Keep it Difficult…
To cause any difference in the muscles, they have to be tested. When doing a workout, work at least until you feel them burning. Doing one push up and resting a day would not test the muscles like they should to be able to grow. Testing the muscles is what makes them grow. But as they grow, the workout should be adjusted. When the muscles start to develop, more reps, distance, or weight need to be added to continue to test the muscles otherwise they will plateau. Remember the muscles are designed to adapt to the situations they are accustomed to. If the exercise doesn’t change, than the adaptation (or growth) of the muscles will cease.
…But not Too Hard
We know that overworking the
Maintenance muscles will cause a plateau in muscle progression. Overworking the Endurance muscles will cause the muscles to begin to
devour themselves.
Though it hasn’t been discussed before, over working the Explosive
muscles can have the worst affects on the body:
Bones can break, tendons can tear, and muscles can be pulled. If an athlete is continually lifting and
pushing the maximum weight, he might come to a weight that the body is not
ready for, and injury can occur. Just
because you were just able to squat 300 pounds, work with that weight until you
can perform the exercise 10 times before moving up the max weight. This will still work the Explosive muscles without working the Endurance
muscles that might lower the max weight.
