You’re almost there. Just three more bicep curls and you’re done with your workout. But your arms are tired and you’ve already done so much, so you put the dumbbell down and skip your final reps.
I know I’m guilty of it. Sometimes I just want to stop, and I don’t push myself through the last few reps of my workout. But when it starts to feel a little uncomfortable, you torch the most calories that lead to results.
When I left for the gym today, I knew I wanted to finish exercising with an arm workout. And I told myself I would push through the final reps, no matter how much I wanted to quit.
And that is exactly what I did. I pushed myself, and it felt great.
I got to the end of my workout, sweat was dripping down my face, I had two 12.5-pound dumbbells in my hand, and I was determined to complete my third set of 20 reps before I headed home. I could feel my shoulders burning, but with only three more reps to go, I pushed through and completed my final set.
Today I left the gym feeling just a little more accomplished, and I hope to feel it in my arms tomorrow morning.
No one said working out was easy, and I have always been told that if it feels easy, you should probably push yourself a little harder. This doesn’t mean you should leave the gym in agonizing pain, but it does mean you should feel a little uncomfortable while you’re working out.
The best feeling is when you wake up the next day and feel sore from your previous workout. It’s not that I like being in pain, but a little soreness lets me know that my body is responding to my workout. It lets me know that I am getting closer to results.
Some days it’s harder to push through my entire workout than others. Upbeat music, such as songs from Blink-182 and Katy Perry, keep me going at the gym. I try to think about the benefits of the specific exercise I am doing. For example, while I’m doing a bicep curl, I think about how doing the exercise will strengthen my muscles.
How do you push yourself through a workout?