This blog contains the second part of a series of blogs based on a book that I am in the process of writing. At this time, I plan on using the title, From Giants To Pyramid; The 4 x 10 Workout, although both the title and the content that are used in this series of blogs are subject to change in regard to the finalized version of the book.
The content in this blog will make more sense if you read the previous blog, which you can do by clicking on the following link: Metabolic Stress With Giant-Sets And Super-Sets
The continuation from the previous blog is posted below:
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Chapter 3
Reorganizing Giant Sets And Super-Sets To Reduce Fatigue
After reading the last two chapters, it should be clear that giant-sets and super-sets can be used to perform consecutive sets for the same muscle group in order to produce fatigue and create metabolic stress. However, you can use giant-sets and super-sets in a way that does not produce as much fatigue and metabolic stress within the same muscle group. This is accomplished by allowing a muscle group to recover its strength to a greater degree before working it again with another set. The reduction of fatigue by allowing a muscle more recovery time between sets to regain its strength means that you will be able to lift more weight. The heavier weights will create more mechanical tension which is the second trigger that can be used to activate strength and muscle group.
The way to avoid an emphasis on fatigue when doing giant-sets is to do four consecutive sets for four different muscle groups instead of doing four consecutive sets for the same muscle group. Likewise, you can do super-sets for opposing muscle groups instead of doing them for the same muscle group. In doing so, a muscle will have time to recover its strength after performing a set before it is worked with another set. The way to do this with super-sets will be discussed in the next chapter.
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Chapter 4
Super-Sets For Opposing Muscle Groups
When using super-sets for opposing muscle groups, you perform one set for a muscle group followed immediately by a set for a different muscle group that has the opposite function of the first muscle group. For example, you can do a set for your chest muscles, followed immediately by a set for your back muscles. Not only are the chest muscles and back muscles on opposite sides of the body, they have the opposite functions. This becomes evident when you consider that the primary function of the chest muscles is to move the arms forward, and the primary function of the back muscles is to move the arms backward. An example of doing a super-set for the chest and back muscles is to perform one set of bench presses for the chest, followed immediately by a set of seated pulley rows for the back.
Super-sets for opposing muscle groups do not cause the rapid build-up of fatigue within the same muscle group that will occur when doing a super-set for the same muscle group. For example, if you do a super-set consisting of a set for your chest, followed immediately by a set for your back, your chest muscles will start to recover their strength while you are working your back muscles. Likewise, your back muscles will be in the process of recovering their strength while you are working your chest muscles. The fact that a muscle group is given time to recover its strength between sets will allow you to use more weight throughout the workout. By using more weight, you will create more mechanical tension on your muscles, and mechanical tension is one of the triggers for strength and growth.
When super-setting opposite muscle groups for this program, the super-sets are to be performed in a specific order. Specifically, you will do a super-set for chest and back, followed by a second super-set for chest and back. The next step is to perform two super-sets for your quads and hamstrings. Repeat the whole process in order to perform four sets of ten reps for chest, back, quads, and hamstrings. An example of this procedure is written out below:
1st Super-Set for Chest and Back
Bench press for 1 set of 10 reps followed by seated pulley rows for 1 set of 10 reps
2nd Super-Set for Chest and Back
Bench press for 1 set of 10 reps followed by seated pulley rows for 1 set of 10 reps
1st Super-Set for Quads and Hamstrings
Goblet squats for 1 set of 10 reps followed by leg curls for 1 set of 10 reps
2nd Super-Set for Quads and Hamstrings
Goblet squats for 1 set of 10 reps followed by leg curls for 1 set of 10 reps
3rd Super-Set for Chest and Back
Bench press for 1 set of 10 reps followed by seated pulley rows for 1 set of 10 reps
4th Super-Set for Chest and Back
Bench press for 1 set of 10 reps followed by seated pulley rows for 1 set of 10 reps
3rd super-Set for Quads and Hamstrings
Goblet squats for 1 set of 10 reps followed by leg curls for 1 set of 10 reps
4th Super-Set for Quads and Hamstrings
Goblet squats for 1 set of 10 reps followed by leg curls for 1 set of 10 reps
Remember, super-sets are to be performed with no rest between the two exercises that make up the super-set.
