stephencp, well that was more of an encouraging post. Clearly, like you mentioned, 110% + going more often is the ideal solution. BUT, concentration is essential if you want to get the most out of your bodybuilding workouts. Sure you can go through the motions AND even exert a lot of effort. But from my experience, that kind of mentality without the intense, dedicated focus leads to good results, but not GREAT results.
For example, I used to do 121 consecutive push-ups every day in high school. Rain or shine I did it everyday. And they weren't wimpy push-ups either. Everytime I was done, I was covered in sweat and was struggling for breath. But despite all that effort, I now do pushups in 4 sets of 25. And the strange thing is I get a much better burn and feel my chest muscles worked a lot more with my new workout than the former crazy one.
This is from my experience with bodybuilding so I'm not sure if it works for everyone. But if you want other sources, Arnold also mentions in his book "The Modern Encyclopedia to Bodybuilding" that the mind is crucial in workouts and he mentions some mind techniques that I've found on my own and happen to agree with him.
I'm actually going lighter and lighter on weights as I progress sometimes because I realize I was not doing 100% perfect form and even though I was concentrating as much as possible, a slight alteration in form can mute all that effort. You will feel a lot of struggle and exertion and even sweat a lot, but it will not stimulate the muscle you want to grow. You won't get that deep burning sensation in that muscle part you're supposed to work out.
But I realize everyone has different goals and purposes. I see nothing wrong with simply going to the gym to stay fit. I'm into hardcore bodybuilding so I want to maximize my workouts as much as possible. But if you want to simply stay fit and look good, I can respect that as well and I encourage you just to stay on track, improve gradually, and enjoy the adventure.
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