If you have ever hung around any globo gym, then you've likely seen people attempting to beat their PR every time they hit the workout floor. It's an excellent way to stay motivated and it is also a good indicator of overall progress in the gym. But what does PR mean in working out, and how do you achieve a personal best?
In the simplest terms, PR is a record of the most amount of weight that you can lift in a specific exercise for one rep. This could be a bench press, deadlift, or snatch. Similarly, it can be a running distance or the fastest time that you can run a certain distance.
Achieving a new PR is a great way to keep yourself motivated in the gym, but it's important to note that if your goal is to get stronger and lift more weight, you need to do that regularly over time. In other words, you can't go from lifting 200lbs for one rep to 400lbs in a month, and that's why it's important to choose a realistic goal based on your current strength.
Besides being a great way to measure your gym-based progression, hitting PRs can also be helpful in determining how much volume you should do during a workout. For example, if you want to build muscle mass, you should try to perform sets for 10-12 reps, as this will help you reach hypertrophy. But if you are trying to lift a very heavy weight for one rep, then you will want to warm up by performing 5-10 standard sets, so that you don't end up injuring yourself or overtraining.