— ...body exercises, an increase of one rep corresponds to about a decrease
in resistance. If you are overhead pressing pounds for reps, to increase
your rep count by a mere one, to , is comparable to adding . pounds while
keeping the rep count at . is is a big increase if the -pound -rep set
is already very demanding. So adding very small increments, while using a
constant rep count, is a better trick (mentally and physically) for progressing
sufficiently gradually that gains can be steady and consistent.. Even when you cannot increase your rep count you can probably perform
the same number of reps but with a very small increment on the bar. Do
that several times and, using the above illustration, you will creep to the .
pounds that is equivalent to a one-rep gain. And you can do this without
perceiving any increase in training difficulty. en keep doing that, again
and again. A lot of little increments add up to a substantial gain.Focus on achieving the next – gain in all your exercises,
and a tad more on each of your muscular girths—these are your
medium-term goals. If you apply yourself to this approach, and
keep doing it repeatedly for a number of years, you will eventu-
ally get as big and strong as it is possible for you to become. Your
immediate short-term target should be to take the next small step
towards your next set of medium-term goals.As much as is practically possible, gear every aspect of your life
to create the conditions needed to add iron to each exercise every
week or two, be that increment a pound or two, for example, or just
a few ounces. Poundage progression in good form is what building
muscle and might is primarily about, though some specific forms
of training yield strength gains but little or no accompanying mus-
cle growth. e possible differences between strength-focus and
strength-and-size focus training methods will be explained later
in this book. Never lose sight of the pivotal importance of progression.
Organize your training program, workout frequency, nutrition,
sleep and rest habits so that you make progression a reality.