Advanced Lifting Techniques

The following techniques are a great addition to any workout routine, and they are especially helpful for getting past a plateau. These are advanced methods of training and they should only be done by experienced lifters in order to minimize the risk of possible injury. These are techniques that have helped me reach my resistance strength training goals, and if used properly, they will help you reach your goals too!

Reverse Pyramid:

            The Reverse Pyramid Training technique involves beginning your first set with the heaviest weight you can lift 3-5 times. Each additional set should be performed with less weight and more repetitions. This training method helps you become stronger and more powerful by allowing you to use more muscle fibers to generate a greater amount of force. You will be able to generate more force with your muscles because they will still be fresh. For example, if you are typically able to do your last set of bench press with 255lbs for 5 reps, you should be able to instead lift 255lbs on your first set more than 5 times (7-8 reps).

Heavy Negatives:

            Negatives affect the eccentric phase of lifting, or when the muscle lengthens in a controlled fashion. The muscle being trained is able to produce the greatest amount of force during this phase, and that is why it is important to focus on the concentric phase (when a muscle contracts/shortens), and the eccentric phase (when a muscle lengthens). Negative lifts are performed by lifting/holding a weight at its ending position and then lowering it in a controlled manner very slowly. For example, on the bench press a lifter would raise/hold the barbell and then would proceed to slowly lower it towards their chest. When the bar touches their chest, with the help of a spotter, they would explosively lift it off their chest. The most important part of the lift is the lowering of the bar in a controlled manner. Also, the bar should not bounce of your chest in this lift. Negatives are particularly useful in overloading because you can lower a lot more weight than you can lift. For this reason, negatives are very helpful for getting past a plateau. For example, if your 1rm on bench press is 250lbs, then you should do a negative with about 275lbs (1.1x1RM). Just remember to use a spotter for when you are doing heavy negatives, and have a good time reaching your strength goals!


To read about additional advanced lifting techniques, please visit: Build More Muscle With These Advanced Strength Techniques

Strengthening Your Core

Building a strong core is a prerequisite to becoming strong in other lifts, and reaching your ultimate goal of being the strongest person in any given room. Simply put, having a strong core will allow you to lift more weight, reduce your risk of injury, and allow you to maintain proper form throughout your lifts. Also, if you have been ignoring your core, you may have reached a plateau in your lifts, and incorporating some core workouts will help you blast past that plateau. Many lifters will either ignore their core or they will waste their time on inefficient workouts. I have found that the following workouts give the best results:

It is important to include static and dynamic lifts to strengthen your core. Static lifts are those that do not use any weight or movement, and dynamic lifts use weights and movement.

Static Lifts:

• Front Plank: This lift engages your entire core. For this lift, you lay down on the floor and support your weight on you elbows (look up a video on YouTube if you are confused). It may seem easy at first but after 10-15 seconds you will feel its effects. You want to make sure you keep your body straight and hold the plank for at least 30 seconds. As your core becomes stronger, you should extend this amount of time all the way to an entire minute. As with any lift, do four sets of planks with a couple of minutes of rest in between sets.

•  Side Plank: This lift should also be performed on the floor like a front plank. Except, you rotate your body till you are laying on your side and you support yourself on one elbow. For this lift, you also want to keep your body straight and maintain the plank for at least 30 seconds. After doing one side, switch to the other. This lift should also have four sets per side.

Dynamic Lifts:

• Leg Lifts: This lift is performed by lying on your back and keeping your legs together as you slowly lift them up and down for reps. It is important to make sure your back and shoulders stay on the ground, and you should also lower your legs far enough to feel a stretch in your abdomen but your feet should not touch the ground.

• Ball Roll-Ins: You perform this lift by placing your hands on the ground and your feet on top of a ball. You should slowly bend your knees and bring the ball towards your arms. Remember to focus on your abdomen as you perform this lift. 

To read more about strengthening your core, please visit: Core Strength: Your Ultimate Guide to Core Training

Building World Class Arms

Arms are one of the first things that other people notice and compliment so it’s natural to want to include lifts that specifically target your arms. In addition to improving the way you look, working out your arms and making them stronger also helps you with your other lifts. Or simply, making your triceps stronger will allow you to press more weight in lifts such as bench-press, overhead press, etc. Likewise, making your biceps strong will allow you to pull more weight in lifts such as row, wide-grip pull-downs, etc. The rest of this post will be dedicated towards tips and recommended lifts for building large and powerful arms.

Tips:

• Like other lifts, gradually increase your weights

• Stick to one particular workout for at least a month

• Include bicep lifts on your pull-days (back-days)

• Include lifts that target your triceps on push-days (chest and shoulders)

• If your arms are not responding to your workout, increase the amount of lifts that target them. For example, if you have only been doing bicep lifts on back days, then add some bicep workouts into other workouts, but make sure you give them a sufficient amount of rest between workouts.

Biceps:

• Standing Hammer Curls: This lifts is performed by holding a dumbbell in each hand in the same way you would hold a hammer. Lift one dumbbell at a time to maintain good form (elbows planted at your sides!) and focus on the muscle being trained. This lift targets the outer head of the bicep and helps build a taller peak.

• Preacher Curl: This lift targets and isolates the bicep, and it helps prevent wrist strain.

Triceps:

• Triceps Push-down: This lift is typically done using a cable machine. This is a good exercise for maintaining the same level of strain on your muscle throughout the motion. Remember to keep your elbows planted at your sides, and don’t neglect the concentric portion of the lift.

• Dips: This is a great lift for muscle building and a great addition to chest day as well. When performing this lift, make sure to keep from leaning to make sure your triceps are doing all of the work. The more you lean forward, the more you are targeting your chest. 

 To view other great arm building exercises, please visit: Ultimate Arm Exercises

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