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

Leg Workouts

Most strength training enthusiasts hate having to do leg days, and a good portion of weight lifters completely ignore their legs. This is due to many people only working out so that they can look good or due to the misconception that leg workouts are primarily for athletes. However, Working out your legs can have many benefits such as increased calorie burning, a more symmetrical body shape, and increased power for other lifts. The rest of this post will have some tips and recommended lifts that will help you achieve the most powerful legs possible.

Tips:

1.     Lift heavy weights for a maximum of five reps.

2.     Have three minutes of rest between each set.

3.     Do not lockout your legs during squats or any leg presses. This is to prevent possible leg injury, especially when you are lifting heavy weights.

4.     Make sure to utilize progressive overload in order to continue to grow.

5.     Do not do leg extensions because they are a waste of time and they put a lot of stress on your knees.

6.     Legs more than any other part of your body should be primarily developed using compound movements instead of isolation exercises.

Essential Lifts:

1.     Squats: Back Squats are best and it is important to at least lower the barbell until your thighs are parallel to the ground.

2.     Lunges: These can be done with either a barbell or dumbbells. This workout really targets the hamstrings and glutes.

3.     One-Legged Squats/Split Squat: This is an advanced lift where you place one foot on a bench and then simply squat using one leg. It is best to use a smith machine for this lift because you will need the stability. If you are confused, look up this lift on YouTube.

4.     Leg Press Machine: A leg press machine is a good way to finish a leg work out because you can safely go till exhaustion. It can also be used as a good warm up for squats.

Standing/Seated Calf Raises: These can be performed using a leg press machine, a smith machine, or one of the dedicated calf workout machines you can find in any gym. It is important to use a full range of motion and to use heavy weights because calves are notoriously difficult to grow. In fact, you want to hit your calves twice a week if they are not responding to a once a week workout.

To read about other leg workouts, please visit: The 30 Best Leg Exercises of All Time


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Back Workouts and their Benefits

Building a strong back isn’t easy but the benefits make all the hard work worth it. Strengthening your back will help prevent injuries, allow you to lift more weight during your other lifts, and it will also help reduce the stress that you put your back through during the course of a regular day. By using strength training to build your back strength, you help prevent injury because you are conditioning your back to handle increased levels of strain. Also, by working out your back, you help increase the amount of possible weight you can lift during your other workouts because you use your back to stabilize other lifts such as shoulder press. Lastly, using resistance strength training to build back strength will help reduce the strain you put your body through on daily basis when you twist, flex, rotate, and bend your back. So which back exercises are best? The following list includes some of the essential lifts that should be a part of any strength training workout:

1.      One-Arm Dumbbell Row: This lift helps build strength and thickness in the middle of your back.

2.      Stiff-Legged Deadlift: This lift targets the lower back, and it helps strengthen it to help prevent lower-back pain and injury.

3.      Wide Grip Pulldown: This lift targets the upper back in order to widen it and develop an aesthetically pleasing V-taper.

4.      Reverse-Grip Pulldown: This lift targets the lower part of your Lats to also help widen and achieve a V-taper.

The preceding list is by no means exhaustive. However it illustrates which type of lifts should be performed during a back workout. Or simply, your back workout should have exercises that target every area of your back. For power lifting it is important to lift heavy with a low amount of reps (3-5). 

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