Drop sets

You can call them breakdowns or strip sets but most commonly they are called drop sets. Drop sets are one of the best techniques you can use to add intensity to your workout. Drop sets have been and will continue to be a favorite of bodybuilders. If you don't use drop sets you should add this technique to your training.

What are drop sets?

*Is a technique which you do an exercise to failure or close to failure, then you drop some weight and continue with the exercise for more reps.

What do drop sets do?

*By dropping the weight and continuing the set you will recruit more "reserve" muscle fibers. By recruiting more muscle fibers you will allow your muscles to grow!

Some drop set methods ( other than the traditional drop set )

A) ( 6-20 ) or "halving" method- This is when you choose the heaviest weight you can for an exercise for 6 reps. Perform the 6 reps, then without resting drop the weight by 50% and rep out 20 reps. This is great to do with dumbbell rows.

B) Tight drop sets-This is when you make small drops in weight. This would be like doing dumbbell bicep curls and you would do reps with the 50lb, then 45lb, then 40lb etc.

C) Wide drop sets-This is when you make a big drop in weight and generally you can do more reps. This method is best done with large muscle groups and exercises like the squat and leg press. You could have 6 plates on each side of the leg press and with each drop you take a 45lb plate off each side.

D) Power drop sets- This was made popular by Larry Scott who liked this method to not only build some size but also build your strength. Scott liked using this for his arms and shoulders. Start with your 6 rep max, then drop the weight between 10-15% and then do 6 reps with the new weight until you reach the desired number of drops

Some tips

• I wouldn't do more than 2-4 weight reductions ( drops ) during the routine- So if you start with 200lbs for bench, then you do 190, 180 and finish with 170. This would be 3 drops in weight.


• Stay within the 6-12 rep range since that is the best range for muscle hypertrophy. Sometimes you can go with the higher 15-20 rep range on your last drop.


• Don't do drop sets all the time- They are intense and you will overtrain and quickly burn out if you do. They say a ratio of 3:1 is best. Meaning do 3 regular sets and then 1 drop set.

E.O.M-Lying lateral shoulder raise

For December, we are talking about the lying lateral shoulder raise which you can perform on a bench. Simply lie on your side on a regular bench press and grab a dumbbell. Keep your arm extended straight along your side. To start, raise your arm straight up towards the ceiling until your arm becomes perpendicular to the floor. Lower your arm back down to your side to finish this move. Unlike the traditional shoulder raise this variation is harder at the beginning of the movement oppose to the end. Also, this exercise is great for the rotator cuff and overall health of your shoulder. Start off with lighter weight to get a feel for this before adding weight.

BHM- Between Holiday Mindset

For those of you rocking through your workouts and in your best shape yet then ignore this post but for everyone else who needs that spark...LISTEN UP!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and odds are as you look at yourself in the mirror you notice a couple extra pounds on that body of yours and realize your not liking it. Thanksgiving is not the easiest of holidays on the body......carbs and more carbs and deserts galore get stuffed into your face like a vacuum. The good news is you now have some time to prep yourself before the next set of holidays near. You have exactly four weeks until Christmas to ramp up your routine and eating plan to get yourself in the best holiday shape yet. Use this time constrain as your motivation and to help you keep focused. Remind yourself to go hardcore for 4 weeks and you can reap the rewards! The eventual goal is that once you get rolling for 4 weeks that it will be a whole hell of alot easier to start the New Years Resolutions than if you were starting from scratch.....think less pain and time.

Lets first focus on your eating for the next four weeks. The holidays are a time of special treats, cookies, pies and breads.........so make it special and don't eat them until Christmas or Christmas Eve days! For the time being focus on limiting carbs to the mornings and post workout only. Lean proteins are a must at every meal. If you can think of doing one thing during the next four weeks I would say try to make a small change each day and that is it! Don't try and change everything and do an overhaul just think of ONE SMALL CHANGE......you would be amazed what a difference that would make.

