Plateau - it's a good thing!

Hello everyone! Just a quick little note to give you guys and you may think I'm going a little crazy after I say this, but a plateau is good.

Alright, you all still with me? Many, if not most, people think hitting a plateau is a bad thing. How about thinking about it in a different manner? A plateau is a sign that you've made some progress. Perhaps if you view it as a chance to recognize the progress you've made, while gathering your strength to make the next attempt and effort at making more progress, a plateau can be seen as an opportunity, a starting point for the next round of progress.

Something to think about. Have a great day everyone!

- Mike

Supersets - Cut down on time in the gym

Good morning everyone! Summer weather is coming and some of you may be asking what's the easiest way to burn fat, get super lean and have that six-pack? Obviously a clean diet and cardio definitely help, but when it comes to lifting weights, supersets are your friend.

Supersets not only boost your metabolic rate and burn fat faster without spending a lot of time in the gym, but using supersets while weight training stimulates the growth of lean muscle tissue...which again is your friend when it comes to increasing your metabolism.

Supersets can be done with varying degrees of volume and intensity. They can also be done differently by grouping them as a push/pull superset or by supersetting two exercises to work one body part. An example of this is something I'm currently doing. In the picture I am doing bent-over barbell rows and then I superset it with bent-over dumbbell rows. So, when I finish one set with the barbell I immediately do a set with dumbbells.

So if you're looking to get a great workout in at the gym, not spend hours there and increase both lean muscle and your metabolism, supersets are certainly a way to go! Have a great day everyone!

- Mike

Keeping Your Workout Plan Simple

How often to you find yourself combing the internet for a new workout plan and come up empty handed?  I have a feeling there’s a lot of you with your hands up right now.  There are many plans out there and finding the right one for you can be a challenge.  If you are having trouble finding that perfect plan, just try to remind yourself to keep it simple, but challenging at the same time. 

What do I mean by this?  For instance, there are a lot of strength building plans out there that have you record your one rep max at the beginning of the program, and then use a formula to calculate the appropriate rep for each exercise.  This can become confusing and a daunting task in itself, especially when it comes time to progress throughout the rest of your plan.  Then the question comes up of how much weight should I add each time?  Again, adding to the confusion.  Why not eliminate that confusion and simply add one more rep each week?  For example, maybe you started at 180 lbs. on bench press, for 4 reps, during week 1 but by the time you get to week 5 you are doing 180 lbs. for 8 reps.  It’s a simple progression without the confusion.

Another simple strategy to implement into your workout is to include one heavy workout and one light workout per body part and split this up over two weeks.  For example, on Monday of week 1 do a heavy chest and triceps workout and then on Monday of week 2 do a light chest and triceps workout.  Use this same format for other body part workouts (back, biceps and forearms, shoulders & traps, and legs) and you will hit all the major body parts twice over two weeks and not burn yourself out with too many hard/heavy workouts in one week.  Since building size and increasing strength go hand in hand, this strategy of alternating heavy and light days will pay off.  But don’t forget those rest days.  Rest days allow you to train hard while getting adequate recovery periods…because the gym is where you break your muscle down and the recovery time is where you rebuild.  So an example to try following is to go heavy on Monday, light on Tuesday and then have a rest day on Wednesday.  Then repeat this format the rest of the week.

Don’t forget about the eccentric portion of your movements (or the negative).  This movement of the rep is just as important for building size and strength as the concentric movement.  So utilize the light workouts of your routine to really focus on this eccentric movement by getting a 2-3 second count on the negative.  On your heavy days focus on using a faster rep speed to engage those fast-twitch muscle fibers, which will contribute to gaining strength and power. 

Hopefully some of these examples will help you get out of a rut if you’re struggling to put that workout plan together.  Just try to keep things simple, otherwise you may become discouraged and forego any workout plan period…and that is something you definitely don’t want. 

Plateau Buster - Hanging Curls

 

Good morning everyone! Most of you know by now that I'm a huge believer in changing things up to not only avoid boredom in the gym, but to also stay clear of the dreaded "plateau". This movement that I'm showing you here is from my goodie bag that I throw in from time to time to spark new growth. It's known by a few different names, but I refer to it as Hanging Curls.

