Exercise Begins At Failure
By now most of you have seen our messages that we post on the board, and the latest one is important if you are trying to get the most out of your exercise sessions. The results from the World's Best Workout are excellent if you learn how to reach a very deep level of fatigue. This fatigue is often referred to as "failure", and this is where many of us struggle once the weights become more demanding. There are many reasons why someone would quit before reaching this level of fatigue, some real and some perceived incorrectly. Since low force, slow movement speed exercise is designed to be safe, but carries an element of danger if not performed correctly, we work around the concept of "failure" most often with those new to the program.
If you are new to the program, when you start moving the weights, the resistance will be set light and you will be able to perform reps correctly until we ask you to stop at 2:30 seconds. This is NOT the goal. The goal is to use proper form during this time. If you DO NOT use proper form then we will stop you. Poor form is the first reason why most people will not achieve failure. If you use proper form however, the weights will become more demanding with each session until you are unable to move the weights in LESS than 2 minutes. Here is where the sessions start to become intense enough to stimulate the changes you are seeking.
Once you begin to reach fatigue in less than 2 minutes, the exercise becomes uncomfortable, and we will coach you through this. As you start moving weights that are relatively heavy for you, moving slowly will cause your muscles to burn a bit as they warm up. That's right...you warm up DURING the exercise! Then they will start to quiver and shake. As you near the 2 minutes, though you may think another rep is impossible (or just undesirable), we will ask you to refuse to believe this, for it is only once the weights have stopped moving that we will coach you to "unload" or stop trying to move the weights.
As you begin to fatigue or "inroad" more deeply, there is still a chance that you will not be able to reach muscle failure. If you hold your breath, suffer an injury, experience the Exercise Induced Headache, or can't hold your body still...again...we will stop you. At this point you are just a bit short of your goal. Remember...use good form until you have unloaded the weights. Another reason you may not be able to achieve failure is that you stop, mistakenly believing that you were beginning to "overwork" your muscles. We also hear, "I didn't want to hurt myself by pushing too hard." Remember though, the safest, most productive rep is the last one...the one where you push but the weights stay still. At this point if you are focused...in good form...you will hear our droning countdown. 5...4...3...2...1! Success!
That's it...5 seconds of failure will stimulate the muscle growth response, and a cascade of changes, including improving bone density, body fat loss, and cardiovascular fitness. Remember, though it's true that working to a lesser degree of intensity will still deliver good results, you walked into the World's Best Workout seeking the World's Best Results...this is how you get them.
Happy Failing!
Wes Hardy
