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There you are, completely bewildered because your muscles aren’t responding the way you expected. You’ve read stacks of articles, you eat well, you sleep well, you take supplements, and you train like a warrior. And yet, you’re not getting the results you want. You start to get frustrated, and you begin to wonder if all the work is worth it.
But are you really training as hard as you think? Consider the following factors that may be holding you back, and think about the secrets to overcoming these issues.
Adjust Intensity According to Experience
The secret of the most successful athletes is that they have become highly skilled at what they do, and they execute it with the necessary intensity. Especially for those who train with weights, being able to apply the right intensity is one of the key components on the way to achieving their goal of developing size and muscularity. However, it is necessary first to develop the skill and strength required to train with full intensity without increasing the risk of injury.
“No pain, no gain” only applies to “the right pain”
Before you can become as good as possible, you must first be able to handle the physical discomfort that comes with intense physical activity. ‘No pain, no gain’ refers not only to physical discomfort but also to the mental development of your pain tolerance.
Strength athletes and endurance athletes (such as runners) use terms like ‘go to the extreme,’ ‘go maximum,’ and ‘hit the wall’ to describe these highest limits of performance. However, this does not mean using irresponsible and dangerous techniques to perform maximally at all costs. Quite the opposite. When it comes to training, those terms refer to systematically applying weight training techniques to a muscle until it eventually gives up, without injuring the muscle. However, you must be able to distinguish between the burn and exhaustion of a muscle from the pain of an injury.
When we talk about “no pain, no gain” during training, pain is actually not the right word. Most people, at least, will not experience total exhaustion as “pain.” The attempt to reach total exhaustion of a muscle in an exercise is called “Until failure” and “past failure.” This is a more accurate description of attempting to do as much as possible (until failure) or more (“past failure”), for example by having someone help with a few more reps.
“No Pain, no gain” for many, therefore, refers to the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness that usually follows about two days after training and which we know better as muscle soreness.
“More intensity” is different from “more weight”
Successful bodybuilders are good at making an exercise as heavy as possible for the muscle. This is very different from strongmen or powerlifters, for example, for whom the goal is to move a weight. Instead of learning techniques to get the weight up as easily as possible, a bodybuilder must ensure that the muscle is loaded as heavily as possible with this weight.
So, if you’re training for muscle mass, there’s no point in taking a (too) heavy weight that you lift with poor technique. This cheating, or “egolifting,” is probably the biggest source of missed results in gyms worldwide.
Instead, take a lighter weight with the right technique or even a technique that makes it even heavier (like slow repetitions).
Mentally Prepare Yourself
Take exhaustion as your starting point. This is a huge difference from taking a number of repetitions as your starting point. Most people, for example, will stop at the tenth repetition of a planned set of 10 repetitions, even if they feel they can do more.
THIS IS WRONG AND MISGUIDED!
The intention is precisely to go for exhaustion with a weight that is a certain percentage of your 1RM max (the weight with which you can do one repetition). Based on tables, this includes an estimate of the number of repetitions you can do, for example, ten. However, if you stop at the tenth repetition when you’re not completely exhausted, that set will offer you little more than possible maintenance of previously gained mass. Then continue until you really can’t anymore and adjust the weight upwards for the next set.
Enjoyment in the Pain Zone
That which turns intense physical exertion into pure ecstasy in overcoming your feelings, fears, and self-doubt. When you reach that big next step by taking more weight, squeezing out those extra repetitions, continually pushing beyond your old limits, then you’ve achieved the status of a true athlete.
Those of you who can reach that level will enjoy the pleasure of overcoming your old limits. Next time you reach 12 repetitions in a set of squats, challenge yourself and be convinced that you can increase the weight by at least 10% so that you can perform between 8 and 10 repetitions safely (make sure to have an experienced spotter to help you).
Don’t Set Mental Limits for Yourself
Suppose you can bench press 120 kilograms, but you’re already trembling at the thought of pressing 130 kilograms. That’s exactly where you need to develop confidence to go further and take that next big step. In practice, it’s always good to try out that higher weight (with a helper nearby), but with fewer repetitions. Used to doing four repetitions with 120 kilograms, try one or two with 130. If you wait until you think you’re able to do four times 130, you’re unnecessarily raising the threshold. However, if you do one or two sets before that, it’s already a huge psychological boost.
In weight training, you get back what you put in. A larger muscle mass is a physical sign of victory, but emotional progress keeps you going with intensive training.
The Victory of the Fittest
When weighing the internal struggle between pleasure and pain, you must make a decision about your long-term goals. If you only seek pleasure where you feel good, you will likely avoid most experiences that make you feel uncomfortable. The danger in that lies in even a little effort feeling wrong, causing you to avoid anything that requires effort.
The work ethic may seem like an unpleasant choice, but ultimately, the fruits of your efforts will feel like a real victory.
Great achievements require great efforts, and the effort doesn’t come automatically. If it did, everyone would get it for free.
The Victor Reaps the Rewards
You must give up laziness, avoidance of pain, and seeking pleasure to develop your tolerance for pain so that you can work hard. Hard work ensures that your continuous efforts lead you to your ultimate achievement. Realistically, you must fight against fear, lethargy, and pain avoidance to defeat your greatest opponent; likely yourself.
Your mind is the strongest ‘muscle’ in your body. If you believe in half-hearted statements like ‘Don’t bother,’ ‘You can’t do that,’ and ‘Pain is not good,’ you will become a prisoner of your subconscious fears.
The choice is yours. Let yourself be guided by your fears or be guided by your own free will.
If you feel intimidated at the thought of adding more weight to the bar when you can actually handle it safely, then you are not using your true physical capabilities. It is time to make a decision now.
Remember, to overcome your fears, you must confront them with the conviction and courage that you will ultimately prevail.
