In the event you’ve been coaching severely for any size of time, you already know the sensation: the dreaded plateau. The weights on the bar cease transferring up, and your muscle tissues cease rising. When this occurs, you needn’t simply prepare more durable; you could prepare smarter and introduce a brand new stimulus for muscle hypertrophy.
That is the place I introduce my shoppers, which means powerlifters and common gymgoers, to certainly one of my favourite methods: Myo reps. Let’s discuss what they’re, easy methods to do them, and who advantages from them. I will additionally reply some frequent questions individuals have about Myo reps.
The right way to Carry out Myo Reps
Overlook your commonplace 3 units of 10. Myo-reps are a type of high-intensity, high-volume coaching designed to elicit a large progress response. Right here’s the blueprint:
- Select your train.
- Discover your “activation” weight.
- Go to absolute failure.
- Take a mini relaxation.
- Go once more.
Sounds easy, proper? It’s. Let’s break down every half and why it really works like this.
Choose a easy train. Suppose Leg Press for glutes or a machine curl, not a posh barbell squat. Effort is the precedence right here, not approach.
The Greatest Workouts for Myo Reps
Why is leg press a great choice? The entire purpose of this technique is to push your muscle tissues to absolute failure with brutal, high-volume effort. In the event you strive to try this with a posh, free-weight motion like a barbell squat, your approach goes to interrupt down lengthy earlier than your quads truly give out. And that is useful for muscle progress.
Your decrease again will get fatigued, your core stability will disappear, and the danger of damage goes approach up. The leg press takes all of that out of the equation. It is a steady, machine-based motion, which suggests approach is not the limiting issue.
You do not have to fret about stability or getting pinned below a heavy bar. You may put 100% of your psychological focus into one factor and one factor solely: driving pure, unadulterated effort via your quads and glutes till there’s completely nothing left within the tank. It’s safer, it is extra direct, and it means that you can hit that degree of muscular failure that Myo-reps demand.
Different Isolation Workouts to Think about:
In fact there are lots of others. Discover those that fit your particular objectives, then transfer to the subsequent step.
Discover Your Activation Weight
Select a weight you’ll be able to elevate for about 20 reps. And let’s get particular on what I imply by “activation weight,” as a result of it is a essential first step. Do not consider it like discovering a one-rep max; we’re on the alternative finish of the spectrum right here. The “activation weight” is the particular load you select to kick off your complete Myo-rep set.
Your purpose is to discover a weight that is difficult sufficient to drive you to hit failure proper across the 15 to 25-rep mark. That is the candy spot.
Consider it as a “feeler set,” however a brutally onerous one. This primary set “prompts” the utmost variety of muscle fibers. If the load is simply too heavy and also you fail at 8 reps, you will not have the capability to finish the high-volume work that follows.
If it is too gentle and you’ll simply pump out 40 reps, you are not creating sufficient depth to set off that preliminary progress response. So, this primary set is your calibration. It tells your physique, “Okay, we’re working right here,” and it fatigues the goal muscle teams simply sufficient to make the short-rest mini-sets that observe extremely potent.
Going to Absolute Failure
Go to absolute failure. To illustrate you get 23 reps on that first set. That is your activation set. This is not simply feeling drained or getting a great burn. Absolute failure is the purpose the place, regardless of giving 100% of your effort, your goal muscle bodily can not full one other concentric (the lifting half) repetition with good kind.
In the event you’re in search of extra on this, Peloton has a reasonably good information on coaching to failure. Your thoughts is telling the muscle to push, however the equipment merely is not going to reply. The burden will not transfer.
Take a “mini-rest.” Relaxation for less than 10-20 seconds. Simply sufficient time to catch your breath. Take some deep breaths, then do the method once more.
You will do as many reps as you’ll be able to till failure once more. Perhaps you get 15 this time. Proceed this sample of brief units and minimal relaxation till you attain an enormous whole rep goal, like 100 reps.
Extra Than Only a Burnout Set
This technique, created by Borge Fagerli, is brutal however sensible. It pushes your muscle tissues previous their regular limits, triggering a strong stimulus for hypertrophy (progress). Nevertheless it does one thing else that is essential, particularly for heavy lifters: it builds muscle integrity.
The secret’s fatigue. The sheer quantity strengthens your connective tissues and tendons, making your physique extra resilient and serving to to forestall accidents down the street whenever you return to heavy, low-rep work.
The Powerlifter’s Dilemma: When to Use It
So, ought to powerlifters be utilizing myo reps throughout their exercises? Completely. However solely within the low season. As a result of Myo-reps trigger a lot muscle injury, they’re horrible for in-season coaching whenever you’re making an attempt to peak for a meet (12 weeks out or much less). Sure, they’re efficient for constructing muscle. They’re additionally brutal in the course of the coaching course of.
Nonetheless, when you’re 16-20+ weeks out, a 4-6 week block of Myo-reps in your accent work is an exceptional software to construct a much bigger muscle base. And as everyone knows, mass strikes mass.
In case your progress has gone stale, give this technique an sincere strive. It is the sample interrupt your physique wants to start out rising once more. It is easy so as to add these to your coaching at house or on the fitness center.
Have you ever seen good points from myo reps? Let me know. Join the Powerlifting Method e-newsletter. That is the place we give common recommendation to lifters all around the world. And provides a touch upon certainly one of our movies on YouTube when you’re watching there!
