Hardgainer's Ultimate Growth Enhancement system alternate routes part 2: five more techniques for blasting through training plateaus

Flex, March, 2004 by Greg Merritt

In the February issue, we examined five techniques for climbing past sticking points in training. This month, we analyze five additional intensifiers. All of these methods can break the muscle monotony of traditional routines and shock complacent bodyparts into new gains. They're not intended for use in every workout, but if done occasionally or for a focused period of three weeks or less, they can keep your physique guessing and growing.

1 TRISETS AND GIANT SETS Trisets and giant sets are extensions of supersets (detailed on page 139 of February's FLEX). Whereas a superset pairs two exercises with little or no rest between them, a triset combines three exercises and a giant set combines four or more exercises. Trisets and giant sets are typically done for the same bodypart.

For example, calf training may include standing calf raises, seated calf raises, calf presses and shin lifts in a rotation with no rest between exercises (15-20 reps per exercise). Three or four such giant sets would constitute an entire calf workout. Mat DuVall, 2003 Nationals champion, utilizes a giant-set calf routine three times per week, but hardgainers should do combo sets no more than twice per month per bodypart. The key to growth is to avoid both undertraining and overtraining.

2 PARTIAL REPS Of all the intensifying techniques in a bodybuilder's arsenal, partials are the most misunderstood. Too many trainers use them too soon in a set, simply because they can pump out more half reps than full reps. For them, partials are a means for making a set easier, not harder. Instead, partials should be done only as a method of going beyond full-rep failure. Do partial reps only after you reach full-rep failure, and do them to focus on only a fraction of a lift.

After completing eight full reps of preacher curls on your own, for example, you fail trying to do a ninth rep. Continue to lift the bar to approximately halfway for as many partials as possible. You should be able to perform approximately half as many additional partial reps as full reps. When you reach failure with half reps, you will undoubtedly still be able to lift the bar a very short distance--perhaps only an inch. Additional short and quick reps are called burns. Pump out as many burns as possible.

Use this technique sparingly and only for the final set of an exercise. Also note that partials are not appropriate for every lift. For example, the three powerlifts--squats, bench presses and deadlifts--do not lend themselves to safely performing partials to extend a set.

The term "partial reps" can be confusing because it has a second meaning. Partials can also mean short focused reps (typically performed in a power rack) done not to extend a set but to push through a lift's sticking point. For example, if you have trouble locking out deadlifts, do top deadlifts, setting the support bars in a power rack so each rep begins with the barbell already above your knees. By concentrating on your weakest area of a lift, short reps can subsequently boost your power through the entire range of motion the next time you do full reps. This strength technique is primarily applicable to presses and the powerlifts.

3 HIGH-LOW REPS The first tenet of the H.U.G.E.[TM] program and, indeed, of bodybuilding in general, is progressive resistance. In order to grow, you must add more reps, weight or intensity. Training falls into a rut when your muscles and your mind become too comfortable with familiar patterns. If you do the same sets of eight to 10 reps every workout, it becomes increasingly difficult to add a few more reps or another 10 pounds to the bar.

The high-low principle is a valuable method for breaking up the monotony of the typical rep scheme. When you train high-low style, you alternate a high-rep set (12 to 20 reps) with a low-rep set (six to eight reps). For instance, you can alternate 16-rep sets of pulldowns with eight-rep sets, using an appropriate lighter weight for the former and a heavier weight for the latter.

You can also alternate between exercises performed for low reps and high reps. For example, you can pyramid bench presses up to a maximum six-rep set, and follow with sets of 20 of dumbbell flyes. Then you can do eight-rep sets of incline bench presses, followed by sets of 16 of pec-deck flyes. The key is to break out of your normal rep pattern.

4 ALTERNATING TWO SETS A redundant set scheme is another prime cause of complacent workouts. Most trainers do three or four sets of each exercise, and this predictability can stifle gains over time. On occasion, try doing two sets of each exercise and increase the number of exercises accordingly. Instead of three or four sets of three exercises for a total of 10 biceps sets, do two sets of five exercises for the same total of 10. Better yet, to really boost intensity and keep your muscles guessing, alternate between two sets for one bodypart and two sets for an antagonistic bodypart. The "Arms Blitz" sidebar details an alternating two-set arm workout.