Increase Metabolic Stress for Size and Performance

Want a quick surge in performance enhancement? Creating metabolic stress might be your answer. This is a way to maximize your energy turnover during a training session, to increase anabolic hormone production and muscle fiber recruitment.

To create metabolic stress, you need to do exercises for moderate to high repetitions. But that doesn't mean you should forgo the heavy stuff. Drop, compound and cluster sets can build your metabolites.

Drop Sets

Drop sets are performed by using a high load until fatigue, dropping the weight by 20 to 50 percent, then immediately performing a subsequent set with little to no rest. One example of an effective drop set is squatting with a weight you can only lift five times until fatigue. Within 10 seconds, drop the weight by as much as half and jump right in to the subsequent set, repping out until fatigued.

Compound Sets

Compound sets are often mistaken for their fat-burner cousins, supersets. Although the two approaches are similar, they have very different purposes. Compound sets involve using two exercises back to back that target the same muscle group. Supersets target opposing or unassociated muscle groups.

The goal of compound sets is either to emphasize different heads of the same muscle or engage other muscles to continue moving through the range of motion, keeping the target muscle active. Either way, compound sets thoroughly deplete the target muscle's energy stores, increasing metabolic stress at the specific muscle group.

This strategy leads to a level of metabolic stress well beyond what we see from a single exercise. Typical compound sets consist of either two pulls or two presses in a row.

An example of a compound set (again, different from a superset) could be a Pull-Down followed immediately by a Seated Row.

Note: You can use supersets to condense more total work in a smaller amount of time or to further spike your heart rate. They play a valuable role in time-sensitive conditioning routines, but they have less value for hypertrophy programs.

Cluster Sets

This strategy involves performing a set to fatigue, then resting only 5 to 15 seconds before executing more reps. They can be very difficult, and acidosis (that burning sensation) becomes a limiting factor. Cluster sets are applied most often to isolation exercises, since compound movements are normally limited by factors other than hydrogen build-up. A common example: Leg Extensions for 12 reps, rest for 10 seconds, then more reps until failure.

One last thing: Intensity seems to be the key to signaling hypertrophy. Whether we use light weights for high reps or heavy weights for low reps, reaching failure is standard in hypertrophy routines. So why not try both approaches? Going until failure with heavy loads leaves you able to continue work with lighter loads (if you plan recovery appropriately).

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Build New Muscle With This Classic Body building Technique

've never understood why bodybuilders only apply the 21's workout concept when they train their biceps. The way I see it, 21's can be used with many strength exercises, are simple to apply (not to perform) and will blast your muscles.

That's precisely why we regularly use the 21's method at Performance U when our athletes train to build muscle.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bicep 21's, it goes something like this:

• Perform seven partial Bicep Curls going only halfway down.
• Perform another seven Curls going only halfway up.
• Finish with seven full Curls for a total of 21 reps.

Below are some of the 21's workouts we use to get an insane pump and add a new twist to classic back, chest and shoulder exercises.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 21's Workout

Do this with dumbbells while either seated (as shown in the video above) or standing. The exercise is most challenging when your upper arm (i.e., your humerus) is parallel to the floor, so hold that position.

How To:

• Mid-Range Partial Press x 7
• Isometric Bottom-Range Hold x 7 seconds (open and close your arms as if performing an Arnold Press)
• Full Shoulder Press x 7

Chest Press 21's Workout

You can use dumbbells or a barbell. Again, it's most challenging when your upper arm is parallel to the floor, so this is where you'll perform the isometric rep.

How To:

• Isometric Mid-Range Hold x 7 seconds
• Full Bench Press x 7
• Top-Range Partial Press x 7

Lat Pulldown 21's Workout

People often cheat at the bottom of the movement when performing Lat Pulldowns, so we like to make this the isometric hold. Change your grip from neutral to wide to underhand each workout to challenge your muscles in different planes.

How To:

• Mid-Range Partial Pulldowns x 7
• Isometric Bottom-Range Hold x 7 seconds
• Full Pulldowns x 7

Bent-Over Row 21's Workout

You can use dumbbells, a barbell or a seated row machine. The exercise is most difficult at the top of the row, so make this your isometric hold—again, people often cheat here. If you use free weights, vary your torso position from parallel to 45-degrees to the ground.

How To:

• Top-Range Partial Rows x 7
• Isometric Top-Range Holds x 7 seconds
• Full Rows x 7

What About Squats?

As with all overload methods, certain techniques apply better to some movements than others. We've experimented a great deal with different variations of Barbell Squats 21's protocols, and found many people experience lower-back fatigue from holding their body in the lower position for extended periods of times. Put simply, the potential for a low-back injury is too great, so we stay away from 21's when squatting.

