The easiest way to do this is make adjustments to your daily workout routine. This can be as simple as switching up your daily splits and hitting different body parts different days or completely overhauling your entire workout by incorporating different exercises, set/rep schemes, recovery periods etc. I typically recommend to completely change your workout routine at least every 3-4 months, if not more. I understand how easy it is to get to the gym, hit your favorites, do what's comfortable and get out of there but that's all it is, is easy. You're not getting the as much bang for your buck as you could. So, don't let all of that time and work go to waste. Change up that workout and mix things up a little bit.
Below are some modifications/lifting techniques that you can incorporate in to your workouts to mix things up a little bit and add some intensity to your workouts:
1. Drop Sets
The term "Drop Sets" refers to a weightlifting technique used following your last set of a particular exercise. Follow your last rep of a set, or when you've reached failure, you immediately drop the weight ~20-40% and continue to lift the new weight as many times as you can. This technique is a good way to overload your muscle fibers and stimulate muscle growth.
Warning: They call them drop sets because you drop the weight on your last set, not because you drop the weights on your face. It's recommended that you use a spotter for these sets as your arms, legs or whatever are going to feel like jello when you're done.
Super sets is a technique that combines two exercises into one never-ending set. For example, if you were super-setting bench press with lat pull-downs, as soon as you finished your last repetition of bench press you would immediately head over to lat pull-downs and complete a set followed by a rest period. Then you will start over with bench press at the end of the rest period. Some people, will use 2 exercises that utilize opposing muscle groups similar to the super set mentioned above, whereas others will super set similar exercises i.e. back squat with leg press. Super sets are a good way to speed up your workouts and keep your heart rate elevated.
3. Negatives
Negatives or "forced reps" are techniques used by weigh lifters to promote muscle growth and strength by lifting heavier weights than you normally can handle. How is this possible? During a muscle contraction there is a concentric (shortening) and eccentric (lengthening) motion. During the eccentric motion, a muscle can handle heavier loads than during a concentric motion. For example, during the bench press the lowering motion is eccentric and the pushing phase is concentric. So, in order to apply this technique you should lift a weight that is 10-20% heavier than you normally would for that rep range and with the assistance of a spotter, focus on the eccentric motion of the exercise. In other words, you should be doing the lifting during the lowering phase and then with the help of your spotter, get the bar back up to the starting position and then repeat. This is a very effective strategy to not only increase muscle strength but size as well because heavy eccentric lifting is a powerful stimulator for muscle growth. However, I recommend only doing negatives once every 6-8 weeks as eccentric lifting can be damaging to the muscles and your body needs time to recover.
4. Cluster Sets
Cluster sets, inter-repetition rest, rest-pause are all names for a lifting technique that focuses on repetitions separated by short rest periods to allow for fully-recovered explosive movements. By allowing your muscles to recover in between reps, you should be able to lift heavier loads and heavier loads, equals greater strength gains. Below is a comparison between traditional strength training and cluster sets:
Traditional Strength Training:
- 6 sets of 6 reps with 3 minutes of rest in between set @ 80% of your 1RM typically taking ~20ish minutes to complete.
Cluster Set Training:
- (1+1+1+1+1+1)*6 sets. In the scenario, each plus sign corresponds to a 10 second rest period. So, during 1 set, you will complete six reps with 10 sec of brief rest in between each rep. Then, following your 6th rep you will rest for 3 minutes. This will take approximately the same amount of time ~20-25 minutes but you should be able to use a heavier load of roughly 85-90% of your 1RM.
5. Circuit
A circuit style routine is very common in the fitness industry. During a circuit, you will continually move from one exercise to another without rest until the very end. Each "circuit" or rotation through all of the exercises is one set. Usually people will do 2-3 sets per workout. The idea is to move as quickly as possible and keep your heart rate elevated. Some people recommend doing sets with a certain number of repetitions i.e. 15 reps for each exercise. Another technique is to complete as many repetitions as possible for a certain time period i.e. 30 seconds per station. Circuit style workouts are a great way to combine your weight lifting with your cardio as you are continuously moving from one exercise to the next forcing your body to ramp up the cardiovascular system while also stimulating your muscles to grow. It's also a way to get a quick, efficient workout in as most circuits usually only last 20-40 minutes.
If you can do it with 2 legs, try it with 1! One-legged, or "armed" exercises are a great way to mix things up in the weight room, especially if you have any muscle imbalances. Obviously you won't be able to lift as much weight as you could with 2 limbs, but this way you are forcing one limb to do all of the work instead of having one overcompensate for the other (if there are imbalances). Also, one-limbed exercises will engage the core to a greater extent as your body will be forced to stabilize itself due to the odd positioning and alterations in your center of gravity. In terms of what exercises you can do, the sky is really the limit. I've seen 1-leg squats, leg press, dead-lift, leg curl... Similarly for upper body exercises, I've seen 1-arm lat pull downs, bench press, rows, etc.
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