There's nothing more frustrating than putting the effort in and not seeing any progress!
If you've experienced this, keep reading. This happens all the time in fitness.
Even for the fully motivated, it's easy to give up when you are not seeing results. Whether your goal is to run a marathon or PR your back squat, the gains you make in training is what keeps you going. They make you excited to come back for more!
More...
Every inch forward towards your goals is highly rewarding. In fact, the progress is even more gratifying than the final goal. Reaching your goals is not what makes you happy. It's the feedback that what you are doing is working, the feeling of getting stronger - the changes in appearance.
Bottom line is if you are seeing gains, motivation comes easy. If you are not, it's hard to stay on track. It's hard give it your all if you are not sure it'll pay.
"make things as simple as possible..." ~ Albert Einstein
Fortunately, the solution is usually much simpler than you think.
So, let's talk about the mistakes that are holding you back.
More is better
Logical as it may seem, this is a fallacy that may be holding you back. Intensity takes recovery. Yes, we want as much intensity as possible but it's not what you think. So, how do scale this in a program known for intensity? It's simple.
Virtuosity - doing the common uncommonly well
To gage the right intensity, go as hard as you can sustain near perfect form (perfection does not exist, only the pursuit. Try to perform each subsequent rep better than the last. This may not put you top dog on the leaderboard, but it will get you further results. And come test day, you crush it!
Let's put in perspective: Do you think you would be a better squatter if you did 200 as fast as possible but half ass OR 100 with near perfect form? Which one is it? I'll wait....
Verdict - More is not always better. If the outcome is dictated by quality, then doesn't it make sense to put your focus on that opposed to the outcome itself?
It's the process folks. Let's strive to get better together!