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6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Relieve Muscle Soreness

When it comes to being a better athlete, muscle soreness [and even inflammation] is a normal part of  training and the recovery process. Inflammation is the body's first response to infection or irritation, even when it occurs as a result of overexerting a muscle. One important way to prevent inflammation and counteract muscle soreness is proper eating. Here are six anti-inflammatory foods to incorporate into your diet.

Salmon
Anti-inflammatory agent: the ever-powerful Omega-3 fatty acids
Bonus: Post-workout protein

ry to eat a piece of fish for dinner two to three times a week.

Papaya
Anti-inflammatory agent: an enzyme called papain  and vitamins C and E
Bonus: Papain helps with protein digestion

Eat papaya [or a juice version] for a mid-morning or afternoon carb booster.

Broccoli [and Most Veggies]
Anti-inflammatory agent: phytonutrients (organic components of plants) 
Bonus: Nutrient powerhouse, plus loads of fiber

Eat as many veggies as you want! Load up on broccoli and other veggies at every meal.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Anti-inflammatory agent: healthy monounsaturated fats
Bonus: Rich in polyphenols, which protect the heart and blood vessels from inflammation

Drizzle one to two tablespoons on vegetables or a protein source.

Blueberries
Anti-inflammatory agent: phytonutrients
Bonus: packed with antioxidants

Enjoy them on your cereal in the morning and/or guzzle some down as a mid-day snack.

Green Tea
Anti-inflammatory agent: flavonoids 
Bonus: Promotes a healthy heart and metabolism

Drink at any time; try a cup of decaf green tea in the evening.

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4 Exercises That Waste Your Time

Some exercises are obviously better than others. But some actually waste your time. You might be surprised.

1. Tricep Kick-Backs

I've never understood how this exercise became so popular. In theory, it sounds good. In practice, however, we quickly realize its inherent flaws.

The angle of tension in relation to body position is simply inefficient to thoroughly fatigue the bulk of the triceps. As with many isolation exercises, Tricep Kick-Backs show an ascending tension curve (the exercise becomes exponentially harder as you near the peak.) So, a weight might feel extremely light at the bottom of the rep and  impossible to hold in the peak position. This is due to the increasing horizontal distance from the axis of rotation during the movement. In short, this exercise leaves you with two options: use a weight that's too light for full range of motion or too heavy for a limited range of motion. There really isn't much room for middle ground, unless you apply a simple fix (see below.)

The simple fix: Use cables and a body position that allows for more evenly distributed torque at the elbow throughout the movement. Cables allow you to adjust the angle of tension and manipulate your body position, all while keeping constant tension on the target muscle group. Tricep Press-Downs and overhead extensions with cables are great alternatives.

2. Abduction/Adduction Machines for Aesthetics

This exercise is important for specific situations such as rehabilitation or muscular deficiencies. That said, the exercise machines we see at franchise gyms seem terribly misused by trainees who simply don't know what else to do with their time.

This exercise works the muscles in charge of tracking the femur and knee stability. It does not produce large amounts of force or hypertrophy. Think of these muscles as guides that channel direction rather than motors that produce movement.

The simple fix: Perform multi-planar movements at the hip joint. Think "Crossovers," "Side Shuffles," etc. Not only are these movements more challenging metabolically, they also present real-world scenarios that the muscles are meant to encounter. If you use these exercises for other purposes, such as corrective exercise, consider similar movements that also engage the core for pelvic stability (as seen in Standing and Side-Plank variations.)

3. Leg Lifts for Glute Development

This exercise haunts me at every franchise gym like Jason out of a horror film. I wrote on the topic of glute training once before, but this exercise is so widespread that this article would not be complete without it. Leg Lifts (hip extension) from the prone or kneeling position are meant as a corrective modality for spine-hip-thigh integration or overcoming a muscular deficiency. You cannot reach mechanical overload or metabolic stress (two necessary factors for increasing size and/or strength) at the glute with this exercise. The movement can be a solid addition to an effective warm-up, especially for those who sit for long periods of time, but it's simply not effective at furthering glute development.

The simple fix: to train your glutes, use high force and/or weight-bearing exercises. Step-Ups, Hip Thrusts, Lunges, Squats and Uphill Sprints are all solid exercises for glute development.

4. Dumbbell Flys

I know I'll catch a lot of negative comments for this one, but my professional practice is to prescribe other exercises in place of Dumbbell Flys. Many lifters justify this exercise for a number of reasons, none of which holds up when we consider more effective and safer alternatives. Much like with Tricep Kick-Backs, the angle of tension and range of motion are simply inefficient for challenging the target muscle (unless you have extremely weak chest muscles). The exercise can be recommended for many due to the high torque placed on the shoulder at its most compromised position (externally rotated and abducted).

