As your workouts get harder whether from heavier weights, extended sets, density or just sheer volume. Maintaining execution into the depths of the workout can be tough. This is especially true for weak body parts.
An important thought when you feel like you’re losing the contraction or not quite feeling the muscle as well in the later part of a workout is that you can prime anytime.
What does that mean?
At any point during a workout, you can take a moment to revert back to an exercise to potentiate the muscle. If you lose a contraction or feeling, go find it again. Grab a lighter weight, or do an exercise that allows you take that muscle into the short position, squeeze and hold it for a few seconds. For body parts you struggle with you may do this multiple times in a long workout. You can do this during your rest period or even right before a set. Just remember the goal is not to fatigue, you’re not looking for added work, you just want to regain that connection to the muscle to maintain execution.
Know the goal of your set and your workout.
Is the goal maximum tension and weight? Volume? Is it time under tension? Is it metabolic or lactic?
It’s ok to make adjustment to weight, range of motion, reps and rest depending on the goal.
Learn where it’s ok to give up something to extend the set or workout in order to maintain execution.
If your goal is total volume, you may need to drop the weight if you can no longer maintain execution. If it’s volume of high intensity/ heavy work, you might increase your rest periods or decrease the reps a bit.
If your goal is metabolic or lactic you may let range of motion decrease as you fatigue and keep doing reps in the range you feel it. You can also use more drop sets to maintain execution without losing too much stimulus.
You can apply the same techniques to extend time under tension however the decreasing range of motion is probably the best since there is a small break in tension during drop sets.
If the goal is intensity, adjust your rep and rest intervals to allow to repeat high intensity efforts. The closer you get to your potential, the more recovery time you need to repeat very high intensity work. We are talking sets of ≤5 reps in this case.
As your workouts get harder whether from heavier weights, extended sets, density or just sheer volume. Maintaining execution into the depths of the workout can be tough. This is especially true for weak body parts.
An important thought when you feel like you’re losing the contraction or not quite feeling the muscle as well in the later part of a workout is that you can prime anytime.
What does that mean?
At any point during a workout, you can take a moment to revert back to an exercise to potentiate the muscle. If you lose a contraction or feeling, go find it again. Grab a lighter weight, or do an exercise that allows you take that muscle into the short position, squeeze and hold it for a few seconds. For body parts you struggle with you may do this multiple times in a long workout. You can do this during your rest period or even right before a set. Just remember the goal is not to fatigue, you’re not looking for added work, you just want to regain that connection to the muscle.
Is the goal maximum tension and weight? Volume? Is it time under tension? Is it metabolic or lactic?
It’s ok to make adjustment to weight, range of motion, reps and rest depending on the goal.
Learn where it’s ok to give up something to extend the set or workout.
If your goal is total volume, you may need to drop the weight if you can no longer maintain execution. If it’s volume of high intensity/ heavy work, you might increase your rest periods or decrease the reps a bit.
If your goal is metabolic or lactic you may let range of motion decrease as you fatigue and keep doing reps in the range you feel it. You can also use more drop sets to maintain execution without losing too much stimulus.
You can apply the same techniques to extend time under tension however the decreasing range of motion is probably the best since there is a small break in tension during drop sets.
If the goal is intensity, adjust your rep and rest intervals to allow to repeat high intensity efforts. The closer you get to your potential, the more recovery time you need to repeat very high intensity work. We are talking sets of ≤5 reps in this case.
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Rapidly customize your workout to your needs.
Drag & Drop from the right to re-order exercise groups.
Drag & Drop from the left to quickly create and update super sets.
Use the checkboxes to select exercises to combine into super sets or split up into straight sets.
Substitute or Add new exercises
Edit any exercise variables.
Use advanced set methods (like integrated partials)
Apply extended set techniques (rest-pause, drop sets, cluster sets, etc.)
After taking our training analysis quiz, you’ll have a long-term plan constructed for you. Your plan will consist of several Phases. Each Phase will present you with a few suggested programs to pick from. Each time you complete a program, you’ll move on to the next Phase and a new set of programs to select from.
This allows flexibility in the split and type of program you can choose, while we strategically periodize the stimulus you’re getting to keep making consistent progress without neglecting any weak links.
For example, a long-term plan with the goal of muscle gain will still occasionally include systemic conditioning or dedicated local metabolic work to keep your recovery capacity high (so you can grow and perform better during your hypertrophy-focused programs).