Ep 82 | How Hard Should You Train in Heavy Lifting? (Part 3)
Training maximal strength with squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press, pull-ups, and other compound lifts is an excellent way to take your training to the next level after you've been building muscle for a while. But as you transition into heavier lifts, you'll notice that approaching muscle failure feels completely different from high-volume training. Understanding what to expect helps you properly judge how hard you're challenging yourself in heavy lifting sessions.
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Jayd (00:00):
Training maximal strength in sets of squats, bench deadlift, overhead press, pull-ups, and other compound lifts where you're lifting a lot of weight is a great way for you to take your training to the next level after you have been building muscle and lifting for a while. As you transition into heavier lifts in your workouts, you'll notice that the level of fatigue that you feel as you're approaching muscle failure feels very different from the way that you felt when you were approaching muscle failure during your high volume training, and it's important that you have an awareness that it's going to feel different as you transition into heavier lifts so you know what to expect and you can properly judge how hard you're challenging yourself in your heavy lifting sessions.
(01:01)
Welcome to the Coaching Corner podcast. I'm Jayd Harrison. I've been a personal trainer for over 10 years and I've created this podcast to share some tips and tricks with you so that you can make gains, get strong and achieve your fitness goals without shame and without burnout. In today's episode, we're going to be talking about how it feels to challenge yourself properly during heavy lifting blocks of training. Now, this is the last part of my three-part discussion on how hard you should train during your workouts. In the previous two episodes, we talked about how to gauge your level of challenge during cardiovascular training, and in the last one we talked about how to gauge your level of effort in high volume or hypertrophy focused resistance training. Now, I will say that heavy lifting is not something that you should be trying to do if you have less than at least six months of experience lifting.
(01:57)
I actually recommend that you spend a good year or two years learning how to lift properly in a high volume range before you start to attempt heavier lifts. But when you do go to transition to lifting heavier weights, there are a lot of differences that you'll notice and we're going to talk about those in this episode. Now, before we get into the episode, make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel if you're watching on YouTube. That way you never miss new videos as they drop. If you are listening to this podcast episode, thank you so much. Make sure that you follow the show so you always get the latest episodes delivered right to your device. Without further ado, let's talk about how to properly challenge yourself and gauge how much you're challenging yourself in your heavy lifting resistance training workouts.
(02:50)
Training heavy lifts or high intensity usually involves lifting really heavy weight for very small sets of reps between 1, 2, 3, or at most six reps per set, so you're going to be lifting a lot more weight than what you normally would be lifting in the high volume training. This is a great way for people who are intermediate lifters to take their training to the next level and push their bodies to maximize their gains and improve the strength and coordination of their bodies. It helps to train your nervous system for maximal force output, which can be really helpful, especially in performing sports where you may need to do quick bursts of powerful movements. I noticed years ago after I started powerlifting that when I returned back to boxing and mixed martial arts, my punches were a lot more powerful and efficient. My kicks were also a lot harder and faster.
(03:56)
Maximal strength development with heavy lifting is also a really solid foundation for power training, which is the type of training in Olympic lifts like cleans and presses as well as snatches. So if you want to be able to generate a lot of power, developing your maximal strength is one of the foundations that leads to that. And like I said before, it is important that you have a solid foundation of one to two years of consistent lifting experience before you begin to lift heavy loads. Part of that is because you need to make sure that you have good technique because bad technique with heavy loads is a recipe for injury. Now when you do go to start training with heavier loads, you'll notice that pushing yourself with heavier loads and lower numbers of reps and each set will feel a lot differently than what it felt like to push yourself in high volume training.
