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EXERCISE TECHNIQUES

Techniques

The techniques being presented here are a few of many. Use them to bring variety into your workout. You'll enjoy it more and get more from it.
 Stripping
Stripping is increasing intensity by progressively removing weight at the end of a routine. It involves working beyond failure. In your final set of an exercise, once you have reached failure, stop momentarily, reduce your workload a little (often by "stripping" plates from a bar) then immediately start again, to failure. Repeat this until the amount of weight being lifted is negligible for you. This will result in a very significant "pump" because it recruits every possible muscle fiber. But remember - maintain good form.
 Pyramiding
Pyramiding is a series of low rep, high weight sets aimed at increasing mass. It involves changing the reps/sets routine to one optimized for gaining size. Each set in a pyramid uses more weight at fewer reps. For example: A person who has a "theoretical" one-rep maximum bench press of 150 lbs. would use the following pyramid routine. It consists of seven sets, as shown below.
Set # Number
of Reps		 Weight
1 8

90
2 6

100
3 4

110
4 3

125
5 2

120
6 1

130
7 4

110
Important Notes: Pyramiding places a lot of strain on your muscles and supporting structures, and shouldn't be done over significant lengths of time. It is best used with exercises/muscles involving more than one joint - for example bench press, lat pull, squat, leg press - as opposed to exercises that involve only one joint - for example biceps curls, quad extensions, triceps press backs, etc. To download a PDF version of the pyramid chart, click here to get the pyramid chart.
 Screaming 7's
Screaming 7's is a workout methodology designed to break range of motion monotony. It can be used to add variety to your routine. This technique uses varied ranges of motion to work your muscles in different ways. Each set consists of three seven repetition subsets. Take the normal range of motion for the exercise you are "7'ing" and divide it into three ranges - 0 to 60%, 40 - 100 %, and 0 to 100%. Then, without stopping to rest
  • Do 7 reps from 0 to 60%
  • Do 7 reps from 40 to 100%
  • Do 7 reps from 0 to 100% If, at the end of the three 7's, your muscles aren't screaming, add weight for the next set. If you couldn't complete all 21 reps, remove weight for the next set.

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     SuperSets
    Supersetting involves combining two exercises executed consecutively into one "super" set. Combining two exercises that work on opposing or antagonistic muscles is an effective way to increase the intensity of a workout, make efficient use of your time, and implement active stretching. Typical examples include:
  • Bench Press and Seated Row
  • Lat Pull and Military Press
  • Ham Curl and Quad Extension
  • Biceps Curl and Triceps Extension
  • Pectoral Butterfly and Rear Deltoid
    •  Go Heavy/Go Light
    An extremely simple way to add variety to your workout is to do your normal routine, but change the sets/reps combination you do by adding or subtracting weight.