Fadi
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None of us want to waste time trying to build muscle. And all of us know that the intensity of a set is felt near its completion rather than its beginning. Knowing this, it would be logical then to take advantage of this fact by extending the set at a point where it’s most optimal and most productive for muscle growth.
Different ways of extending one’s set. We’ve all heard (and most have been involved in) extending their sets using the drop set/descending set method. Some like it and some believe that it could be more effective/optimal if one didn’t have to decrease the load in order to extend the set. Others feel that a lighter load robs the muscles from being “truly” stimulated. We’re not here to argue that point, but rather, to find and provide an alternative to whatever a particular bodybuilder may be objecting to, as having a less of a stimulatory effect on his muscles.
To that bodybuilder who’s in favour of load above pure muscle pump and metabolic stress, we provide the rest-pause method as an extension to one’s set.
How about providing a mechanical advantage to the worked muscle as a way (and an alternative) of extending one’s set? Well, cheating is but one form of placing the muscle into a mechanical advantage, done so by recruiting additional muscles to assist with a lift. Granted some lifters are not in favour of cheating reps, as they view them as nothing more than an injection of momentum into a near perfectly executed exercise, hence (they reason), this form of mechanical advantage takes away from instead of adding to the level of intensity. Again I say, we won’t argue, but endeavour to please by providing another alternative way of extending one’s set further.
How about we extend the set in this way:
1. We choose an exercise, and extend its reps by way of grip variations.
2. We choose an exercise that leans more towards isolating a muscle (by using a single joint), before continuing (extending) the set by shifting to an exercise that uses multi joints, leaning more towards being a compound exercise.
Time for some examples:
1.Lat pulldown using a pronated grip, followed by using a neutral grip, and ending the set whilst using a supinated grip. To add to these three grip variation, the spacing of one’s hands on the bar (whilst using the same grip) also plays apart in the mechanics of the exercise.
2. Flat bench EZ bar skull crushers, switched to close grip bench press.
3. D/bell flys, switched to d/bell presses.
4. D/bell side laterals, switched to d/bell presses.
5. Reverse bench preacher curls (same straight angle as if doing concentration curls), then move to using the 45 degree angle of the bench, and finally finish the extension of the set by performing standing barbell curls (same weight same bar throughout the extended set) starting at a most disadvantaged mechanical position, and shifting to one that provides the maximum mechanical advantage.
The above were few examples of how to place a muscle in a mechanically advantaged position, allowing for an extension of the set, and ultimately increasing the intensity or workload on the targeted muscle forcing some new adaptation to occur. Have you got some examples of your own, where you extend your sets beyond just the initial exercise? If so, please do share and discuss. Thank you.
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