Now lets change the focus to the workouts. First, I want you to drop whatever program you are on and toss it! You heard me! Stop another day of whatever you were doing! I don't care how amazing it is or even if you have made insane gains with it......STOP IT! It was once said " that the best workout for you is the one you are not one." Now that you have done this go ahead and grab a scrap book or piece of paper. I want you to list exercises you don't like to do or ones you have not do in a long time. When your done, look at everything you have down on that paper and there you go.... before you is everything that will be included in your workout for the next 4 weeks. Below is an example:

If you wrote down the following-

THINGS I NEVER DO

Legs....like squats and deadlifts

• Triceps


• Anything cardio


• Circuits


• Pullups, inverted row

NEW WORKOUT

• All circuits


• Involve leg work 2-3x week


• Start doing assisted pullups and inverted rows


• Add interval training to your routines.......read my post from a couple of days ago

I want you to seriously give this a try and let me know your results. Go Dominate.

Interval Training-Mike Boyle article

Mike Boyle is a very very very smart individual...did I mention he is a very smart man in the world of strength and conditioning. The article below is authored by him and covers the subject of interval training. Read and enjoy!

http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1766.cfm?sd=51

E.O.M-Guillotine Bench Press

October's Exercise of the month is the Guillotine press which is a very unique and rarely used exercise. If you need something new to do on your chest days then give this a try! You perform this press just like a regular barbell bench press but with one change. You will lower the bar to the lower portion of your neck. By lowering the bar this high you will get more activation and muscle recruitment in the sternal head of the pec. The sternal head is the upper portion of the pec and is generally underdeveloped in most guys. This exercise should be done with a spotter since you are lowering the bar around the neck.

Old school training philosophies

If you look back at some of the old school training tips from back in the 1920's you will see that most of the same things can be held true today. Here are some things the famous Charles Atlas said back in the day:

1. Set a concrete goal-Figure out your end goal and work backwards from it.

2. Never miss a single training session- Remember the whole consistency thing...this is what he was talking about! Always remind yourself why you are working out and stay on track.

3. Treat your body like its a new car- You would not junk up and dirty a new car would you? The answer is no, and you should feel the same way about your body. Take care of yourself by eating good and getting your rest and results will follow.

4. Totally concentrate on the task at hand- There will always be tons of noise and chatter at the gym, so make sure you focus on you and your responsibility to get the best workout in you can. Also, don't worry about what you will be doing later in the workout or even later than day, simply focus on what is right in front of you.

5. Keep stress to a minimum ( or none if possible )- It has been show that stress and anxiety can inhibit muscle growth. The best stress reliever is exercise so make it happen!

6. Drink your water- duh...obvious of course but rarely ever followed well enough.

Extended faitgue sets

This is a great training technique to use in your workouts that is similar to drop sets. The difference in this method is that you will be changing grips or foot position to accommodate the fatigue.

Example:

EZ bar bicep curl

• First set use a palms up grip and do 5-6 reps. When you start to fail switch to a palms down grip, wait 10 seconds and do more reps to failure. Once you failed again now grab a pair of dumbbells and perform more reps until failure with a hammer grip ( palms face each other)

Here are some more examples of exercises and how to change the grip following the same procedure as above.

Dumbbell row

1. Palms down grip

2. hammer grip ( neutral, or palms facing your body )

3. Palms up grip

Dumbbell chest press

1. Palms down grip/overhand ( traditional grip for pressing )

2. Palms down grip/overhand but with the hands all the way to the right side of the dumbbell

3. Neutral grip ( palms face each other )

Interview with Bret Contreras

Bret Contreras is a well know strength coach/trainer and currently speaks across the country and is known as the "Glute Guy." He is the man when it comes to training the glutes and the backside of the body. Check out his YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/bretcontreras1 where you can search the exercises he talks about in full. Below is the Q&A from my interview that I did with him recently.

Q- What is your favorite tri-set for the glutes?

Bret-Hip thrusts, followed by band seated abduction, followed by band hip rotations. This tri-set is totally brutal. Check out the videos on how to do these exercises on the above YouTube channel.

Q-What are the 3 best training tips you have heard or have ever learned?

Bret-A)The best workout for you is the one in which you will be the most consistent. B) Never stop experimenting with your routine in order to learn more about your uniqueness. C) Learn the difference between good pain and bad pain and if you experience bad pain, STOP!!!!

Q- What would be a good exercise maybe that nobody has heard of or uses very often?