Hitting muscles from different angles and using different methods will shock and confuse your muscles. Yes, I said confuse your muscles. Your muscles can very easily get used to movements that you do on a consistent basis...the "plateau". But by making these slight changes, your muscles will not be used to this movement and will therefore be taxed in a different and more efficient manner...end result...growth and change. So keep switching things up to avoid those plateaus and most importantly, avoid getting discouraged with not seeing results. Give the Hanging Curls a try the next time you're in the gym, you will definetly feel it! Here's how to do them:

1. Lie against an incline bench, with your arms holding an E-Z bar and hanging down in a horizontal line. This will be your starting position. The bench I'm using is adjustable and I have it set to just below 45 degrees.

2. While keeping the upper arms stationary, curl the weight up as high as you can while squeezing the biceps. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Only the forearms should move. Do not swing the arms.

3. After a second contraction, slowly go back to the starting position as you inhale. Tip: Make sure that you go all the way down.

4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can perform this exercise using a barbell or dumbbells. I chose the E-Z bar this morning.

Hope you all give this a try and have a great day everyone!

- Mike

Rest-Pause Training

Hello everyone!  Looking to add a little intensity to your workouts?  There’s a lot of different options you can choose to approach switching up your intensities, but there’s a method that I’ve started using with my new routine that definitely gets my intensity up and is a way to ensure that I don’t plateau during this routine.  It’s called the Rest-Pause training method.  Some of you may have heard of it and tried it and some of you may not have.  For those of you that have tried it, I think you and I both can attest to the effectiveness it delivers.  For those of you who haven’t heard of it and looking to break through your plateau, I would highly recommend it.

As I stated above, this method is something that I’ve incorporated into my plan that I’m following now and I love it!  Here’s how it works:

1.  Perform your set as you would normally do (ex. 8-10 reps).  Set the weight down.

2.  Take 15 seconds of deep breathing, then pick the weight back up and continue to do reps until failure.

3.  Repeat step two as many times as you would like to (typical is twice).

Try doing this on your last set of each exercise (or last two sets of each exercise), which is what I do with my routine.  Don’t do this on every set of every exercise.  You’ll notice that when you perform these extra sets of reps after picking the weights back up and going to failure (which you may only be able to get 3 more reps done) it will be a grind and you’ll feel a different feeling in your muscles then with just the typical 8-10 reps and walking away.  In gym lingo, you’ll get more of a “pump”.  This is because you really get a mind to muscle connection because of the short bouts on concentrated effort.

So if you’re looking to add some intensity to your workouts or burst through your plateaus I highly recommend using the Rest-Pause method of training to spur that hypertrophy.  Have a great day everyone and keep up the good work!  :)

Overcoming Workout Plateaus

There comes a time when we all get stuck or plateau in our workouts.  It just happens and happens to everyone, so you’re not alone.  It’s your body’s way of telling you that it already knows your routine, and has become accustomed to the movements your about to put it through.  Don’t get discouraged when this happens.  What you need to keep in mind when this happens is to switch things up.  Alter your rep ranges, or start heavy and strip the weights down each set, or do unilateral exercises...whatever it may be the main focus is to throw your body a curveball. 

I recently reached a sticking point in my own training so it was time for me to switch things up.  When this happens I look for something new to add to my routine.  A great resource I use is bodybuilding.com.  Their site has numerous free training programs from legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jay Cutler, and Jamie Eason.   I just started a new routine last week and am already noticing a difference in my muscles that I worked.  Yes, I would get sore before, but this now is a different sore, and that’s what I’m looking for.  Because now I know that I have confused and tricked my body and broke it out of that sticking point.   So when you get to that point where you’re putting the work in, but just not seeing the results that you’d like to be seeing, just remember, don’t get discouraged, keep up the good work,  just switch up your routine, results will follow.  Have a great day everyone!

Photo: fitday.com