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Intensity
techniques are among the greatest weapons in your
arsenal for building a truly astonishing physique.
However they are not for everybody. Beginning
trainers should definitely NOT use techniques
such as these.
Intensity
techniques allow you to push beyond conventional
failure in order to work your muscles harder,
providing an irresistible stimulus for the muscles
to get larger and stronger.
Try
these techniques in your next workouts. You can
even try using several of these techniques in
one set if you really want to work yourself hard.
Be careful not to overuse them, however, as they
can be extremely demanding and difficult for your
body to recover from.
1. Triple Drop and Rebound Sets
This
is a variation of the Triple Drop Set. The Triple
Drop Set is where you start with a heavy weight,
do a set to failure, reduce the weight, do another
set to failure, reduce the weight a third time
and do a final set to failure.
Do
the regular Triple Drop Set then quickly go back
and do your starting (heaviest) weight again for
a more few reps. Usually you will be able to get
one or two reps with it. The reason for this is
that the last of the drops uses a lighter weight,
which recruits different muscle fibers than when
you are using heavier weights.
2. Isolation/Compound Rebound
Sets
Do
a Triple Drop Set of an isolation exercise, e.g.
flyes, then immediately go back and use your starting
(heaviest) weights for a set of a compound exercise
for that muscle group, e.g. dumbell bench press.
This
is a type of advanced Pre-Exhaust training. Pre-Exhaust
training is when you do an isolation exercise
(an exercise that involves motion at only one
joint, such as a dumbell flye) immediately followed
by a compound exercise (an exercise that involves
motion at two or more joints, such as a bench
press).
The
idea with the Pre-Exhaust training is to basically
exhaust your target muscle group (in this case
the chest), by first working directly with one
exercise, then doing another exercise that utilizes
other muscles to assist it. This increases the
intensity of the work done by the chest as the
assisting muscles will you allow you to push thechest
further.
By
utilizing a triple-drop set format for the isolation
exercise, you dramtically increase the exhaustion
of the target muscle, allowing you to push it
extremely hard.
3. Jump Sets
This
is a way of doing a large number of heavy sets
for several muscle groups without losing as much
strength from set to set.
Jump
sets are best used on antagonistic bodyparts such
as back and chest, biceps and triceps, or hamstrings
and quads.
For
example, if you plan on doing 5 sets of chin-ups
and 5 sets of bench, start with 3 sets of chin-ups,
then 3 sets of bench, then go back and do your
remaining 2 sets of chin-ups and 2 sets of bench.
The extra rest will allow you to be stronger on
your last 2 sets than you normally would.
Jumping
between antagonistic muscle groups also seems
to benefit strength. This can also be done going
back and forth on every set instead of groups
of sets. This is not a superset - take your normal
rest period between each set. This technique enhances
recuperation by providing more rest to the bodyparts
but within the same workout time. This allows
you to do more weight for each
exercise.
4. 2 Up - 1 Down Negatives
This
is a variation of negative training that is best
done with machines. Use two arms or legs for the
positive phase of the movement then lower it the
weight using only one arm or leg.
This
type of negative training is useful if you do
not have a partner to work with as it is done
completely solo.
A good
example of this technique is the machine bench
press. Set the weight to about half of what you
would normally use for the exercise. Press the
weight up with both arms then remove one and lower
the weight with one arm.
When
using this technique, you can alternate arms/legs
or do the complete set of reps with the one arm/leg,
then the complete set of reps with the other arm/leg.
5. Combination Sets
With
this technique, you will use two different exercises
alternated with each rep, e.g. lying tricep extensions
and close grip bench, dumbell flyes and dumbell
press, rows and deadlifts. You should use exercises
that are easily switched from to the other within
a set.
To
take the set even further, when you fail on one
exercise, continue with the one you are stronger
in until you fail on that one, too. For example,
when combining rows and deadlifts, continue with
deadlifts after failing on rows. Your legs will
help push your back further. This whole technique
is like an extended pre-exhaust superset.
6. Rep Targeting
Set
a target of a certain amount of reps and get that
target of reps no matter how many sets it takes
you to get there. For example, if you pick a target
of 50 reps on chin-ups, say you get 30 on the
first set. Rest a little while, e.g. 10 to 30
seconds. Do another set. Say you get 10 reps this
time. Rest 10 to 30 seconds again. Get 5 reps.
Rest. Get 3 reps. Rest. Get 2 reps. Done.
A different
version of this is what I call Time Subtraction.
The amount of time you rest between sets is the
amount of reps you have left to get to your target.
For example, if your target is 50 and you get
30 reps, your rest period is 20 seconds. Say on
the next set you get 10 more reps. This leaves
you with 10 reps to go so rest 10 seconds then
go again. If you get 4 more reps, and you have
6 left, rest 6 seconds.
7. Add Sets
These
are the opposite of drop sets. Start with a light
weight for high reps and add weight on progressive
sets. This works the slow-twitch, higher rep fibers
first, then the fast-twitch, powerful fibers.
This technique works very well for calves as they
recover very quickly. It also works very well
with selectorized machines. You can combine this
technique with drops sets, doing add and drop
sets or drop and add sets like a pyramid.
8. Static Hold Weight Pyramiding
This
technique only works on plate-loaded machines
or on a barbell exercise with two spotters.
Start
with a moderate weight that you can do a static
contraction with for a long period of time. Hold
that weight in the contracted position of the
exercise you are working, e.g. pec deck.
Have
a partner add plates to the machine while you
continue to hold in that static position. Keep
adding plates (small ones such as 2½'s,
5's, 7½'s or 10's work best, depending
on the exercise and your strength levels) until
the weight starts to drop. At that point, pull
off one plate. Hold until it starts to drop again.
Pull off one plate and hold. You may come to a
point where your partner is pulling off weights
as fast as he can just to keep up with your lagging
strength.
Make
sure you have effective communication such as
a nod or a grunt when you want the next plate
off or on. Continue this process until you end
up at your original weight (you can continue to
no weight if you want).
This
is an incredibly intense static hold and will
fatigue pretty much every muscle fiber in the
target muscle group except for the explosive ones.
To hit them as well, when you are the top of the
pyramid using the heaviest weight, do as many
partial, explosive reps as you can in the contracted
position.
You
may also wish to try this technique with a barbell
and two spotters. Make sure that they add and
remove weights simultaneously in order to allow
you to keep the bar balanced.
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And
these aren't all! There are plenty of other intensity
techniques you can put to work in your training!
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