Homeostasis the Body Builder’s
Mortal Enemy!
Your body is
naturally resistant to change. It prefers to be in a constant state with no
change to its environment. It simply does not want big, freaky muscles. You have
to force this complex machine to accept them. The principle is that simple. Without the right weapons you
will never even come close to pushing your body to reach its potential.
This state
of stubbornness is referred to in scientific terms as homeostasis. Homeostasis
simply means “staying the same”.
It is the
goal of these series of articles to learn how to defeat the bodies desire to
stay in this state!
I strongly
believe that shocking principles are the number one weapon to defeat this foe!
Webster has
two definitions of shock that I feel apply to this situation.
The first
is, “a sudden powerful blow”, which is exactly what shock principals
deliver! They
literally shatter your body’s natural defenses to change!
The other
definition is, “an extreme stimulation of the nerves by the passage of
electrical current through the body.”
Shock
principals are just that! A strong electrical current running wild in your body!
Applying shocking techniques to your workouts is like shoving your muscles into
an electric socket! The jolt will literally have your system so
surprised that it will have no choice but to adapt to the stimulation with new
muscle growth!
Don’t
Just Win the Battle, Win the WAR!
However, it’s important to
know that shock principles can become
adaptable to the body! This complex machine
has the amazing ability to adjust to new
environments and overcome rather quickly!
This is even truer the longer you work out
for. For all you long-time lifters out
there, remember when you first started
working out? Anything and everything worked.
But as time passed your body became more
stubborn to workouts and you had to find new
ways to force it into growth.
If you
always apply the same shock principals in the same way every workout, your body
will learn how to deal with them and the growth you received from the shock
initially will be reduced to minimal at best.
Just like in
war. One side creates a new weapon, and the other side finds a way to counteract
it. So too, does this apply to shock principals. The key is to find ways to
constantly change them so the body can never adapt, and you will always come out
victorious in the gym.
The
Weapons of War
This article
will be broken down into a mini-series over the next several issues. I will be
covering classic shock principals such as supersets, cheating, pre-exhaustion,
forced reps, and a few others. I will also be covering some of my own, more
advanced principals such as static supersets, ASDC, and drop level static negatives
to name a few! It is my objective to give you everything you need to make each
gym session challenging and rewarding!
With all
that in mind, let’s take a look at your new arsenal!
SUPER SETS
The King
of Shock!
Supersets are probably the
number one, all-star shock technique. The benefits they offer a
bodybuilder are many and include, taxing more muscle fibers than a standard set,
elevating growth enhancing hormones in the body, increasing mitochondrial
density in the cell
for more muscle energy, and perhaps the best of all, hitting the muscle from
various angles for the shock of a life time!
Supersets are generally
targeted at focusing on one muscle group and bringing it to the limit!
They
are a combination of two exercises for the same muscle group performed right
after each other without pause. You can read more about the definition of a
superset under the workout section of the site.
However, they can be
applied for two different muscle groups, usually two oppositely working muscle
groups. These are usually referred to as compound supersets.
(FYI- If you perform three
exercises in a row it is referred to as Tri-sets and anything over three is
referred to as Giant sets.)
Keeping the Super Set -
Super!
What many do not realize
is how versatile the super set is, and how to use it for consistent gains.
I always hear people say,
“Don’t use the superset that much, or else it will lose its effectiveness, and
only use it when you plateau.” (Plateau just means that you have hit a sticking
point in your training and you don’t seem to be getting bigger)
I say use supersets to
prevent plateaus from happening in the first place! These can be broken
down into ways that offer limitless possibilities for combinations, and can
still stay fresh so you will get constant gains!
Basic Rules of the
Superset
Supersets are basically
broken down into two types of exercises. Mass and isolation exercises.
First let me explain what
I mean by mass and isolation.
A compound movement is a exercise that
involves two or more joint movements. These tend to build the most mass.
Isolated exercise involves one discernible joint movement and are used to target
a muscle.
A general Weight Training Exercise Classification is as follows:
Mechanics-
Compound. Basic-Many/Auxiliary-Some
Isolation. Basic-some/Auxiliary-many
We can also describe them as closed chain or open chain movements.
A closed chain is an exercise in which the end segment of the exercised limb is
fixed, or the end is supporting the weight. Most compound exercises tend to be
closed chain movements.
An open chain exercise is one in which the end segment of the exercised limb is
not fixed, or the end is not supporting the weight. Most isolated exercise are
open chain movements.
"Mass exercises" and "isolation exercises" however are relative terms.
I prefer to define these words in terms of power and force body production,
muscular endurance, velocity of contraction, flexibility, rate of metabolism,
and coordination, to determine a mass/isolation exercise, rather than technical
definitions of "compound/isolation".
