Restore: The Bodyweight Strength Program
Temporary Complete Muscle Failure
Alright, we’re making some progress now. Let’s keep it going by discussing another principle that is very much related and important for you in order to get the most from this course.
Temporary Muscular Failure:
Temporary muscular failure is simply the fatigue that happens within a muscle that reduces its ability to produce force. You simply can’t go on any longer, temporarily of course.
Remember, in this course, RESTORE: The Bodyweight Strength Program, the goal is to perform each movement until you are physically unable to continue WITH good form, focusing on time under load vs. counting repetitions.
So, when you truly believe you are very close to the point where you will be unable to continue, do NOT alter your body position or move in any unorthodox way (bounce or jerk) which might cause you to shorten time under load (best case) or even cause an injury (worst case). When you finally reach a point where you can no longer go on, hold and pause in an isometric (non-moving) fashion.
Your goal during each session is to teach your body that your present level of strength is inadequate for the demands you are placing on it, and you therefore need it to improve.
Don’t believe the MYTH:
You might have heard before that training to “temporary muscle failure or fatigue” is dangerous. Or not ideal for your health or even long-term gains in strength. Don’t believe it – it’s a myth.
In my experience, there are two things very much worth remembering when it comes to this myth.
1. Your brain does a great job of governing just how hard you can push yourself.
2. In virtually every situation, how hard you can push yourself – well, it’s MUCH harder than you “think.”
Remember, the goal is to stress the body and send the message that it isn’t strong enough for the task at hand.
Are you concerned about injury if you go to temporary but complete muscular failure?
Don’t be.
Why?
We know that this kind of fatigue actually reduces the risk of injury because the necessary force required to cause injury isn’t possible due to fatigue. As I said earlier, as you are getting increasingly tired and feeling quite a bit of significant discomfort, the actual amount of force you are generating is getting lower and lower. It doesn’t feel that way, I know. The key is to keep your movements slow and to regularly and consistently generate total body tension.
Remember too, that you are moving very slowly. Injuries usually happen with herky-jerky motions that are uncontrolled. That ISN’T THIS course!
Of course, the key to all of this and what makes this important IS the maintenance of GOOD FORM THROUGHOUT.
- Don’t allow your form to change or deteriorate. Don’t proceed past the point where you can no longer maintain good form. (Read that again).
- You must generate most of your tension from within by radiating that tension from the inside – out and throughout your entire body. That integration and connection will help keep you safe and also get to maximum fatigue more quickly and efficiently.
The bottom line: provided you maintain good form, despite reaching temporary complete muscle failure, your risk of injury will be virtually zero.
What is “good” form you might ask?
For starters, it’s your alignment, posture, integration, and total radiation of tension. In the instructional videos, you’ll see these elements discussed and demonstrated over and over again. Watch and listen closely to each video to learn what you need to do to get the most from the course AND stay clear of injury along the way!
Take a minute to listen in to the video where I will discuss these principles in detail!
If you don’t train very hard, you won’t give your body the impetus it needs to adapt and change, it’s that simple.