Arnold used to say something like the last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion.
Pushing through the burn.
He’s right – the ability to push when you THINK you’ve hit your capacity is what creates the biggest changes. Research shows Hypertrophy (muscle growth) is closely linked to taking muscle to failure.
Yet failure can be subjective.
You may have tried your hardest (in your mind) to stand up out of that squat but failed. Yet another 1-2 if someone was yelling and screaming at you? Or 3 if $10,000 was on the line, heck an extra 5 if someone had a gun to your head?
You get the idea?
Push through the burn.
Psychological.
But should we always push through the burn?
The body is clever with inbuilt protective mechanisms avoiding overexertion and injury.
So much so the brain can reduce muscle recruitment to conserve energy!
So yes – we need to train our minds as much as our muscles.
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Getting to the gym when we don’t feel like it or it’s hard
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Self-control not to buy that food
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Not to drink that drink
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Push the extra reps
But pushing more isn’t always what we need.
Here’s a few examples:
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Pushing a few more reps out when technique has broken can leave us nursing injuries for years
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I see gym as another stressor to the body. Sometimes we need to reduce our overall stress to the system to get the results. Being chronically stuck in the sympathetic nervous system may be hindering recovery. Rather than pushing because you ‘have to’ get to the gym explore your parasympathetic side. -Take that bath, yoga class or early to bed.
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A strength program that has you training at 100% every week – will go nowhere.
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Overtraining for lack of a better word can disrupt sleep patterns, hormones e.g. cortisol
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Elevated stress hormones (cortisol) can lead to a weakened immunity
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Mental burnout – we see it all the time. Newcomers to the gym with lofty goals “6 days a week” 20kg weight loss” only to burn out 2 months later. 20% of something is better than 100% of nothing
In the end, pushing through the burn can forge champions. True strength lies in knowing when to push and when to pause. As always it comes back to balance to build a body and mind that thrive.
#HybridTraining #HornsbyGym #GymHornsby #PersonalTrainerHornsby #HornsbyPersonalTrainer