(04:55)
In high volume training, when you're focused on hypertrophy, you're performing a much lighter weight with a higher number of reps to the point where you feel the muscles burning as they fatigue that burning sensation that you feel is the lactic acid building up in your muscles as your muscles go through their energy stores and then you end the set when you feel those muscles burning and you feel like you can only do one, two, or three more reps. Well, when you are lifting heavy, you don't often get that same burning sensation and that's because you're not asking your muscles to perform for as long of a time period like in a large set of eight to 12 or as much as 10 to 20 reps. Instead, you're lifting a higher, more concentrated load of weight in a small amount of time. So the name of the game when it comes to heavy lifting is a huge burst of energy where you are trying to engage as much of the muscles as possible at once to move big weight versus when you are lifting higher volume training, you are burning through your muscles energy stores and you don't necessarily need to have the entire muscle fired up at the beginning of a set.
(06:09)
You're able to kind of distribute the effort of the exercise among different groups of muscle fibers throughout the time of each set. So you may have one group of muscle fibers or motor units that are firing up at the beginning of the set as they get tired, a second group of motor units activates to keep the movement going while the other motor units can rest. And then when those motor units get exhausted, then we move on to the next group of motor units, and that's how your muscles are able to work for such a long period of time because it's using one part of the muscle, then the other, then another, then another. When you're doing heavy lifts, you are asking your muscle units to work all together at the same time, which is going to allow you to push more weight, but it's not going to feel the same as it was when you were lifting those higher volume loads.
(07:06)
You're not going to typically get that lactic acid buildup because you're not exhausting the muscles in the same way that you were when you were doing high volume training. Instead, when you're pushing yourself during heavy lifts, you'll likely notice that the weight itself is going to start off feeling a lot heavier than it did during your high volume sets. As you continue to perform reps of that exercise, you'll notice that the weight begins to slow down. It gets harder and harder for you to press the weight up or to pull the weight up as you perform more reps to the point where you're really only able to do 1, 2, 3 at most six reps of the exercise before you have to rest because your muscles just aren't doing it anymore. So you'll notice that the weight slows down and if you do actually get to muscle failure that looks like the weight just doesn't move, the bar isn't going back up.
(08:05)
So it's not uncommon to be a little bit surprised and caught off guard by muscle failure when you're lifting heavy because your body doesn't give you the same cues that it did as you approached muscle failure during your high volume sets, and that's totally okay. As you get more experienced with lifting heavy, you will get better at reading your body's signs that you're approaching muscle failure or form failure, but here are a few things that you can watch out for to ensure that you're lifting and pushing yourself to the right amount while also respecting your body's cues to avoid and reduce the risk of injury. So again, you're not likely going to experience the same burning sensation in the working muscles that you did in your high volume sets. The set is likely going to end before you start to get of those metabolic byproducts of larger sets of exercises.
(08:59)
The weight will feel massively heavy from the very first rep, and there's likely not going to be much of a distinction in how the weight feels from the first rep to the last rep, whereas with high volume training or muscle building training, the weight begins to feel heavier and heavier towards the end of the set as you approach muscle failure, but you will likely see the bar speed slow down significantly as you approach muscle failure. Now, this is not always the case. There are definitely exceptions to this rule. I have plenty of clients and friends who while lifting heavy, don't really show much of a sign of slowing down before their muscles fail and they're not able to move the bar. And while it's really not necessary for you to push yourself to the point where you can't move the bar anymore and you fail the lift, this is often what happens and it's more likely to happen during heavy lifting sets.
(09:54)
So you are more likely to experience muscle failure or fail the lift on your last rep in heavy lifting than you did when you were in high volume training. But I just want to note here that failing the last rep of your set or failing the attempt is not actually a failure. We call it failure, but it doesn't mean that you as the lifter are a failure. Muscle failure is just something that happens when the weight is just too heavy and heavier than what our bodies can lift at the time. And this could be due to our muscles being tired or it can be due to many other factors. There are many reasons why the bar doesn't move. Okay? So experiencing failure on a last rep or in an attempt to lift a heavy weight is very common and it's not a failure. Okay? I just want to point that out and you are going to experience it from time to time.
