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Looking For a New Routine? Get That Extra Hard Pump
By Tom Bonanti
Like every hobby, bodybuilding /
weight training can become boring and routine. Doing the same
old thing the same way every time is monotonous and counter
productive even in the gym. That’s why it’s important to read
about new routines and the latest findings on muscle growth so
that your workouts remain challenging, rewarding and fun.
This week I’d like to go over a few common but often
misunderstood terms/techniques that can put some fire under your
workouts and some burn in those muscles.
Compound sets are great especially if
you have a problem muscle group that won’t grow. Compound sets
employ two intense exercises for the same muscle group. For
example, a standing barbell curl can be combined with a preacher
curl to really fry those biceps. Perform a set of barbell curls
to exhaustion then move to a set of killer preacher curls to
isolate those twin peaks. Compound sets bombard a muscle group
working it to exhaustion. If you’re really cruising for a burn,
go for tri-sets. This means simply that you add a third or even
a fourth exercise to the above torture as you max out those
mighty arms. Forced reps are a great way to push
muscles just a little harder, once they’ve been pretty much
exhausted. Just when you think you can’t do another curl, press
or squat, recruit someone else’s muscles to help you. That’s
right, get a trainer, partner, or buddy to help you squeeze out
a couple of forced reps before you rack your weights and call it
quits. Learn to accentuate the negative – at
least with your reps! When I train clients, I’ll often have them
focus on the negative or eccentric contraction during an
exercise. For example, during a bicep curl, explode as you bring
the weight to your chin (concentric or positive contraction)
then as you lower the weight (eccentric or negative
contraction), slow down and focus as you push your muscles to a
new level of fatigue. Try doing negatives with bi’s, tri’s,
chest, legs, etc., once a month to maximize size and strength.
Don’t overdo negatives or you may risk injury or overtraining. Have a great summer and take advantage of these techniques to add variety to you training regime. For more tips like these contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.  TOM BONANTI IS A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND OWNER OF PUMP’N INC GYM AT 1271 NE 9TH AVENUE FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304, www.pumpnincgym.com. |
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“Superset”
is a widely misused term. Technically, a superset is when you
train two opposing muscle groups (i.e. biceps versus triceps,
back versus chest) with only a small break between exercises.
For example, you may do a set of flat bench barbell press for
chest then move quickly using the same barbell for a bent over
row for back. Go back and forth for three sets of each. Take a
brief break and then alternate incline dumbbell presses and wide
grip lat pull downs. Supersets create balance and joint strength
and allow one muscle group a brief rest while you blast its
opposing muscle group.