Training tactics that have surprised you

[MP]

As the years go by, you try all kinds of various training techniques.

Recently, I started the 20-rep squat program. I never tried it before. There are a few variations out there that recommend between one and three sets of 20 per week. I worked my way up and am doing 3 sets per week (Mon, Wed., Fri.).

I thought squatting 3 days per week would be overkill and leave me limping around. But I'm pleasantly surprised how fast I'm recuperating, considering I'm 43 and natural. It's Saturday and legs feel good.

What new or different things have you tried that surprised you with good results?

[dustin]

Nothing revolutionary, but single leg leg extensions are awesome. I do about 10-12 reps per leg and do two sets for each with no rest. Then after just enough rest to catch my breath, I bang out even more. It gets them really diced up and doesn't get boring like a lot of leg exercises.

Another non-surprise here, but the stepper is awesome for legs and especially calves. I start my workouts with some stepper and sometimes finish. It's especially awesome for kicking off leg day. I'm doing two lighter leg workouts each week and about to switch back to one heavy leg workout and then back to two smaller leg workouts. I think people just forget how good the stepper is for leaning you out and pumping up the legs.

[TEMPER]

Occlusion training on biceps.

I don't give a shit what it does scientifically or if science says it "works". I love the intense burn and swollen feel of my arms, I have never felt a "burn" like it in my life, it is very addictive. I also like looking down and seeing insane vascularity in the entire arm, makes you feel like fucking super man.

I swear it has made some significant changes in my arms' resting size and vascularity. I don't know the science behind it but doing it for 2 months now I definitely see veins in my forearms that weren't there, as well as slight changes in the crease near my bicep peak near the elbow crease area, something definitely changed..

[Lustral]

Occlusion training on biceps.

I don't give a shit what it does scientifically or if science says it "works". I love the intense burn and swollen feel of my arms, I have never felt a "burn" like it in my life, it is very addictive. I also like looking down and seeing insane vascularity in the entire arm, makes you feel like fucking super man.

I swear it has made some significant changes in my arms' resting size and vascularity. I don't know the science behind it but doing it for 2 months now I definitely see veins in my forearms that weren't there, as well as slight changes in the crease near my bicep peak near the elbow crease area, something definitely changed..

Do you need to buy anything special for occlusion or could you use anything like a junkie desperately trying to find a vein? I find it really hard to get soreness in my biceps so I'm open to new ideas.

It's a well-known technique but rest-pause as used in DC works great, I just use more volume. For those that don't know go to failure at 8-10 reps, breathe 10-15 breaths, rep out as many as you can, maybe 4, then breathe 10-15, then rep out what you can, probably 3. Hts all fibres but not practical or safe on some movements.

Also, before someone else says it, cock up the ass while curling feels great.

[thebrink]

Anything Bertil Fox has ever done.

[oldtimer1]

Doing two sets of push ups after working chest. My chest and triceps are so fried that push ups are really tough.  It's just a great pump at the end and I can see a change.

Doing pull ups with free revolving handles so my hands can move in any direction they naturally want to go. It has been so good for my bad shoulder.

Dumbbell squats holding the dumbbells at your sides with a strap grip. I know what most are thinking. "I use 300 to 400lbs  when I squat how can I find dumbbells in that size?"  Surprisingly if you squat with your torso upright and really sink it you can't use that much weight. Don't bend over and deadlift the weight. Again torso upright and sink it. Concentrate on bending your legs to keep from bending over. Try two 100lbs dumbbells for sets of 12 reps and tell me how your thighs are on fire. Go so low that the bells almost brush the floor.

Benching with dumbbells with your hands facing each other instead of pronating the grip that is the usual practice.  If you do your flat and incline chest presses this way it takes so much stress off the shoulder joint. You can even do shoulder presses this way. It's a more natural movement for the shoulder joint.

Stopping all supplements. After decades of using protein powder, creatine and various bottles of everything you can think of I stopped. At first I blamed every bad workout and perceived lack of gains on it. After awhile I realized it was all in my head.  My stomach stopped giving me trouble. Suddenly I had regular logs in the bathroom instead of mush.   My urine finally came out clear instead of trying to filter out stuff. I used the money  left over to buy real food.

Maybe I will write more after I sober up a bit.  

[oldtimer1]

Pictures for above.

[Purge_WTF]

Training arms separately instead of after chest/back.

When I started doing that, my arms grew so fast I had new stretch marks on my biceps every week.

[TEMPER]

Do you need to buy anything special for occlusion or could you use anything like a junkie desperately trying to find a vein? I find it really hard to get soreness in my biceps so I'm open to new ideas.

It's a well-known technique but rest-pause as used in DC works great, I just use more volume. For those that don't know go to failure at 8-10 reps, breathe 10-15 breaths, rep out as many as you can, maybe 4, then breathe 10-15, then rep out what you can, probably 3. Hts all fibres but not practical or safe on some movements.

Also, before someone else says it, cock up the ass while curling feels great.

I use the Slingshot Multi-Purpose wrap for everything.



http://www.howmuchyabench.net/multi-purpose-wraps.htm


Slip the velcro end through the thumb loop to use it like a slip knot, and synch it up by the shoulder. Works amazingly.

[Rudee]

Not really a training technique, but I have large and muscular calves and attribute them to years of cycling, as I rarely ever do direct exercises for calves at the gym.