Bret-Gliding leg curls which are a very effective hamstring/glute exercise. Check his YouTube videos.

Q-What is missing from most peoples workouts?

Bret- Pendulum quadruped hip extensions and hip thrusts. Refer to his YouTube channel for the how to on these.

Pumping the pecs!

This is a routine I read once from Jeff Anderson. AKA "The muscle nerd." Give this a try on your next chest day.

Start out with the barbell bench press

1) Pick a weight you could do for 12 reps to failure. Make sure you stack the bar with 10lb plates and 25lb plates since you will be quickly taking weight off later on.

2) Do 12 reps on the bench press to failure. Once you reach failure, jump up and strip 50% of the weight off.

3) Now with no rest do as many reps as possible with a very wide grip. The wide grip will take the triceps out of it and keep the focus on the pecs.

4) Once you finish that set rack the bar and grab a dumbbell. For most a 30-50lb dumbbell should do fine. You will do a set of dumbbell pullovers keeping your arms very straight and locked out. Do this to failure.

5) Rest up for 2-3 minutes and do this whole giant set again 1-2 more times.

Enjoy!

Want bigger arms?

If you want to grow those guns then start doing reverse curls. This exercise is often forgotten which is a big mistake. Everyone does bicep curls but rarely does anyone do reverse curls. Reverse curls emphasize the brachialis muscle which is located under the biceps on the lower aspect of the arm. It has been shown that you can increase arm size by making reverse curls part of your routine. I want you to drop your current arm routine and add in reverse curls for 2-3x a week for the next 6 weeks and watch your arms grow!

How to do it:

You can use either a straight bar or EZ curl bar. The latter being easier on the wrists and my personal preference. You will most likely need to start with about half the weight you would use for a regular curl. You must focus on the technique! This is very easy to throw your arms up and turn this into a clean. Grip the bar with a overhand ( palms facing down ) grip. Make sure to keep your arms tight to your sides during the whole movement. Imagine drawing your elbows toward each other as you raise the bar to really stress the brachialis.

Tips:

• Try pausing half way up for a 2 second hold and then finishing the movement up and then back down. You can also pause on way down as well.


• Change your grips- do the first set with a very close grip, then put down the bar and widen your grip and do more reps, put down the bar and widen your grip again for your last set.


• Do negatives on the way down with a 6-8 second count.

Observations from the gym- Common errors

If you were to roll into any gym across the nation you would surely find people doing all sorts of things wrong. The other day I took a second to observe the gym I work at and this is some of the common errors I found.

ERROR #1- Doing external rotation work ( rotator cuff ) before bench pressing

Why: Working your rotator cuff muscles is very important but just not right before you bench. You will weaken your rotator cuff and therefore lose stability in your shoulder joint when you bench which is not good. Save the external rotation work for back days.

ERROR #2- Rolling the shoulders when doing shrugs

Why: This is a very common theme you see everywhere. When you roll the shoulders you put extra stress onto the shoulder and can increase your risk of injury. Focus on bringing your traps or shoulders straight up and " touch your ears " as they say.

ERROR #3- Excessive lean forward when rowing

Why: You usually see this when someone has too much weight on the seated row with the cable machine. Generally the individual will lean forward and build some momentum and then jerk the weight back extending their low back. This will cause stress on the low back and lead to back issues. Focus on keeping your back straight like your up against a wall and then pull by engaging the mid back and lats.

Gaining muscle- Techniques to get it done!

Damaging muscles are the key to building them. To build new muscle you must stress the existing muscle in a new way. When muscles are stressed then become damaged and then must be rebuilt. With adequate diet and rest your body will rebuild the muscle with an increase in size!

Try some of these techniques to shock your muscles into new growth:

1) Super-sets- Nothing has been around longer than this! You can really up the intensity on the muscle with this technique. Some examples include:

• Lat pulldown/Row


• Bench press/Fly


• Deadlift/Lunge


• Close grip press/ Dips

2) Negatives- If you like submitting yourself to pain than please try these! Negatives focus on the eccentric phase of the lift which has been shown to cause more damage to the muscle and lead to more growth. This is tough...and is best to do with a partner. You can do negatives two different ways. One way is to have a spotter help you with the weight on the way up and the other way is to lift the weight yourself. I like to do the negative and then have my spotter help lift the weight up. You can use more weight on negatives but just limit the negative to under 10 seconds.....any more you should increase the weight because it is too light.

