To make myself stronger, I use resistance between the minimum that forces the correct technique and the maximal training resistance (MTR)—the greatest resistance that can be overcome without a strong effort of will and emotional stress.
Exceeding the MTR, except for a well-justified test, is about vanity, showing off—it doesn’t perfect technique (it leads to blank spots in your mental image of the movement), is less effective for building strength than working at or below the MTR (due to excessive compensations), and is needlessly risky (too close to the limits of control).
Correct technique is that which permits safe—that is, stable and controlled (it doesn’t mean slow!)—movement; it is the basis for steady, significant progress.
Incorrect technique is that which may succeed initially but fairly quickly, even within a few workouts, leads to a plateau in strength gains or even an injury.
Optimal training resistance is between the maximum at which one can perform the technique perfectly and the MTR.
Here are the resistance “points” I use routinely in training, from the lowest to the highest:
1. Minimum that forces the correct technique (MinRCT).
2. Maximum that permits the correct technique (MaxRCT).
3. Maximum training resistance (MTR). Occasional minor deviations from the correct technique may be okay. People who do resistance training know why.
Those are on a continuum, and with subsequent repetitions the same resistance may move to a higher point, say from MinRCT to MaxRCT, and then to MTR.
These guidelines apply to all kinds of strength training: general, directed, and sport-specific (for definitions and explanations, see Science of Sports Training).