As far as in the gym exercises goes, I was pleasantly surprised at how much stronger I got when doing super-slow chinups on the assisted chin/dip machine several years ago for about 3 months.  10 seconds positive, 5 seconds negative.   total reps around 5-6.   After 3 months of super-slow chins the reps I could do on regular chinups was up by over 50%.  

[spiro]

For my biceps I do bar bell curls with one of those really thin bars the women use for bodypump. I only put 20 pounds on each side. I do 3 sets of 15 inbetween sets without a break I do 15 single arm curls with one of those stretch bands. 15 on each arm. I get an absolute sick pump my arms are my best body part. The veins are insane the masteron really helps too.

[ProudVirgin69]

I use the Slingshot Multi-Purpose wrap for everything.



http://www.howmuchyabench.net/multi-purpose-wraps.htm


Slip the velcro end through the thumb loop to use it like a slip knot, and synch it up by the shoulder. Works amazingly.

So that's it, you just wrap an elastic band around the top of your arm?  Do you do really light weights with the band on?

[TheShape.]

100 rep preacher curls with only 10 lbs on each end after a long arm workout.

[ESFitness]

high rep stuff while running igf1... 18-20 reps for everything. 2-3 sets per movement 2-3 movements per bodypart.

[TEMPER]

So that's it, you just wrap an elastic band around the top of your arm?  Do you do really light weights with the band on?

I don't put them on too tight, so I can leave them on for all my sets.

You can use the same weights you normally use you will just hit complete failure way sooner, like the arm will just be so pumped it will not bend type failure.

I start with a 75lb curl bar and an arm blaster. 3x10 slow reps

Then finish them off with single arm with a really slow negative, usually only takes the 20lb'ers to completely fry them..I do sets until I can only get like 5 reps with the 20's then I know they are just completely fried, and move on.

Stimulate not annihilate is key...Biceps are so small you can really only do so much before you're just being counterproductive.

[Master Blaster]

Occlusion training sounds sick.

[ProudVirgin69]

I don't put them on too tight, so I can leave them on for all my sets.

You can use the same weights you normally use you will just hit complete failure way sooner, like the arm will just be so pumped it will not bend type failure.

I start with a 75lb curl bar and an arm blaster. 3x10 slow reps

Then finish them off with single arm with a really slow negative, usually only takes the 20lb'ers to completely fry them..I do sets until I can only get like 5 reps with the 20's then I know they are just completely fried, and move on.

Stimulate not annihilate is key...Biceps are so small you can really only do so much before you're just being counterproductive.

Interesting, I will give this a try

[_aj_]

Pictures for above.

I have been doing lots of pullups using the rings on straps. Same idea. My left shoulder recently started going dodgy on me and this has been a huge help.

[Simple Simon]

Resistance bands, use them all the time.

[FermiDirac]

Schmoe wrestling in the shower/sauna post workout. Very nice way of getting the last out of the muscles. 

[Rascal full]

Doing two sets of push ups after working chest. My chest and triceps are so fried that push ups are really tough.  It's just a great pump at the end and I can see a change.

Doing pull ups with free revolving handles so my hands can move in any direction they naturally want to go. It has been so good for my bad shoulder.

Dumbbell squats holding the dumbbells at your sides with a strap grip. I know what most are thinking. "I use 300 to 400lbs  when I squat how can I find dumbbells in that size?"  Surprisingly if you squat with your torso upright and really sink it you can't use that much weight. Don't bend over and deadlift the weight. Again torso upright and sink it. Concentrate on bending your legs to keep from bending over. Try two 100lbs dumbbells for sets of 12 reps and tell me how your thighs are on fire. Go so low that the bells almost brush the floor.

Benching with dumbbells with your hands facing each other instead of pronating the grip that is the usual practice.  If you do your flat and incline chest presses this way it takes so much stress off the shoulder joint. You can even do shoulder presses this way. It's a more natural movement for the shoulder joint.

Stopping all supplements. After decades of using protein powder, creatine and various bottles of everything you can think of I stopped. At first I blamed every bad workout and perceived lack of gains on it. After awhile I realized it was all in my head.  My stomach stopped giving me trouble. Suddenly I had regular logs in the bathroom instead of mush.   My urine finally came out clear instead of trying to filter out stuff. I used the money  left over to buy real food.

Maybe I will write more after I sober up a bit.  

Great post, thank you.

[Mawse]

Pictures for above.

Handles like those transform hammer strength back machines into a whole new beast, too. You can twist in or out, change hand position, it's great. And always fun when someone tries to work in and realizes in his first set what an ego killer changing the leverage points is

My blown out discs Disagree on db squats (db goblet squats are way more back friendly) but the rest is good

[OTHstrong]

bench pressing every day.

Not a lot though just a set of 135 for 20 then 405 for 3-5 reps, that's it. I did this almost daily for 3 to 4 months when I was eager to crack 500lb on the bench. 405 never felt heavy after that period.

[bigmc]

Resistance bands, use them all the time.

my mrs has these at home

what do you recommend them for - jane fonda workout elements of homo

[Icelord]

Doing glute presses by lying flat on the ground and keeping the torso upright with the forearms at a 45-degree angle while pushing backward on the lying leg curl cushion is something I learned from a Kai Greene video. Another one is using the same machine in reverse by placing your feet underneath the cushion and doing a reverse curl using the weight stack for lower ab training.