How Well Can You Guess Your Lifting Speed?

People often wonder how well they can judge their own strength and speed when lifting weights. A recent study dug into this, focusing on the bench press. The goal was to see if people could accurately sense how fast they were lifting different weights. First, the participants went through some practice sessions. They got familiar with a scale that helped them estimate their lifting speed. Then, they tested this skill with seven different weights. Each time, they lifted, they noted how fast they thought they were going and what percentage of their maximum lift they believed they were using.The results showed that people were pretty good at this! Their perceived speed matched the actual speed quite well. They were also decent at guessing what percentage of their maximum lift they were using. However, they were better at judging speed than at guessing the percentage of their maximum lift. The study also found that people could tell the difference in speed even with small changes in weight. This means that with some practice, people can get quite good at sensing their lifting speed. This skill could be useful for anyone who wants to improve their workouts. So, next time you're lifting weights, try to pay attention to your speed. You might be better at judging it than you think!