One of my clients recently asked me, “When I first started strength training, I noticed a fairly steady upward progression. I don’t know when that levels off; you can’t gain forever, can you?”
Most people make fairly linear and consistent strength progress when they first start. However, you can't gain forever! At some point, other factors take over (e.g. time available to train, age, chronic issues, et cetera).
Know that you can increase your strength at any age, at any level of experience. While it’s important to focus on progressive overload (a fancy term for consistently increasing the challenge level of your workouts), increasing the weight you’re lifting isn’t the only way to achieve this. You can add reps, decrease rest periods, use different equipment, or progress to more challenging versions of the exercises you’re performing.
Here are some things to consider other than constantly increasing the weight you're lifting. Are you:
Getting about a 7/10 exertion level when lifting? Recovering well? Not feeling too much muscle soreness? Feeling decently energized for workouts? Able to train long-term without injury? Noticing carryover effects from lifting to your life? Learning new movements patterns once in a while?
Karina Inkster is a qathet region health and fitness coach, author of five books, and host of the No-B.S. Vegan podcast.
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