MOVING WELL

At Digital Barbell we prioritize moving for quality before adding weight or intensity. There are video demos for all movements we do. If you have questions or concerns, skip the movement and reach out to a coach!

What are HARD SETS?

You'll see this wording used a lot. We use HARD SETS because they work! They make us stronger and help us grow new muscle tissue.

Rather than ME stopping you at a certain rep, YOU WILL stop yourself!

I'll set the rep range, you'll stop before TECHNICAL failure somewhere in that rep range. This means you could not perform another clean rep without failing.

This will also help you set your weight appropriately. If you can do considerably FEWER than the reps recommended, your weight is too heavy. If you can do considerably MORE than the reps recommended, your weight is too light.

‼️IMPORTANT NOTE:

Unless the exercise specifically says to build in weight, use the SAME WEIGHT ‘across’ all working sets. This means if the exercise is Dumbbell Rows -3 Hard Sets of 10 to 15 reps, then it is more beneficial to use one weight for all 3 working sets rather than using 2-3 different weights across the sets. This is where warming up comes into play allowing you to get warm and test to see what weight work before starting your working sets!

DUMBBELL SAFETY

Watch this quick video about how to move with dumbbell safely!

How to do SUPERSETS?

Supersets are multiple movements (generally two) done back to back with rest following the list of movements. For example: To SUPERSET Dumbbell RDLs and Front Raises you would do a set of RDL, put that weight down, do a set of Front Raises, and then rest before your next superset.

HOW LONG TO REST BETWEEN SETS?

Exercise dependent, but generally anywhere between :60 to :90 for accessory movements to 2-5 minutes for the compound lifts (back squat, press, deadlift, bench) depending on the weight you are lifting.

WARM UP VS WORKING SETS

Warm up sets: The sets building up to the weight you are using for an exercise. Warm up sets serve two purposes: They help you dial in technique and allow you to safely build to your working weight. Don’t skip these! They are important not only to warm you up, but to safely prepare your body for the work ahead.

How to do warm up sets:

If you are doing barbell compound lifts (back squat, press, deadlift, bench), we recommend doing the 5-3-2 reps building in weight toward your working weight. If you are using dumbbells we recommend doing 1-2 sets of 5 reps building toward your working weight.

Example: The exercise is Back Squat, 3 sets of 3 to 6 reps. My working weight is going to be 155lbs. My warm up sets would be 5x empty barbell, 3x 95lbs, 2x 135lbs.

For accessory movements (like curls, rows, tricep exercises, etc) we recommend doing 1-2 sets of 5 reps at a lighter weight before your first working set.

Working sets: This is the weight you are using for a particular exercises. I

HOW TO PICK MY STARTING WEIGHT?

Use the rep range for that exercise to determine your working weight. If you can’t do the minimum number of reps, the weight is likely too heavy. If you can do way more than the top of the rep range listed, the weight is likely too light.

Using the EXERCISE HISTORY button

Did you know True Coach keeps track of your exercise history 🎉, simply click Exercise History to search for any movement you’ve done in the past to see what weight you used and how many reps you did.

What if I can’t do an exercise?

If you cannot safely do an exercise, skip it! And then reach out to a coach for help!