Demolish Your Genetic Limits

You lift weights to get bigger and stronger. And during the initial stages of training, this
goal isn't all that hard to accomplish. Your ceiling for improvement is of Mount
Kilimanjaro proportions and virtually any routine you perform will produce favorable
results.
But nothing lasts forever, and over time gains that were once so impressive start to
disappoint and underwhelm like a George Lucas film retrospective. Despite this, many
lifters continue to train the same way for years on end without making substantial
progress.
This is a mistake. Don't settle for mediocrity.
Continued gains in muscle and strength require that you adopt a scientific approach to
training. The following five strategies are scientifically based, tried and true ways to
reenergize your routine. Incorporate them into your workout and get on the fast track to a
better body.

1. Drop it
It's common knowledge that mechanical tension (i.e. the force exerted on a muscle)
provides the primary stimulus for muscle growth. It's the reason lifting weights increases
muscle size while aerobic exercise doesn't; there simply isn't enough tension on the
muscles during cardio to stimulate a hypertrophic adaptation.
That said, there's compelling evidence that factors other than tension are also involved in
the growth process. Metabolic stress is one such factor.
Simply stated, metabolic stress involves the buildup of metabolites (such as lactate,
hydrogen ions, and phosphate ions) and a reduction in pH levels pursuant to intensive
anaerobic exercise.
Although the exact mechanisms aren't clear, increased fiber recruitment, acute elevations
in anabolic hormones, alterations in myokines, and cell swelling are all hypothesized to
play a role in this process (1).
Theoretically, routines that generate high levels of mechanical tension in combination
with significant metabolic stress are optimal for maximizing growth.
Metabolic stress is heightened during training that relies on fast glycolysis (i.e. the
anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrate) as the primary source of energy. The fast
glycolytic energy system is predominant in activities that last approximately 30-120
seconds.
Regarding resistance training, this equates to sets performed with moderate to higher
repetitions. Furthermore, there's a prolonged compression of blood vessels during such
training, which further reduces oxygen delivery to working muscles and thereby
heightens metabolic stress.
So how can you take advantage of this info? One proven strategy is to incorporate drop
sets into your training. Drop sets are carried out by performing a set of fatiguing
repetitions with a relatively heavy weight (generally in the 3-10 rep range) and then
immediately lightening the load and performing several more additional reps. This
technique has been shown to substantially increase metabolic stress, potentially
heightening anabolic drive (2).
What to do: Take a set to momentary muscular failure, immediately lighten the load by
approximately 20 to 25%, and perform as many additional reps as possible with this
reduced weight. For an even greater metabolic effect, perform double drop sets by
reducing the load another 20 to 25% and then repping out to fatigue, or to when you blow
a neck vein your choice.
A word of caution: While drop sets are a highly effective technique, they can also be
extremely taxing to your neuromuscular system. Hence, employ them sparingly in the
context of a periodized routine. Don't make every damn exercise a drop-set extravaganza.
Try to limit their use to a select few sets in a given microcycle, making sure to stay in
tune with your body for any signs of overtraining.

2. Go Negative
It's all-too-common to see lifters focusing their efforts on the concentric portion of a lift
while ignoring the negative (eccentric) component. Realize though, that resistance
training is not just about lifting weights; lowering them can be equally, if not more,
important.
In fact, research shows that negatives have a greater affect on muscle hypertrophy than
concentric training, and there's evidencethat maximal growth isn't attained unless
eccentric muscle actions are performed (3, 4).
This may be related to eccentrics being primarily responsible for muscle damage.
Although muscle damage can be detrimental to short-term performance, the associated
inflammation and increased protein turnover have been shown to cause long-term
hypertrophic adaptations (5, 6).
The thinking goes that structural changes associated with muscle damage influence gene
expression, resulting in a strengthening of the muscle that protects it against further injury
(7).
Eccentric training also heightens metabolic stress, with the greatest increases noted when
training at higher eccentric intensities. These factors help to explain why negatives
promote greater post-exercise anabolic signaling than concentric training, leading to
heightened protein synthesis (8).
What to do: Include some heavy negatives in your routine, preferably at the end of your
last set of a given exercise.
Here's how to do it: Load up the bar with an amount equal to approximately 105 to 125%
of your concentric maximum and perform as many negative repetitions as you can. Given
that a muscle isn't fully fatigued during concentric training, this supramaximal stimulus
helps to elicit greater motor unit fatigue, thus providing a greater hypertrophic stimulus.
Aim for a 2-3 second tempo, making sure to lower the weight under control. A couple of
heavy negative sets added to your usual routine are all that's required to spur growth.
You'll need a spotter to help lift the weight once you lower it since it's a supramaximal
lift. As with drop sets, however, this strategy is highly taxing to the neuromuscular
system so use the technique sparingly to prevent overtraining.

