I want to share a quick training insight based on some observations with a few distance coaching clients and in-person members at ELEVATE. I think this will resonate with anyone training in a group or on their own.
Over the past four Day 1 sessions of one particular member’s program, they used a 20kg kettlebell for Goblet Squats, regardless of whether the reps were 8 or 6 per set.
That tells me a couple of things:
- The 20kg is a comfortable working weight for Goblet Squats.
- They likely had more options available than they explored.
- And these aren’t bad things, but they can slow down progress.
Using the same weight, session after session, feels like cruise control, with your training on autopilot. Even when reps drop, strength doesn’t automatically improve unless you give is a reason to.
That reason might look like:
- Increasing the load for a set or two.
- Waving heavier and lighter dumbbells and/or kettlebells.
- Pushing one set closer to a true effort, or leaving 1-2 reps in reserve (RIR).
Progress doesn’t always mean adding weight every week. Smart progressions can show up in a number of different ways.
For our Goblet Squat example:
- Start with 16kg as a light, crisp warm up set.
- Make a bigger jump to 24kg and see how it feels.
- If it’s too heavy, drop back to 20kg or 22kg for the remaining sets.
- If it feels solid, maybe try 28kg for a set.
Or, take the 20kg and ride one set harder than planned.
If your set target is 8 reps, hit that, then realize you can do 2-3 more…then do another 2-3 more…then maybe you can still do another 2-3 more…
All of the sudden, your set of 8 turned into a strong set of 14-17 clean reps.
That’s valuable information. It tells us you were working below your current capacity.
What I want you to know is that your warm up to working sets don’t need to be linear.
Training doesn’t need to look like: 20kg, 20kg, 20kg, 20kg.
Training can look like:
- 16kg, 24kg, 24kg, 20kg or
- 20kg, 24kg, 20kg, 24kg or
- 16kg, 24kg, 28kg, 20kg
This kind of “waving” keeps training honest, responsive, and productive.
Waving training loads helps you break through your ceiling instead of hanging too far below or bumping against it every session. It also makes your training more interesting and fun, and it’s a sign that you’re learning how to auto-regulate your strength training.
This ties back to what I shared last week. Some sessions are heavy. Some sessions are light. Most are medium, but medium does not mean the same every time.
The goal is to show up, assess how you feel, and train at the level your body is ready for that day.
After having this conversation with one member, she responded with, “This was great going low and then higher in weights. I was able to try weights I had thought would be too heavy. Thanks for challenging me.”
So as you head into your next strength session, ask:
- Where could you explore heavier weight?
- Which exercise or movement could you push one set a little harder or further?
- Where in your training program do you feel like you’re playing it safe?
Let me know what you’re thinking, or if you want help planning how to approach it.