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It’s easy to with your strength training workouts, but there are a variety of techniques that can help you spice things up and push your limits. Some of my favorite training methods include:
Drop Sets – This is a great way to add more intensity to your strength workouts and really push your limits by taking your muscles to momentary failure. There are a number of ways to do drop sets, but my favorite version is to choose a heavy weight that allows you to complete no more than 12 reps of an exercise (the last rep should be very difficult, but not impossible). Rest for 10-20 seconds, pick up the same weight and complete 10 reps. Take a brief rest and then complete 8 reps with the same weight.
Tri-Sets – Another way to add intensity and move things along is with tri-sets. With this technique, you choose three exercises for the same muscle group and do them, one right after the other, with very little rest in between. I like to choose different types of exercises when I do tri-sets – a compound move (e.g. pushups), followed by an isolation move (e.g. chest flies), followed by another compound move (e.g., chest press). By doing this, you’ll hit your muscle fibers from different directions, making this an intense workout. Start from the Bottom – If you’re like me, you tend to start with the same muscle groups and exercises for every workout. One way to shake things up is to start at what is typically the end of your workout and go backwards. If you usually start with larger muscles (as many of us do) and end with the smaller muscles of the shoulders or arms, start small and work your way up. You may find it refreshing to work your biceps or triceps when they aren’t fatigued by other exercises.
What about you? How do you spice up your strength training workouts? Share your experiences and your favorite techniques for lifting weights.
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