Let's say you're in the middle of a tough set of leg press and you're getting
close to your work capacity. Instead of racking the weight when you get to the
last rep, just sit there with the weight and take a few deep breaths. It won't
be fun, but you'll survive. After you catch your wind, knock out another rep or
two.
By using a short mid-set break, where you still bear weight but aren't actively
going through a range of motion, you reduce the systemic stress on the body for
a short time and allow for more oxygen into the working muscles. This can help
power you through a couple of extra reps, which will add up in the long run.
This method is effective for just about every exercise.
8. Breathing
This is another one of those things that most people don't really spend time
thinking about, simply because they either have the pattern ingrained to breathe
a certain way or they simply set it up the same way every time.
By adjusting the breathing either through the diaphragm, In thru the nose and
out through the mouth, or deep long breathing vs shallow you will vary the
oxygen saturation to the muscles, lungs etc and thus not only the aerobic
capacity but also the workload able to be lifted.
An example of this is a runner. Learning to properly breath can literally shave
minutes off your 5K race time, increase the weight you can lift and allow for
faster recovery from exercise.
9. Exercise Order
One day I had the great idea of switching around my bench workout order so that
I'd finish with bench press after doing six other exercises. Needless to say, it
didn't go well. Getting totally pinned with just one 45 on each side of the bar,
and having some old guy in knee-high gray socks and disturbingly short-shorts
help me out while telling me, "I shouldn't lift so much without a spotter," was
definitely a highlight moment in my lifting career.
If you're used to doing exercises in the same order, switch it around, but maybe
not to the extreme of doing the biggest exercises dead last. If your training
exercises were usually 1,2,3,4,5,6, something like 3,2,6,1,5,4 would be enough
variety to get some benefits without totally sacrificing the weight on any
exercises.
By altering the order, when you would previously be tired on certain exercises,
you'd now be fresh and conceivably move more weight. Similarly, by moving an
exercise later, you'll be more fatigued which means the same movement will
require more work at the same weight.
10. Add Weight
Yep. Go heavier. Shocker there, eh?
But really, add some weight to the bar and lift it like it'll squash your dog if
you don't. Keep technique in mind, don't risk injury. however, let's be
honest... we both know you've been coasting at the same weight for some time.
11. Change Your Set and Rep Scheme
If you've been using the same 4x10-12 rep scheme, it's time to change it up. Do
some higher rep marathon sets or low rep power sets.
Get back to pyramiding (increasing weight and dropping reps every set) or
include dropsets, staggered sets, supersets, or any variation of the theme
By switching the set and rep scheme, you change what the end-focus of the
workout will be, whether it's strength, power, hypertrophy, or endurance.
Occasionally, it's good to do different, even if it might seem contrary to your
current goals.
12. Hire a Personal Trainer
Ok, I admit it, shameless promotion! However, hiring a personal trainer isn't
locking you into a long term relationship with an awkward breakup at the end!
Why not try 6-12 sessions with a trainer? A trainer will be able to teach you
various exercises and different types of workouts you may not have had access to
in the past. Trainers also will provide motivation, feedback on form as well as
a variety of constructive workouts minimizing the time to reach your goals.
When I train clients, I always vary the workout so no two workouts are the exact
same. Having been a personal trainer for over twenty years has allowed me the
ability to gather a vast array of exercises (some even made up like the Amish
Treadmill, JB Bear Crawl, JB stomp etc.) By hiring a trainer you can cut to the
chase and learn in a few sessions what we have taken years to develop!
With the 12 mentioned strategies for changing up your workout, the possibilities
are literally limitless as far as exercise, rep schemes as well as form and
performance adjustments that can be made! So, you officially have zero excuses
to be doing the same workout next week. Play around with different variables and
try to get some crazy inconsistency for each exercise in your workouts. Any
questions, feel free to email or text me! Good luck!
* some information compiled from tmuscle.com