(10:51)
If you are practicing heavy lifts, there are a couple of key indicators that can let you know that you are approaching form or muscle failure when you're lifting heavy and you will just get better at sensing these things the more that you practice. So one of course noticing that the bar speed is changing. If you are one of those people that experiences this, that can be a good clear sign and indicator that it's time to end your set. If you start to see the bar slowing down significantly, you do want to practice ending your set before your muscles or before your form fails, just so that you can reduce your risk of injury. We don't want to be performing reps with imperfect technique or changing how we are standing or lifting in some way just to get the bar to move. Only practice good technique reps.
(11:40)
And once that bar starts to slow down, that's when you need to end your set just to keep things safe. As you get more practice, you may also start to sense when your form is going to fail. You might start to be thinking, I don't know if I can do this next rep with good form or good technique. So that's sometimes an indicator, especially as you get more practiced and more experienced that you are working where you need to be working. You may also feel like every fiber of your muscles is firing, but you just can't generate any more force. But a lot of times failure does happen quite suddenly when all of a sudden you just simply can't move the bar, not necessarily from accumulated muscle burn or any other indicators that you might sense in your body. So as you can see, heavy lifting requires a lot of mental focus.
(12:31)
It is a lot of physical and mental demand on your body and from your mind to be able to push or pull heavy sets. Having a little bit of fear and good level of respect for the weight is normal, and a lot of times when I'm doing heavy sets, I'll even doubt to myself, can I really move that weight? Can I really do that? That is also a normal thing to experience with heavy lifting, and a lot of times you just really don't know that you can't do a weight until you try it, and that's what heavy lifting is all about. And the difference here when you're thinking about your rate of perceived exertion or reps in reserve, it's just so much harder to gauge with heavy lifting than with muscle building, and that's because the gap between, I could maybe do one more versus I definitely cannot do another rep is so small and that window closes really quickly and abruptly sometimes, so please don't be hard on yourself if you fail a lift or you fail a rep.
(13:33)
But I do want to stress the importance of having safeties up and having a spotter if you are going to be practicing heavier lifts because failing a lift is very common when you're doing heavy lifts and you want to make sure that if you do fail the lift, you can do so safely without causing injury to yourself. So when you're doing bench press, make sure that you have the safety bars up or whatever safeties you're using at the level where if you needed to bail from the lift, you could get out from underneath the bar. Same thing when you're doing squats. Make sure that you have safeties up to the point where if you needed to bail, you could drop the weight and do so without ruining your floor or injuring yourself. Form breakdown also happens a lot faster when you're lifting heavy, so you want to be very mindful of your body's positioning and be ready to notice when you do anything different that might sacrifice some of your technique and your form.
(14:32)
As soon as you have to start doing something differently to make the weight move, I recommend ending the set. You want to practice each rep of every set, especially when you're heavy lifting with good technique. And just like with the other styles of training, there are a few red flags that you want to look out for when you are heavy. One sharp pain, especially in the joints, any acute pain is a bad sign, and if you feel that or experience that either in your joints or somewhere else, you need to end your set immediately. You may be using too much weight or it's just more than what you can handle today or there may be something wrong with your technique. Either way, you should not ever push through sharp acute pain if you feel any popping, clicking or grinding of your joints, that is also a red flag that you need to stop.
(15:24)
You need to reassess your technique and make some changes about either your technique or how much weight you're trying to lift. These can be often indicators that there's some kind of an injury going on or there's an injury that might happen if you keep going. Any weird nerve sensations like shooting pain or numbness or tingling is also a red flag that you need to stop dizziness, vision changes, feeling lightheaded or losing vision. These are all other signs that you are pushing way too much and you're putting yourself in danger, so you want to back off if that's something that you experience. And again, any chest pain or difficulty breathing is another red flag sign that you need to stop and seek medical attention. Now, there's other signs that you may be pushing too hard and need to back off, but it's probably okay for you to continue training.
