Welcome to Season 3 and Episode 49 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss the common tendency for people (not just women) to under load when lifting weights to build muscle and strength. In fact, it’s likely a slight majority of people in the gym are either not lifting heavy enough or taking sets close enough to failure to make changes to their muscle mass or strength!

You will learn:

• If left to their own devices, the average lifter gravitates toward sets of 10 with 50-55% of a 1 repetition max, which would not be stimulating enough to make a change to muscle mass or hypertrophy.
• That research has shown people are likely to leave too many reps in reserve (ending the set too soon) and why this will not make your muscles bigger or your body stronger.
• That research has shown that a slight majority of people select weights that are too light for a given rep range and why this will not make your muscles bigger or your body stronger.
• That if a slight majority of people with access to a fully equipped gym are prone to underloading, then people working out at home with more limited equipment might be even more prone to underloading.
• How heavy, moderate, and light loads are defined according to exercise science.
• A working definition of “serious lifters” which is people who track their workouts and correctly apply the principle of progressive overload to their training protocol. AKA, people who see results from their training!
• How laundry detergent can explain why people are so stuck on doing 3 sets of 10.
• How strength training is a lot like yoga in that it is literally ALL about listening to your body.
• How feelings can explain the tendency to underload, like avoiding feelings of discomfort or avoiding feeling embarrassed if you cannot lift a weight successfully.
• Getting close to failure is key for success in strength training.
• That healthy boundaries for women includes learning your no, but also learning your yes, especially when it comes to saying yes to loading sufficiently to build muscular strength and bone density.

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Article by Stronger By Science - Most Lifters Train Too Light

Self-Selected Resistance Exercise Load: Implications for Research and Prescription

Are Trainees Lifting Heavy Enough? Self-Selected Loads in Resistance Exercise: A Scoping Review and Exploratory Meta-analysis

Episode 32: Load & Volume: When is Enough Enough? When is it Too Much?

Episode 39: RPE, 1 RM, 3 sets of 10, oh my?