Exercise Intensity Techniques
PURPOSE FOR INTENSITY: The needs for intensity techniques in strength and fitness training include the following- Creates more work time in the 80%-100% effort range, reduce the time needed to workout, over load the musculoskeletal system to cause adaptation to higher work loads, and to add an ability to change work out splits to avoid plateaus and monotony. Combinations of these techniques can make your workouts more interesting and designing it more fun. Creativity is how these techniques came about. Further creativity on your part can create new and improved ways of exercising; Dare to be different and unique.
PATTERNS OF LIFTING: Different patterns of lifting and varying combinations of exercises can create intensity and variety to the workout. This is one general area of intensity that can enhance your strength and fitness training.
1) Compound Sets: A compound set is when the lifter chooses two different lifts that work the desired muscle group. For example: Barbell curls followed by dumbbell curls.
The lifter uses a weight on the first exercise that can be lifted for six to ten repetitions. Following the first exercise, the lifter performs the second exercise with a weight that can be lifted for an additional eight to ten repetitions, without rest between the two exercises.
2) Drop Sets:A drop set can also be called a descending set or a strip set. The lifter lifts the weight on a chosen exercise for six to ten repetitions, and reduces the weight approximately 40% to 50%, and continues the set for eight to ten more repetitions. There can be an additional drop in weight of 40% to 50% and eight to ten more repetitions done to create a triple drop. This creates an ability to work longer in the 80% to 100% effort range.
3) Giant Sets: A giant set is a combination of the two techniques above. Multiple exercises are used with a minimum of three different exercises for a chosen muscle group. The lifter does the first set for repetitions of six to ten, moves to the next exercise and does eight to ten repetitions, then moves to the next for eight to ten more repetitions, then drops the weight or goes to another exercise and does eight to ten more repetitions. This process is done with weight drops, exercise changes, or a combination of the two for a particular desired muscle group.
4) Super Sets: A super set is like doing a compound set with one difference. A super set is done with two exercises that work opposing muscle groups rather than the same muscle group. The lifter may do an exercise for the chest which is a pushing exercise and follow it immediately by a pulling exercise for the back. There is no rest in between these two consecutive exercises. The idea is to do both exercises as if it was one continuous set and exercise.
TEMPO OF LIFTING: The tempo or speed that a particular exercise is performed with can effect how the muscle fibers are utilized to complete the task as well as the body's use of its available energy. Some tempos train the muscle to use available energy to create great force in short term bursts of movement or combination of movements. Other tempos train the body to conserve its available energy to work for longer periods of work. These tempo changes can focus your workout more toward your training objective.
1) Speed Work Sets: The idea of these sets is to increase the group effort of a muscles fibers to move the weight in a quick all out effort type movement. The lifter chooses an exercise and uses 60% of their one repetition personal record. The lifter does ten to twelve sets of triples (three repetition sets) with 30 seconds of rest in between. This trains the neuroreceptors of the muscles to fire more muscle fibers per contraction at a time. This is a strength and power increasing movement and should not be used to gain endurance. This training technique trains your body to use its available energy to explode the weight through the motion but, not for extended periods of time between rest periods. This increases the ability of the individual to deliver ballistic force in movements like swinging an axe or forcing a door open with a tool.
2) Competition Pausing Sets: In bench press competitions it is normally required that the lifter stops the bar for a period of a second on the chest prior to pressing. This requires The lifter to use muscle power and strength to lift the weight rather than having help from the stretch reflex. When a muscle is brought to near its maximum stretch threshold, it will reflexively contract as a self-preservation mechanism to avoid tearing. This reflexive contraction aids in reversing the weight at the down position of the lift. The lifter lessens or eliminates this altogether by pausing at the bottom of the lift. This technique is useful for a variety of lifts to increase the starting power.
3) Constant Tension Sets: This technique is for muscle endurance and creating muscle size. This is the worst technique to use if you are trying to build power and strength. The technique is used a lot by bodybuilders and it adds muscle mass well. The problem is that it creates bigger but weaker muscles when it comes to power and strength. The technique is to lift in a conventional way on a chosen exercise but, avoid locking out or having a stop in the weight at any time. The object is to not move the weight on the contraction portion on the lift rapidly by steadily. The lifter stops short of lockout and controls the weight steadily back to the down position. The lifter attempts the keep constant tension on the muscle group being worked at all times through the set.
OVERLOAD TECHNIQUES: Overload techniques are used to simply work the muscle in weight and/or longevity past its abilities normally. These techniques push the muscle to adapt to more weight and work over a period of time.
1) Forced Reps: this techniques requires a spotter to assist the lifter in the lift itself. The spotter allows the lifter to lift the weight alone until the muscle reaches contractual failure or an inability to handle that weight for additional repetitions. The spotter helps the lifter to lift the weight for an additional two to four repetitions after this failure to complete them. The spotter should only give enough help to keep the bar in motion. Some spotters will help too much and the bar speed will be that of about the 5th repetition of a 10 repetition set. The spotter should try to make the lifter go as close to 100% effort to lift each repetition as possible.
2) Negatives: This technique is for the lifter to start with 110% to 120% of their one repetition personal record and do about three to five forced reps with the aide of a spotter. The spotter should not on these however worry about too much help on the contraction phase of the lifts. The lifters objectives is to resist the weight down to the bottom position which will become increasingly more difficult with every repetition. The set needs to be over when the lifter can no longer resist the weight enough to safely control it down to the bottom position.
3) Partial Reps Sets: This is when the lifter uses 110% to 120% of their personal record on a full range of motion movement and only performs part of the full range of motion to make a partial repetition. The safety pins in a power rack can assist in this for different lifts to perform only the top half of an exercise. Other times the lifter has to stop at the top of the sticking point of the lift motion and then return it to the start position. This technique can be used with 70% to 80% if the personal record to work the bottom half of a lift to the sticking point to increase starting power and control.
CIRCUIT TRAINING: Circuit training was made popular by the people and companies that developed and build weight lifting machines. Multi-station machine makers are the biggest flag wavers and promoters of this technique. This technique increases cardiovascular strength and can run a person through several exercises for half the body at a time. It is normally used to work the upper body and the lower body alternately every other day. There is no real power or above normal strength increased in this technique. This technique will increase some muscle endurance, promote fat loss, and increase cardiovascular ability. The famous Kung Fu Master Bruce Lee used this way of training.
USE OF CHAINS AND BANDS: These techniques are extremely new in strength training circles and is proven very effective. By hanging heavy chains from the ends of a barbell, the total weight of the barbell decreases as the bar is lowered and increases as the bar is raised in relation to the ground. This occurs because the higher off the ground the bar is, the fewer links of chain are allowed to rest on the ground. The converse is obvious. Heavy rubber bands can be tied to the bottom of a power rack or Olympic bench and looped up and over the ends of the barbell. The tension of the bands increases the resistance the further the ends of the bands are moved away from each other. So, the higher the bar is lifted, the more resistance you get from the rubber bands.
COMBINATIONS: I prefer and recommend that a lifter uses combinations of these techniques. Sometimes the use of chains in a compound set or forced reps in a super set can make your workout have an increased intensity and effect in a shorter amount of time.