The simple fix: Use cables and body positions that allow for more evenly distributed amounts of torque at the shoulder throughout the movement. If cables are unavailable, stick with Chest Presses. Fly variations with cables and machines do a much better job than this biomechanically unsound exercise.

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Why You Need to Change Your Workouts More Often

Increasing the difficulty of your workouts is one of the keys to building muscle and getting stronger. But a gradual progression,which typically calls for changing the workout every four weeks, may not be the best way to achieve your goals.

According to new research, the most effective way to get stronger and build muscle is to change your set and rep scheme every workout, rather than use the same rep scheme for several weeks before progressing.

A 2002 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared strength gains achieved with linear periodization (LP) against those elicited by daily undulating periodization (DUP). The training involved three sets of the Bench Press and Leg Press performed three days per week. The LP group performed sets of eight reps during weeks 1-4; six reps during weeks 4-8; and four reps during weeks 9-12. The DUP group altered training on a daily basis (Monday, eight reps; Wednesday, six reps; Friday, four reps).

The researchers found greater strength gains in the DUP group and concluded, "making program alterations on a daily basis was more effective in eliciting strength gains than doing so every four weeks."

More recent studies have found that in addition to strength gains, DUP may also lead to greater gains in muscle thickness.

So it's clearly more effective to utilize a daily undulating set and rep scheme. More interesting, too, because you never do the same workout two weeks in a row.

A three-week plan for a DUP workout could like something like this.

• Week 1. Sets/Reps: 5x3-5
• Week 2. Sets/Reps: 3x10-12
• Week 3. Sets/Reps: 4x6-8

Once you finish Week 3, simply start over, adding weight if you can. And challenge your body with different weight loads and volumes. Don't use the same set and rep scheme for more than one workout during a week.

So despite the fact that you've been told to lift in certain rep ranges to achieve size and strength goals, stick to the DUP style of training to achieve results faster.

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How to Strengthen Small and Weak Muscles

Unless you have the genetics of Richard Umberto, you've probably noticed that some of your body's muscle groups don't develop as well as others. The good news is that you can use old-school bodybuilding exercises to help lagging muscle groups catch up.

Although some of these tactics may be new to you, they've been around for decades. Rest assured, they have stood the test of time.

Tactic 1: Drop Sets

Drop sets involve performing an exercise to exhaustion then reducing the weight and increasing the number of repetitions until exhaustion once more. They force your muscles to continue firing under physiological stress, eliciting a metabolic cascade resulting in cellular adaptations. They are not only an excellent tool for forcing muscle growth, they translate to sports extremely well. For instance, many of my cycling clients have incorporated drop sets into their training to push their anaerobic threshold to the max. This allows them to sustain a high effort while experiencing muscular fatigue.

Here are some examples:

1. Cycling Improvement. Perform 10 to 12 Leg Extensions to exhaustion then immediately reduce the weight by around 30 percent and perform another set until exhaustion. That is one set. Try for 2-3 sets.

2. "Big Back" Drop Set. Perform 8 to 10 heavy reps of Barbell Rows to exhaustion. Reduce the weight just enough to allow for 8 to 10 more reps, then repeat for three total drops. That is one set. Try for 2-3 sets.

There is no magic number regarding reps. Just keep in mind that hypertrophy typically occurs at 8-12 reps, so your initial set to exhaustion should be kept in that range. Also, finding your ideal reduction weight is done through trial and error.

Mathematically speaking, depending on how heavy your initial weight was and how many reps you shoot for with each subsequent set, your reduction weight may be greater or less than 30 percent.

Tactic 2: Pre-Exhaust

Pre-exhaust techniques have been in the strength and conditioning world for quite some time, and for good reason. Pre-exhaust is a method of forcing hypertrophy by fatiguing a muscle group with an isolation exercise, then immediately performing a compound, multi-joint exercise that engages the pre-fatigued muscle group. The purpose is to force the weaker group to play "catch up" when you initiate the subsequent compound exercises.

Try these pre-exhaust techniques and experiment with your own combinations:

• Prone Hamstring Curls: 10-12 reps immediately followed by Barbell Back Squats for 6-8 reps
• Dumbbell Chest Flys: 10-12 reps immediately followed by Barbell Bench Press for 6-8 reps
• Tricep Rope Pull-Downs: 10-12 reps immediately followed by Close-Grip Bench Press for 6-8 reps
• Hanging Knee Raises or Sit-Ups: 10-12 reps immediately followed by Plank until failure

Tactic 3: Rest-Pause

The rest-pause technique can help you squeeze out an extra rep or two. Although one or two extra reps may not sound like much, do the math: If you bench press 135 pounds and perform three sets once a week, imagine the gains you can make with those extra 156 reps a year!