3. Stretch It Out
Research shows that static stretching can decrease strength and power when performed
immediately before training. There are a couple of theories that explain this phenomenon.
For one, static stretching increases compliance of the musculotendinous unit, leading to a
reduction in force transmission (9).
To provide an analogy, think of attempting to shoot a rubber band across the office to hit
Murray, the stuffy guy from accounting who sports a different Rick Santorum sweater
vest for every day of the week. If you stretch out the band, it won't travel as far as it
would if it's taut, resulting in your shot falling short and landing instead in Trixie-from-
accounting's formidable bosom.
Same thing happens in the muscle reduce its stiffness and force production declines.
Another theorized mechanism involves decreased neural drive and a subsequent
reduction in the number of motor units available for contraction (10, 11). In all
likelihood, both of these factors play a role in impairing performance.
But what if we turn things around and focus on stretching the opposing muscle (i.e.
antagonist) rather than the agonist? By increasing antagonist compliance and reducing
neural drive its force production would be inhibited, thereby decreasing interference
during agonist contraction. Hypothetically, this allows the agonist to produce greater
force, thereby enhancing performance.
Recent research shows this actually works in practice. Specifically, measures of vertical
jump height and power were found to be significantly greater when testing was preceded
by antagonist stretching, compared to a no-stretching trial in a well-designed study of
trained lifters (12).
Now before you get too excited about these results, it's important to note that the overall
magnitude of the effect was relatively small (2%). But hey, if you could add another 5
pounds or so to your lifts by simply performing a brief bout of pre-set stretching, I'd say
that's a pretty good cost/benefit, no?
What to do: Before performing a lift, statically stretch the antagonist muscle for
approximately 15 seconds. Perform 3-4 sets of the targeted stretch, taking about 10
seconds between stretching bouts, and then continue immediately to your work set.
Try to minimize time between the final set of stretching and the initiation of your lift.
This will ensure that the antagonist remains maximally inhibited throughout the lift,
thereby optimizing gains.

4. Take a Load Off

Check out any gym and you'll invariably see lifters taking a balls-to-the-wall approach to
lifting. They'll go to failure on virtually every set, usually with a few forced reps
punctuated by shouts of, "Its all you!" by enthusiastic training partners for good measure.
Volume and intensity remains perpetually high any less is considered major weak-
sauce. Problem is, this type of thinking is a major mistake!
Don't get me wrong, training hard and heavy is essential to grow bigger and stronger it's
the basis of the overload principle, which states that you need to challenge your muscles
beyond their present capacity for them to adapt.
But if you think repeatedly going all-out all the time with consistently high volume loads
is the key to getting jacked, think again. Studies show that such an approach can impair
resting IGF-1 and Testosterone production while chronically elevating cortisol levels,
rapidly leading to overtraining and psychological burnout (13, 14).
The upshot is that results slow to a crawl or, worse, regress to the point that you actually
lose precious muscle and strength. Crank the RPMs in your car up into the red zone for
too long and you'll eventually blow the motor, right? Well, your body is no different. It
needs time to regenerate its resources. In this way, you come back strong and refreshed,
and progress continues on an upward trend.
What to do: Structure your routine so that it includes regular "unloading" periods of
reduced intensity and volume interspersed throughout a given training period.
Try to keep things regimented. A strategy that works well is to gradually increase
intensity and/or volume over the course of a training block (generally a month or so) and
then follow with an unloading week.
This is referred to as step-loading, where your effort rises and ebbs to produce a wave-
like training pattern. Similarly, periodize training to failure so that it's done occasionally
rather than on every set.
Key point: Keep in mind that recuperative abilities are highly individualized. Genetics,
nutritional supplementation, the use of anabolics, and other factors all play a role in the
process. So make sure you're in tune with your body and adjust the frequency of
unloading cycles based on individual response.

5. Split Your Focus

A central principle of motor learning concerns focus of attention. This simply refers to
where a lifter should focus during exercise performance.
There are two basic classifications of attentional focus, internal and external. An internal
focus involves focusing your attention on a specific body movement while an external
focus involves concentrating on the effects of your actions on the environment.
From a motor learning perspective, there's a good deal of research showing that an
external focus tends to promote superior results during acquisition of a new skill
compared to an internal focus (15, 16).
This is consistent with the constrained action hypothesis, which states that an internal
focus causes interference with the automatic control processes that regulate the
performance whereas an external focus of attention allows the neuromuscular system to
naturally self-organize movement.
The thinking goes that your neuromuscular system will inherently find the best motor
pattern to carry out a task provided that you focus on the desired outcome. The upshot is
improved force production and skill accuracy.
This doesn't mean you should never use an internal focus. Studies have demonstrated that
the use of a mind-muscle connection where you consciously channel your focus on the
target muscle increases EMG activity of that muscle (17, 18). This indicates that you can
improve motor unit recruitment, and thus enhance muscle development, by employing an
internal focus of attention.
Bottom line is that both an external and internal focus can have a place in your routine,
and their use should be based on your training goal.
What to do: Adopt an external focus when your goal is maximal strength or power.
Envision the endpoint of the lift and concentrate on driving the weight up as explosively
as possible to reach that endpoint. Provided you understand proper exercise form, your
neuromuscular system will do the rest.
On the other hand, if you're looking to improve muscular development, focus directly on
the target muscle and feel it work throughout the duration of the movement. In this way,
you'll maximize recruitment of the target musculature while minimizing ancillary muscle
involvement.

Take 5
While some lucky SOB's can pack on muscle with relative ease, most mere mortals have
to get a little crafty to keep piling on the plates and the pounds.
Give these 5 tips serious consideration and kiss your muscle building plateau goodbye.