This is about how to fail your muscles. That's right, in the gym (or while doing your at-home strength training,) the goal is to fail.
Have you heard before that you should do 8-12 repetitions of each exercise? Did you ever wonder how you were supposed to choose the number of reps to do?
Here's the technique:
1. Choose a weight that you think you'll be able to do for 8-12 reps. Using great lifting form, and slow, smooth movements, do up to 12 reps.
2. If you were able to make it to 12, you can up the weight on the next set. If you didn't quite make it to 12, keep the weight the same until you can make it to 12.
This way, you are always upping either the weight or the reps (while not going over 12 or sometimes 14 reps.) If you notice that you're always lifting the same amount of weight and it's not going up, something is wrong. Our muscles are wonderfully designed to continually grow in strength and stamina. So, push your limits!
