Sometimes, It's Good to Fail

You know that feeling...

...when you're at the end of a set...

...your muscles can't possibly move another inch...

...your face is contorted beyond recognition of even the slightest appeal...

...and the burn engulfing your body is worse than your last case of syphilis?

Congratulations on achieving total muscle failure! If said-sensation is foreign to you, read on and try to mimic it in your next workout; for, in order to produce recognizable growth, the muscle must be overloaded...which creates micro-tears in the muscle, which, subsequently, are repaired, which, subsequently, grow back bigger and better than ever before!

Sometimes working to failure can seem like a scary and unattractive venture - threat of bodily harm and facial mutilation does little for motivation. However, there are certain ways to achieve failure, without risking your ego and sex life:

1. CHEAT - on occasion, be naughty and cheat...a few 'sloppy' reps are ok during the concentric phase (ie contracting the muscle), as long as you're able to maintain form during the eccentric phase (ie lengthening the muscle).

2. DROP SETS - after you've performed the last rep of a set, grab a weight 50% lighter than what you were using and burn it out with as many reps as you can.

3. REDUCE TIME BETWEEN SETS - simple enough, no?

You need not combine all three principles at the same time to your training...there is such a thing as taking failure too far - unless you're like Spicoli.