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Toregar · 27-06-2006, 06:17 PM

Firstly, forgive me If I'm saying things you already know. I'm not sure of your bodybuilding background

.

Change can be many things. I do many things to keep a plateau from happening.

Firstly I'd recommend changing your workouts every 4 weeks. Whether that means changing the order of the exercises/Type of exercise/Sets/Reps That's up to you. It's always a good idea to change up your routine to keep your body from stagnating.

As far as Diet goes ... I find carb cycling to work quite well. Basically you have a high/med/low carb day ... So 250/175/100 ... Of course those numbers will be different for everyone depending on many variables. Of course protein is essential, and you want to aim for atleast 1 gram for every pound of bodyweight. Healthy fats are essential to muscle building. Also, if you're dieting, be sure to decrease your caloric intake by small increments ... Such as 500 weekly. Too much, and your body's metabolism will shut down.

Forced Reps - This stresses above and beyond what your bodypart could naturally do on its own. Simply rep out until you can't anymore and then have your spotter help you get out a couple more. Only one of your sets should include Forced Reps, and only do 1 or 2 of them. This should only be down once or twice a month.

Negatives - This involves the eccentric (Downward movment) portion of the lift. Pick a weight that is 125 % of your max. Unrack it, and fight it on the eccentric portion of the lift. When you get to the bottom and are about to come back up, blast it as hard as you can. You'll need the help of a spotter. More micro-fiber tears happen on the eccentric portions of the lifts, rather than the concentric, so more muscle growth is achieved utilizing this method. You could also just try a negative or two after your last set of X exercise. So you're on your 4th set of bench presses, you barely got out that last rep on your own, you could do a couple negatives if you wanted to. Different variations for different people. Proper warm-up is crucial.

Pre-exhaust - This can be a great body shocker. Whatever body part you might be doing take 1 or 2 exercises, and nail it with high reps. For chest I'll do DB Flyes - 3 X 10 - 12 with a moderate weight ... Why this works so well, is for many people, their tris/shoulders will give out before their chest. This technique exhausts your chest, bringing it more in line with your tris/shoulders.

I wouldn't recommend doing these types of things regularly in your workout. It could lead to overtraining, in my experience. These are just some good ways to shock the hell out of your muscle groups into growing some more.

Hope this helps Peg !

EDIT: Typo ... You want to use 125 % of your max for the negatives ... So a weight you can't possibly do on your own. Like I said, spotter is crucial. If it feels too heavy, lower the weight. Just be careful.

27-06-2006, 06:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
Toregar Progressing Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 184	Firstly, forgive me If I'm saying things you already know. I'm not sure of your bodybuilding background . Change can be many things. I do many things to keep a plateau from happening. Firstly I'd recommend changing your workouts every 4 weeks. Whether that means changing the order of the exercises/Type of exercise/Sets/Reps That's up to you. It's always a good idea to change up your routine to keep your body from stagnating. As far as Diet goes ... I find carb cycling to work quite well. Basically you have a high/med/low carb day ... So 250/175/100 ... Of course those numbers will be different for everyone depending on many variables. Of course protein is essential, and you want to aim for atleast 1 gram for every pound of bodyweight. Healthy fats are essential to muscle building. Also, if you're dieting, be sure to decrease your caloric intake by small increments ... Such as 500 weekly. Too much, and your body's metabolism will shut down. Forced Reps - This stresses above and beyond what your bodypart could naturally do on its own. Simply rep out until you can't anymore and then have your spotter help you get out a couple more. Only one of your sets should include Forced Reps, and only do 1 or 2 of them. This should only be down once or twice a month. Negatives - This involves the eccentric (Downward movment) portion of the lift. Pick a weight that is 125 % of your max. Unrack it, and fight it on the eccentric portion of the lift. When you get to the bottom and are about to come back up, blast it as hard as you can. You'll need the help of a spotter. More micro-fiber tears happen on the eccentric portions of the lifts, rather than the concentric, so more muscle growth is achieved utilizing this method. You could also just try a negative or two after your last set of X exercise. So you're on your 4th set of bench presses, you barely got out that last rep on your own, you could do a couple negatives if you wanted to. Different variations for different people. Proper warm-up is crucial. Pre-exhaust - This can be a great body shocker. Whatever body part you might be doing take 1 or 2 exercises, and nail it with high reps. For chest I'll do DB Flyes - 3 X 10 - 12 with a moderate weight ... Why this works so well, is for many people, their tris/shoulders will give out before their chest. This technique exhausts your chest, bringing it more in line with your tris/shoulders. I wouldn't recommend doing these types of things regularly in your workout. It could lead to overtraining, in my experience. These are just some good ways to shock the hell out of your muscle groups into growing some more. Hope this helps Peg ! EDIT: Typo ... You want to use 125 % of your max for the negatives ... So a weight you can't possibly do on your own. Like I said, spotter is crucial. If it feels too heavy, lower the weight. Just be careful. Last edited by Toregar; 28-06-2006 at 03:41 PM.