- .... If you are performing singles, you have no second chance. If you get it wrong
on the first rep, that is the whole set. e lower the rep count, the greater the
need for no mistakes.. Always be under control in the negative portion of each rep of every exercise
you do. Do not be in a hurry to get it over with. Take the extra second or
two. Not only does this make your training safer, but it improves your form
and position for the positive part of each rep. But avoid going to the extreme
of making the negative excessively slow. Doing that will only weaken you for
the positive phase. Use moderation.. Maintaining focus
. Do not talk between sets. Cut yourself off from those who go to the gym
to socialize rather than train hard. Talk after you have finished a workout.
Avoid everything that diverts your mind from the rigors of intensive train-
ing.. Breathing
. e usual tendency, especially when training hard, is to hold the breath
during the hard stage of each rep. is can cause blackouts, especially if you
are not used to intensive training. Even if it is just for a split second, a loss
of consciousness could be enough to cause a calamity if you were squatting,
bench pressing or pressing overhead. ough you may not suffer blackouts
or dizziness, headaches are a common result of breath holding during inten-
sive training.. Start now to breathe out during the positive phase of every rep, and it will
soon become a habit. It does not have to be an explosive expulsion, but
exhaling in an explosive way can help get the bar through a sticking point. If
you keep your mouth open, that should prevent you from holding your breath.. If you train with intensity using very slow reps (five or more seconds for each
positive or negative stroke) you will need to pant almost continuously dur-
ing both the positive and negative strokes of each rep, especially at the end
of a set when you are breathing heavily. Do not save the exhalation just for
the positive stage.. Not holding the breath also applies out of the gym. Whenever you put forth
a maximum effort, exhale as you do so.