You’re fit, but you’re not getting fitter

and here’s why

Luke Allen
Nov 6 · 3 min read

You go to the gym religiously and have a pretty decent diet, that’s awesome. But let me ask you this, have you seen any real progress over the last year? If the answer for you - like most of us - is no, then something has to change. Even if you’re doing good things, it would be crazy to think that more of the same is going to start working suddenly.

To lift more weight you have to lift more weight

I did an experiment recently. I would attempt a 20-rep set on barbell squat with a certain starting weight, and if I got all 20 reps then I forced myself to go up by 10 pounds and do it again the next leg day. In the first workout I did 155 pounds, and it wasn’t a walk in the park. 20 reps later, I knew I had to go up the next workout.

A line graph showing squat weights over the last month starting from 155 and going up to 215
A line graph showing squat weights over the last month starting from 155 and going up to 215
Current results from my 20-rep squat challenge, via CleanLift for iOS

It turns out, the body can do a lot more than the mind thinks, or wants it to. I’ve currently worked my way up to 215 pounds and am planning to hit 225 in the next workout. I fully expected to be stuck at 185, but it turns out that when you challenge your body it rises to the occasion.

The Mind Hack

You might not be able to just do more weight. If you could, you would have already. However, you can tell yourself to do more weight.

Recent workout activity, via CleanLift for iOS

I have become dependent on my app CleanLift when I go to the gym. When I’m in the middle of logging my workout, I can just tap a button to see what my recent reps and weights were for the lift I’m about to do. I don’t even have to think, or negotiate with myself, about what weight to do that day. I see that I did 215 for 20 reps on Saturday, so today I’m putting 225 on my back.

Becoming a weight-lifting robot that follows the plan you’ve created previously is a dirty little hack that lets your body do more than your mind wants.

Failure is an option, actually

This type of training almost guarantees failure at some point, and that’s good. Whether you’re doing squats or running miles, getting past the point you feel like going is what tells your body that it’s time to get stronger.

By no means do you have to go kill your quads every workout, but you do have to start somewhere. So go pick a weight/distance/etc, do it with proper form and technique, increment the next time, and repeat.

And if it is a timed or rep-based exercise, I recommend tracking results with the CleanLift iOS app.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade