WHEN AND FOR WHAT ARE INTENSITY TECHNIQUES NECESSARY?
Every athlete reaches a point where they stagnate, where nothing works anymore - where success is completely absent. Muscle growth stalls and no matter what you do, it is not possible to build any more weight - in other words, muscle mass. When this point is reached, you can use various measures to successfully overcome the training slump.
A few days' break from training can be used for recovery and regeneration purposes and to provide new (training) energy. A change in diet can be just as helpful as consciously avoiding stress factors in the professional and private environment. Another effective measure is the use of intensity techniques to effectively counter and overcome training plateaus. By using these specifically in training to increase the intensity and expose the muscles to new, stronger stimuli, muscle building can be further accelerated.
There are countless techniques that can greatly increase the intensity of a workout, a single set or even a single repetition. However, you should always follow the instructions for correct execution, as otherwise the risk of injury could increase dramatically. Intensity techniques should also not be used too often and, above all, not permanently in order to avoid overtraining, the resulting reduced regeneration and, in the worst case, muscle loss. This article is intended to provide information about the most effective intensity techniques and actively help you to overcome training plateaus.
NEGATIVE REPETITIONS
The typical negative sentences as an overload technique differ from the negative principle of FREY INTENSITY TRAINING . In Frey Intensity Training, all repetitions of a set are performed with a negative emphasis. In the classic negative set, a weight is chosen that can be lowered in a controlled manner, but cannot be raised again alone. The training partner is used here and lifts the weight back to the starting position. The trainee therefore only performs yielding (eccentric-dynamic) work. While in FIT a cadence of 1-2 seconds applies for the positive movement and around 3-4 seconds for the negative movement, cadences beyond the 10-second mark are usually used for negative repetitions. The increase in intensity is therefore much greater.
"NEGATIVE REPETITION IS ONE OF THE MOST INTENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE INTENSITY TECHNIQUES." (QUOTE: A. FREY)
Positive movements, i.e. all movements that are performed by pushing, are normal and everyday for our organism. Negative movements, on the other hand, require a much greater effort and therefore lead to a much stronger muscle stimulus. Scientific studies also prove the effectiveness of emphasizing the negative movement sequence. Since the negative movement is much more unusual for our muscles and more muscle fibers are used, a much higher adaptation of the muscle is possible than is achieved by the conventional cadence with fast up and down movements. Furthermore, this technique of eccentric contraction promotes the production of lactic acid in the trained muscles, which can be felt in the form of an increased pumping sensation in the days following training.
At this point, it is important to know that the production of lactic acid correlates positively with the release of growth hormone. The more lactic acid is produced in the muscles, the higher the release of growth hormone, which in turn promotes the initiation of anabolic processes.
PARTIAL REPEATS
With the partial repetition technique, at the end of a set where repetitions over the full range of motion are no longer possible, further repetitions are performed, but these only take into account part of the range of motion. The aim is to achieve maximum exhaustion of the muscle fibers used in order to ensure maximum muscle mass gain. Although this technique sometimes seems useful, the risk of constant cheating is very high, as after a while you get used to this intensity technique and many, if not all, sets are performed incorrectly. Partial repetitions are undoubtedly effective, but they should only be used irregularly due to the risk of cheating.
REDUCTION OR DROP SETS
Reduction sets are also known as decreasing sets or drop sets. These are implemented as follows: If muscle failure is reached at the end of a set, the set is usually ended and a short recovery break is taken. This is not the case with decreasing sets, as the main set is extended by additional secondary sets - performed without a break. In order to do justice to the reduced strength performance and to stay within the required repetition range, the training weight is reduced accordingly. Then as many repetitions as possible are completed again before the weight is reduced again. This procedure is repeated 2-3 times until 30-50 repetitions are achieved - this leads to maximum blood flow and nutrient supply to the muscles. The drastically increased blood flow to the stressed muscles not only promotes regeneration but also the breakdown of waste products from the muscles - both of which indirectly contribute to improved muscle building.
FORCED REPEATS
Forced repetition is the most commonly used intensity technique, which is used more or less unconsciously, especially in basic exercises. This technique requires a training partner in 90% of all exercises.
After reaching muscle failure, the trainee receives just enough help from a training partner to be able to do a few more repetitions. It is important that the training partner only intervenes when the trainee really needs this support. The trainee should always bear the main load themselves. When training with a dumbbell - e.g. concentration curls - it is easy to support yourself with the other hand. This means that a training partner is not necessary for such exercises. The big advantage of this technique is that it is possible to perform the exercise correctly without cheating.
This intensity technique is very well suited to stimulating muscle fibers that are often only used to a limited extent, as more and more muscle fibers are used with each additional repetition of a set. The more muscle fibers are stimulated, the greater the muscle growth.
