Compound
Exercise Overload
With this extraordinary training
technique, you will, in one
single workout, achieve strength gains in a single exercise
that would normally take weeks or even MONTHS
with "normal" training. NO EXAGGERATION.
A Guest Article
By Nick Nilsson
Director of Online Operations, Staley Training Systems
Right now, I'm going to unveil to you one of THE single
most powerful training techniques that I've EVER discovered
for making rapid gains in strength in a single exercise. It's
elegant in its simplicity, brutal in its execution but quite
literally ASTONISHING in its effectiveness.
I'll tell you right
now, this will blow the doors off any preconceived notions you
might have about training volume and how the body can respond
and adapt to it.
Now, the very first
time I came up with this technique, I used it to do dumbell
shoulder presses. It was a Friday afternoon workout, and I did
a set of presses with a pair of 60 lb dumbells. I was able to
do 8 reps with them.
But on Monday, only
a few days later, I pressed 80 LB DUMBELLS for 11 REPS - same
exercise, and using strict form. That
was a 25% increase in strength in only a matter of 4 days!
So what happened
in that one single workout that gave me such a HUGE increase
in strength in only a matter of days?
I'm going to tell
you...
I call it "Compound
Exercise Overload." And let me tell you, if
you've hit a plateau in ANY exercise, this technique will shatter
it like a brick through a window!
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[Authors note: this explanation of the technique will tell you
how it is
typically done. In my "Muscle
Explosion" program, you will be
doing it with a few modifications to make it even MORE
effective when done in the overall context of the program!]
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Basically, you're
going to take a single compound exercise (a.k.a. multi-joint
exercise like bench press, squats, deadlifts, barbell rows,
shoulder presses, close grip presses, etc.) and do ONLY that
single exercise for 45 MINUTES straight.
And
that's not even the brutal part...
The brutal part is...you
are only allowed 20 seconds of rest between sets (30 seconds
when using squats or deadlifts)!
And, here's the other
brutal part...you're going to end up doing between 40 to 60
sets with NEAR-MAXIMAL WEIGHTS (relatively speaking - I'll explain
below) of that single exercise for the ENTIRE WORKOUT.
This is one of the
toughest workouts you can do (when you do it right) but you
WILL be rewarded with results.
Compound Exercise Overload works to increase strength in several
ways:
-
It focuses your
nervous system on a single specific exercise, i.e. "greasing
the groove" at a specific rep range. No competing training
stimulii here, just very specific focus - it's one of the
reasons Olympic lifters only use a few lifts in their training.
It's also one of the reasons they can lift such extraordinary
amounts of weight!
- It allows you to have a LOT of
practice lifting heavy weight - this helps you to perfect your
form and become more efficient with your lifting technique.
- The high volume of training (those
40 to 60 sets you're going to do) creates an emergency situation
in your body which forces rapid adaptation by your body (both
in muscle and connective tissue).
- The high volume also forces a
tremendous amount of blood into the target muscle group, which
helps drive nutrients into those target muscles, which helps
them recover and grow!
Combine
these four factors and you've got one POWERFUL workout.
HOW TO DO IT:
This technique is best
done at a time when your gym is not very crowded. You're basically
going to be hogging a single exercise area for the entire 45-minute
workout.
First, select a compound
exercise to work with. We'll use the bench press as an example
here. In actuality, you can use this technique with almost any
exercise, whether it be compound or isolation (single joint).
I refer to this as Compound Exercise Overload because it's most
effective when done using a compound exercise like presses, rows,
deadlifts, squats, etc. Isolation exercises can be used, but the
effects won't be quite the same.
So get your exercise
set up. If you're doing bench press, I HIGHLY recommend doing
it in the power rack with the rails set up. That will allow you
to use maximum weights without having to worry about being crushed
or having to use a spotter the whole time. If you don't have a
rack to use, the other option is to do dumbell presses. With dumbell
presses, if you can't complete a rep, you can always just set
the dumbells down.
Do a warm-up before
getting started - whatever you prefer to do for a warm-up is fine.
I like to do some general movements (like push-ups or a few pull-ups
or a couple of minutes of walking on the treadmill) then a few
light sets of the specific exercise I'm going to be working -
nothing that will tax the body for what's to come.
With this technique,
I encourage you to use a stopwatch, regular watch or other
form of timer. If your gym has a clock with an easily readable
"second" hand, that will be fine, too. Otherwise, you're
going to have to count your 20 seconds of rest in your head, which
is not as accurate (plus that 20 seconds will tend to turn into
a LOT longer as you go through the workout and it's critical to
keep it constant).
