Maximum Effort

           As I have discussed already, my goal with the majority of my workouts is to achieve hypertrophy.  Hypertrophy is the best of both worlds between strength training and endurance training where you will see an improvement in both strength and size.

            For a quick recap if you have come to the blog late, powerlifters have rep ranges of 3 to 5 reps lifting practically their 1 Rep Max with every set and there are long rest sessions in between to dump that lactic acid out of your muscles. People looking to burn more fat should be performing rep ranges of around 15 to 20 with most exercises because the muscles are under tension for longer time and that results in more calories burned. (This is really the rep range that I should be doing because I want to strip that layer of fat and not necessarily get bigger.) But if you want the best of both worlds, your target rep range is between 8 and 10. I have said that you want to perform those first eight reps slowly and with surgical precision. Then if you have to cheat to get Reps 9 and 10, that is perfectly fine. However, if you can achieve 12 reps (while still maintaining good form), it is time to increase the weight by 5 pounds.

           But now let’s talk about those reps. I think there are times where we get too mentally conditioned by counting. I often wish I could have a partner that would just watch me do exercises and count my reps for me. Imagine just focusing on going to muscle failure, lifting as much as you can as many times as you can, and then turning to your partner and asking, “Okay, how many was that?” Then if they say 12, you increase the weight.

           Many times we give up at 10 because that is the prescribed number of reps when really you might have three more in the tank. But mentally, you know the goal is 10 and you stop at the 10 count. It is like the scene in the book Jurassic Park where they had the computer set to account for many raptors they thought they had, never thinking that there could be more raptors on the island than just the ones they created. You count to 10 when really you can get 12 but you stop because you have reached the mental limit instead of the true physical limit.

           This is where you really have to learn to listen to your body and be willing to push beyond the pain. With some exercises this is considerably easier to do. With things like Dumbbell Curls, it is rather easy to go until you just cannot physically lift that weight anymore. Exercises like Barbell Squats or Barbell Bench Presses are much more intimidating because what if you drop the weight down and you cannot push it back up? That is usually what a spotter is for but what if you are like me and you work out by yourself? That is one of the major disadvantages.

           Now, some will tell you – and I agree with this – to leave one rep in the tank. If I am performing my first set of Barbell Bench Presses, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to compromise my second and third sets by going overboard on that first set. If ever there is a time to push beyond those limits, I try to reserve for that final set before switching to that next exercise.

           However, if you want true hypertrophy, you cannot just slap on any weight, perform 8 to 10 reps, and expect to achieve it. You want to perform those 8 to 10 reps with a heavy enough weight that you cannot perform 15 reps. If you can perform a weight for 15 reps before achieving muscle failure but you are only doing 10 reps, you are not working as hard as possible. That is going through the motions. That is being lazy. And that is the antithesis of Furyan Strength. Remember, you are working to the maximum of your ability. I don’t care if the guy beside you is doing 100 pounds and you are only doing 50. If 50 pounds is the maximum of your ability, be darn proud that you are pushing yourself to the edge of the envelope. That is how you become the hardest worker in the room. That’s how you achieve Furyan Strength.