Our ultimate mission is to help you close the gap to becoming the best version of yourself. Abraham Maslow referred to this as Self Actualization. Ralph Wado Emerserson referred to this idea by saying, “What one can be, one should be.” My preferred way of thinking of this journey is the path to Arete.
I view this as a path of Mastery. If you would like to derive all the potential benefits by pursuing this path, we have created this tool to aid you on your journey.
The intention here is to give direction, to provide some standards, and to help you better align your training level with your goals and standards. We borrow from the idea of the belt ranking system from martial arts.
One key idea to consider is that there is no there, there. In other words, pursuing a black belt is to pursue mastery but also realizing that we will never truly get there. Maintaining a beginners mind (white belt) even after becoming a black belt is a true growth mindset and is required to continue to grow and evolve.
Another distinction we want to make with these training levels is that they are not focused purely on outcome performance goals. We have created some leader boards for our strength assessments as inspiration and to give external feedback on your progress. These training/belt levels are focused more on mindset, effort, internal connection, and form. Although we all may very well hit plateaus in external outcomes, it is my belief that the internal growth that is possible with this approach to training is unlimited.
A term we will refer to frequently in distinguishing between the levels below will be ‘Momentary Muscular Failure”. Below is a detailed explanation of what we mean by ‘Momentary Muscular Failure.”
Firstly, it’s important to clarify that while training to MMF is a valuable approach, our main goal is to stimulate your muscles effectively and efficiently, rather than solely focusing on reaching MMF. Our aim is to provide you with the tools to improve safely and optimize your training outcomes.
One key principle we emphasize is “Progressive Overload,” applying this principle may enable you to make progress in your training for a considerable time without necessarily reaching true MMF. However, as you continue to advance, training to your limit or MMF may become necessary to sustain progress.
In simple terms, MMF refers to temporarily weakening the targeted muscles during exercise—a scientific term called “Inroading.” While it is natural for us to avoid this state of fatigue, considering our protective instincts, understanding the benefits from a scientific perspective empowers us to willingly create the necessary stimulus.
From an evolutionary biology standpoint, reaching a state of deep muscular fatigue or weakness was considered dangerous for our survival. If, for instance, you were being chased by a tiger and your legs became too fatigued to continue running, your chances of survival would diminish. However, if you were fatigued but still capable of reaching safety, your body would recognize the danger and allocate resources to build stronger legs, enhancing your likelihood of surviving future dangerous situations. Although it is against our nature to embrace fatigue during exercise, comprehending the scientific rationale behind it helps us intentionally create the required stimulus, despite our protective instincts.
From a scientific perspective training to MMF optimizes motor unit recruitment by engaging both slow and fast twitch muscle fibers. By employing slow and controlled movements, you can recruit these motor units safely and efficiently. The higher threshold fibers, which have a greater potential for muscle hypertrophy and strength development, are typically activated in the later stages of a set taken to MMF. Therefore, stopping short of MMF may result in suboptimal training stimulus.
Now, let’s explore what I refer to as “True” MMF. This represents an event where immense mental focus and directed physical effort are required. While it may not be essential to reach “True” MMF to achieve your goals, I believe the psychological rewards outweigh the physical ones. It is a distinction between reaching a point where you can’t push any further (Volitional MMF) and truly giving your absolute best effort (True MMF). Training to “True” MMF is a personal challenge that can enhance your training intensity and focus.
Let’s explore further what I mean by “True” MMF and how it looks in practice. Here’s an example of performing a set of 4 SuperSlow reps on the Medx Leg Press machine to reach MMF:
Before you start, visualize yourself setting the intention to give your best and most focused effort. Stay calm, control your breath, and connect with the movement. Picture your body in the proper position: feet parallel, knees flexed at 90 degrees, hips firmly pressed into the seat back, head and neck neutral. Imagine building tension and pressing through the ball, outside, and heel of your foot until the weight stack begins to move slightly. Feel in total control of the movement, engaging your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings, and activating your core to stabilize your pelvis.
