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MuscleTech Muscle Building BodyBuilding Secrets

Slowing down your exercises could help you stimulate new growth!

Timing of Sets and Reps

Athletes are often so fixated on the number of reps they perform that they may not stimulate optimum muscle growth because they are performing their reps too quickly. Generally, the time your muscle is under tension during any exercise will have a large effect on your results. You may not realize it, but a lot of muscle fibers are neglected when your sets only last a short time. The breakdown and repair of muscle fibers is the key to gaining new size and strength, and slowing down your reps will breakdown more of these fibers. One tip to help stimulate new growth is to try changing your routine to include more sets that last around
40 to 70 seconds.

	One method of using pre-exhaustion is to do incline dumbell flyes before doing incline bench presses.

Pre-Exhaustion

During compound exercises, the smaller, weaker muscles (such as the triceps) often become fatigued before the stronger primary muscles (such as the pectorals) receive adequate stimulation. To help overcome this problem, many top athletes perform what is known as "pre-exhaustion." Pre-exhaustion techniques employ two sets: one single-joint movement (such as flyes) followed quickly by a multi-joint movement (such as the bench press). Remember, for optimal results, the second exercise should come as soon as possible after completing the first exercise.

Wave loading may increase your strength the very first time you try it!

Wave Loading

Wave loading is an advanced strength-building principle that involves doing a moderate number of reps – say, 4 to 6 – of an exercise, then resting, and finally doing a single rep at your 1-rep max. This technique can be adapted to build muscle. Do a "wave" of sets – the first, a set of 4 reps, then another of 3 reps, then a final set of 2 reps. Increase the weight each time, but don't train to failure. Then, repeat with another wave. Finally, repeat these two waves, but start with a heavier weight than you used to start the first wave. You might notice that you can use heavier weight in the third and fourth waves than what you would have been able to handle if you hadn't done the first two. The basic premise is to use wave loading to "train" the nervous system to be more efficient, with the intended effect that you can use heavier weights and build bigger, stronger muscles. Again, this technique is designed for advanced lifters.

Taking a Week Off

Overtraining commonly occurs when you try too hard to improve performance and train beyond your body's ability to recover. A technique known as "Slingshot Training" consists of taking a week off after every six to eight weeks of extensive exercising. This not only helps to avoid overtraining, but suggests that it can also help make you stronger upon a few weeks of resuming your workouts!

	Adequate rest between sets may allow you to achieve greater muscular power for each set completed, and gain more strength!

Rest Between Sets

Rest time between sets is important for making optimal gains in strength and mass. Too much rest and you may lose your pump. Too little rest and you risk fatiguing the working muscle before you can lift optimal poundages. So what's the trick to get the most out of your rest between sets? Well, it generally takes a few minutes to recover your energy stores after a set. So resting for a period of time instead of proceeding directly to your next set - especially when exercising the larger muscles -may allow you to achieve greater muscular power for each set completed and gain more strength.

	Unilateral training is a fantastic method of increasing strength and stability, not to mention muscle size!

Unilateral Training

Many athletes already perform single-limb training for their biceps (such as curls) or shoulders (such as lateral raises). Another secret is to train other major body parts unilaterally as well. This is an extremely effective technique for developing strength.

If you want a change in your program, or even a method of addressing a weaker side of your body, unilateral training is a fantastic method of increasing strength and stability, not to mention muscle size. Strength imbalances can often be corrected by incorporating unilateral exercises, because they require one side of the body to perform the exercise unaided. This is advanced training, so remember to consult your doctor before starting any diet and exercise plan.