Intensity of work and the methods.

Following are some of the ways you can alter or modify the intensity of your workouts.
Some i learnt are from Arthur Jones.
Others are more recent.

None of course are my “discoveries” I learned them from some of the more well known Strength Training Authorities.

I thought others here can add some methods used with success, and may be discuss these.

I'll start...

Adding weight or Reps

This is fundamental. You have to train in a progressive manner. Add a little weight when you can do a certain amount of reps, or do extra reps if the weight feels light that day. Keep a log and always try to improve from your last workout.

Training to Failure or Overload

Don’t argue over this. Do it if you want……….or not! Nobody really cares. This is not only the domain of the HIGH INTENSITY trainee.
Many also use it that don’t consider themselves to be of the “HIT” Camp. It is just a tool.
In the old days we continued an exercise until we couldn’t move…….by any means.
Today I stop a set for most of my clients when their form starts to break down.
It is a judgment call for me and I prefer to keep my clients training as safe as possible.
Now and then I find someone that can push like we used to and for those rare clients that’s what we do.
Easier to do with machines but can be done with free weights, especially if you have a “Power Rack”

Pre Exhaustion

*Using an Isolation or “single joint” movement preceding a compound or “multi Joint” movement for a muscle group. Example: Leg Extension then Squats or Leg press. Or Side Lateral raise then Standing or Seated Press. You are “Pre Exhausting” the target muscle group then finishing off that group with a compound movement.

One needs to move very quickly between the exercise to be successful as muscle recovers very quickly

Breakdowns

Immediately after reaching failure remove some of the weight and continue for a few more reps.
Don’t overdo this one.
One or two Breakdowns for an exercise are good.

Supersets

2 diferent exercises targerting the same muscle group performed one after the other without rest.

AndyMitchell said:

Pre Exhaustion

*Using an Isolation or “single joint” movement preceding a compound or “multi Joint” movement for a muscle group. Example: Leg Extension then Squats or Leg press. Or Side Lateral raise then Standing or Seated Press. You are “Pre Exhausting” the target muscle group then finishing off that group with a compound movement.

One needs to move very quickly between the exercise to be successful as muscle recovers very quickly

Click to expand...

why would i want to pre exhaust?

Negative Only

Your training partners raise the weight or do the “concentric” part of the movement and you lower it.
Lowering the weight is the negative or “eccentric” portion.
You’ll be using quite a bit of weight for this.
Research says you are 40% stronger lowering a weight than you are raising it.
Make sure you are lowering under control.
This is a hard way to workout.
It is especially hard on your partners.

Negative Accentuated

Raising, pulling, or pushing the weight with two limbs and lowering it with one. An easier way of doing negative training.
You don’t need help

buddy said:

why would i want to pre exhaust?

Click to expand...

I don't know.

Rest pause training, I think it's one of the best ways to handle heavy loads consistently.

I am going to add this to my benchpress in my next program, program wont change much (except shoulder day), just the way I do it really. I found that the strength development I got from doing rows substantially increased when I started doing 'Pendley rows'. I was able to handle substantial loads with the stop at the bottom. I played with this and tried doing 5 second pause at bar rest, this enabled me to add even more weight and i think that was a major contributor to my deadlift increasing TBH.

So in the next power stage of my program I will try this with the bench press to try to get some decent strength gains. May even try adding to the squat next, but only at the end of say...last set or something.

3X3

Pick three exercises. One for the legs and hips, one for the upper back, one for the chest and shoulders. Train one right after another in circuit fashion and repeat a total of three times. Usually done to failure with no rest at all. Example: Squat or Leg Press or Trap Bar deadlift. Then Chins or Pullovers (or pulldowns) or a rowing movement. Third movement could be Dips or overhead presses (standing or seated) or bench press. Check your shorts when your done!

AndyMitchell said:

Check your shorts when your done!

Click to expand...

LOL


Timed Barbell complexes, movement such as back squat into overhead press into front squat back into overhead press/ repeat. Do with 60% of your bodyweight.........killer

For added intensity add in 'clean and press' instead of front squat.

Andy,

Have you read any of the Colorado Experiment stuff?

That is intensity in its purest form!

63lb of muscle in 28 days..

Intensity is inside you I think...these "methods" will not increase training "intensity" unless the person has the will power to push themselves and get in that mind set to train intensely...I do agree they will lift "activity" in the gym but for some/for most it will not greate an intensity as such...

There are only a small number of ppl who train in the gym id say (2-5%) in each "normal"/commerical gyms around the world that can reach a level of intensity to develop great gains in size and strength....

I think some of these methods you listed are great for changing workouts up and lifting the activity your doing in the gym...but as for intensity that depends on the person and cant be "created"

If you really want to bring the intensity give the 4 day Blood and Guts a go. This was my first experience with HIT and absolutley loved it. Employing negatives, rest pause, partials/x reps, drop sets for every exercise. The only downside being either training alone or potential for injury if you take shortcuts. Focusing everything into one set to go beyond failure really produces some good gains after being on a typical volume orientated split.

AndyMitchell said:

Breakdowns

Immediately after reaching failure remove some of the weight and continue for a few more reps.
Don’t overdo this one.
One or two Breakdowns for an exercise are good.

Click to expand...

You mean like dropsets?

A+++ posting here.
I get great results with rest paused training. Not a fan of HIT in general but DC training seems to work, especially with drugs.

jchen said:

Andy,

Have you read any of the Colorado Experiment stuff?

That is intensity in its purest form!

63lb of muscle in 28 days..

Click to expand...

Yep.
Some would and in fact some have said that Casey was taking steroids without Jones knowing, but I doubt that very much, jones didn't much like people taking drugs.
But putting that aside jones's figures alone were staggering in that same time.

30′s Day

Pick a half dozen or so exercises that cover the whole body.
Use your normal weight or close to it. Now all you have to do is complete 30 reps! One set each exercise.
With most people this is a “rest pause” effort.

for maximum hypertrophy, should i be focusing on slow negatives (5-7 seconds) every workout on most/all exercises?

I think training at home is having a positive effect on my intensity, the noises I make, the faces I pull, the lying on the floor, the throwing my straps, the noises I make, crouching over sucking in the air, the noises I make, spilling my water from shaking and light headedness, and all the other things I do when going all out.

Would really have to leave my ego at the door if I trained like that at a commercial gym.

Imagine the looks...

buddy said:

for maximum hypertrophy, should i be focusing on slow negatives (5-7 seconds) every workout on most/all exercises?

Click to expand...

I'm not really sure buddy.

But in my own experience negative training is very demanding and if I used it too much my intensity of work suffered as did my progression.

If and when I use negatives it's normally at the end of a set and used sparingly.
For someone who cannot perform a chinup on their own, negatives have been quite successful.