Like Embers from the Fire that is My Mind. . . .

THanks for the advice, I'll try it tomorrow when i head to the gym.

Congrats on having such a great goal. Generally speaking, working till it hurts is not only unwise, but potentially dangerous. The idea is to stress the muscle fibers enough that they are overworked and are therefore forced to grow to accommodate the added work load, but not work them so hard that you cause injury and end up rehabilitating for three weeks. That certainly won't do any good. I generally work a weight just heavy enough that I can barely do 10-12 reps, doing three sets with 60-90 second rests in between. For an extra kick, do a fourth set to failure (can't squeeze out another rep), then quickly lower the weight 5-10 pounds depending on how much you are lifting, and squeeze out five more reps. At the end of the day, you might feel fatigues (the good kind), but not in pain. I usually feel stiffness the next day, but even more on the second day.