In the bodybuilding environment, there are a number of different techniques commonly used by the pros. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.

The desire to have biceps that bulge a sleeve or a traced chest makes athletes try everything that allows them to build muscle and get visible results. But all these advanced technologies lead to the fact that we forget the main thing – what really works. Working training programs should be based on results, which in this case are expressed in the appearance of a huge muscle mass.

To build muscle and change your physique, we recommend going back to the basics and here are 5 methods that passed our performance tests.

1 // Perform sets with certain pauses
When building hypertrophied muscle mass, training volume is critical. Sufficient muscle stimulation is a necessary condition for their growth and achievement of visible results. A certain rest time between repetitions begins to work if the athlete performs several repetitions, puts the weight on the rack for 15 seconds, removes and continues to work. And so several times, several approaches. JC Deen, trainer, author of JCDFitness.com, explains why this method works so well: it allows you to tire your muscles faster, which gives you a little more than you usually get from a certain number of repetitions.

To introduce this training method into your training program, start with one exercise at the beginning of your workout, preferably a powerful exercise such as the back squat, chest press, etc. After a thorough warm-up, take a weight that allows you to do 3-5 repetitions. Do one set. Rest 15-30 seconds, repeat the approach. The goal is to do 10 sets. Once you have done all 10 sets easily, you should increase the weight during the next workout. This training method can be quite difficult, introduce it into your workout gradually, 1 to 2 exercises per week, and progress will not keep you waiting!

2 // Biomechanical principle
Our muscular system works as a combination of levers and pulleys that move parts of the body during exercise. There are certain positions and exercises that are more beneficial for the muscles. For example, pulling the block from above with a wide grip is more difficult compared to the illogical pull, but with a narrow grip, this is due to a different position of the hands and different conditions for the muscles to work. You can benefit from this by starting with a position where you are weak, then moving on to a variation where you are strong, and the preliminary fatigue from working on the “weak position” will allow it to be used in new ways.

To start using the biomechanical principle in your training program, take one of the exercises that completes the workout – such as pull-ups. Pull up with a wide grip as much as you can. As soon as you can’t complete a single repetition, immediately go to the crossbar, on which the holder is fixed with parallel handles located close, grab it with your palms to each other and continue to pull yourself up, after that go to the regular crossbar and pull yourself up “by the head” as muchas much as you can. You should do at least 2-3 pull-ups using each grip. The same method applies to the bench press and back squat. Start with one set at the end of your workout, and gradually increase to three over the course of a few weeks of training.

3 // Sets of exercises
You can use supersets in your current program to condense your workout, make it more intense and fatigue a specific muscle group. Complexes take this concept to the next level. Performing three or four exercises in a row will tire out all the muscles in a particular muscle group, which will lead to crazy stimulation of muscle growth.

Before incorporating the principle of complexes into a workout, you need to determine which muscle group you will work on. We will look at the example of working on the pectoral muscles. Choose three (if you have an average level of training) or four (if you have a high level) exercises according to the scheme below:

Speed ​​exercise – 3-5 reps (Example: push-ups with hand claps)
Strength exercise – 6-8 reps (Example: dumbbell bench press)
Isolated exercise – 8-12 reps (Example: bringing arms together using a block simulator)
Bodyweight Exercise – Do as many as you can (Example: narrow band push-up) hand placement)
By the time you start doing bodyweight exercises at the end of the complex, your pectoral muscles will already be very tired, because. The complex includes exercises for strength, mass, power. With this combination, you will stimulate all the muscle fibers and create a huge potential for muscle growth. When doing a speed exercise, make sure to do it in an explosive, speedy manner.
“High contraction speed requires proper exercise, which will help recruit fibers with what is called a high motor threshold, activating your fast twitch muscle fibers. These types of fibers have enormous potential for strength and volume gains compared to their slow twitch counterparts.” – John-Eric Kawamoto

4 // Negative phase
During the exercise, there are three distinct phases. The first is during which shortening, or muscle contraction, occurs when lifting weights (meaning muscle tension). During the second (negative), the muscle lengthens under the action of the load from returning to its original position – a relative contraction. The third phase is a pause at the top of the exercise or isometric tension between the first two phases. The second phase, the negative, or slow lowering of the weight, causes a lot of microdamages in the muscle, which then entails a growth spurt. To be clear – you get stronger when you lower the weight, it works even better than when you press it, you can work with heavier weights by lowering it – it fatigues the muscles better. All this makes up the “negative phase” method (negative repetitions) – a fantastic method for developing muscle size and strength.

Since the negative phase method is very intense and requires many days to recover from a workout, it is best to start using it little by little, with one to two exercises from the training program. With the help of an assistant, set a weight that allows you to perform a maximum of five repetitions (it is better to use exercises that involve the whole body, such as a bench press). Perform the exercise as usual, but lower the weight for 5-6 seconds. With the help of an assistant, press the bar up. The goal is to do 2-3 reps.

5 // Voltage time
In one corner of the ring, a guy who did 12 reps without keeping track of time, and then taking a two-minute break to view new messages on Vkontakte. In the other, a diligent athlete who keeps track of the time in which he completes the approach, and made it in 30 seconds. Who will have more muscles? Probably the one who stretched the approach for 30 seconds. Kawamoto explains, “Many athletes focus on sets and reps rather than pace.

Tension time (tempo) is an important component needed to build meat on your skeleton. The difference is that the same exercise is perceived as more difficult.” Take the pace of your exercises to the next level:

The initial goal is a set in 25-30 seconds. Performing each repetition for approximately 3-4 seconds, you need to do 8-10 repetitions per set.

An assistant with a stopwatch will come in handy, which will force you to maintain pace throughout the entire set. Rest 60-90 seconds, watching the efforts of others, then repeat.