Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
I personally think "going heavy" once or twice a week is a recipe for serious injury unless you are a committed powerlifter doing it 6-7 days a week. And in that case, once or twice a week is academic, isn't it? 2-3 reps of a huge weight level is the very definition of ego-work. I guess it works for some folks.
I've done both resistance training and free weight training in combo with cardio for 30 years, starting with the first-gen Nautilus, and my view is that you should not use more weight in a set than you can do 7-8 reps or more upon. (I prefer more at a time.) You can still get to the point of 'muscle failure,' but in such a case your chances of hurting yourself are almost nil and you're doing your most constructive work.
I've consistently found that with this approach, you can steadily 'improve' your weight resistance levels without serious risk of injury. Say, adding a plate every three weeks or so, assuming you're consistent and focused. Doing dramatic increases in weight for the purpose of "going heavy" is darn near suicide, in my view. I've never had a tendon or ligament injury and have had many productive days in the gym because of it.
Also, if you're small-boned, as I am, huge weights are madness. All the muscle in the world cannot change bone/ligament infrastructure. That's genetic.
And, in my case, I've never gone beyond 190 lb. or so in a BP, and 120 lb. in curls. Now, at 50, I'm generally at 150 BP/60-70 curls. Being small-boned myself and considerably older than I used to be, I have to know my limits. But I can get up in the morning and like what I see in the mirror, for the most part
***EDIT Please note that I am no professional, since I obviously couldn't ever crack a pathetic 200 on the BP***