How heavy should you lift?

16 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this instructional segment, the speaker explains that building muscle requires training close to muscular failure. The key practical cue presented is the slowing of rep speed toward the end of a set: early reps are performed quickly (≈0.5 s), while the final reps (e.g., reps 8‑10 of a 10‑rep set) take 2‑3 seconds. This slowdown signals that the muscles are nearing failure. The speaker advises that if the last reps do not exhibit this slowdown, the weight is too light and should be increased to ensure the set reaches near‑failure, thereby optimizing hypertrophy.

Chapters

Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. Everything that's. You know you won't build any muscle unless your last reps look like this. Because to build muscle, you need to go close to failure. But how do you know you're close to failure? The speed of your reps slow down. Towards the end. So if you're doing a set of 10 reps, rep 1 might take you a half second to get up, but by the time rep 8, 9, and 10 come around, it might take you 2 or 3 seconds to get the weight up. And if this happens, that means your muscles are reaching a point of failure. So if the last reps of your set don't look like that, you need to lift heavier weights.