Form > Figures

Rising through the ranks on Fitocracy has been a fun way to get a little bit of extra motivation exercise, but there's a few things I don't like about it. Since Fitocracy, awards points based on weight and for duration exercises, speed, it puts extra emphasis on upping weight and doing many sets with few reps. But doing low rep sets with near max weight is a great way to break down your form and increase the chances of injury.

I've decided to generally avoid doing lifts at weights that I can't do for at least 4-5 reps and focus on form to avoid injury. The one exception is deadlift, which is just an exercise that works well with high reps. I keep my reps between 2 and 5 for deadlifts, but have been avoiding 1 rep maxes.

Pulling back a little on my max lifts and not seeing any new max PRs is a little disheartening, but I feel a lot safer and I don't have any real problems with my muscles or joints. I also feel that in the long run, avoiding near max level lifts will allow for greater progression.