There are 3 basic training principles: overload, variation, and specificity.
Let's examine each of these.
Overload is concerned with providing a proper stimulus for eliciting a desired
physical, physiological, or performance adaptation. Overload is exercise and
training that goes beyond normal levels of physical performance. An overload
stimulus will have some level of strength (intensity), frequency, and duration
of application. Thus, all stimuli will have a level of intensity, relative
intensity (percentage of maximum), frequency, and duration (volume).
The intensity of training is associated with the rate of performing work and the
rate at which energy is expended; the volume of training is a measure or
estimate of how much total work is performed and the total amount of energy
expended. Intensity (and relative intensity) is provided by the amount of weight
lifted, and the volume of training is related to the number of repetitions and
sets per exercise; the number and types of exercises used (large- versus
small-muscle mass); and the number of times per day, week, month, and so on that
these exercises are repeated. Volume load (repetitions ×the mass lifted) is the
best estimate of the amount of work accomplished during training.
K.C. Pierce, G.G. Haff, A.J. Koch, B.K. Schilling, and R.L. Johnson.
Periodization: Effects of manipulating volume and intensity—Part 1. Strength
Conditioning. 21:56–62. 1999.
H.S. O'Bryant, K.C. Pierce, G.G. Haff, A.J. Koch, B.K. Schilling, and R.L.
Johnson. Periodization: Effects of manipulating volume and intensity—Part 2.
Strength Conditioning. 21:54–60. 1999.
Stone, M.H., S. Plisk, M.E. Stone, B. Schilling, H.S. O'Bryant, and K.C. Pierce.
Athletic performance development: Volume load—1 set vs multiple sets, training
velocity and training variation. Strength Conditioning. 20(6):22–31. 1998.
The application of training intensity and volume can be considered both in terms
of the overall workout (i.e., all exercises performed during a specified period)
or in terms of individual exercises. An understanding of overload factors can
aid in the choice of exercises and equipment. Although programming (i.e., sets
and repetitions) for a specific exercise is independent of exercise mode, the
resulting total work (accomplished per session, week, month, etc.) is not
independent.
Variation is concerned with appropriate manipulation in training intensity,
speed of movement, volume, and exercise selection. Appropriate variation is an
important consideration for the prolongation of adaptations over continuous
training programs. Furthermore, appropriate sequencing of volume; intensity; and
exercise selection, including speed–strength exercises, in a periodized manner
can lead to superior enhancement of a variety of performance abilities.
Kraemer, W.J. A series of studies: The physiological basis for strength training
in American football: Fact over philosophy. J. Strength Conditioning Res.
11:131–142. 1997.
Kramer, J.B., M.H. Stone, H.S. O'Bryant, M.S. Conley, R.L. Johnson, D.C. Nieman,
D.R. Honeycutt, and T.P. Hoke. Effects of single versus multiple sets of weight
training: Impact of volume, intensity and variation. J. Strength Conditioning
Res. 113:143–147. 1997.
Specificity of exercise and training is the most important consideration when
selecting appropriate equipment for resistance training, especially if
performance enhancement is a primary goal. Specificity includes both
bioenergetics and mechanics of training. This discussion will be concerned with
mechanical specificity.
The transfer-of-training effect deals with the degree of performance adaptation
that can result from a training exercise and is strongly related to specificity.
Mechanical specificity refers to the kinetic and kinematic associations between
a training exercise and a physical performance. This includes movement patterns,
peak force, rate of force development, acceleration, and velocity parameters.
The more similar a training exercise is to the actual physical performance, the
greater the probability of transfer.
This is why poses must be observed, examined, and molded in during training.
Sale, D.G. Neural adaptation to strength training. In:. Strength Power in Sport.
P.V. Komi, ed. London, Blackwell Scientific. 1992.pp. 249–265.
Saunders, M.T. A comparison of two methods of training on the development of
muscular strength and endurance. J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther. Spring:210–213.
1980.
R.A. Motor Learning Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1991.
Siff and Verkhoshansky refer to transfer-of-training effect as “dynamic
correspondence”; that is, the basic mechanics, but not necessarily the outward
appearance, of training movements should be similar to those of the athlete's
sport performance. They suggest a number of considerations and performance
criteria that can be used in selecting training modes (and methods) that can
maximize the transfer-of-training effect.
Siff, M.C., and Y.V. Verkhoshansky. Supertraining: Strength Training for
Sporting Excellence. (3rd ed.). Johannesburg, South Africa: University of the
Witwatersrand. 1998.
In terms of performance, the criteria are as follows:
accentuated regions of force production
amplitude and direction of movement
dynamics of effort (i.e., static versus dynamic characteristics of the movement
and appropriate power output)
rate and time of maximum force production
regime of muscular work (eccentric versus concentric muscle actions)
The fourth criteria, dealing with rate of force production, is especially
important in selecting exercises for the training of explosive athletic
movements. Mechanical specificity has been extensively studied as it affects
strength-training exercise.
