Let's face it; intense weight training is no easy task.
It's no secret that if you want to see dramatic results in both muscle size and strength, you must be willing to push yourself to the limit every time you enter the gym.
This is one of the biggest reasons why most people don't see the muscle-building results they desire; they just plain don't train hard enough. And why don't they? Here's why…
It's painful. It's uncomfortable. It's downright gut wrenching.
Too bad, so sad, my friend, because if you want real muscle gains then you'll have to rise above and conquer the natural feeling of pain that is associated with intense sessions in the gym.
Luckily there are a few special techniques you can use to "mentally numb" these feelings and to blast through the pain barriers that separate you from the gains you deserve. Give some of the following methods a try and I think you'll be pleased with the results...
1) Life-Threatening Situations
In the middle of your set, transport yourself to a life-or-death situation where your life or someone else's life depends on your ability to move the weight. For example, when performing chin-ups you could pretend that you are hanging from a cliff, or while deadlifting you could imagine that you are rescuing someone who is trapped underneath a car.
2) Magnetic Force
Pretend that the weights you are using are powerful magnets that are being attracted in the opposite direction. If you're performing a bench press, imagine that the bar is a magnet being attracted to the ceiling.
3) Envision Your Muscles
Remember that your purpose in the gym is to break down your muscle fibers in order to trigger an adaptive response from your body. While performing your sets, visualize what is happening inside of your muscle tissue. Imagine the fibers tearing and being engorged with blood and nutrients and realize that these processes will equate to muscular growth.
4) Have Someone Watch You
I'm not talking about using a spotter here, I'm simply talking about having a friend or training partner watch you perform your set. We usually tend to push ourselves harder when we know that someone is watching.
5) Positive/Negative Force
For pushing exercises, imagine that you are moving something negative away from yourself. You can associate anything with this: someone you don't like, a negative emotion or something material. For pulling exercises, imagine that you are bringing something positive towards yourself. It could be money, someone you love or a positive feeling.
6) Set Ridiculous Goals
If you need to perform 7 reps on a given set, imagine that your goal is to perform 100. Don't just tell yourself this; believe it. As you begin to perform your set, truly convince yourself that you will perform 100 reps.
7) Close Your Eyes
This should only be applied on certain exercises that are very simple to perform. You definitely wouldn't want to employ this technique when squatting or deadlifting. On other, simpler exercises, try closing your eyes. This will block out all of your visual stimuli and will allow you to focus 100% on performing the exercise.
8) Pretend It's Someone Else's Pain
Training to failure is physically discomforting. While you are approaching muscular failure, pretend that the pain you are experiencing is also being felt by someone that you dislike. The harder you push, the more pain you will transfer to them. It may seem like a cold-blooded technique, but it works.
If you're ready to put these techniques to use in the gym, I'll teach you several more of these psychological strategies and will provide you with a step-by-step workout plan that you can follow.
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