M4:D21 (D321) Take no prisoners!

What's on my mind today?
Do you dabble in working out? Do you try your best when hitting the gym? Are you thinking that it is your workout program that is the problem? Is that the reason you are not getting the desired results? Are you really meeting your body's needs?

What does it mean to push yourself to the limit? This means lifting until positive failure. You lift the weight until you can't maintain proper form. That is positive failure. You then add weight the next time and try again. This is what it means to push yourself to the limit. By doing this you keep expanding what your limit really is. It is an amazing thing really. The key thing here is that you must push yourself. It isn't going to happen on its own. You can't just keep doing the same thing and expect your body to respond. You have to work.

When you do cardio, do you dig down deep and give it everything you have? Cardio is the type of exercise that really assists with burning fat. You have to dig down deep and make your body work in the proper heart rate range in order to be successful at this aspect of your training. It isn't about how fast you go or how long you go, it is about keeping yourself in the zone as long as possible. This is accomplished by using a heart rate monitor and paying careful attention to the intensity of your workout.

When you lift are you leaving it all on the gym floor or are you carrying some of it with you out of the gym? This is important. You have to give it everything you have when lifting. Leave nothing in the tanks. Take it all and burn it up as you do the work. Leave it all on the floor of the gym. Carry none of it with you when you leave. Stop shortchanging yourself. You will only get the desired results by working and working hard. Your time is wasted if you fail to do this.

If you can tell something is left in your tank you owe it to yourself to empty those tanks immediately. Work until you feel like you are empty. It is an intense feeling. To feel your muscles burn and your body scream out for mercy is something not too many people experience because they don't truly push themselves. Lift heavy or stay home–that's the philosophy you should be following. You need muscle to burn fat, so get to work earning that muscle. Stop fooling yourself with lame workouts that don't make you work hard. They are a waste of time and wind up getting you hurt in the long run. Just push and push hard!

Take no prisoners at the gym. Kill it! It is all about the effort you put in.

Find out what I'm doing to my body!

Notice that I had 2 days rest since my last workout and yet I was still able to push bigger numbers on every single exercise. In some instances the reps went up and in others the weight went up and in still others both went up. My body is growing stronger with just one set of each exercise. All this indicates to me is the wonderful simplicity of the program. I plan to ask Carlos about the principle behind this and I will then discuss it on my blog.