Research has shown over and over that strength training can
increase strength no matter how old you are. Many beginners find that in
the first month of weight training, they are able to lift heavier
weights almost every time they exercise. Why does this happen?
Most
older exercises have a safety-first mindset when they first start
training and pick lighter weights to start with. Then, if it feels easy,
they use more weight next time. This process may repeat itself several
times before an individual finds a weight that starts to challenge them.
However, even after it starts to feel heavy, many people are surprised and excited to see that they can still keep lifting heavier and heavier weights if they try to.
Someone who had been doing arm curls with 8 pound dumbbells and thought that was heavy, and is able to do 10 pounds a week later would say "Wow! I'm getting stronger really fast."
Yes, they are probably getting stronger, but the brain was also playing a little trick on them. The brain only recruits as many muscle fibers as it needs to move the load. So when they were doing the 8 pounders, it recruited only as many fibers as it needed to move 8 pounds, and that felt heavy to those fibers that were being used. But then when they moved up to 10 pounds, the brain just activated more fibers to get the job done.
There's one more mechanism in play that helps a person lift more weight in the first month of training. Your brain is learning how to do the exercise better. As you do an exercise several weeks in a row, it learns how to do the motion more efficiently by activating and relaxing the right muscles at the right time. Just like you learn how to swing a golf club better or play a guitar better over time, your brain is getting better at doing whatever strength exercises you're doing.
Over the course of the first month of weight training, while you find the right weight, recruit more muscle fibers to do the job, and learn how to do the movement more effectively, this all results in you being able to lift more and more weight.
The problem is that many people start to believe that they will continue to increase their weights at this pace forever. Unfortunately, the mechanisms that allowed the increase in weight will only contribute for the first month. After that, increases in strength come much slower.
People, especially men, often fall in love with the habit of lifting more and more weight. As we've seen, that's no problem in the first month of training, but it's impossible to keep increasing your weights at that pace during the second month and beyond. If it were possible, then everyone who had been lifting weights for a couple years would be using 100 pound dumbbells.
If people do continue to add more weight in the second month, it is often at the expense of proper form. They have to cheat and do the exercise incorrectly just to be able to complete the motion.
Not only does this increase the likelihood of injury, but it often results in a lower quality workout for the muscles. When you're using poor form to move big weights around, it is very likely that the muscle you are actually trying to work is not doing as much work, because the rest of the muscles are helping you cheat.
How do you know if you're doing this? Have someone watch you do an exercise with the weight you normally use, or watch yourself in the mirror. Then do the same lift again using half the weight. If your form in both tests is not identical, you're probably using too much weight. Go a little lighter and concentrate on correct execution. You'll get a safer workout and better contraction of the muscle you're supposed to be using.
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However, even after it starts to feel heavy, many people are surprised and excited to see that they can still keep lifting heavier and heavier weights if they try to.
Someone who had been doing arm curls with 8 pound dumbbells and thought that was heavy, and is able to do 10 pounds a week later would say "Wow! I'm getting stronger really fast."
Yes, they are probably getting stronger, but the brain was also playing a little trick on them. The brain only recruits as many muscle fibers as it needs to move the load. So when they were doing the 8 pounders, it recruited only as many fibers as it needed to move 8 pounds, and that felt heavy to those fibers that were being used. But then when they moved up to 10 pounds, the brain just activated more fibers to get the job done.
There's one more mechanism in play that helps a person lift more weight in the first month of training. Your brain is learning how to do the exercise better. As you do an exercise several weeks in a row, it learns how to do the motion more efficiently by activating and relaxing the right muscles at the right time. Just like you learn how to swing a golf club better or play a guitar better over time, your brain is getting better at doing whatever strength exercises you're doing.
Over the course of the first month of weight training, while you find the right weight, recruit more muscle fibers to do the job, and learn how to do the movement more effectively, this all results in you being able to lift more and more weight.
The problem is that many people start to believe that they will continue to increase their weights at this pace forever. Unfortunately, the mechanisms that allowed the increase in weight will only contribute for the first month. After that, increases in strength come much slower.
People, especially men, often fall in love with the habit of lifting more and more weight. As we've seen, that's no problem in the first month of training, but it's impossible to keep increasing your weights at that pace during the second month and beyond. If it were possible, then everyone who had been lifting weights for a couple years would be using 100 pound dumbbells.
If people do continue to add more weight in the second month, it is often at the expense of proper form. They have to cheat and do the exercise incorrectly just to be able to complete the motion.
Not only does this increase the likelihood of injury, but it often results in a lower quality workout for the muscles. When you're using poor form to move big weights around, it is very likely that the muscle you are actually trying to work is not doing as much work, because the rest of the muscles are helping you cheat.
How do you know if you're doing this? Have someone watch you do an exercise with the weight you normally use, or watch yourself in the mirror. Then do the same lift again using half the weight. If your form in both tests is not identical, you're probably using too much weight. Go a little lighter and concentrate on correct execution. You'll get a safer workout and better contraction of the muscle you're supposed to be using.