Want to switch up your strength training, but not sure whether you’re ready to up your reps or weight? Malik recommends considering the following three things:

Are you breezing through your reps?

“If you are making the deadlifts with ease, you may not be challenging yourself enough,” Malik says. “Every strength training program has specific goals that determine the weight, reps and sets to undertake for each exercise. Hitting the top of your rep range during your sets with proper form can be a sign to go up in weight.”

Are you seeing results?

“The goals set for your strength training class should dictate how heavy you can lift and the way to achieve it,” he says. “There are different ways to achieve your fitness goals other than increasing your weight, such as increasing the number of reps. However, if you have been hitting the gym without much progress, it may be time to consider increasing weight to align with your fitness goals.”

Is your form flawless?

“All the weight increase hype may be futile if the body isn’t ready to handle the extra kilos,” Malik explains. “You may need to ensure that your form is perfect, allowing you to perform the specific exercise safely. The effects of increasing weight without proper form may result in serious injuries, especially for strength-building exercises that may put a strain on your spine.

“Having great form allows you to record consistent progress over time. You may choose to record yourself as you do the sets to identify areas you may be doing wrong. Stagnating at the same weight over several weeks can slow down your fitness journey. Knowing when to add weight to your exercises is a critical part of your strength training programme.”

Is it better to increase reps or weight when strength training? We asked the experts