Because the training partner often intervenes after 2-3 repetitions, many trainees overshoot the actual goal of this technique. In the end, the target number of repetitions was achieved, but this was more or less only possible with the help of the training partner. Of course, that should not be the goal, which is why it only makes sense to provide support during the last 2-3 repetitions of a set. It is also important to ensure that the training weight is not moved up too quickly or too slowly by the partner with his help - consistent support over the last third of the range of motion of a repetition is the most effective approach.
SUPERSETS
If two exercises are performed one after the other without a break, this is called a superset. The break should not exceed the time needed to switch from one exercise to the other. With supersets, a distinction is made between antagonistic execution and single-muscle supersets. With the antagonistic method, for example, you do a biceps exercise followed by an exercise for the triceps, which are performed one after the other without a break. With the single-muscle superset, two sets for the same muscle are performed one after the other without a break. The latter method is not only more intensive, but also the much more sensible alternative.
"COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT REPEAT RANGES CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE INTENSITY OF THE SUPERSET." (QUOTE: A. FREY)
One-set supersets are extremely effective when the repetition ranges are varied. In the first set, for example, 6 repetitions are aimed for and in the second 20 or more. This means that two areas are simultaneously promoted in one and the same work set: namely intramuscular coordination and muscle endurance. The pump after such a superset with opposing repetition numbers is significantly increased, if not maximal. However, it is important not to perform it too often in order to avoid the risk of overtraining scenarios.
PRE-FATIGUE
It can be widely assumed that the large muscle groups, such as the pectoralis major (larger chest muscle), the latissimus dorsi (large back muscle) and the quadriceps femoris (four-headed thigh muscle), cannot be fully and sufficiently stimulated with basic exercises such as bench presses, deadlifts and squats.
The smaller muscles involved in the basic exercises (weak links) often tire before the large muscles are sufficiently stimulated. It is therefore sensible to stress large muscles beforehand with isolation exercises. One of the best-known examples of pre-fatigue is a combination of butterfly followed by bench presses. When doing bench presses without pre-fatigue, it is not the chest muscles but the triceps muscles that limit the maximum number of repetitions. The result is exhausted triceps muscles, but barely stimulated muscle fibers in the chest muscles.
To solve this problem of uneven force development, the chest muscles are pre-fatigue with the help of 2-3 sets of butterfly. When the first heavy set of bench presses is performed after the pre-fatigue, the triceps and chest muscles are exhausted at a relatively simultaneous time. The sets used for pre-fatigue should under no circumstances be performed to the point of muscle failure and should be in a repetition range of around 15-20.
HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
In high-intensity interval training (also called rest-pause training), you train with the maximum possible weight until you reach the maximum number of repetitions. Then you put the weight down for a few seconds. After you pick up the weight again, you do a few more repetitions. This process can be repeated several times. The advantage of this method is that it can be done without a partner and not every training set has to be completed with the maximum possible number of repetitions. PITT FORCE uses the principles of rest-pause training and successfully implements them as a training system.
SETS OF 21
An old but still relatively unknown and rarely used intensity technique is the "21 sets". The movement sequence is divided into two halves. The first seven movements are performed in the lower part of the movement sequence and then another seven in the upper part. Immediately afterwards and without a break, the last repetitions (until muscle failure) are performed over the entire movement sequence. This technique is ideal for isolated training of the biceps on the Scott bench, for example.
Back exercises, on the other hand, are relatively unsuitable, as there is no "dead point" to overcome. It should be noted that the "21s" should be started with a lower weight. This will achieve the required repetition range and prevent excessive cheating at the end of the exercise. The weight is chosen so that the energy reserves are not completely used up after ten repetitions, but are sufficient for around 20-22 repetitions.
FAKE REPEATS
"Cheating" means official permission to cheat. This technique, known as "cheating repetitions," is one of the most popular of all intensity techniques. As many repetitions as possible are completed while performing the exercise correctly. As soon as no more repetitions are possible, the execution of the exercise is modified. To do this, a few more repetitions are performed with the help of momentum and the use of other muscles. Since the HIGH-INTENSITY TRAINING Since a clean exercise execution is absolutely crucial, you should not use fake repetitions. A repetition in the HIT system takes about six to seven seconds, which is why targeted "swinging" would have a counterproductive effect.
FAKE REPS ARE OFTEN "ABUSED," WHICH DRASTICALLY INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY.
Cheating should only be used very rarely and sparingly, as it can otherwise lead to injuries. Fake repetitions are usually useful in a high-calorie build-up phase, in which the tendons are protected with water anyway. As the body is significantly weakened during a diet phase and is more susceptible to injury, cheating should never be used during this phase for safety reasons.