One of the things my experience in the gym has been teaching me is that if you really interested on growing your muscles, you should always try to discover new ways to train them. The greatest disadvantage of the muscles is that they tend to adapt easily. You probably know what I mean. Let's take the arms, for example. You decided to try new exercises and you are doing your best. You focus performing the reps the right way. You increase the weight and the next day you feel your arms aching and sore. You know for sure that you have done everything right. Then after some workouts where you have kept doing this specific exercise you realize that the sweet pain isn't coming any more and you wonder why. Well, the answer is simple. Muscle adaptation.
The only solution to that is changing of exercises, number of reps, resting periods, etc. You should also add some variety inside your workout. Alter between barbells, dumbbells and cables. Now, since I used the arms for my example, I would like to suggest to you a method that many bodybuilders use to "shock" their arms in order to achieve maximum growth. Super-sets were Arnold's favorite exercise for training his enormous arms.
Super-sets is actually a combination of two different exercises were opposite muscle groups are being trained almost at the same time and without rest. The arm consists of the triceps and the biceps. These are opposite muscles. By training them with super-sets we achieve maximum intensity and blood concentration for both simultaneously. If performed the right way an arm super-set can give an amazing pump feeling and can grow your arms as no other exercise can. Here is a super-set example:
1) 8-12 reps cable push-downs (triceps) & 8-12 reps cable curls (biceps).
2) 8-12 reps close grip bench presses (triceps) & reps 8-12 barbell curls (biceps).
3) 8-12 reps dumbbell extension(triceps) & reps concentration curls (biceps)
Do 3 sets for each and remember that you have to jump from the triceps to the biceps directly without any rest. You can rest between the exercises but not longer than 90 seconds. Adjust the weight so that you are able to reach exhaustion after each set.
This is just an example so that you can start doing your super-sets. You should alter these exercises after two or three weeks just to keep the muscles alert and growing. You must also remember that the arm muscle fibers are short. That means that they should be trained intensively for a short period of time. So, don't overdo it. "Shock" them rapidly up to their limits with your workout, then go home and let them recover and grow. Don't forget to take a quality whey protein shake directly after workout.
Keep those muscles pumping!
Chris G Pap
Since 1993 involved in bodybuilding and fitness area.Visit the following link for more interesting articles, videos, photos e.t.c. about bodybuilding and fitness. [http://www.strengthtrainingmuscle.com]
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