ketsugo
MuscleHead
- Sep 10, 2011
- 2,652
- 486
The human body thrives on adaptation to changes- homeostasis. Whether its your diet, your training or little pieces of your routines- change- the only constant thing in life, to resist this confuses and defeats, to embrace is to become one with the universe.............
Variety is the spice of Life
The phrase, “Variety is King!” has been uttered by nearly every fitness trainer around the world, with the premise being that your body adapts to the stresses of a specific training protocol after four to six weeks, where the magnitude of the results that you have been achieving, begins to diminish. This is why you see Angie and I performing a new workout program each month.
There are many ways that you can incorporate variety in your training each month. Here are just a few:
a) Keep the workout the same, but change the exercises.
b) Keep the workout and the exercises the same, but change the reps, rest period, or tempo.
c) Change the entire workout plan.
An example of the first scenario would be someone who prefers to perform supersets, because they find that their body responds really well to this protocol and it can be a time efficient way to workout. In order to add variety to their program and prevent their body from adapting to the workout, they switch the exercises from month to month. If their leg workout consisted of squats and deadlifts this month, they may switch it up to leg presses and lunges the following month.
An example of the second scenario would to stick with the supersets using the squats and deadlifts on leg day performing 10-12 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets this month, then switching to 4-6 reps with 180 seconds rest the following month. This is a common form of periodization, where a trainee will go from a three month hypertrophy phase, focusing on muscle size to a three month strength building phase. The one downfall to this type of periodization is that during the hypertrophy phase you may lose strength.
Research has shown that your body adapts to rep ranges faster than it will adapt to exercises, which means that it’s important to vary your rep range more frequently than it is to vary the exercises that you use.
An example of the third scenario would be switching from supersets this month to dropsets next month and mixing up the rep ranges. This is my preferred method for various reasons. Using the example of changing from supersets to dropsets, they both place a different type of stress on your muscles. Supersets can allow for more recovery time for a muscle group, whereas dropsets will bring you much closer to your true ‘momentary muscular failure‘ and recruit many more muscle fibers.
As great as the above methods are for adding variety to your workouts, I have discovered Metabolic Cycling Tricks that produce the “Ultimate Body Sculpting Results“. With these Metabolic Cycling Tricks, you add variety within each workout.
Why go an entire month doing just supersets? Why go an entire month doing just 10-12 reps of every exercise? Why go an entire month allowing 60 seconds rest between exercises?
Why not add variety to the type of training, the rep range, and rest period within each workout in a structured way where you can progress from week to week for a 4 week time period?
An example would be to perform straightsets, super sets, and drop sets within a single workout, while varying the reps and rest period for each exercise.
Incorporating strength training into your workout plan is incredibly important, even when your primary goal is fat loss. When you add a strength training component to your fat loss plan you are more likely to preserve your precious lean muscle and possibly gain some sexy and lean muscle while you burn fat at the same time.
Strength training hit’s your muscles on a neurological level, which increases your ability to recruit more muscle fibers. I like to think of this as adding more members to my team, in my effort to continuously transform my body.
The best way to increase your strength is to perform straightsets, meaning that you perform one exercise for a designated number of sets before moving onto the next exercise. The number of repetitions for each set should be between 4-6 reps. The rest period between these sets should be between 90 and 180 seconds to allow your body to recover from the previous set.
Incorporating hypertrophy training into your workout is also very important, especially when your goal is to improve your body composition. Hypertrophy training hits your muscles on more of a metabolic and cellular level, increasing the size of the muscle, which is temporarily visible during and immediately after the workout as a result of the ‘Pump’. The more permanent and long term gain in muscle size is a result of your body adapting to hypertrophy training, increasing the size and numbers of your muscle filaments.
Not only is hypertrophy training associated with a ‘Pump‘, but it’s also associated with the ‘Burn‘, which is a result of the lactic acid build up. With the increase in lactic acid being produced, you will also experience an increase in growth hormone, which is excellent for muscle gains and for fat loss. This is key for any successful body transformation!
A typical recommendation for hypertrophy training would be to aim for 8-12 repetitions, allowing for a rest period of 60 seconds or less between sets. I find supersets to be one of the best ways to incorporate hypertrophy training into your workout program, by not allowing any rest between exercises, but allowing 60 seconds rest between sets. An example of this would be to perform a Barbell Biceps Curl for 8-12 reps and move immediately to performing a Lying Triceps Extension for 8-12 reps, then resting for 60 seconds. Repeat two more times for a total of 3 sets.
Now you have two different training protocol within one workout…
…Straightsets with a lower rep range and longer rest periods to focus on strength, stimulating the nervous system and recruiting more muscle fibers, and supersets with a higher rep range and shorter rest to focus on hypertrophy to increase the size of the muscle.
Ideally with dropsets, you should keep the rest to a minimum. I prefer to only allow enough rest to change the weight. One of my favorite ways to perform a dropset at the end of a workout is to start off with a heavier weight, performing 4-6 reps. I then drop the weight to a point that allows me to perform 6-8 reps. I then drop the weight to a point where I can only do 8-10 reps. Finishing off with a lighter weight, performing 8-12 reps. Occasionally on that last set I’ll perform a really light weight for 20 repetitions.
At the end of this dropset you should have nothing left in the tank. Your muscle should be totally fried and ready for some healthy nutrition and rest to help it recover and rebuild.
With three different training protocol within a single workout you would expect it to last for an hour or longer, but that’s not the case, when the program is designed properly. When I follow this type of guideline my workouts last approximately 30-45 minutes. When you take into consideration that the dropsets require no rest and the supersets are minimal rest, that’s a good chunk of your workout that fly’s by.