(16:14)
One is just missing reps frequently. If it's happening very frequently that you're failing a lift, it may be that you are training with way too much weight or you may be trying to do too many reps. You should not be failing your lifts frequently. It is something that will happen from time to time. It's a normal part of learning how to lift heavy, but if it's happening often that's a sign that something needs to change either in your technique or maybe you need to reduce the weight or maybe try to attempt fewer reps and continue to build yourself up to the point where you can properly lift that weight with that number of reps without experiencing failure. If you're finding that your technique is deteriorating significantly on the last rep of an exercise, that means you are pushing too hard. You need to end your set much earlier or maybe reduce the weight.
(17:03)
And if you're feeling any extreme fatigue after your training sessions, you can't do anything the rest of the day. All you want to do is bed rot and eat snacks and watch tv. This is a sign that you are over training. You're pushing yourself past the point that's actually beneficial for your body. And if you have persistent joint soreness, not necessarily muscle soreness because that's a given, but joint soreness in particular is a red flag that you're pushing too hard and you need to back off. And if you start to dread your workouts and you're feeling like you just don't have the motivation to train and you're feeling like this for an extended period of time, this is a good sign that you are over-training and overdoing it and you need to back off. The signs that you're not pushing hard enough is that you are able to do your workouts and you feel like you didn't really challenge yourself or you don't feel any kind of fatigue or tiredness.
(17:57)
Your sets feel comfortable and controlled without any significant effort. That means that you need to go heavier or maybe add in a rep or two more to your sets if you don't feel the need to mentally lock in and focus before your heavy lifting set. That tells me that you're not actually lifting heavy and you're probably not lifting as heavy as you think you are, and if you feel like you could easily bust out more reps or do more weight, this is also a sign that you're not lifting heavy enough and also check the bar speed. A lot of times if you're able to perform a set with the same rate of motion every single rep without it slowing down for many people, this is also an indicator that you're not pushing yourself enough. Now, many heavy lifting programs will recommend that you lift based on a percentage of your one rep max.
(18:51)
Your one rep max is the maximal amount of weight that you can push or pull that weight with one repetition. Now, often people will estimate their one rep max based on their three rep max or their five rep max, although I don't recommend testing your maxes until you have been practicing heavier lifts for a good chunk of time, at least one or two blocks. For my clients, I usually have that be a block of between three and six weeks minimum. Once you have a solid couple of weeks, if not months of practice lifting at a heavier weight, then you can test your maxes and then use the results as a benchmark for how much you should be lifting moving forward. There are some pretty good recommendations for what percentage of your estimated one rep max or your true one rep max that you should be using for maximizing your strength gains and maximizing muscle gains in general.
(19:50)
For high volume training or muscle growth training or hypertrophy training, what we generally are going to be using is somewhere between 70 and 85% of your one rep max, and that can be your estimated one rep max based on your three rep max test or your true one rep max. If you have tested it when you're specifically trying to develop your muscular strength, we're going to be working with usually 85 to 95% of your one rep max, so you can use this as a benchmark for how to train more effectively moving forward after you have gotten an estimation of your maxes. This will ensure that you are training with the right weight regardless of whether you are trying to build muscle with high volume training or trying to build strength with heavy lifting. Now, because it is so hard to gauge how hard you're working when you're doing heavy lifts, I highly recommend that you record lifts.
(20:48)
Use a camera or use your phone to take video of yourself doing the lifts from the side, and if you have a second camera, take it from the front as well. And then after you perform a set, take a moment to review your technique and review your form and be mindful of any slowing down of the bar or any changes that you might make as you get tired or as you progress in each set. This gives you an opportunity to correct your technique and improve your strength gains and improve how much weight you're able to lift because you're getting that direct feedback and make sure that you are also taking your rest periods. Heavy lifting takes a big toll on your central nervous system. You're using a lot of energy in a short burst of time, so this is definitely one of those cases where you should not be trying to do other exercises between your sets and active recovery.