Mass Exercise - A
Mass exercise is
a lift where more than one muscle is heavily used at the same time.
These have a tendency to
be exercises that tax a large portion of the body with one lift. Most lifts can
be categorized as a pushing or a pulling movement. A compound exercise tends to
tax all the muscles involved in either type of movement heavily. For example the bench
press stresses primarily the pectorals, followed by the front delts, side
delts, and the triceps. These are all muscles associated with pushing. While
Barbell rows stress a lot of back and biceps which are used by the body to pull
a weight (forearms are used for gripping and holding). The best examples of
mass/compound movements include squats, bench press and dead lifts.
The
Benefits of Mass Exercises are Many and Include
1.
Adding slabs of meat to
your frame! Nothing packs on size like heavy mass/compound movements!
2.
Building coordination
in the muscles via nervous system stimulation that can only be produced with
mass exercise training.
3.
Density and Thickness.
Compound exercises not only build size, but a look that can only be achieved by
heavy mass movements.
These tend to be more
powerful lifts, as a lot of your body’s muscles are being used and coordinating
together to help you lift the weight. I like to think of it as the muscle being
worked is doing about 60%-75% of the work. So in an incline dumbbell press, my
pectorals are doing about 60-75(the percentage varies depending on how heavy you
are going, and how many sets you’ve done) percent of the work, and my delts and
tris are doing the rest. For example, the barbell
curls mostly hits your biceps, but you are using a lot of back and shoulders to
help lift the weight, so the barbell curl would be thought of as a mass
exercise. Some other examples include the upright row, chin-ups, and barbell
pullovers. While these exercises are
meant to work one area of the body they are in fact getting a lot of power from
other secondary muscle groups.
Isolation
Exercise
An isolation exercise
is just that. It’s an exercise that isolates one muscle group from the rest of
your body. Sometimes I’ll hear people
say, “Isolation exercises don’t build mass”….. I say you’re crazy!
For example, the preacher
curl totally isolates your biceps off from the rest of your body, but none can
dispute that the preacher curls adds slabs of meat to your arms! Same with the
concentration curl. What other exercise can build more height on the top of the
bicep! Isolation exercises have a
huge role in body building! If you are a beginner, I would recommend only using
these more sparingly and focus mostly on mass exercises. However, as you become
more muscular (intermediate/advanced levels) the need for isolation exercises
become more evident. As you focus on mass exercises, you build size, but not
always with good symmetry.
With that, isolation
exercises too have many advantages including:
1.
Building a stronger
mind-muscle link. By building this link you can teach your muscles to better
coordinate during mass exercises! For example, as you begin bodybuilding you may
be doing chin-ups and going to failure, but only your arms are sore the next
day. This is because your mind-to-muscle link with your back is weak! By
incorporating stiff-arm pull downs in your back workouts, you can learn to feel
and flex your lats. If you start incorporating isolation exercises similar to
that in your back routine, don’t be surprised if your pull-up numbers sky
rocket!
The back is much stronger
than the arms, and once you learn how to get full power out of your lats your
pull-up will become more efficient for hypertrophy (growth) in your back as you
will be exhausting your lats instead of your arms.
2.
Symmetry. Noting can
shape a muscle like an isolation exercise. Don’t be fooled! Bodybuilding is
about being massive, but also symmetrical and detailed! Just look at Ronnie Coleman.
He’s the champ because of his freaky mass and freaky shape and detail! The more
detail and shape you have in your muscles the more menacing and ripped you will
look on stage or the beach!
3.
Increased mitochondria
size and blood flow. The localized pump an isolation exercise produces is a
result of a huge blood flow in the muscle. This causes increased hardness and vascularity. Also inside the cells it causes increased mitochondria size which
results in more energy for the muscle cells, which translates to more power!
I like to think of an
isolation exercise, as the muscle being worked is doing 80%-90% of the work, and
the secondary muscles are doing the rest. For example the forearms and delts are
still being used a little in preacher curls, but the bis are doing almost all
the work. One other point is that
many mass exercises can be turned into isolation exercises by simply sitting
down on a bench. Sitting on a bench will not allow you to use your back and legs
in an exercise, making it much more isolated! Try doing barbell curls
standing, and then seated! You’ll be using much less weight!
Some other examples
include, dumbbell lateral raises, leg extensions and curls, Tricep kickbacks and
Barbell wrist curls.
Mass and Isolation- The
Variables of the Super Set Formula
(Refer to the exercise section if you are unsure of the proper technique for the
given exercises)
Mass and Isolation
exercises are the two fundamentals to creating supersets. By constantly varying
the way you mix up your supersets you will keep your body guessing and growing!