As you reach the end of the range of motion, stay in control and maintain tension, then slowly start the descent. Gradually slow down even more, anticipating the start of the next rep as slowly as possible. Visualize this process for the first 3 reps, focusing on feeling your muscles engage. Embrace the burning sensation and shift your focus towards it instead of avoiding discomfort. Remind yourself that this feeling is a positive sign of progress. As you begin the last rep, give it your all. Imagine barely moving the weight, even if doubt creeps in about finishing the rep. Stay focused on the process, remaining calm and engaged.
When it feels like the weight won’t budge any further, increase your effort without speeding up. Push yourself to maintain an extremely slow speed to keep the weight moving. By this point, you’re nearing the end of the perfect set, barely completing the positive phase of the exercise. Now, concentrate on finishing the perfect rep by controlling the negative phase for 10 seconds. If you can control the descent, attempt to start the next rep. Remember, whether or not you can complete the rep doesn’t matter. The key is to stay fully engaged mentally and physically, with the intention to remain engaged regardless of whether the weight moves or not. Maintain this intention for another 5-10 seconds.
Regarding the above description, I’d like to provide some feedback to guide you on your journey to MMF. As the movement of the weight slows or bogs down, you’ll need to increase your effort to maintain a continuous movement. In the beginning of a SuperSlow set, you intentionally conserve your effort to move at a slow speed. However, as the set progresses and your muscles fatigue, your effort must increase. If increasing your effort causes the weight to move rapidly, it indicates that you’re not as fatigued as you thought. Use this feedback to realize that you can push further before the need to try moving faster arises.
To help you assess your journey towards MMF, here are some indicators that you may not be training to “True” MMF:
1. Arriving late for your training session and allowing distractions to divert your focus and energy.
2. Checking your Apple Watch or other devices for messages during your workout.
3. Engaging in conversations during a set of exercises.
4. Making excuses before even starting your training session, anticipating a subpar performance.
5. Worrying about conserving energy for the rest of your day.
These situations are common, but recognizing how they might hinder your progress is crucial to addressing them effectively.
I hope this detailed explanation sheds light on the concept of MMF and its role in optimizing your training outcomes. Our aim is to empower you with the knowledge and guidance needed to reach your full potential. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Level 1 (white belt)
This is the beginner level. We understand at this level there can be a lot of excitement with starting something new but we also realize there can be some anxiety associated with this level as well. We want to take that energy and utilize it in a positive way.
A major key at this level is to maintain an open mind and a willingness to put aside previous ideas of what you thought was optimal exercise. Be open to fully embracing the methodology we are teaching. There is an immense amount of information available to you but in this phase we do not want you to become overwhelmed. The most important thing here is to learn to perform the exercises with proper form. The three simple things to focus on with our protocol are:
1 Posture/ alignment
2 Breath
3 Movement speed
We also want to connect to and focus on developing an understanding of the “Primary objective of Exercise.”
In our method of exercise the primary objective of the exercise is to stimulate the muscular system.. One of the primary mechanisms we utilize for stimulating the muscle is referred to as thorough inroad or momentarily fatiguing the muscle.
At this level, it is important to work towards making the mind/muscle connection and focus on feeling the muscle versus focusing on the act of just moving the weight.
We are not concerned with “true” maximal effort at this point but rather learning the movements and how to safely, effectively, and efficiently perform the exercises.
Typically, during this phase you will see rapid improvements. Understand that this is primarily due motor learning and neurological adaptations. This rate of improvement is not realistic for the long term. We tell you this not to discourage you but to help you set realistic expectations.
Level 2 (Blue Belt)
At this level you have already developed competency at performing exercises with good form and technique. The challenge at this level is to learn to increase the level of intention and effort while still maintaining your form. Again the three simple things are:
1 Posture/Alignment
2 Breath control
3 Movement Speed
At this level it is important to understand that the exercise should not become easier but instead you should feel that it is more challenging. As the intention and effort increase it is even more important to focus on the “Primary Objective of Exercise. ” The tendency will be to look for ways to escape from the discomfort of effort and by doing so increase the risk of injury and diminish the stimulus.
