Everyone is guilty of doing dumb things to impress people. There are whole youtube videos dedicated to broadcasting how wrong these things can go.
Think about this the next time you’re in the gym. How many people do you see putting too much weight on the bar in order to impress their mates. Maybe you do it yourself but the loud grunts as you push your body beyond its limits is impressing no-one and may even be hindering your results.
If you let your ego get in the way of your lifting then it will impact on how much you can lift. But don’t take it from us, take it from one of the world’s fittest men. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has a training and eating regime that many men try to emulate because it gets results. The man has only gotten bigger and stronger as he ages, so if there is anyone to try and copy it’s him. One way to do that is to lift achievable weights because The Rock, believes in leaving the ego at the door in order to achieve success.
Yes it’s a big philosophy I have. Lord knows it ain’t easy😉, but we gotta do our best to check our ego at the door. https://t.co/Iwo1PEw5bc
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 3, 2016
The Rock’s philosphy is backed up by science too according to online fitness coach Leslie Hooper. Leslie told her Instagram followers that too often men add what she labelled ‘vanity weight’ to a bar which resulted in over lifting and this was where they run into problems. By over lifting men were sacrificing results by not achieving a full range of motion. As she says “If you’re not executing a FULL range of motion at a slow and controlled pace throughout the entire movement, you’re not getting the most out of your exercise.”
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Muscles grow by adding more tension not by just pilling on the weights because your muscles have no concept of the specific weight that is being lifted, only the tension it creates says Leslie. Adding more weights does increase tension but if the sacrifice to do so is your range then it’s not worth it.
Executing a full movement without the extra weight may not look as tough but in the long run it will mean better results. So as Leslie says:
“Leave your ego at the door and reduce the weight. No one cares how much you’re lifting.”
Dropping the weights doesn’t mean you drop the intensity though. The Rock didn’t get to where he is by not pushing himself. But it’s about not sacrificing form because your ego believes you can bench press double your body weight. It’s about not injuring yourself because an extra plate on the squat rack looks better.
Next time you’re at the gym just have a think about The Rock’s philosophy. If you’re adding weights for vanity, then take it down a notch. Lift what you can with full range and you’ll achieve greater success.