|
Normal sets only work a
select type and number of muscle
fibers. Find out how the Triple Add Set technique can
work EVERY muscle fiber you've got in a single set.
Looking for a new challenge in your workouts? The Triple Add Set is just what
you need. It is very a tough intensity technique, but it is extremely effective.
The Triple Add Set will strongly work all three of the major muscle fiber types
(I, IIa, and IIb) in one extended set, pushing the very limits of your body's
strength and endurance. If this sounds good to you, you're going to love this
technique! To fully understand the
effectiveness of the Triple Add Set, let's take a look at the muscle fiber types
and why it's such a good thing to work all three of the major types at once.
- Type I muscle fibers are
endurance-oriented muscle fibers. They primarily work in higher rep ranges and
during aerobic exercise.
- Type IIa muscle fibers
work when the weight used is moderate-to-heavy. This fiber type is most active
in moderate rep range weight training (e.g. 5 to 10 reps per set)
- Type IIb muscle fibers
are the explosive muscle fibers. They are called upon when the weight is very
heavy and great power or explosiveness is needed.
When you lift a weight,
your body recruits a certain number of muscle fibers to get the job done. It
recruits a certain percentage of each type of fiber, depending on how heavy the
load is. For instance, the lighter the load, the more Type I fibers will be
called upon. The heavier the load, the more Type IIa fibers will be called upon.
With very heavy loads, Type IIb fibers will be the most heavily recruited.
With regular training,
your body learns to become more efficient with this recruitment and tries to get
away with firing as few fibers as possible to get the job done. It's the body's
natural tendency to conserve energy.
|
|
|
Unfortunately, this also
leaves many muscle fibers underworked and not developed to their full potential.
We need to find a way to force your body to recruit every available fiber to
maximally work the muscle and develop it to it's full potential. That's where
the Triple Add Set comes in.
If you're familiar with
Triple Drop Sets (where you start with a heavy weight for the first part, then
drop to a lighter
weight for more reps then drop to a somewhat lighter weight for more reps to
finish with) then you're familiar with the
basic idea of this style of training.
However, here's the
switch: instead of starting with a heavy weight and working down, we're going to
start with a light
weight and work our way up!
The Triple Add Set
technique will first exhaust your Type I muscle fibers with light weights and
high reps.
Then it will work on the
Type IIa muscle fibers by moving to heavier weights and moderate reps. Since
Type I fibers are still being activated at this point, even though the weights
are heavier, your body will recruit more and more of those Type I fibers as you
keep going.
On the third and final
part of the set, very heavy weights will be used. Your Type IIb fibers will now
be preferentially activated. But now, because the load is extremely demanding,
your Type I fibers and even more of your Type IIa fibers are being recruited to
help.
By the time you're done
with the Triple Add Set, you've recruited almost every available muscle fiber in
the target muscle. Then we do one or two more sets just to be sure they're
completely worked!
|
|
|
How To Do It:
- Start with a light
weight and do a high-rep set, e.g. 20
to 30 reps. Your muscles will be burning. This will hit
the Type I endurance muscle fibers and fill the target
muscles with blood.
- Rest 10 seconds to flush
out enough of the waste products
that have accumulated in your muscles for you to keep going.
This is basically the time it takes to switch weights on
the machine or grab a new set of dumbells, take a few deepbreaths and jump back in.
- Next, you'll move on to
a somewhat heavier weight and aim
for about 6 to 8 reps. This will hit the Type IIa muscle
fibers (the moderate-to-heavy oriented fibers).
- Take 10 seconds rest
again.
- After that, you will do
your last set with a heavy weight,
going for only 1 to 3 reps. This will work on strength
and connective tissue while focusing on the Type IIb muscle
fibers (the very heavy and explosive fibers).
- Your muscles will feel
incredibly hard and pumped up. The
effect of this type of training is immediately noticeable
and very powerful.
It will take a little practice to figure out what weights you'll be using. It
will really depend on how well your body
deals with lactic acid build-up. This is a training stimulus your body will most
likely NEVER have experienced before.
The first part of the set
should use a very light weight. Go for strict form and go for the burn. The
first time through
you should get at least 20 to 30 reps.
On the second Add Set,
your reps will go down significantly as the waste products of the first set will
not have been completely cleared.
The second Add Set should
use about double what you used on the first set, e.g. start with 25 pound
dumbells then do 50 pound dumbells (this increase will vary a lot depending on
the exercise - experiment with the weights you use to find out what works for
you).
The third and final part
of the set is the hardest. Since you've already worked hard on the previous two
parts, you
will be using a weight that is lighter than what you'd normally use for this rep
range in regular sets. When you do the third part, you will feel an extremely
strong and deep burning in the muscles. You are tapping muscle fibers that have
rarely been worked! The first two Add Sets worked the majority of your muscle
fibers - every fiber you've got now has to kick in and fire to move the weight
in the third Add Set!
It's extremely hard and
extremely effective. You'll either love it or dread it but it works!
These are Triple Add Sets.
Pick an exercise and give this technique a try the next chance you get. You will
be amazed at the incredible burning and pump that results from this unique
training stimulus!
The Triple Add Set is only
one of the many innovative exercise techniques you'll find in my new ebook
"Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss." This book is all about how to lose fat as
quickly as possible while keeping and even BUILDING muscle mass.
Click here
To
Find Out More!
------------------
Nick Nilsson is
Vice-President of the online personal training company
BetterU, Inc. He has a
degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training
techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of
bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best
Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a
Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all
available at
BetterU.
He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.
Christian Bodybuilding?
