Is Form Or Weight More Important?

Hey Davey,

I want bigger muscles and know that I need to lift heavier and heavier weights, but I have a question. What’s more important? Lifting lighter weights with perfect form or heavier weights with decent form?

From,
Ben

deadliftHey Ben,

I know exactly what you’re asking - and you’re definitely going to hate my answer. Consider yourself warned.

First things first, you are absolutely right. In order to increase the size of your muscles, you need to progressively increase the amount of resistance that you’re working against. This signals to your body that it needs more muscle to get the job done. But it’s also important to do this in a way that’s both safe and effective.

In other words, it’s true that lifting light weights won’t make you bigger or stronger. But improper form can get you injured. Being injured will keep you home from the gym and prevent you from getting the results you want.

As such, the answer isn’t one or the other. It’s both. If you want to increase your size and strength, you’ll need to perfect your form and then lift heavier and heavier weights.

To focus on better form, I recommend taking a few steps:

  1. Check your ego at the door. The amount of resistance that you’re working with isn’t a measure of your manhood. Let go of the idea that you need to be lifting as much as (or more than) the people around you; compete with no one but yourself.
  2. Slow down and focus. Pay attention to each repetition. Don’t rush through it. And, most importantly, don’t use the momentum of your exercise to cheat on each repetition.
  3. Lighten your load. Lower the amount of resistance that you’re using until you’re able to complete a full set of slow, proper repetitions. It’s probably less than what you’re used to, but you’ll be able to build up from here over time.

I hope that helps.

Love,
Davey

P.S. If you’re serious about adding lean muscle, I recommend downloading my program, Size Matters: Davey Wavey’s Foolproof Guide to Building Muscle. It’s a step by step guide to building the size you’ve always wanted!

 

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Comments

  1. I see this play out at my gym everyday. Guy walks to the squat rack, knuckles dragging the floor, takes the bar off the rack, loads it up with as many 40 lb plates as will fit on either end. he’s going to dead-lift this. sort of.
    He manages to jerk it up off the ground, shoulders back blah blah blah and at the top of the rep he just drops the bar with all those plates at either end and it slams into the floor. 1.
    He rests for like 5 minutes, mostly texting or w/e. He then addresses the bar and repeats his previous action. 2.
    His legs and butt don’t seem all that fit and he is all upper body muscle neck neanderthal.
    He grunts out a few moar “reps” and just walks away. Can someone please tell me how doing only 5 or 8 top half of dead-lift reps is helping to progress his physique?

  2. Charley says:

    Simple answer. Never sacrifice form for more weight.

  3. Remarkable! Its truly awesome article, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this piece of
    writing.

  4. He really going to hate when he finds out that he has to do weight and rep cycles like every 3 months. Have to lower the weight and increase the reps then slowly increase the the weight and lower the reps.

  5. Thanks for finally writing about >Form Or Weight More Important!
    | Davey Wavey Fitness < Loved it!!

  6. FloridaLifeFitCouple says:

    This is the truth. Just the other day this guy was showing off at the gym and doing way to much weight on bench with terrible form and ripped his right pec. Left crying after the gym owner call EMS. Not a pretty sight.
    https://youtu.be/z4PM3D9Mf9I

  7. 谁最先掌握了信息,谁就掌握了市场竞争的主动权。

  8. Well I guess I don’t have to spend the weekend figunirg this one out!

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