Nursing an injury with a bunch of correctives can get dangerous quickly. Don’t give your injuries too much power. Always look for a way to continue training in a way that is close to how you want to train!

The number of times I say “grind” in this episode makes the title fitting. It took me 2 separate clips to get my thoughts out to answer a question I received a while back, essentially asking how quickly you could expect to add X amount of weight to a particular lift.

It’s only natural to pace yourself when lifting, but doing this may actually work to your detriment. Every rep of a set should demand all of your focus, and all of your effort. Only after your first rep do you prepare for rep #2. Using this approach will make for more efficient lifting. Yes, it goes against what feels natural. Yes, you have to train yourself to lift this way.

I have fallen apart.

I don’t approach a max-out session in the same way I approach the process of working up to a single. A true max-out session can be great and important, especially if you follow a percentage-based training program, but I prefer working to a high single for most trainees because this can be done at a higher frequency, and I find it to be safer. Maxing-out is rugged - lift a weight, add weight, lift again (and continue until you either fail or die). Working up to a single requires more strategy - you don’t want to actually fail (or die), you want to work up to a little before that point, and then move on. I explain the differences in how I view a max-out session vs. a “work up to a single” session in this episode.

Confidence is having a deep understanding of your strengths and abilities, then it is not getting too high when people praise you and not getting too low when people criticize you. You shouldn’t feel confident or not feel confident based on feedback from others.

People who lift weights want you to lift weights too! Your level of strength and your capabilities don’t matter. They are pumped to have new and more people into what they’re into.

When you feel like your progress has stalled, work on making sub-maximal weights feel more routine.

If you’re trying to kick a bad habit, you have to stay busy.

Decide what you’re after, then decide to what level you need to be committed.