(21:41)
Let yourself rest and recover between your heavy lifting sets. Usually it takes 90 seconds to two minutes. For some people, it takes as much as five minutes to fully recover after a heavy lifting set. So take that time, hydrate, breathe, and let your system reset before you try to lift heavy again. And also just try not to chase failure. Once you get a sense of what it feels like as your form is starting to break down, or as you're approaching failure, learn how to end your set early before you fail. Because failure, although it does happen and it's very common to happen in heavy lifting, it's not necessarily something that we want to do because the risk of injury is just too high. You will over time get better at gauging when you are approaching that point, and I urge you to practice ending your set before you reach that point. So there you have it. This is a way for you to gauge your level of effort to make sure that you're challenging yourself enough in your heavy lifting sets.
(22:49)
Thank you so much for watching or listening to this episode of the Coaching Corner podcast. Again, I'm Jayd Harrison. If you're interested in working with me as your coach, whether you are looking to lift heavy or burn fat or build muscle, I am taking on new clients, so click the link that's in the show notes or in the video description below to apply for one-on-one coaching. I hope that you found this discussion helpful, and I'm curious to know what your thoughts are after listening to or watching this episode. Are there things that you've noticed in your own form and technique after you have been practicing heavy lifting, high volume training, or cardiovascular training? I'd also like to know what are the signs that you notice in your body when you are working at just the right intensity? Leave those in the comments of the YouTube videos. I will see you in the next episode. In the meantime, make sure you're taking good care of yourself. Eat your protein, eat your veggies, drink your water, and I will see you soon.
Who Should Be Lifting Heavy?
Heavy lifting isn't for beginners. I recommend having at least six months of lifting experience before attempting maximal strength work—ideally a full year or two learning proper form in higher volume ranges first. This foundation is crucial because bad technique with heavy loads is a recipe for injury.
What Makes Heavy Lifting Different?
Heavy lifting (also called high-intensity training) involves lifting very heavy weight for small sets of 1-6 reps per set. This approach is ideal for intermediate lifters looking to maximize their gains and improve their body's strength and coordination.
The benefits extend beyond the weight room:
Improved nervous system efficiency for maximal force output
Enhanced athletic performance in sports requiring powerful bursts
Stronger foundation for power training like Olympic lifts
Better overall force generation
After I started powerlifting years ago, I noticed my punches in boxing and mixed martial arts became significantly more powerful and efficient. My kicks were harder and faster too.
Why Heavy Lifting Feels So Different
The Muscle Fatigue Experience
During high-volume hypertrophy training (8-20 reps), you feel that familiar burning sensation as lactic acid builds up in your muscles. You end the set when your muscles are burning and you feel like you can only do 1-3 more reps.
Heavy lifting rarely produces that same burn. You're not asking muscles to perform for an extended period—instead, you're lifting a concentrated load in a short burst of time.
How Your Muscles Work Differently
High-Volume Training: Your muscles distribute effort among different groups of muscle fibers (motor units) throughout the set. One group fires, gets tired, then another group takes over while the first rests. This rotation allows muscles to work for longer periods.
Heavy Lifting: All motor units work together simultaneously, allowing you to push more weight. But the sensations are completely different—no lactic acid buildup, no gradual fatigue.
What to Expect During Heavy Sets
When pushing yourself during heavy lifts, here's what you'll likely experience:
The weight feels massively heavy from the first rep (unlike high-volume training where it gradually gets heavier)
Bar speed slows down significantly as you approach failure
Little distinction between how the first and last rep feel in terms of weight
Sudden muscle failure without much warning—the bar just stops moving
This last point can catch you off guard. Your body doesn't give the same cues as during high-volume training, which is why you're more likely to actually fail a lift during heavy training.
Important note: Failing a lift doesn't mean YOU are a failure. Muscle failure simply means the weight is too heavy for what your body can handle at that moment, whether due to fatigue or various other factors. It happens, and it's part of the learning process.
