Less Weight, More Reps...

Spotify hit currently playing..."Empty" - Ray LaMontagne

I initially wanted to blog about how I had made this great discovery today, but I realize that it was actually confirmation of what I have known all along but have been determined to disprove (that's my usual MO). Sometimes I have to drop the dumbell on my own foot, so to speak, to get the message...

In my quest to work on my fitness beyond cardio world, I've been trying to integrate some weight training into my weekly routine.  As with all things, I decided to approach it full throttle, knock it out the park, go hard, etc. My initial thought process was that I would lift the heaviest weights I could pick up for as many reps as I could stand.  What I quickly found out, however, was that it was concomitantly unsuccessful and needlessly painful.  Pride and the need to prove my adequacy in the gym (to clearly show that small people can be mighty) hindered my willingness to want to try anything contrary to my original plan. I did, however, decide to step back and take some good advice--which led me to trying smaller weights, which allowed me to do more reps with less pain. Eureka! Success!

One might say, 'duh..the point of this is?'  As I stood in the shower tonight, thinking about today, the connection flooded over me and hit me like the hot water rushing out the spiget.  In ways sundry and not so random, my life lately has been much like the gym, and in my true form, I keep reaching for the biggest weights and getting the least results.  It's about time I step back, reapproach the weight rack, and reselect a new set of weights--a set that I can I can make the most progress with and go longer with.  I'm humble enough to admit that. 

As simple and as juvenalian as this thought process may sound, it makes sense for me.  And I'm actually going to try and follow through.