The heavier the weight being lifted, the more technique along with proper form/range of motion is required.
The human body is highly adaptable to any condition you put it in. After all, exercise is nothing more than applying stress to the body. The result, your body tries to adapt and your overall fitness (strength & endurance) increases. When you rely on adaptive equipment, you are cheating your body from being able to fully adapt and strengthen from the stress (exercise) being applied. Take for example, gloves. Your hands rely on them every time you grip a bar or dumbbell. Of course, if you ditch the gloves, your hands will hurt after a few days or week of training, but then you will build calluses and be right back where you were in no time. Let your body do the work.
Keep it natural in all aspects of fitness and life. Don’t rely on weight belts, gloves, or any accessories while training, because chances are, you won’t have those available when put to the test outside the gym setting. Listen to your body and how you feel. If the weight is too heavy, reduce it, and make your muscles work to strengthen. For example, if you are doing squats and you feel it more in your lower back than your glute and quadricep muscles, that probably means your lower back muscles need to be strengthened. So focus on lower back exercises. Think proactive and not reactive. An injury will occur and set you back if you continue to push beyond what your body can handle.
You are training for a journey. What matters most is that you continually get better day after day. Take it one step at a time. If you perfect each repetition, each set, each training session, you will build a foundation for a healthier you. Who cares what you can lift, what matters is that you are fit for the activity you like to do. Train smart, train hard, & Hunt Strong.
Davie “Crockett” Ferraro
Hunt Strong, LLC. Owner & Founder