The following formulas are
the best ways to mix up the variables for continuous gains and new found size:
1.
Mass exercises supersetted with mass exercises
2.
Mass exercises supersetted with isolation exercises
3.
Isolation exercises supersetted with mass exercises
4.
Isolation exercises supersetted with isolation exercises
Let’s break each one of
these down to get a better understanding of how to apply them and how to create
your own lethal superset combinations!
Mass
Exercises Supersetted with Mass exercises
This is without a doubt, a
sure fire way to pack on new size. The combination is lethal and usually quite
painful as well. These will also take quite a bit out of you, so I recommend them
only on a bulk, when carbohydrates are plentiful! Not only will this combo
create freaky size, but will also release tons of growth hormones and elevate
natural testosterone levels! (During REM -rapid eye movement-sleep, your body is
in an anabolic state, releasing growth hormone. This is when most of your muscle
growth takes place. If your body is tired, it stops growing, so get more sleep!)
Other benefits include
increased strength and endurance and increased bone density.
Some Hardcore Examples
Include:
Barbell Row supersetted
with the Dead lift - This is a favorite of Mr. O from the forums! If you’re
looking for new back density, this is the superset for you!
Behind the back barbell
shrugs with front barbell shrugs - Get ready to watch your traps touch your ears!
Chin-up supersetted with
Barbell Row - You’ll be blocking out the sun after this one! This superset offers
width and thickness in one foul swoop!
Side-to-side chin-up
supersetted with Regular Chin-ups- You’ll find after you exhaust each side, you
can still get a few regular chins using both arms simultaneously!
Incline Dumbbell Press
with Decline Barbell Press- Destroy your chest from both ends! The burn from
this one is insane!
Barbell Military Press
supersetted with Dumbbell Upright rows- Boulder Shoulders just took on a new
meaning!
Reverse Barbell Curls with
Standing Hammer curls- A classic superset for Popeye forearms!
Standing Barbell
extensions supersetted with Close-Grip Bench Presses- Wear a cut-off shirt on
this day! Other wise you’re sleeves will rip from the pump!
Squats supersetted with
alternating leg Barbell Lunges- Go heavy or go home!
Squats supersetted with
Leg press- Ultra Brutal! You can also vary it up to help add mass to different
parts of the leg. For example Barbell Hack Squat supersetted with Close-feet,
toes straight Leg Presses for the outer thighs.
Creating
Your Own!
My suggestion is to take
a list of compound exercises and try to think of your own deadly combos! Try to
focus on your weaker points, and use this style of the superset to super-induce
growth in the problem area. If your lat width is lagging behind the rest of your
body superset lat widening exercises. For example wide-grip barbell rows supersetted with wide-grip pull downs!
Mass
Exercise Supersetted with an Isolation Exercise -
These are an awesome way
to finish off any lagging part! These will help shape a muscle and make sure you
taxed that stubborn muscle group to the max! Often times after a mass exercise
the muscle you are trying to target may still have some strength left. This
could be due to a secondary muscle failing first. Try this type of superset for
toasting! Especially try them for a
mass exercise like the squat or dead lift, where almost the entire body is used
during the exercise.
Examples
My personal favorite is
barbell squat supersetted with leg extensions. This is going to take a
lot of guts to do, but I guarantee you’ll see new growth with this combo! What?
Not hardcore enough? Throw in a few drop sets and let’s see you keep that smile!
There are so many great
supersets when you combine mass with isolation!
Bench press supersetted
with Dumbbell Flys - A sure fire way to finish off your chest! Again, often times
your delts can come to failure before your pecs during a bench press. Especially
an incline press. Use the dumbbell fly to make sure you’ve fried your pecs to a
crisp!
Wide-grip Barbell upright
rows supersetted with Seated lateral raises - These will make your delts super
wide!
Standing dumbbell curls
supersetted with seated inner bicep curls - If your goal is to pile up your
peaks, then this is your superset!
Reverse Barbell Curls
supersetted with reverse barbell wrist curls - This superset will burn up the
stubborn forearm extensors!
Stiff-Legged Dead lift
supersetted with the lying leg curl - Have you been neglecting your hammies? Get
back into the swing of things with this one!
As you create supersets with
this formula, think of the muscles you want
to add not only more size too, but more
shape as well. Pick an exercise that
not only will help shape the muscle you are
targeting, but will also give a good deep
burn.
Isolation
Exercise Supersetted with Mass Exercise:
This is a deviation of the
pre-exhaustion principle. With pre-exhaustion the tendency is to do some
isolated work for an area then perform a mass exercise that targets that same
area (More details of this principle will be given in Part II). For example you
may perform three sets of seated side laterals followed up by Military Presses.
