Expectations: Managing Your Mindset
PRs measure progress, encourage buy-in and consistency, and help make training fun for novice, intermediate, and early-advanced lifters.
This slows or ends. You want to keep training for the rest of your life, though.
The driving force for keeping you training cannot be PRs. You cannot expect to drive up weight on the bar consistently. Failing programmed reps is not actually failure, in the scheme of your goals to train consistently and grow and maintain strength, vitality, and health over time.
If you are overly wedded to today's workout - if there is a hyper focus on today - you are, really, falling into an exercise (not training) mindset.
Now, it's true that training involves following a plan. But our bodies do not always cooperate - even the best coach in the world cannot perfectly predict your performance that day.
Things need to change.
The Evolution of Training Expectations: Accumulate Hard Sets
Accumulate heavy but doable sets over time. This is the way to build strength and muscle over time.
As you progress, great flexibility will likely need to be built into your program. You will not be able to grind away RPE 9.5-10 sets.
You need to enjoy training. Picking a specific exercise to drive up, as opposed to everything, may make sense.
Focusing on consistency (even if it's one lift a day) can help.
Play with different supplemental lifts and different rep schemes. Take the PRs when they are there, and enjoy them.
You may think about maximizing recovery. It will take longer and longer to get PRs (and one day they will stop).
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