Even when you do power training, you do not necessarily go to
your absolute maximum every time. Training moderately heavy
one day and then to your limit the next is more likely to speed
up your progress than maximum effort every time.
That is why I always scheduled "heavy days" in my training
routine. Once a week or so, I would pick one body part and go to
the maximum with a power move that worked that area. When
training legs, for instance, I would try for a maximum Squat; for
chest, a maximum-strength Bench Press, and so on. By doing it
this way I would not tax my body to such an extent that it could
not recuperate before my next workout. But by going to the max-
imum on a regular basis, I gained a very accurate perception of
just how much progress I was making in developing my strength,
and by forcing myself to go to the limit every so often, I counter-
balanced the lighter-weight, higher-rep training that made up the
majority of my workouts.
I recommend you try the same thing. Once or twice a week,
pick one body part and test out your maximum strength. Have a
training partner standing by to spot you so that you have no
anxieties about handling a heavy weight. Stretch and warm up