The basic idea behind pre-exhaustion is that now that you have taxed your side
deltoids with lateral raises, they will come to failure during the compound
movement first. This shock principle not only works, but gives great results!
This style of superset
will shock your body just like the first time you tried pre-exhaustion. By
isolating a muscle then immediately super setting it with a mass movement, you
get the benefit of mass in the desired area, and an insanely deep burn that I’ve
never felt with any other type of superset! I personally feel that this type of
superset is one of the best ways to achieve thickness. It is this type of freaky
thickness that allows shorter guys like Lee Priest (5’4”) to stand up to much
taller competitors and win( creates the illusion of having a longer collar bone)!
For this example we will
target the forearms! (The muscle Lee Priest is famous for!) The reverse barbell curl
is an awesome mass building arm exercise. It primarily builds beef around the
forearms and outer biceps. First try performing reverse
dumbbell wrist curls over a bench and superset them with reverse barbell curls!
You’ll want to chew your forearms off at the elbow to stop the pain! But the end result is
development of the aesthetically pleasing forearm extensor muscles!
Other muscle Thickening
Examples Include:
L-laterals supersetted
with Wide-Grip military presses- Get ready to walk through doors sideways,
because your delts will be too wide after this one!
Incline Fly supersetted
with Incline Press - I like to change the angle of the incline bench for
variation. I find my inner pecs are stressed between a 30 degree and 45 degree
angle on the bench. So by changing the bench angle around on a consistent basis
I can hit my upper pecs a little bit different each time and get better overall
development. Or to shock my upper pecs, I could do say three sets of incline
flys or presses and alternate the bench angle a little for each set.
Leg curls supersetted with
leg presses- Place your feet high on the foot pad to target the hamstrings. By
adding the leg curls before hand you can emphasize this even more. If you have
problems feeling your hamstrings, try this on for size!
Leg extensions supersetted
with leg presses- This time place your feet low on the foot pad after doing leg
extensions for searing quad pain!
Spider Curls supersetted
with standing EZ-bar curls- Spider curls are similar to preacher curls, except
dangle your arms from the side that is completely vertical. Keep your triceps
and elbows flat against the pad and lower your arms all the way down and back
up. After failure stand up with the bar and pump out more reps to total failure!
One word comes to mind…..OUCH! These are my favorite types of supersets. Where
you can go directly from one exercise to another on one fluid motion. These
always produce awesome pumps, and in my opinion the best results. I call these
fluid supersets!
Seated Overhead Tricep
extensions supersetted with close-grip incline bench press- Another fluid
superset! Use the incline station for this one. Grab the bar and sit up so you
can perform overhead barbell extensions. Right after failure, lie back in the
incline bench and perform close-grip bench presses! Brutal!
Wide-grip or close-grip
cable push downs supersetted with behind-the back dips. Another brutal tricep
superset that will leave you at its mercy!
Standing Calf Raises with
toes pointed inwards supersetted with standing calf raises with your toes
straight-
This is an excellent
method for bringing up a lagging head on your calves. Simply adjust your foot
positions to hit different regions of the calves. So I might do 300lb. calf
raises with my toes pointed in to hit the outer calf until failure, then reduce
the weight and go again, this time with my toes straight to target the whole
calf. I like to think as toes straight as the mass movement for most calf
exercises, as this way hits the whole calf. As opposed to pointing your toes in
different directions for more isolated work. (Toes out tend to hit the inner
calf, and toes in the outer calves.) Try this in tri-set mode! Do calf raises
with your toes pointed out supersetted with toes pointed in, then toes pointed
straight! You’ll be begging for death!
Isolation
Exercises Supersetted with Isolation Exercises
The last but definitely
not least fundamental formula for supersets! With great size, you
must have great shape, symmetry, and definition of the muscles. This is what
makes you a “total package” or just a big pile of meat! In my opinion, this is the
greatest superset scheme to achieve these goals! An isolation exercise
offers the benefit of feeling the targeted muscle contract much harder than in a
mass exercise. You also have the ability to target a
different head within a muscle group during an isolation lift. When you
superset two of these types of movements together the outcome is an extreme
blood pump and super shaping! These are literally the chisels for shaping your
physique!
Perhaps my favorite
isolation/isolation superset of all times is Jacob’s infamous bicep destroyer!
Incline Curls supersetted with Preacher curls. The pump on this one is insane as
this powerhouse super stretches the bis and finishes it off with a direct attack
on all sides of the biceps! This one is a must!!!! Again, I want to say that
just because an exercise is labeled “isolation” does not mean you will not get
mass from the exercises. It just means more localized and area specific mass, as
opposed to overall mass.
There are Many Other great
combinations that will help carve you out!
