Personal Record (PR)
What is a PR?
PR stands for Personal Record.
If you’re like me, you have goals of getting stronger but you’re not headed to the olympics anytime soon. The only person you’re competing against in the gym is yourself. We don’t care about world records, what your favorite influencer is lifting, or even the person next to you in the gym. The only record you’re trying to beat is your own, so we track Personal Records. These are numbers that are YOUR best efforts. Anytime you do something you’ve never done before - that’s a personal record.
What counts as a Personal Record:
More reps at a given weight
More weight at a given rep count
Doing anything for the first time (Your first chin up, your first pull up, etc)
What’s the key to setting more PRs?
Tracking! If you aren’t tracking your weights + reps it will feel like you’re going in circles. The key to getting more PRs is to follow a training program built off progressive overload training principles.
I’m struggling with comparing myself to my old PRs
There are many reasons people take long breaks from the gym. Whether it’s illness, injury, pregnancy, work schedule, school, covid, etc… Life happens. Bodies change. It’s normal to experience some form of regression or atrophy if you take a long break from strength training. If you’re re-starting after taking a break from the gym, start fresh with your PRs. You can totally use your old PRs as goals, but start from scratch when tracking weights and PRs. It’s always more fun to celebrate yourself along the journey of re-building your strength and tracking your current PRs is a great way to help motivate you.
I hit a new PR but I’m struggling with comparing myself to others
Comparison is the thief of joy. There will ALWAYS be someone out there who is stronger than you. Don’t let that diminish your accomplishment! My favorite aspect of my job is seeing women surprise and impress themselves. The joy and confidence you feel when you do something you never thought you could do is unmatched. Don’t rob yourself of that joy.
If you’ve never lifted anything heavier than 10 lbs, and you use 12 lbs this week, THAT IS A PERSONAL RECORD. CELEBRATE IT!!!!
Need help? We are ready to help you get strong, impress yourself, build confidence and set PRs. We specialized in progressive overload training programs - check out our options here.
