How To Push Through A Workout

So you’re at that point of your workout where you’re doing your woe is me bullshit to yourself, training partner, or trainer (possibly me) about how you can’t use a little more weight…

…or you don’t have enough left to do one more rep…

…or you’re too gassed to do another set.

What on earth are you to do?!

Hmmmm…

Well, would you be able to do what you’re supposed to do if there was a gun to your head and the person holding it threatens to make a Picasso with your brain matter if you don’t bump up the weight, or crank out another rep, or perform an additional set?

Would you be able to do even more weight or a few more reps or sets if the gunman threatens to shoot every member of your family too?

If the answer is “Yes”, then you know you’re being a slang word for female genitalia that women have told me I should refrain from using derogatorily to imply weakness because the body part in question is quite tough.¹

Oh, but what if the answer is “No”, you ask!

Well, if you can’t do what’s asked of you, then you know you’ve reached your limit!² That being the case, there’ll be no shame in quitting and proceeding to do your woe is me bullshit.

Weight training is mental.

Your mind will give out long before your body does, meaning that your mind will reach its breaking point prior to your body reaching its own. Because that can result in you cutting things short, which can lead to leaving a lot of potential on the table were premature quitting to carry on over time, it’s on you to dig deep within yourself and continue pushing through when you THINK you have nothing left.

One of the many ways to do that is with the “gun to your head” test above, which comes by way of Mike Mentzer and his Heavy Duty Training philosophy that calls for pushing the body to the absolute limit to achieve total muscle failure.

While it’s for more advanced lifters to routinely go to Mentzer’s extreme of a medevac team needing to descend upon the scene after each and every set of each and every workout, that doesn’t mean that those not so seasoned shouldn’t ask themselves if they’re doing as much as they’re really capable of. In most instances, the answer is going to be a resounding “no” and more can be done relative to one’s fitness level, whether that be with increased reps, sets, and/or weight used.

Glossary: personal trainer, training partner, workout

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Monster Longe

Monster Longe is a personal trainer in San Diego. He has been lifting weights for +25 years and training clients in the gym and online for about half of that time. When not working with clients or making content that's easy to read, understand, and apply to everyday life, he enjoys long walks and leaving buildings crushed and entire city blocks decimated in his wake.

How To Push Through A Workout

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