I've been banging away at the weights for a few years now. Lately, however, I feel like I've been blowing it. Every time I come into the gym, I feel like I am finishing early. My workout is complete, yet my muscles don't feel tired - they want more. I don't have time to pump myself for hours on end - I'm a busy student. How can I intensify my workout experience without feeling like I am lifting a marathon? - Kyle Grady
There are many different ways to intensify your training. Increasing volume, frequency, load or speed can make your workout harder. But these approaches are fairly intuitive, so if you've already added sets, trained more frequently, upped the weight, and decreased rest time, then you're probably ready for some more advanced methods of shredding your muscles.
Compound Set - Choose two exercises for the same muscle group. Perform one set to failure, then immediately go into the second exercise, again performing it to failure (obviously, the weight for the second set will have to be significantly decreased). For example, I'll often see skull-crushers and narrow grip bench presses done as a compound set. Perform your set of skull crushers, then, using the same bar, bring it over your chest, hands about six inches apart, and rep it until failure. This approach is effective because you can minimize rest time between the sets (essentially you'll have zero rest) because the weight you used for the skull crushers is suitable for the bench as well.
Giant Set - A giant set is performed the same as a compound set, only instead of choosing two exercises, choose four or more. This is quite a humbling way to train, since by the fourth exercise you are probably putting up weight that a four year-old girl could handle, but hey, it's not about ego, right? It's about form.
Superset - I hear this word used incorrectly all the time because most people think compound sets and supersets are the same thing. They aren't. A superset involves two exercises for different muscle groups, performed with no rest in between. They are commonly used for opposing muscle groups (biceps and triceps, for example). The theory for supersets is that while one muscle group is working, the opposing one is being forced to rest. This is not a rule, however, and supersetting chest with calves or back and triceps is not unheard of. Another plus to supersetting is that it saves a lot of time. Instead of showing off in front of the fly honey on the treadmill between sets, you could be getting a great calf workout.
Negatives (eccentric) - This intense method of training involves using weight, that is too heavy for you. You let the weight down (or up) as slowly as possible, and then lift it with the help of a spotter. 'Eccentric' refers to the portion of the exercise that lengthens the muscle, so for bench, it would be on the way, while for lat pull-downs, it would be on the way up. I can't stress enough the importance of having a spotter if you're benching or squatting or doing something with heavy freeweights. Attempting to be a gym hero and trying a negative with no one watching your back is almost as stupid as showing up drunk to a job interview.
Rest-pauses - Perform an exercise to failure, then rack the weight, count to fifteen, and try to get two more reps. This puts an extra burn on the muscle, as well as training them to recover more quickly.
Twenty-ones - Pick an exercise with a relatively big range of motion. Perform seven reps using the first half of the movement, then seven more using the second half, then seven more going through the entire motion. So let's see, 7+7+7 equals... 21! Now you know how this technique got its name. Biceps and triceps are particularly good muscles to hit with twenty-ones, but you can use them for pretty much anything.