3) Off set rep scheme- This is a personal favorite that I have come up with and use often myself. First pick two exercises for one muscle group. Then what you will do is do heavier weight on one exericse for low reps and then medium to lighter weight on the other exercise for higher reps. For example:

Standing barbell bicep curls- 6 reps

SUPER SET WITH

Seated dumbbell hammer curls-12 reps

Sumo style deadlift

Deadlifts are boring you out then try the sumo deadlift. Sumo deadlifts are especially beneficial to those who have had back problems since it places less overall force on the spine. Sumo squat also places extra stress on the inner thighs ( the adductors ) and will enhance development in that area.

How to-

• Position yourself with your feet under the bar with a very wide stance and your toes pointed outward. Squat down and grab the bar between your legs. Lift the bar by extending your hips and knees to full extension. Still focus on pushing into your heels on the way up.

** Remember that many of you will lack strength and development in the adductors ( inner thigh ) and therefore this will be a new challenge for you so start a little lighter than your normal deadlift weight until you get a feel for the exercise.

Change to get change

Many of us fall into routine on a weekly basis at the gym and this lack of change ends up being our downfall. About 99% of the population does chest on Mondays and many coin the term "Bench Mondays" since you can find almost every man alive hitting the bench. For many people the first couple days of the week are their best and most intense workouts and then as Thursday, Friday and Saturday come along their workouts drop off or become non-existent.

Below are some examples of problems you might have and the solutions to change those starting today!

Problem 1- You have no core or your core is generally weak

CHANGE- Start doing your core work at the beginning of your workouts. Almost all of us end our workout will 2 minutes of core work as we are rushing out of the gym and are minds are focused on whats ahead in the day. Make core a priority and do it right when you are fresh in the beginning.

Problem 2- Your incline bench press strength is lagging behind your flat press

CHANGE- Do not always do flat press first and then follow it up with incline. By making the incline press your second exercise every workout you will always be pre-fatigued and therefore not as strong on the lift. Flip things around at start the workout with incline presses first and watch your strength shoot up. This can be done for any lagging exercise.

Problem 3- You have shoulder/rotator cuff issues

CHANGE- Start doing rotator cuff exercises 2-3 times a week for at least 1-2 months and notice the improvement that will occur. If you follow that along with taking some time away from pressing movements your shoulder health will greatly improve as will your pressing strength.

Problem 4- Your legs don't grow like your upper body

CHANGE- This is a problem for most guys and I can say that I fall under this umbrella too. We often put so much intensity into our upper body workouts and then wuss out on our lower body workouts. Next time you do legs don't quit early, don't settle for less, push yourself just as hard if not harder than you do your upper body. Doing legs is more of a mental challenge than anything so stay focused and make it happen.

Bigger arms! Gain one inch in one day!

Check out this article from Muscle and Fitness Magazine that an old professor of mine wrote. I have tried this myself and it does work. This is not something you can attempt all the time because of the intensity and workload of the routine however. Read up!

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/30

Reasons why you cant lose fat

1. You are overestimating how much calories you burn- everyone always assumes they are burning tons of calories every time they grab a weight or step on a treadmill. Your average person does low intensity cardio which burns about 6 calories a minute or 1080 calories if you do about 45 minutes of cardio 4x a week. 1080 calories is equal to a fast food burger, fries and medium drink. This means that one cheat meal will make your cardio for the whole week insignificant. You must do high intensity cardio and resistance training to burn the most possible calories.

2. Your underestimating how much you eat-classic fault is that many people think they don't eat as bad as they do. If you were eating good you wouldn't have an issue with losing fat. The best thing to do is to keep track of your daily eating with http://www.fitday.com/ a site that lets you do this for free. Remember to be honest with yourself!

3. You starve yourself- So its simple right just don't eat and the fat will melt away, right? WRONG! Starving yourself will slow your metabolism and burn away muscle stripping you of your best two fat

burning machines.