Variety is the spice of Life
The phrase, “Variety is King!” has been uttered by nearly every fitness trainer around the world, with the premise being that your body adapts to the stresses of a specific training protocol after four to six weeks, where the magnitude of the results that you have been achieving, begins to diminish. This is why you see Angie and I performing a new workout program each month.
There are many ways that you can incorporate variety in your training each month. Here are just a few:
a) Keep the workout the same, but change the exercises.
b) Keep the workout and the exercises the same, but change the reps, rest period, or tempo.
c) Change the entire workout plan.
An example of the first scenario would be someone who prefers to perform supersets, because they find that their body responds really well to this protocol and it can be a time efficient way to workout. In order to add variety to their program and prevent their body from adapting to the workout, they switch the exercises from month to month. If their leg workout consisted of squats and deadlifts this month, they may switch it up to leg presses and lunges the following month.
An example of the second scenario would to stick with the supersets using the squats and deadlifts on leg day performing 10-12 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets this month, then switching to 4-6 reps with 180 seconds rest the following month. This is a common form of periodization, where a trainee will go from a three month hypertrophy phase, focusing on muscle size to a three month strength building phase. The one downfall to this type of periodization is that during the hypertrophy phase you may lose strength.
Research has shown that your body adapts to rep ranges faster than it will adapt to exercises, which means that it’s important to vary your rep range more frequently than it is to vary the exercises that you use.
An example of the third scenario would be switching from supersets this month to dropsets next month and mixing up the rep ranges. This is my preferred method for various reasons. Using the example of changing from supersets to dropsets, they both place a different type of stress on your muscles. Supersets can allow for more recovery time for a muscle group, whereas dropsets will bring you much closer to your true ‘momentary muscular failure‘ and recruit many more muscle fibers.
As great as the above methods are for adding variety to your workouts, I have discovered Metabolic Cycling Tricks that produce the “Ultimate Body Sculpting Results“. With these Metabolic Cycling Tricks, you add variety within each workout.
Why go an entire month doing just supersets? Why go an entire month doing just 10-12 reps of every exercise? Why go an entire month allowing 60 seconds rest between exercises?
Why not add variety to the type of training, the rep range, and rest period within each workout in a structured way where you can progress from week to week for a 4 week time period?
An example would be to perform straightsets, super sets, and drop sets within a single workout, while varying the reps and rest period for each exercise.
Incorporating strength training into your workout plan is incredibly important, even when your primary goal is fat loss. When you add a strength training component to your fat loss plan you are more likely to preserve your precious lean muscle and possibly gain some sexy and lean muscle while you burn fat at the same time.
Strength training hit’s your muscles on a neurological level, which increases your ability to recruit more muscle fibers. I like to think of this as adding more members to my team, in my effort to continuously transform my body.
The best way to increase your strength is to perform straightsets, meaning that you perform one exercise for a designated number of sets before moving onto the next exercise. The number of repetitions for each set should be between 4-6 reps. The rest period between these sets should be between 90 and 180 seconds to allow your body to recover from the previous set.
Incorporating hypertrophy training into your workout is also very important, especially when your goal is to improve your body composition. Hypertrophy training hits your muscles on more of a metabolic and cellular level, increasing the size of the muscle, which is temporarily visible during and immediately after the workout as a result of the ‘Pump’. The more permanent and long term gain in muscle size is a result of your body adapting to hypertrophy training, increasing the size and numbers of your muscle filaments.
Not only is hypertrophy training associated with a ‘Pump‘, but it’s also associated with the ‘Burn‘, which is a result of the lactic acid build up. With the increase in lactic acid being produced, you will also experience an increase in growth hormone, which is excellent for muscle gains and for fat loss. This is key for any successful body transformation!
A typical recommendation for hypertrophy training would be to aim for 8-12 repetitions, allowing for a rest period of 60 seconds or less between sets. I find supersets to be one of the best ways to incorporate hypertrophy training into your workout program, by not allowing any rest between exercises, but allowing 60 seconds rest between sets. An example of this would be to perform a Barbell Biceps Curl for 8-12 reps and move immediately to performing a Lying Triceps Extension for 8-12 reps, then resting for 60 seconds. Repeat two more times for a total of 3 sets.
Now you have two different training protocol within one workout…
…Straightsets with a lower rep range and longer rest periods to focus on strength, stimulating the nervous system and recruiting more muscle fibers, and supersets with a higher rep range and shorter rest to focus on hypertrophy to increase the size of the muscle.
Ideally with dropsets, you should keep the rest to a minimum. I prefer to only allow enough rest to change the weight. One of my favorite ways to perform a dropset at the end of a workout is to start off with a heavier weight, performing 4-6 reps. I then drop the weight to a point that allows me to perform 6-8 reps. I then drop the weight to a point where I can only do 8-10 reps. Finishing off with a lighter weight, performing 8-12 reps. Occasionally on that last set I’ll perform a really light weight for 20 repetitions.
At the end of this dropset you should have nothing left in the tank. Your muscle should be totally fried and ready for some healthy nutrition and rest to help it recover and rebuild.
With three different training protocol within a single workout you would expect it to last for an hour or longer, but that’s not the case, when the program is designed properly. When I follow this type of guideline my workouts last approximately 30-45 minutes. When you take into consideration that the dropsets require no rest and the supersets are minimal rest, that’s a good chunk of your workout that fly’s by.