Seated Side Lateral
supersetted with L-Lateral- Here is another fluid superset! Right from one exercise to
another! This superset will teach you “Width 101”.
One arm dumbbell overhead
extensions supersetted with Tricep Kickback- Do one arm then the other. The rest
period is the time when you are doing the other arm.
Dumbbell Wrist Curl
supersetted with Dumbbell twist- This fluid superset will make you realize the
test you must take to get A+ forearms!
Stiff-arm push downs
supersetted with Face-pulls- You have to be strict with these movements! But
remember with a big back better come muscle separation and detail, or else your
just a partial eclipse of the sun!
Decline Flys supersetted
with the Pec Deck- A great way to carve out detail in the chest! This is another
large muscle that needs detail! I find that I can feel the lower pecs being
pulled harder on the pec deck, by placing my hands lower on the handle bars.
Adductor Machine
supersetted with the Abductor Machine- A great way to even out the lower body!
While we’re on the subject
of machines…I feel machine and cable exercises are generally isolation
exercises. While they do build considerable mass, they are awesome for shaping.
With that in mind I like to use lots of machines in my isolation/isolation
supersets!
Tie-Ins!
One other way that I like
to combine isolation exercises is super setting muscle groups that tie into each
other. For example hamstrings
with calves. Try super setting lying leg curls with standing calf raises. Or
Reverse calf raises with Leg extensions! That is a personal favorite of mine,
and will add a menacing edge to any front quad pose! Another favorite of mine
is rear delts with triceps. So, in this case I might do One-arm bent-over
lateral raises supersetted with tricep kickbacks! While were on the topic of
arms try supersetting dumbbell curls with dumbbell front raises for better delt/bicep
tie-ins.
When you develop your own
isolation supersets think of the muscles you have that need more shape. Examine
your muscles and find exactly what part of the muscle is lagging. The inner
head, the outer head, the peak, etc. And find what exercises emphasize and
isolate that particular part and attack it with the iso/iso superset approach!
You won’t be disappointed!
Incorporating Supersets
Into Your Workout for Non-Stop Gains!
By changing the superset
formula variables on a regular basis, you will continue to shock your body for
new gains and keep it begging for more!
Stagnate supersets is the
main culprit for the lessening of their effect. For example, the first time you
switched from Barbell bench press to the dumbbell bench press as your primary
chest exercise, you probably got almost instant size gains! After some time,
however, you probably noticed the effect on growth seemed to lessen. Then as you
switched back to the barbell bench as your main chest exercise you shocked your
body once again, and the growth cycle continued! This constant cycling keeps
your body in a state of shock! This same principle applies to superset as well
(and almost everything in bodybuilding).
When you do the same type
of superset all the time, and never mix up the formula the effects of the
superset seem to “wear off”, and the superset becomes a mediocre set. By simply
changing the formula and variety of your supersets you will increase not only
your potential for growth, but also your intensity!
Studies have proven that
intensity has a direct correlation to growth! The more intensity you have during
a set, the more growth you’ll get. Intensity is what causes you to go deep into
the pain zone and reach for that new, previously unattainable goal. It’s what
makes you push for that extra rep, lift that heavier weight, and squeeze out
that last ditch effort.
By changing your routine
around you literally force your brain to get more into the workout and up its
intensity levels. It simply can’t adapt and learn the easy way out of a routine,
because it’s too new for your body. As a result it is forced to work harder!
Also by switching things around on a regular basis it just makes lifting more
interesting and fun!
Variety is the Spice of
Life and Bodybuilding!
I highly recommend
breaking down the superset formulas into phases. This is the key to keeping the
super in super set! The way you break them down is ultimately up to you. I will
give you some foundations to work with. I suggest experimenting with them and
finding what works best for you.
Perhaps the simplest way
is to break the phases down into weeks. For example:
Phase 1-
(Week 1) any time you do supersets, super set mass exercises with mass
exercises.
Phase 2-
(Week 2) Mass supersetted with Isolation
Phase 3-
(Week 3) Isolation supersetted with Mass
Phase 4-
(Week 4) Isolation supersetted with isolation
Or,
Phase 1-
Mass supersetted with mass and isolation supersetted with isolation. This combo
will increase both size, shape, and detail! If you want to make dramatic changes
to your physique try this phase out.
Phase 2-
Mass supersetted with Isolation and Isolation supersetted with mass.
This is also another great
way to increase both size and shape. But by changing the formula you will
totally shock your body!
Another possible way to
break them down is to base them on what your current goals are.
Bulk cycle:
Your goal on a bulk is to of course
add mass. Mass supersetted with mass and mass supersetted with isolation are the
two best formulas to accomplish this goal. This combo will pack size like never
before, and these combinations will produce better results due to the high level
of nutrients and carbohydrates consumed at this time.
