whatever days you’ve set aside to strength train, really try to go for the burn. no, i’m not one of those “no pain no gain” advocates, however i do believe in maximizing your potential, and i also must admit, i do enjoy that burning feeling in my muscles, topped with the shakes. this is how i know that i am really working hard. now, for those of you who are frustrated because you can’t seem to shed those last few pounds, remember your body will naturally hit a plateau in regards to weight loss. so the way to overcome this hurdle is to sensibly push your body (in conjunction with healthy eating, getting plenty of rest, and stress management). now, going for the burn can be as simple as this: take your normal workout routine and crank it up a tad. for instance, say you have a set number of repetitions (reps) that you do per muscle group. take that number and add 2-3 more reps. the trick is that you change the count for the addition reps. what i mean is this, if you generally do 12 reps of bicep curls for two counts up, and two counts down, when you reach reps 13-15, i want you to take it up for three counts and squeeze your muscle at the top of the movement, and then take it back down for three counts. by doing this, you will get mentally and physically stronger and will be able to really cut into the muscle for more definition. just keep these two things in mind, use a weight that causes fatigue when you’re about two-thirds through the set and please maintain proper form to prevent unnecessary injuries. you’ll gain better results. 
kathleen