Using the rest-pause technique is easy. Perform an exercise of your choice until you reach exhaustion. We'll use the Bench Press as our example. Instead of racking the weight, keep it in the "up" position for another 5-10 seconds. This may sound counterintuitive, but while holding it there, you are still recovering enough to squeeze out another rep or two. You can keep doing this a few more times until you reach absolute exhaustion.

Tactic 4: Slow Contraction-Explosive Sets

Unlike drop sets, these sets are based solely on the speed at which you perform the exercise. As indicated by its name, it has a slow contraction phase, followed by an explosive phase.

Let's use the Leg Extension as our example. Perform 10-12 reps with a slow, controlled cadence—ideally a three-count contraction, a two-count pause in the "up" portion and a three-count lowering phase (3-2-3 cadence). When doing the slow contractions, keep the resistance moderate and avoid performing reps to full exhaustion. After completing the initial 10-12 reps, increase the weight moderately and perform 10-12 more reps at a faster speed (1-0-1 cadence).

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Best Ways To Relieve Sore Muscles

Athletes on every level know the sting of deep muscle soreness. Whether caused by weight room squats or running up and down the bleachers this fall, sore muscles can leave you feeling at the bottom of your game. Below are some helpful ways to overcome muscle and joint inflammation.

Freeze It

Ice Packs

This is perhaps the number one anti-inflammatory treatment for sports injuries like strains and sprains. During the first 48 hours of an injury, apply an ice pack to the iarea for 10 minutes on and off. The ice will reduce the swelling and alleviate general muscle and joint soreness.

Ice Massage

The combination of ice and massage aids blood circulation and enhances recovery, making this a terrific method to lessen post-activity muscle soreness. Get a small paper cup, fill it with water and store it in the freezer until it turns to ice. Then rub the frozen cup gently over sore muscles with circular motions, gradually peeling off the cup's lining as ice starts to melt.

Sometimes heat works too. Learn whether to ice or heat your injury.

Rub It

Deep Tissue Massage

Besides working away sore muscles, deep tissue massage also breaks up scar tissue from old injuries. Scar tissue can prevent full range of motion around a joint or muscle. Apply firm pressure with your second and third fingers to rub out the "knots" that are causing your tight muscles. When you isolate a tender spot, use your thumb to press deeply and hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat twice more then search for tender spots in other areas.

Tennis Ball Massage

Perfect for those hard to reach areas like the lower/middle back, hips and shoulders.

For lower back stiffness, lie down with a tennis ball between your back muscles and a soft surface such as a carpet or mat. Avoid placing the ball against your spine. Use your body weight to press the tennis ball against your lower back muscles until you find a tender spot. Press down deeply into the sore spot, holding for about 10 seconds. Release and repeat twice more.

Sometimes tender spots in the hips are the cause of a sore or stiff low back. Roll the tennis ball along your hips searching for tender spots, and hold each for 10 seconds.

You can also apply tennis ball pressure for shoulder, middle and upper back soreness. Just make sure to angle the body properly while on your back or moving on to your side.

Or try foam rolling. Learn how to start foam rolling on your own.

Moisten and Heat It 

Epsom Salt Bath

This could be the most relaxing method for reducing inflammation. Soak your stiff, achy muscles and joints in a bathtub filled with warm water and one or two cups of Epsom Salt for about 15 minutes. Epsom Salt is available in supermarkets and pharmacies. Want more localized treatment for muscle soreness? Dissolve two cups of Epsom Salt in hot water and soak a towel in the mixture. Then use as the towel as a compress on stiff and achy areas for 10 to 15 minutes.

Apple Cider Vinegar Compress

As an alternative to the Epsom Salt compress, try soaking a towel in hot water mixed with a cup of apple cider vinegar. Use the same method of applying light pressure to stiff muscles and joints for 10 to 15 minutes.

Stretch It 

Static Stretching

Not only does it improve flexibility and range of motion, static stretching is a wonderful way to loosen tight muscles. Another benefit: stretching can help subdue lingering soreness from scar tissue from an old injury. When performing static stretches, breathe naturally (inhale/exhale) and gradually stretch the muscle to a comfortable range. Hold each stretch for about 10 seconds as you exhale, then slowly return to start position. Repeat, trying to stretch a little bit further, but not beyond a point of discomfort. Again hold for 10 seconds to enhance range of motion.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Beverages

Did you know that certain fruits, vegetables, fish and drinks like water, black and green tea can reduce inflammation? These foods also reduce soreness, but refined, processed carbohydrates (sugary cereals, cakes, pies, candy, chips), sugary soda, salty and fried foods and processed meats (e.g., salami, bologna) exacerbate it.

Think of water as liquid ice, your primary beverage choice for "putting out the fire" of inflammation. Ideal for healing, cherries and pineapples have natural anti-inflammatory properties, so snack away! Consume fish like tuna, sardines and shrimp at least once a week, because they all contain anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.

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