Building a muscular physique requires a certain amount of resistance training in order to force the body to build back bigger, but going too heavy can be counterproductive. So how much is too much when it comes to stacking on the weights? Fortunately, former Olympia Women’s Physique Champion, Dana Linn Bailey, has the answers that you can apply to any exercise.
“Here’s to know if you’re throwing on too much weight,” explained Bailey in an Instagram reel for her 2-million-plus followers. “Watch your range of motion.” Okay, but let’s back up a bit — why is going too heavy an issue when social media is awash with athletes training to the brink of failure? The answer is in your tendons, because they grow at a much slower rate than muscles. Going too heavy, too fast, can result in sprains and tears that will send your lifting capacity down to zero, so patience and proper form is key.
What Are the Telltale Signs Your Weight Is Too Heavy?
Squats: “If you can squat to full depth with no weight, but as you add more weight your squat gets higher and higher, you didn’t suddenly lose mobility, the load just exceeded your strength for that full range,” shares Linn, who says that the mechanics of a squat should look the same with or without weights. “And what you should be doing, is getting that full depth so that all of your reps look identical, before moving up your weights.”
Bench Press: While bouncing the bar off your chest is a bad idea, you should be able to make contact between chest and bar at the bottom of a rep. If you are unable to do so, then your range of motion has been cut short, and you should lose some plates.
Hip Thrust: Your knees should be horizontally lined up with your hips at the top of the thrust, but adding too much weight can lead to compensation from the lower back, leading to arching and hyperextension. This is a telltale sign that you are going too heavy.
Leg Press: “Knees are barely bending,” explains Bailey of a surefire cue to curtail the weight. “Not lowering fully in the stretch,” is another sign.
Shoulder Press: Involuntary half reps or being forced too low is a sign that your shoulder press should feature less load, explains the 2013 Women’s Physique champion.
The rules that apply to any exercise: The principle that can be applied to any move, whether pushing or pulling, is to make sure that you are not sacrificing your range of motion for heavier weights. “So, check your ego. Are you going too heavy?” asked Linn. “Once you have built the strength, in your proper form, then you can bump up.”
Even in the larger-than-life world of bodybuilding, less load can lead to greater gains.
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