4. You think you eat " healthy"- Things in the store are not what they appear to be. Just because it says low fat doesn't mean it is healthy. Usually brands will decrease the fat and increase the salt or sugar. Pay attention to all the ingredients and don't just buy into the labels on the front. Eating whole foods that are unprocessed is your best bet.

5. Your inconsistent with everything- working out really hard for two days is great but if you follow that will a week off then you will go nowhere. Having 3 days of eating very healthy lunches but then having pizza for dinner on each of those nights does you no good. Your workouts and your diet need to be consistent. If you do not maintain consistency you will never make strides in losing fat and reaching your goals.

Summer slim down!- Tips to get lean and toned

1. Start doing intervals for your cardio- You will burn more calories than doing steady state cardio ( the cardio that everyone in the gym does ) because you will do more work in the same amount of time. Intervals also will increase your metabolism after your workout much like resistance training does.

2. Record everything you put in your mouth- This technique helps you realize how much of what you are actually eating on a daily basis. You would be amazed how much better you will eat once you see on paper how much junk you really are eating.

3. Try lifting heavy- Don't fall into the trap of light weight + high reps equals fat loss. Research has shown that doing 6-8 reps can increase your metabolism to burn up to 600 more calories than light weight training can.

4. Get rid of the high calorie beverages- Don't waste time with pop, juices, alcohol and sports drinks. They don't satisfy you and they are full of sugars and empty calories. Try drinking just water and maybe some tea and see how your body responds.

5. Let green tea be your choice- Studies have shown that this tea can boost your metabolism and it does so without adding much calories to your diet.

6. Carb time- best time to eat them are in the morning and after your workout, I would limit carbs any other time or just cut them out.

7. Don't waste time- Hit the gym and make the most of your time. If you have 10 minutes you can workout. Super set your workouts to save time and to burn more calories.

8. Action- Dont talk about getting in shape......Do it! Go dominate!

Busting plateau's with double training

This technique comes from Pierre Roy, one of Canada's best strength coaches. It involves doing the same exercise twice in one workout. So whatever you are trying to improve do it two times in the workout. So if your trying to better your back, then do back work at beginning, and then again at the end.

For example- Do 6 sets of back at the beginning, go do your other part of your workout, and then come back and do 6 sets of back at the end.

**** I have also used this technique another way to promote hypertrophy. What I do is an exercise first, then another exercise for the same muscle group, and then finish with the first exercise. This really puts a hurt on your target muscle.

For example- 10 reps of decline tricep extension, then 6 reps of dips, and then back to the tricep extensions for 10 reps but with less weight.

Random tips

1. Stretch your quads when doing hams- Stretching your quads between hamstring leg curl sets can be very beneficial. The stretching of the quads will allow your hamstrings to relax and have more powerful contraction. You will also increase the amount of motor units that are activated leading to more growth!

2. Adding to your calves- Try training them twice over a five day cycle. Have one workout be high sets like 12-15 and high total reps like 250-300. Another day should be low sets like 3 and low total reps like 80-90.

3. Variety is main ingredient for training success!- Break out of your current routine and try something new. We are all creatures of habit and therefore need to break out of our daily routines to really see change.

Time under tension training ( TUT )

Most lifters use low reps, high reps, or even train to failure. Some use free weights while others use machines. All of these methods are perfectly fine but there is another method that many are not using....TUT training. TUT is the total amount of time your muscles are under tension during any movement. For example, while doing a bicep curl, the moment you start the curl until you end the curl is the time the muscle was under tension. By doing this type of method you will increase growth hormone levels and fatigue more motor units. which equals more muscle growth!

Next time you go to the gym try this method with any muscle group and any exercise. Lets take the bicep curl again for instance. Try to curl the weight up for 4 seconds, then pause at the top for 2 seconds and then let the weight down for 4 seconds. This would create 10 seconds of tension time on the muscle. Remember that the whole point is to keep the tension on that muscle which means do not lockout any of your movements. You can play around with the time you want to use but generally I would not exceed 10 seconds on the way up, down or on the pause. Another important note is that you should be keeping your reps down when using this technique, I would stick to under 8 reps. You might also notice you will need to drop the weight from set to set.

Go dominate!