Ninety percent of bodybuilders at any one time are in a training rut.

This is how it should be! If continuous growth were possible, we would all have built our Mr. Universe bodies in a matter of months. Realistically, this is impossible.

What is possible is to regain former greatness in a matter of months.

Muscles have a built-in memory, which means that a former 18-inch arm can be regained in much less time than it took to build it in the first place.

The logical assumption for breaking out of a rut would be to increase the intensity and the weight resistance used in your exercises, yet this seldom works beyond a certain point.

In actuality, you could dig yourself into a deeper rut.

Personally, I can often break a sticking point by simply deciding to do so. This, of course, is what athletes and weightlifters do before an important event. They plan their training to reach an all-time plateau at the time of competition.

There is no doubt that the enthusiasm generated from the knowledge that you simply must be at a personal best by a certain date is very conductive to maxing out and reaching it.