Cut cycle:
Isolation supersetted with mass and isolation supersetted with isolation are the
best combinations for detailing and shaping a muscle, along with adding
vascularity. This will make your cutting phase an optimal time to add these
super sets to your training.
As I mentioned earlier the
combinations here are about as endless as the combos for supersets! Test them
out and create you own for never ending gains!
CHEAT REPS
Cheaters
Do Prosper!
Strict form
and full range of motion is everything. It teaches you to feel the muscle and
how to focus the stress on the area being targeted. It’s also the number one way
to prevent injury. By going to failure through the full, correct range of motion
you ensure yourself that you have totally taxed the muscle group in your sights.
I recommend
keeping good, solid strict form throughout your first year of training. Learn
how to perfect exercises through a full range of motion. Even as you progress
through different levels of bodybuilding, proper form is essential and should be
adhered to throughout the majority of your training.
However,
once you have built a descent amount of mass, and have established a solid
muscle mind link with your various muscle groups, you can begin employing the
cheating technique. The cheating principle is applied by using momentum to help
cheat the weight after failure through the positive (up) portion of an exercise,
to take your sets further into the growth zone. You can use either your own
momentum or the momentum of the weight.
Cheating
heavily emphasizes the negative portion of a lift. I always go for a super slow
descent on cheat reps. Simply cheating a weight up and dropping it will do
nothing for growth, but will only open you up for injury. I recommend going for
a 5 to 30 second descent. Base the count on how heavy you are going and the reps
you are attempting to complete. Be sure to perform at least one or two regular
sets before using cheating to be sure your muscles and tendons are warmed up and
won’t injure yourself.
I also
suggest some lower back stretching and maybe even a few sets of high rep back
extensions. The lower back is the most used muscle when incorporating cheating.
This means it is also the muscle most open for injury. By properly warming it up
you will get more out of your cheat reps and avoid injury.
Guidelines for Healthy Cheating
1.
Never
cheat until after initial failure has occurred.
2.
Do not
use more than four cheat reps per set, after initial failure has occurred. Any
cheating reps after four and the assisting body part is doing too much work and
the amount of momentum to use becomes hard to judge.
3.
Always
keep constant tension on the muscle that is being targeted. When you feel other
muscle groups doing all the work, or the targeted muscle is relying totally on
momentum to get through the set, stop cheating. When cheating really focus and
concentrate on the muscle and don’t let anything distract you.
4.
If you
have any kind of lower back problems, use a belt. Also stretch your lower back
out before cheating.
5.
Don’t
cheat on exercises that require total body balance or rely heavily on other
muscle groups to lift the weight. For example cheating on the dead lift or squat
will most likely cause injury, and there is no safe way to cheat with these.
Some mass exercises can be used with cheating, but I feel isolation exercises
are much safer to cheat with. I’d recommend avoiding cheating with most
exercises involving the chest, calves, thighs or back (there are a few
exceptions with the back and chest. I’ll get into these later). Power lifters
may cheat on squats, but I don’t recommend it for bodybuilders or anyone. It’s
really hard on the knees.
6. If you’ve
never incorporated cheating before, I’d recommend practicing the technique with
light weight to get the “proper form” down for cheating safely and effectively.
7.
Again
your goal should be to boost momentum as little as possible and still get a few
extra reps per set.
8. Emphasize
the negative on any cheat rep.
Thou
shall not…
1.
Bounce
the bar off your body in any form to cheat out extra reps. For example gym
morons who bounce the bar off their chest during bench presses.
2.
Bounce
your knees off your chest for leg presses.
3.
Swing the
bar with excessive force. Remember use as little momentum as possible.
4.
Overload
yourself with too much weight, and then try to cheat yourself through the entire
set.
These seem
like common sense, but we all see these things done in the gym all the time. I
can assure you none of these will aid in growth and will only cause injury to
ligaments and joints, or muscle strains and pulls.
Types of
cheating
You can
break the cheating concept down into two basic ways, loose cheating and strict
cheating. Momentum can also be broken down into two types of ways when applied
to the cheating principle. These are called weight momentum and body momentum.
Loose
cheating will bring
other muscles into play. Even though it will reduce the immediate stress on the
target muscles, it can intensify that stress overall by extending the set.
During loose cheating other muscle groups are used to help cheat the weight up
and momentum is used only minimally.
Strict
Cheating
can better
isolate the desired muscle. This method also reduces the risk of injury. Strict
cheating uses more momentum to lift the weight and relies less upon other muscle
groups.
Weight
Momentum involves
using mostly the weight as the source for momentum.
Body
Momentum involves
using mostly your body as the source for the momentum.
Even with
all these different types, it is impossible to totally do any one of them 100%
without involving the other methods. But different concepts can be emphasized
over others. Each of these types will take time and practice to develop.