You're
going to start with a weight you could normally do for about 6
reps or so. Start your timer or note the time on the
clock because you're going to be doing this exercise for 45 minutes
straight!
Lay down and perform
ONLY 3 REPS with that weight, even though you CAN do six.
DO NOT go anywhere near failure on this first set.
Now re-rack the weight
and rest 20 seconds. Lay back down and do 3 more reps. Rest 20
seconds. You are going to repeat these 3 rep sets with those 20
seconds of rest until you are unable to get 3 reps with that weight
anymore. This could take anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, depending
on the exercise and the amount of weight you're using.
The set where you only
get 2 reps, stop and remove 5 lbs each side of the bar (If you
started with 225, you'll now have 215). Start again doing 3 reps
sets and continue with 20 seconds rest period. Drop the weight
by 10 lbs whenever you can't complete 3 reps during a set.
Be
sure to stick with 3 reps on each set - no more, no less.
Your body hits a rep-range groove and will acclimate to it very
quickly. It keeps your nervous system efficient.
** IMPORTANT: If you're using
this technique with squats or deadlifts, take
30 SECONDS rest between sets and drop the weight 20 POUNDS
on each drop. Trust me on this - you'll need it.
On the final set (after 45 minutes are up) rest for a TWO FULL
MINUTES (aren't I generous :) then lay back down crank out as
many reps as you can with the same weight you just ended with.
You'll find that can probably get 6 to 8 reps on that set, just
because of the increased rest period.
This training uses
neuromuscular specificity to allow you to teach your body the
absolute most efficient way to perform a single exercise. Your
body will learn to fire the exact sequence of muscle fibers it
needs to do the exercise most efficiently, making fast strength
gains possible.
And, don't
use different variations of the same exercise (e.g.
don't start with incline bench then go to flat bench). It's important
to use the EXACT SAME exercise the whole 45 minutes for maximum
adaptive response, no matter how light the weight gets.
Do your best with the
20 second rest, too. This rest period will naturally increase
during the times when you're making weight changes but even then,
try to keep it as close as possible. Just do your best to stick
with the 20 seconds.
When doing this technique
with a barbell exercise, I like to load the bar with small plates
as I load it for my starting weight. For example, if you're starting
with 225 lbs on the bench press, don't just throw two 45 lb plates
on either side. You'll be pulling a pair of those 45's off pretty
quick! Instead, put one 45 lb plate on either side, then a 25
lb plate, then a 10 lb plate then two 5 lb plates. It's the same
weight but when you can no longer hit 225 lbs for 3 reps, all
you need to do is pull a small 5 lb plate off either side. This
is much easier than pulling 45's off either side then loading
35's and a 5 back on.
Be sure to keep track
of your starting weight and ending weight so you know what your
numbers are and can improve on them the next time you do this
technique. And be ABSOLUTELY SURE you take a full 2 days off training
after you get done with this one. To maximize the adaptive response,
those 2 days off are CRITICAL!
If you're going to
try this technique with a training partner, it helps if they're
the same strength level as you are (especially if you're doing
barbell work). If you're doing dumbells, it's not as critical
as you can just grab different sets of dumbells.
With a partner, you're
basically going to be going back and forth with no real break.
Twenty seconds is not a lot of time. If you're working with a
barbell exercise and you need to switch weights, the moment you
finish your set, you need to both start switching weights before
your partner starts. When he/she finishes, you need to jump back
and switch again.
It can be done (I've
done it a few times training with another person) but it does
make it harder to execute, depending on the exercise.
CONCLUSION:
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If you're looking
for a FAST way to get past a plateau and build your strength,
I don't think there's anything better. It won't be easy
but the results are well worth it!
I hope you enjoy
trying out this technique the next time you're at the gym!
Believe me, you will be astonished at how good your results
will be and how quickly you get them.
And if, after
trying it, you think that this technique is good...imagine
what will happen when you combine it with a training program
DESIGNED to take full advantage of it and MAXIMIZE the effects...
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You can read more about
the full "Muscle
Explosion" program here:
http://www.staleytraining.com/goto/muscle-explosion.htm
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Nick Nilsson is Director
of Online Operations at Staley Training Systems and is also Vice-President
of the online training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in
Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training
techniques for more than 17 years. Nick is the author of a number
of bodybuilding eBooks including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days
to Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,"
"The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus
to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The
Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all available
at (http://www.staleytraining.com/goto/fitstep.htm).
He can be contacted at nick@staleytraining.com.
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