I trained a client the other day who got stuck in the middle of a repetition. She seemed to be unsure of what to do as the exercise got rugged.
From the look of her, she was working hard but not really that hard. I felt sort of frozen - unsure of what to say.
Without a second thought I commanded: "Just push the darn thing forward!" She did.
Sometimes it seems as if it is very difficult for the trainee to determine the difference between going slowly and working hard. If you are trying to adhere to a particular protocol of exercise like Slow Burn and this robs you of the ability to work hard, the protocol in in the way.
Safety aside of course.
The body is VERY resistant to change. Adding muscle and bone mass is metabolically expensive.
Gut busting physical effort is the only way to rejuvenate lost lean mass or to improve upon your existing level of mass which in turn rewards you with a myriad of other physical benefits. Intense effort is the stimulus - the spark - the ignition.
You don't get to vote on this.
Slow Burn is a guideline. But hard, intense, soul wrenching effort is the key.
When in doubt, work harder.