I think back to when Vince Lombardi became coach of the Green Bay Packers many years ago. He held up a football in the locker room on the first day and said, "gentlemen, this is called a football." And then he proceeded to iterate fundamental and elementary rules of the game. Truth be told, the players already knew the things he was teaching, But they needed to be reminded. Football is about making very simple plays and consistent yardage over and over again to gain first downs, and ultimately, the coveted touchdown. Let me be your Vince "Critical Mass" Lombardi for a few moments and remind you of a fundamental to muscle growth.
When you work out, you need to give your muscles a REASON to grow.
As I look around the gym and read many exercise logs, I fear that the words of the great LEE HANEY have been used as an excuse for mediore lifting sessions. His philosophy was, "stimulate your muscles, don't annihilate them." So, with the fear of over training secured in the back of our minds, you go to the gym and do your cute little 3 sets of 10, and then start a thread on EB.N wondering why you are not growing. Do you really think your 3 sets of 10 is enough to get your muscles to grow? I read of sessions that Steve Michalik used to have, and I feel like I need to pick the barbell up again! Read on the sessions that Arnold, Franco, Big Louie, Ed Corney, and those from the Golden Age used to have. Watch Big Ronnie Coleman workout!
Your workout is supposed to be rough! It's supposed to hurt like hell! It's supposed to have you leaving the gym short of breath, sick to your stomach, your whole body shaking, and your arms about to rip your shirt from the swole! Now dammnit!, There's just too many greasy, good looking, tight shirt wearing, eyebrow plucking, lotion wearing pretty boys who are in the gym posing the image! Us muscle heads cannot be doing the same type of limp wrist workouts they are doing!
I hate the word "over training." Yes, I do believe in it. In fact, today I had to throw the ez curl bar down because I have been shocking my biceps so much this past week that I was actually weaker today....... a sign of over training. But the larger point here is that it's talked about and feared way too much on the boards and it's gotten some lifters in the funk of just going through the motions of a less-than-stellar workout.
The next time you walk in the gym, I want you to prepare yourself for an onslaught of pain that you are going to willfully put yourself through in order to truly achieve the muscle growth you desire.
It's time to take your game to the next level. No, 3 is not enough. When you can't pull your arms in front of your chest because of the pain, it's enough. When your biceps are pulling your forearms up and you can't walk with your arms down straight to your side, it's enough. When the upper-inside of your triceps is pressing up against your lats from the swole, and it hurts like hell to relax and put your hands behind your head, it's enough. When you roll out of the leg press and can't get up off the floor for 15 minutes, it's enough. When you are doing walking lunges and you collapse, it's enough.
What? You want the appearance of muscle and strength without the actual experience?
3 is not enough.
Three is Enough
