First, let's consider the potential downsides of measuring your performance against others. One issue is that it can lead to unnecessary competition and comparison, which can be unhealthy and even damage your self-esteem. It's important to remember that everyone has different goals, genetics, and starting points, and what works for one person might not work for another.
Furthermore, focusing too much on outperforming others can take the focus away from your progress and goals. Therefore, it's essential to set benchmarks and measure your progress against your personal bests rather than constantly trying to beat others.
That being said, there are also some benefits to measuring your performance against others. For one, it can be a great source of motivation and can help push you to reach new goals. Seeing others succeed can be inspiring and help you visualize your success. Additionally, measuring your performance against others can help you identify areas where you need to improve and give you a sense of what is possible.
So how can you use this approach wisely and avoid the potential downsides?
Here are a few tips:
- Set your own goals and benchmarks: It's essential to have your own goals and standards to measure your progress against rather than constantly trying to beat others. This will help you stay focused on your progress and avoid unnecessary competition.
- Use others as inspiration, not competition: Rather than trying to outperform others, use their success for your journey. Recognize that everyone is on their path and focus on your progress.
- Don't let comparisons discourage you: Remember that everyone has different genetics and starting points, and it's essential to keep going even if you do not see the same results as others. Keep working hard and focus on your progress.
- Use it as a source of motivation: If measuring your performance against others helps motivate you to reach new goals, go for it! Just be sure to keep it in perspective and remember that your progress and goals are most important.
In conclusion, measuring your performance against others regarding reps and weights is only sometimes the best approach, but if you use it wisely, it can be a great source of motivation. Just be sure to set your own goals, use others as inspiration, and remember that everyone is on their journey.
If you're still curious and desire to check where you stand compared to others, you should only make the comparison with people with the same weight and age as a minimum.
One excellent resource I recommend for doing just that is strengthlevel.com; this site does a great job of considering age and weight, as well as the actual exercise, when comparing your results with its community of lifters.
So go ahead and calculate your Relative Strength - but keep in mind - the best comparison you can ever make is to your previous best performance.
Visit strengthlevel.com to give it a try.