Fouad Abiad and Jordan Peters: A Higher Level of Focus

[Kaladryn]

As you get older, you can still train balls to the wall, you can still put the muscle through as much torture and pain as you can possibly stand, but instead of doing it with as much weight as possible, you can do it with as little weight as possible. I ask myself, how can make this exercise harder but still mechanically correct and productive; how can I make less weight still cause more stress on the target muscle? It doesn't have to necessarily be high reps either.

Here is a good example: we have all probably tried to do as many pushups as we can at some point in time, but have you have tried to do the LEAST number of pushups you can do? Try it sometime, do everything possible to make every rep of the pushup maximally difficult in every way: slower negatives felt just in the chest, explosive but controlled positives, constant tension, perfect body position, mind-muscle connections exactly where you want them, etc. It's amazing how hard you can make them, and you can still go absolutely balls to the wall mentally. This is just an example, you can apply it to anything. Training lighter doesn't mean you have to train easier or not push yourself as hard mentally, in fact, training like this can be even harder mentally.

I ask myself, what is the LEAST amount of weight I can use and still cause the target muscle as much overload as possible?

A saying I have used forever: The muscle has no idea how much weight you are lifting, it only knows how much stress it is under, if you can put it under more stress with less weight you can get the same if not better results with less chance of injury.

 

[prodaf]

I ask myself, what is the LEAST amount of weight I can use and still cause the target muscle as much overload as possible?

A saying I have used forever: The muscle has no idea how much weight you are lifting, it only knows how much stress it is under, if you can put it under more stress with less weight you can get the same if not better results with less chance of injury.

This

 

[totalrecomp]

It’s not really the same. The only reason I go to the gym is to get stronger on my chosen movements and as a byproduct get bigger. That is the only thing that motivates me to go. I could have a goal to run a marathon but I hate running and it’s boring to me. Our goals are what interests us, what we look forward to. When the day comes I can no longer lift progressively I’ll have no reason to go.

I am sorry to hear that. When that day comes perhaps you may feel something is better than nothing. Do you have a plan as to what will fill the inevitable void when you reach that point?