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speaking of plateaus i stumbled upon this a couple days ago:
This technique is best done at a time when your gym is not very crowded. You're basically going to be hogging a single exercise area for theentire 45-minute workout.
First, select a compound exercise to work with. We'll use the bench press as an example here. In actuality, you can use this technique withalmost any exercise, whether it be compound or isolation (single joint). I refer to this as Compound Exercise Overload because it's most effective whendone using a compound exercise like presses, rows, deadlifts, squats, etc. Isolation exercises can be used, but the effects won't be quite thesame.
So get your exercise set up. If you're doing bench press, I HIGHLY recommend doing it in the power rack with the rails set up. That willallow you to use maximum weights without having to worry about being crushed or having to use a spotter the whole time. If you don't have a rack to use,the other option is to do dumbell presses. With dumbell presses, if you can't complete a rep, you can always just set the dumbells down.
Do a warm-up before getting started - whatever you prefer to do for a warm-up is fine. I like to do some general movements (like push-ups or afew pull-ups or a couple of minutes of walking on the treadmill) then a few light sets of the specific exercise I'm going to be working - nothing that willtax the body for what's to come.
With this technique, I encourage you to use a stopwatch, regular watch or other form of timer. If your gym has a clock with aneasily readable "second" hand, that will be fine, too. Otherwise, you're going to have to count your 20 seconds of rest in your head, which isnot as accurate (plus that 20 seconds will tend to turn into a LOT longer as you go through the workout and it's critical to keep itconstant).
You're going to start with a weight you could normally do for about 6 reps or so. Start your timer or note the time on theclock because you're going to be doing this exercise for 45 minutes straight!
Lay down and perform ONLY 3 REPS with that weight, even though you CAN do six. DO NOT go anywhere near failure on thisfirst set.
Now re-rack the weight and rest 20 seconds. Lay back down and do 3 more reps. Rest 20 seconds. You are going to repeat these 3 rep sets withthose 20 seconds of rest until you are unable to get 3 reps with that weight anymore. This could take anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the exerciseand the amount of weight you're using.
The set where you only get 2 reps, stop and remove 5 lbs each side of the bar (If you started with 225, you'll now have 215). Start againdoing 3 reps sets and continue with 20 seconds rest period. Drop the weight by 10 lbs whenever you can't complete 3 reps during a set.
Be sure to stick with 3 reps on each set - no more, no less. Your body hits a rep-range groove and will acclimate to it veryquickly. It keeps your nervous system efficient.
** IMPORTANT: If you're using this technique with squats or deadlifts, take
30 SECONDS rest between sets and drop the weight 20 POUNDS
on each drop. Trust me on this - you'll need it.
On the final set (after 45 minutes are up) rest for a TWO FULL MINUTES (aren't I generous
This training uses neuromuscular specificity to allow you to teach your body the absolute most efficient way to perform a single exercise. Yourbody will learn to fire the exact sequence of muscle fibers it needs to do the exercise most efficiently, making fast strength gainspossible.
And, don't use different variations of the same exercise (e.g. don't start with incline bench then go to flat bench).It's important to use the EXACT SAME exercise the whole 45 minutes for maximum adaptive response.
Do your best with the 20 second rest, too. This rest period will naturally increase during the times when you're making weight changes buteven then, try to keep it as close as possible. Just do your best to stick with the 20 seconds.
When doing this technique with a barbell exercise, I like to load the bar with small plates as I load it for my starting weight. For example, ifyou're starting with 225 lbs on the bench press, don't just throw two 45 lb plates on either side. You'll be pulling a pair of those 45's offpretty quick! Instead, put one 45 lb plate on either side, then a 25 lb plate, then a 10 lb plate then two 5 lb plates. It's the same weight but when youcan no longer hit 225 lbs for 3 reps, all you need to do is pull a small 5 lb plate off either side. This is much easier than pulling 45's off either sidethen loading 35's and a 5 back on.
Be sure to keep track of your starting weight and ending weight so you know what your numbers are and can improve on them the next time you dothis technique. And be ABSOLUTELY SURE you take a full 2 days off training after you get done with this one. To maximize the adaptive response, those 2 daysoff are CRITICAL!
If you're going to try this technique with a training partner, it helps if they're the same strength level as you are (especially ifyou're doing barbell work). If you're doing dumbells, it's not as critical as you can just grab different sets of dumbells.
With a partner, you're basically going to be going back and forth with no real break. Twenty seconds is not a lot of time. If you'reworking with a barbell exercise and you need to switch weights, the moment you finish your set, you need to both start switching weights before your partnerstarts. When he/she finishes, you need to jump back and switch again.
It can be done (I've done it a few times training with another person) but it does make it harder to execute, depending on theexercise.
CONCLUSION:
If you're looking for a FAST way to get past a plateau and build your strength, I don't think there's anything better. It won'tbe easy but the results are well worth it!
I hope you enjoy trying out this technique the next time you're at the gym! Believe me, you will be astonished at how good your results will be and howquickly you get them.