At this level we are now focusing on working towards what we refer to as volitional fatigue. In other words, you make the determination that you can no longer continue an exercise with proper form. The biggest distinction here is the realization that there is a gap between what you think you can do and what you are truly capable of. It is at this level that we want to bring awareness to what you are capable of yet we are not truly training to our best effort just yet.
At this level, you can expect to continue to make gains. These gains may continue to be significant but you should not be discouraged if they seem to be slowing down. At this point, the improvement due to the learning phase or less and true gains in strength begin to be realized.
Level 3 (purple belt)
At this level of training you have established solid form and technique and developed a solid mind/muscle connection. You have also begun increasing your focus, intention, and level of effort. One of the challenges at this level is that the newness and novelty of training have diminished. I would say it is at this level that uncommon growth begins to occur. It is important to continue to train with a white belt growth mindset always seeking to improve your training. This involves more introspection. This is the level where we begin to challenge you to train to “True” muscular failure. This is where communication with your coach becomes even more important. The first step is to make the decision where you truly want to go, Do you really want to be challenged to find the level of effort that you are truly capable of? Do you truly want to go to “True Muscular failure”?
Second, is to accept that what you consider to be your best effort is probably not. This is where we plant the seed that you are often capable of much more than you think. If you truly want to uncover your true potential physically, we are here to guide you in uncovering what that is. If you trust us to guide you we will help you uncover that 20X potential. You also need to understand that Training to true muscular failure is extremely challenging and simply put both really hard and extremely uncomfortable. It is my opinion that training to this level provides the optimal stimulus for improvement in regards to strength and muscle gains. However, it is possible to make gains over a long period of time without training to true muscular failure. After many years of focusing on working to master the art of training to muscular failure, I realize that the greatest benefit of this approach to training goes well beyond the physical benefits. It can truly be a path for personal development. It can become extremely mental and If you choose to approach it as such, it can truly become a spiritual experience.
At this level you do not need to train to true failure on every exercise every workout but we begin to focus on getting there on occasion.
Level 4 (Brown Belt)
At this level of training you have demonstrated the discipline of not only showing up consistently for your training sessions but doing so with a focused, intentional, and directed mindset. You have established good habits and consistency with both your effort levels and training form.
At this point you have established a solid rapport with your coach and created a solid partnership where you can authentically communicate your goals and trust your coach to hold you accountable to your mutually agreed upon actions needed to achieve those goals.
You are consistently training to muscle failure, although depending on your plan may not be on every exercise every workout.
The external gains may begin to slow down at this point in training. This level of training may seem like a grind. You may even begin to ask yourself the question, ‘Is this extraordinary level of effort worth the incremental improvement?” This is where you need to make another decision. Do I want to “Embrace the Grind” and seek not only measurable gains (strength and/or muscle) but mastery over myself.
Level 5 (Black Belt)
As the saying goes regarding the path to Mastery,” As the one seeking true mastery gets closer to mastery, he/she wishes it was further away,’ This is the mindset I encourage you to have at this level.
At this level you have integrated aspects of the other 4 levels and have habituated the focus, intention, and attention to show up and give your best effort on a consistent basis.
The goal here is to continually ask questions of your coach and most importantly to myself about how I can become better. At this point it is more about the process and internal connection. How can I improve my focus and intention? How can I master my internal dialogue when things become difficult?
At this level, you have to earn your black belt everyday. Maintaining a beginner’s mind may be one of the biggest challenges.
Training at this level consistently is uncommon but as they say in the smoke jumpers creed, ; Do to today what others want, so you can do tomorrow what others can’t.”
Training intensely with high effort and extreme focus requires mental toughness and just because you did it in the past doesn’t mean you don’t have to continue to hone this skill if you value it. Mental toughness just like muscles can atrophy if not continually trained.