Applying
the Cheating Principle for Use in the Gym:
The
following examples are the exercises that I find get the most benefit from
cheating. Try utilizing these over your next couple of workouts.
Bicep
Curls - You can
perform these with either a barbell or a dumbbell. Incorporate of cheating with biceps
can be done two different ways. One is to swing the
weight a bit at the bottom (weight momentum), and the other is to lean back a
bit at the top, just enough to get past the sticking point (body momentum).
If you have
to bend back too far, or swing too excessively its time to set the bar or
dumbbells down. Pushing it any farther will do nothing for your bis.
Shoulder
Presses, front raises, side laterals, and upright rows - For these
movements, you can use a small bounce to cheat out an extra rep or two, even
with seated presses. To use momentum when standing, slightly bend and
straighten your knees and back to use momentum on these movements (strict cheating).
Triceps
extensions and pushdowns - Again, by
slightly bending and straightening your knees you can bounce to get out a few
extra reps on standing triceps extensions. For tricep
pushdowns, you can raise your elbows so that the bar is up to about eye level.
Then you can use your lats and delts to force-push the bar down, and fight the
negative.
Bench
Press with a barbell or dumbbell - This is an
advanced technique. I don’t recommend it for maxing out, or even super heavy
sets. Even if you do use this technique with a lighter weight, I don’t advise
doing more than one or two cheat rep per set with these. This is one of those
exercises that definitely needs some lower back stretching before attempting.
The basic
concept is to do as many reps as you can with your back flat, then drive your
feet into the floor and arch your back. You will be able to squeeze out at
least one or two more reps! Don't use this cheat technique as an excuse to put
on too much weight and arching for all your reps.
Barbell
Rows and Pull downs - To cheat
when doing barbell rows, pull up on the bar hard and fast. As the weight nears
the top of the range of motion, dip your upper body down as you squeeze hard with
your lats and traps. I’d recommend practicing these with a lighter weight at
first and make sure you are well warmed up before going heavier. Make sure you
are not just using momentum to get the weight up, concentrate on using your back
muscles. This is an example of loose cheating. This is
another one that needs to be preceded with some lower back stretching. To cheat
with pull downs lean backward to about a 45 degree angle throughout the pulling
motion. Allow your lower back to take on some of the work of bringing the bar
down. Then fight the negative hard.
DOUBLE NEGATIVES
How to
Apply Double Negatives
Double
negatives are performed on machines that allow the weight to be centered at
all times during the lift. Thus, most cable movements and cable machines
will work, along with some free weight movements that allow the weight to be
centered. The centering of the weight allows the negative to be distributed to
one side of the body evenly. This would be almost impossible with a barbell as
the weight is on the ends and the bar would tip over if you tried to place the
entire negative on one side of the body.
As for
cables, I feel the rope attachment (same rope attachment you use for
cable crunches) is the most versatile piece of equipment that can be used for
double negative movements. The rope allows the negative weight to be distributed
evenly on the body.
How do
double negatives work?
Double
negatives will super blast your muscles into new dimensions of size! They work
because they literally shut down your bodies natural defenses to an overload of
weight! They also subject the muscle to twice the amount of overload it could
normally handle on the lowering portion of a lift.
For example,
let’s say that you can do a 1 rep maximum of shoulder pressing with a 100 lb
barbell. That 1-rep max is your 100% maximum power output. Now if you can stop
and hold it statically (still/ not moving) in the fully contracted position,
you're stronger! And if you can resist on the way down (negative) instead of
just holding the weight still, you're even stronger! If the positive 1RM was
100%, then static is approximately 120% and negative is approximately 140%. Why is this? It's a defense mechanism of the body! If it was the other way around we'd be in
some serious trouble! We'd be able to pick up a huge load and hold it above our
heads, but once we're there we’d realize that we're too weak to hold it there
and.….BAM!
It's a
safety buffer to ensure that we can't pick up something we can't handle, and in
the worst-case scenario we always have the power to give the weight a controlled
descent back down. This is the
key to why double negative training works! And this is also why you have to be
both disciplined to do it safely. When I am performing double negatives, I
always lower the weight with a slow 10 to 30 count. The exact time depends on
how warmed-up I am, and how I want to vary the descent time. However, the main
thing to remember is a slow and controlled descent. As opposed to sloppily and
loosely dropping the weight too fast. Also stretch heavily, and perform one
higher rep working set the regular way before doing any pure double negative
sets. The reason
why you must be careful is because by doing double negatives you are effectively
tricking your body! Simply put, you override the safety by filling the buffer
with extra weight, and forcing your muscles to work harder than other wise
possible. The downside of this is exactly that - you override the safety limit! The upside
is new muscle growth that will blow your mind! With all
that in mind let’s discuss strategy.