Key Indicators You're Approaching Failure
As you gain experience, watch for these signs:
Bar speed changes dramatically (for those who experience this)
Uncertainty about maintaining good form for another rep
Every fiber firing but unable to generate more force
Form beginning to break down or needing to adjust positioning to move the weight
The mental aspect is significant too. Having some fear and respect for the weight is normal. I often doubt myself—"Can I really move that weight?"—and honestly, sometimes you don't know until you try. That's what heavy lifting is about.
Why Rate of Perceived Exertion Is Harder to Gauge
The gap between "I could maybe do one more" and "I definitely cannot do another rep" is incredibly small with heavy lifting. That window closes quickly and abruptly. Don't be hard on yourself if you fail a lift—instead, focus on safety.
Critical Safety Measures
Use safeties or a spotter for all heavy lifts
Set safety bars at appropriate heights where you can bail safely
Be ready to notice form breakdown and end the set immediately
Practice only good technique reps—never sacrifice form to move weight
Red Flags: When to Stop Immediately
Some warning signs require you to end your set right away:
Sharp pain, especially in joints
Any popping, clicking, or grinding in joints
Nerve sensations like shooting pain, numbness, or tingling
Dizziness, vision changes, or lightheadedness
Chest pain or difficulty breathing
Signs You're Pushing Too Hard
These indicators suggest you need to back off (but can continue training after adjustments):
Missing reps frequently (occasional failure is normal; frequent failure isn't)
Technique deteriorating significantly on last reps
Extreme fatigue after sessions (can't function the rest of the day)
Persistent joint soreness (muscle soreness is expected)
Dreading workouts for an extended period
Signs You're Not Pushing Hard Enough
On the flip side, here's how you know you need to increase intensity:
Sets feel comfortable and controlled without significant effort
No sense of fatigue or challenge after workouts
No need to mentally lock in before heavy sets (this focus is essential)
Feeling like you could easily do more reps or weight
Bar speed stays consistent throughout all reps (for most people)
Using Your One Rep Max as a Guide
Many heavy lifting programs base intensity on a percentage of your one rep max (1RM)—the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition.
Testing Your Maxes
Don't test your maxes immediately. Wait until you've practiced heavier lifts for at least one or two blocks (3-6 weeks minimum each). Once you have solid experience, you can test your maxes and use them as benchmarks.
Recommended Training Percentages
Hypertrophy/Muscle Growth: 70-85% of 1RM
Maximal Strength Development: 85-95% of 1RM
You can estimate your 1RM based on your 3-rep or 5-rep max, which is safer than testing a true 1RM when you're still building experience.
Practical Tips for Success
Record Your Lifts
Because gauging effort during heavy lifts is so challenging, I highly recommend recording yourself from the side (and front if possible). Review your technique after each set and watch for:
Bar speed changes
Form breakdown
Adjustments you make as you fatigue
This immediate feedback helps you correct technique and improve your lifts.
Take Proper Rest Periods
Heavy lifting taxes your central nervous system significantly. You're using tremendous energy in a short burst, so:
Don't do other exercises between sets (no active recovery)
Rest 90 seconds to 2 minutes minimum (some people need up to 5 minutes)
Hydrate and breathe during rest periods
Let your system fully reset before the next set
Don't Chase Failure
Once you understand what approaching failure feels like, practice ending your set early. While failure happens and is common in heavy lifting, the injury risk is too high to make it a regular goal. Over time, you'll get better at recognizing that point and stopping before you reach it.
Final Thoughts
Heavy lifting is both physically and mentally demanding. It requires focus, respect for the weight, and awareness of your body's signals. As you gain experience, you'll become more attuned to these sensations and better able to push yourself safely and effectively.
Remember: proper technique always comes first. If you have to change how you're moving to make the weight budge, it's time to end your set. Quality reps build strength; compromised reps build injury risk.
Ready to take your training to the next level? Whether you're looking to lift heavy, burn fat, or build muscle, I'm taking on new clients for one-on-one coaching. Let's work together to help you reach your fitness goals without shame and without burnout.
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