Content provided in partnership with

Strength strategies - Forum - weight training tips

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2002

Over the years, I've made gains in both muscle and strength, but lately I've been stuck on a strength plateau. How can I break through it?

--J.B., Guthrie, OK

Gymgoers often assume that one style of training is optimal for both muscle building and strength building. It's an easy assumption to make--when you first started training, you added muscle mass and increased your strength at the same time. Now, though, you've probably hit this plateau because your training isn't specifically targeted at increasing strength. Two of our experts share their favorite strength-building tricks.

Most Popular Articles in Health: Fuel your workout: exercisers who eat before they work out have more energy ...; Soothe a dry, itchy scalp: 5 easy expert solutions; Cocktails and calories: Beer, wine and liquor calories can really add up. ...; The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of therapeutic use; The, six best supplements you've never heard of: these secret weapons can ...; More »

"Your muscles contain slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers," says Tom Seabourne, who holds a doctorate in exercise science. "Many weight-training programs emphasize slow, controlled movements that are ideal for building muscle mass, but don't train your muscles for more explosive power movements." To increase strength, Seabourne recommends including both muscle-building and power-enhancing training in your workouts.

"After you finish your regular sets on a particular machine, my suggestion is to include a set or two of explosive speed work. Machines are well-designed for this type of work because they force you to work within a range of motion." For example, after you finish machine chest or shoulder presses, try dropping the weight to about 30 percent of your one-rep max. The goal is to work your muscles much more quickly than you did with the previous sets.

At the same time, you must keep your form perfect to make certain you're working your target muscles. "For muscle building, you should ideally work at about a two-seconds-positive, four-seconds-negative pace," Seabourne says. "For speed work, you should complete each full 'in' rep in one second or less."

A couple of tips to keep in mind:

* Make sure to lower the weight with your target muscle--almost as though you're pulling the weight down. Avoid dropping and catching it.

* Press through the weight with perfect form, keeping it focused on your target muscle. When the weight is light, it's easy to shift it to other body parts, but that negates much of the benefit.

Seabourne cautions that you should start slowly. Your body may not be used to this type of training; as with any new type of activity, you should test your body before going all out. Start with one set of 10 quick reps, then gradually increase speed reps each time you train a particular body part.

"I believe that this is the future of training," says Seabourne. "Now we mostly train slow and smooth, but real activity is often explosive." When you train this way, you're increasing your power and preparing yourself for activity in the real world. "You make yourself a better athlete and you're improving power, strength and muscular endurance," he concludes. As you add power and strength, you may also find that you're able to add more muscle mass.

While Seabourne's approach helps enhance overall explosiveness, International Federation of Bodybuilding Fitness Pro Beth Horn focuses on mastering bodyweight strength moves. "The 5-3-1 is the technique I used to learn how to do a handstand push-up down to my chin while holding my balance," she says. (No need for you to get that gonzo--just use the method to master anything from a simple pull-up to a one-arm pull-up or one-arm push-up.)

"The 5-3-1 technique is the best way to increase strength for such moves," Horn says. "Start by performing negatives only. On Monday, perform two sets of five reps. On Wednesday, do two sets of three reps. On Friday, perform two sets of one rep only. For the first four or five weeks, perform the negative only. Don't even try to do the positive phase of the movement."

Let's say you've always wanted to do pull-ups, but you don't have the strength to do one rep. Find a stand that allows you to grab the bar with your arms flexed and your chin above the bar. Step off the stand and lower your body weight as slowly as possible until your arms are fully extended. Quickly step back on the stand and repeat until you've completed five reps of negatives. Rest for two or three minutes and perform one more set of five. On your next two training days, perform the three-rep and one-rep cycles, respectively.

"A lot of people overtrain when they're trying to learn a new strength feat," says Horn. "This strategy helps prevent you from overtraining or injuring yourself." It's crucial to adhere to the training protocol to master the new exercise. After completing four or five weeks of negatives, attempt the exercise through the positive range of motion--you'll likely find that you're able to do it. If not, return to the 5-3-1 strategy for another monthlong round. This time emphasize slowing the pace of your negatives to place greater strength demands on your body with each rep.

Strength strategies - Forum - weight training tips

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2002

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Technology

Most Popular Articles in Health

Most Popular Publications in Health