In my previous article, I talked about training each body part twice per week. Well let me say this is only half the recipe. You can come to the gym and work your body parts but if you lack intensity, you might as well go home. The gym floor should be a place of strictly business. Let me explain. Normally when I go to the gym today, I will see guys working out but also laughing, talking and standing around. Honestly, they will take 5 minutes between sets. I often wonder if this workout or a Social Event. Let me tell you what is not happening during this kind of workout: * There is no focus to psyche up to the next set. They'd rather talk about the weekend then get motivated to do their best.. * The body is cooling down and thinking No Pain here which means No Gain. * Don't expect the muscle to get pumped or flushed with blood. In short this approach to a routine is just going through the motion. Oh sure it is better than doing nothing, but it worth the time. To me the time on the gym floor is time to focus, push every rep to the limit and drive the muscle to greater size and definition. To do anything less is mediocrity...and this defines the men from boys. So how do you achieve this level of intense training? 1. Don't socialize on the gym floor. The first time someone wants to do small talk or maybe ask you a bodybuilding question, simply say "I'd enjoy explaining this but I currently in the middle of my routine, could we do it later?" They will get the point and not bother you in future. Use the locker room, juice bar, check in desk or any NON gym floor place to be areas of friendly conversation but also take time to define the gym floor as a place of strict business for your workouts. 2. Concentrate on thinking about your next set during your rest period. Your eyes will naturally focus on fixed objects in the gym rather looking around and catching someone's eye for conversation. 3. Talk to yourself internally. Encourage yourself with thoughts "I can do this weight" or "I will push to limits on this one". 4. Get a training partner that is every bit as serious as you. Motivate each other. Limit conversation to aspects that have to do with the routine at hand. 5. Avoid long rests. This is not power lifting! The muscle recovers to 80% to its original strength less than 1 minute. 6. Take every set to failure. Unless you are doing a warm up set, why stop at 10 reps if you could have done 12 reps. 7. Get a spotter to push beyond the number of reps you can do on your own and help take you to failure. If you don't walk off the floor drained from your workout (at least in trained muscle group), you likely did not do the intensity required to grow you body. |
