"C'mon man! One more rep!"
This is usually accompanied by a "helping hand" from a spotter who really
ends up doing all the work half way through that last repetition as the lifter's
head nearly explodes from excess strain.
"Forced reps" are mistakenly seen as the ONLY way to train by many misinformed
bodybuilders today. Again, I have to refer to scientific evidence to make a point...
You see, once you can no longer lift the bar on your own, your muscle fibers have
literally QUIT working and any additional "forced reps" will only risk
injury and GREATLY increase your recovery time!
While it's advisable to have a spotter for safety reasons, reach failure on
your OWN and then rack the bar.
REASON # 3: "Haven't I seen you do this same routine since 8th grade?"
You've heard that "variety is the spice of life", well variety
is ALSO a main ingredient in building new muscle.
Sure we all have our "favorite" exercises that make our muscles just
pop out of our skin. But the fact is, your muscles CAN get "used" to
the same old workout if done too regularly.
Fortunately, it's not too hard to throw them a curve ball. Break up your routine
each WEEK by either performing totally DIFFERENT exercises for the same muscle groups,
changing POSITIONS (e.g.- wide-arm vs. close-grip; incline vs. flat bench; etc.),
or changing the ORDER in which you perform your sets.
Do ANYTHING that will keep your muscles guessing what you're going to throw
at them next.