My ego lifts don’t count; only clean, controlled reps do, and my body knows the difference.
If you can hit the same depth or range every rep, control the lowering, keep the bar on a sensible path, and nothing hurts in a sharp or weird way, that’s usually good enough to nudge the weight up. Slight wobble or grind on the last rep is normal; knees caving hard, back folding, or bar flying all over isn’t. When in doubt, film a working set, compare it to a lighter warm-up set, and only add load if the heavier set still looks like the same lift, not a new ugly variation.
Perfect textbook form is more of a direction than a destination. Everyone’s body is built a bit differently and some small deviations under heavy load are normal. The goal is safe, repeatable, and efficient technique that you can hold together set after set, month after month. A little grind or tiny shift is fine; pain, joints screaming, or technique changing completely as the bar gets heavier are the red flags. Keep tightening the pattern over time instead of chasing some Instagram-perfect frame.
Feeling matters, but it lies a lot, especially when you’re tired or hyped. Recording key sets once in a while is the cheapest coach you’ll ever have: you’ll see depth, bar path, knee and back position in a way you can’t feel. You don’t need to film every rep; just grab a side or 45° angle for your main lifts weekly or monthly, review for a couple of minutes, and adjust. That small habit can save you months of bad patterns and potential injury without costing extra money or time.