Working Out To Failure

I had a really good workout last Friday. It was a great example of how to workout to muscle failure. I have been doing one exercise session per week for the last 8 weeks and increasing the resistance by 5% or more every week. I have increased my strength on the leg press by 49% in just 8 workouts.

I have a trainer help me load the weights in between exercises and time each exercise and repetitions using a chronometer. Last Friday I got a new trainer named Mike because the regular one went on spring break vacation. I told him the usual instructions of how I work out  and we got started.

Leg Press

We started with the planned weight  doing one repetition every 20 seconds for a goal of six repetitions or 2 minutes of exercise. I made sure my legs where always under tension careful not to give them a rest on the positive or negative part of the repetition.

At about 90 seconds, my legs started to get a burning sensation, (this is the point where I would usually quit) there was still strength left so I kept going past the burning sensation trying to keep my pace. While the burning sensation in my legs was still there, I start to feel my legs getting warm like when you get into a hot tub. My arms start to get a tingling sensation, I'm breathing quickly and this does not feel like fun anymore. My heart monitor started sounding an alarm letting me know that my heart rate is now above 170 beats per minute (my maximum hearth rate is 188).

I kept pushing the weights as much as I could until the point where all I was doing was holding the weights and they were not moving at all. At this point I imagined the weights being a rock that is about to crush me if I don't hold it in place. After a few seconds of just holding the weight in place, the weight starts to move backwards (I can't hold it anymore), I wait a few seconds and this is where I rack the weights and finished the exercise.

I tried to stand up right after my exercise, but in between my heavy breathing and not being able to speak, my legs where not able to hold my own body weight and I had to sit down. I took a 30 second rest and I was able to stand up again. I was not able to catch my breath for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

This is one of the best workouts I have had.