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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