Plateaus come for every lifter.  No matter how dedicated you are or how often you change the order of the exercises it will come.  That dreaded leveling off of gains and slow-down of growth.  Some lifters choose to just be bull-headed and keep pushing ahead until their body gives in and starts responding again.  This usually results in burn out and a forced rest, which leads to new stimulation when, and if, they start again.  A much better solution is to find new ways to increase the intensity within each workout.

There are many ways to boost intensity from time to time.  No intensity booster should be used for long periods or become a part of the regular routine.  These strategies are very taxing and can lead to overuse injuries and overtraining.  Safety and correct form must be observed during all of these strategies and a spotter or training partner should be utilized, as well.

One popular intensity booster is the use of combination sets (super sets, tri-sets, etc.)  By doing one exercise followed immediately by another exercise for that same body part, only hitting a different angle, and possibly a set of a third exercise, before rest can really increase the muscle fiber recruitment and burn from the exercise.  After a good super set you really feel all of those fibers.  The heavier, more compound exercise should be done first, then a slightly more isolated exercise, and finally a strictly isolation exercise to finish of the muscle.  The exception to this is the use of pre-exhaust super sets.  An example would be the use of pectoral flyes followed immediately by the bench press.  This is to pre-exhaust the chest muscle so it will play out the same time the triceps and shoulders do during the bench press.  Super sets and tri-sets can be done in total sets of 3 or 4 and can then be followed by a few regular sets of other exercises.

Another way to increase the intensity is to only push the weight through a limited range of motion.  Partial sets can really hit the muscles in a different way.  Doing partial sets in the top range of a motion can greatly increase the weight used and shock the muscles into submission.  A partial repetition squat might involve only the top quarter of the squat.  A lifter squatting 400 pounds in the squat for sets of 8 to 10 might load 500 or 550 on the bar and do 8 to 10 partial repetitions.  A good spotter and proper form are essential when using partials.  Partial reps can also be done in the bottom or middle ranges also.  One common way of doing partials is the 21 principle.  A person doing curls might do 7 curls through a full range of motion then 7 in the bottom half of the range of motion, then 7 in the top range.  Finally, partials can be used to extend a set past total failure.  In the bench press a lifter might do as many full-range reps as possible and then when they can’t get to full extension they do another 3 to 5 partial reps to get deep into the muscle.

The last intensity booster we’ll cover in this article is the use of assisted repetitions.  It is similar to the partial reps explained above except instead of only doing partial reps at the end of the set you have a partner help you do full-range reps. You take your set to complete failure then have a partner assist you to do 3 to 4 more reps. Your partner should only take enough of the weight to allow you to push or pull it through the full range of motion.  Do not exceed 5 assisted repetitions, beyond that injury becomes a major concern.  Make sure the assisted reps are done in good form just like the rest of them.

Any of the intensity boosters mentioned can be used to blast through those dreaded plateaus.  Throwing one or two in every few months is a great way to prevent staleness in the routine, as well.  Be warned, these strategies will keep things fresh, but they will also increase your soreness and make the following day miserable.  But, as we all know, that is the sweet pain of success.
 

Tags: Work Out Tips and Advice //