Article written by: Sean Nalewanyj

Are You in a Subconscious Comfort Zone?

When it all comes down it, how much effort do you truly put into your muscle building program? Can you honestly say that you are working as hard as you possibly can? Are you a true gym warrior?

I"m talking about the type of person who will do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult it is, or what the consequences may be. The kind of person who will drive through pain barriers with an explosive force of will, never surrendering or giving in. One who would jump onto the back of a bus just to make it to the gym. You know the kind of person I"m talking about if you are one. Those who choke down can after can of tuna and squat to failure on the laziest of days.

Whether or not we know it, these warrior-like instincts exist deep within us all. Once upon a time, humans depended solely on the environment for survival. We couldn"t hop into the car and drive down to the local grocery store to fill our bags full of food. We were hunters and gatherers who relied on the wilderness and the wildlife in order to meet our nutritional needs. This required great speed, strength, endurance and a killer instinct for survival. As time continues to drag into the future, the human race as a whole has become lazier, more out of shape and less willing to work hard to achieve our desires than ever before. Raw, physical labour has been replaced by masses of machines used to do the jobs that we were once required to do. We no longer need the skills to hunt, as these jobs are all done for us. No matter how far into the future we go, the simple fact is that these primitive killer instincts we once needed and used still remain buried within our subconscious. The trick is to tap into these powers and to use them on our quest for mind blowing muscle mass and strength.

I don"t care what anyone says, but the number one factor that separates the men from the boys, (those who make modest gains from those who make serious gains) is their level of training intensity. You simply will not yield the type of results you are looking for unless you are willing to push your body to its utmost limits. However, more often than not we see people training with far less than maximal intensity. Why? Are they afraid?

The saying always says "no pain, no gain". I don"t really like to think of it necessarily as pain, but rather as "discomfort". The question then remains: why on earth would anyone let a little bit of discomfort get in the way of achieving something they want so badly? The plain fact is that training discomfort is temporary. It is there, you endure it, and then it is in the past. So why not treat every workout, every exercise, every repetition as if it was your last? You must go into every workout knowing that it is a prime opportunity to increase lean size and strength.

Don"t simply go to the gym to "get it over with". Thrive on the battle! Embrace every opportunity! Enjoy the challenge! Discomfort equals growth, and the more discomfort we endure, the more growth we can hope to achieve. So why would one train in a manner that would allow them to avoid discomfort? If we train with a mentality of holding back, we will never be able to truly move forward.

Do You Truly Train With 100% Effort?
Start today! Stop making excuses for yourself. Plain and simple, stop being a slacker! Everyone likes to believe that they train hard, but how many of us truly do? How many of us truly push ourselves to the edge in each and every workout? Knowing is not enough, we must apply! Sure, you know full and well that you must train with 100% intensity, but do you really train as hard as you possibly can? Do you really push with every ounce of strength from within, on every set, during every workout? When it all comes down to it, when that last repetition is near, do you truly train all-out, and take the set until there is absolutely no way the bar will move another inch? Do you squat? Do you deadlift?

Or do you choose the lifts that are the easiest and will not cause you any discomfort? You know that you must eat 5-6 meals a day, every 2-3 hours. But do you actually do this? Do you really get at least 8 hours of sleep every night? Examine these questions and be completely truthful to yourself, and maybe you will realize a few things.

Many of us fail to realize that we are sitting in a comfort zone in the gym. We get used to a certain routine and end up convincing ourselves that we are actually training hard, when in reality we are not. Do you want real results? I mean real, noticeable, amazing results? Then stop making up excuses and stop slacking. Go to the gym and train like the warrior that you truly are. Give 100% on every single rep and set. Eat 6 meals every single day regardless of what you feel like doing. Do more than simply know. APPLY. Only when we start consistently applying all of the knowledge that we have gained will we be able to truly transform our physiques .

article source : http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/training-intensity.html