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Chapter 5
Giant-Set Circuits While Pyramiding Weight
Super-sets for opposing muscle groups allow more time to recover strength between sets, but the rest and recovery between sets can be extended even more by using giant-sets in the form of circuits. When using giant sets in the form of circuits, you perform four consecutive sets with out any rest between sets, but each set is performed for a different muscle group instead of the same muscle group. For example, you would perform a set for your chest muscles, followed immediately by a set for your back muscles, followed immediately by a set for your quadriceps, followed immediately by a set for your hamstring muscles. These four sets would make up a giant-set or one circuit of four exercises. In this program, you keep repeating the circuit until four circuits have been performed.
Pyramid your Poundages for Circuits One, Two and Three
When performing circuits, you will start out with moderately light weights for the first circuit, and increase the poundages of each exercise for each successive circuit until you hit your top weight for each exercise on your third circuit. The weights then remain the same for the fourth circuit so that the third and fourth circuit are performed with the same poundages. This process of adding weight to each successive circuit is called pyramiding your circuits.
When pyramiding the poundages of your circuits, the poundages of your first circuit should be 50% to 60% of the poundages that you will use for your third and fourth circuits. The poundages for your second circuit should be performed with about 75% to 80% of the weight that you will use for your third and fourth circuits. The poundages for your third and fourth sets are your heaviest sets and you will use the same poundages for both circuits.
The amount of weight that you select for your final two circuits should be the maximum weight that you can lift while maintaining the ability to use a steady even rep pace for all ten reps. This means if you were to do an eleventh rep, your rep speed would slow down due to the fatigue accumulated from the first ten reps. If you find that you can do an eleventh or twelfth rep while maintaining a steady even rep pace, increase the weight enough so that you can only do ten reps using a steady even rep pace. On the other hand, if you can only do eight or nine reps using a steady even rep pace, decrease the weight enough to perform ten reps using a steady even rep pace.
An Example of a giant-set that makes up a circuit of four different exercises for four different muscle groups is listed below:
Chest Muscles: Bench press for 1 set of 10 reps
Back Muscles: Seated Pulley Rows for 1 set of 10 reps
Quadriceps: Goblet Squats for 1 set of 10 reps
Hamstrings: hyperextensions for 1 set of 10 reps
The circuit listed above would be repeated until it has been performed four times. Remember, pyramid your poundages by increasing the weight for each circuit according to the following guidelines:
Circuit 1:
Use 50% to 60% of the top weight you will be using for the third and fourth sets.
Circuit 2:
Use 75% to 80% of the top weight you will be using for the third and fourth sets.
Circuit 3 and 4:
Use 100% of the weight that you can use while maintaining
the ability to use a steady even rep pace for ten reps.
Once again, the reason you are using circuits is that they allow a muscle group to rest longer before coming back to the same muscle group and exercise. The increase in rest allows the muscle to recover its strength, which will enable you to use more weight. The ability to use more weight will place more mechanical tension on your muscles. An increase in mechanical tension is one of the triggers that can be used to stimulate strength and muscle growth.
Summary
At this point, the last blog plus this blog have provided an explanation for how to create two training mechanisms that trigger muscle size and strength. These two triggers include metabolic stress and mechanical tension. Metabolic stress is created by performing giants-sets and super-sets for the same group. This was explained in the last blog. Mechanical tension is created by providing sufficient load through the use of super-sets for opposing muscle groups. Mechanical tension is enhanced even more by using circuits in order to allow each muscle group more rest time between sets to recover their strength. Since a muscle will be stronger due to more recovery time between sets, you can use more weight and create more mechanical tension.
In the next blog, I will address a third trigger for muscle growth and strength, which is muscle damage. Until then, may God bless you with the best of training.
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