Put Some Weight on the Bar

If you are doing any type of resistance training one of the most important things to do is to gradually lift heavier weights over time. When you first begin a resistance training program you are forcing your body to adapt and change by putting it under stress. Over time your body will adapt to the weights that you are lifting and the weight that used to cause your body to change will eventually not have the same effect. In order to keep forcing your body to adapt you must continually try to put your body through harder workouts and one of the easiest ways to do this is by adding weight or more resistance to your lifts.

When adding weight it is important to make small jumps and keep your technique perfect. Many people try to add large amounts of weight to the bar which causes their technique to break down. This will not lead to sustainable long term progress. If you look at your workout simply as a way to force your body to adapt then all you need to do is to add 1 pound to a lift in order to force your body to change. By making small jumps like this you will be able to maintain your technique and sustain your progress for longer.

My favorite way to add small amounts of weight to the bar or dumbbells is to use Platemates. Platemates are small 1 1/4 lbs magnets that can be attached to the weight. They are a great way to make small jumps in weight. The example I always give with the Platemates is with dumbbells. If you have a woman who is lifting 10lbs dumbbells and the next jump is 15lbs dumbbells then this is a 50% jump in weight. It may only be 5lbs but it is a 50% jump in weight which is a huge change. If you have Platemates then you can make either an 11.25lbs or 12.5lbs dumbbell. This is a much smaller change and it will lead to much more sustainable progress over time.