5 Advanced Lifting Techniques

At some point straight sets aren’t going to cut it. To break through a plateau, or to just change things up a bit, mix these five techniques into your workout program.

When you’ve just gotten into the iron game, you’ve got the training age of a five year old. You can seemingly do anything in the weight room and, as long as you pay a little attention to your diet, you see great strength gains. But there inevitably comes a point, for some it happens two years in, for some a little later, when the trusty 5x5 or 8x3 in your periodized plan simply doesn’t cut it.

If you find yourself stagnant and not making the same gains you saw from mixing in exercises like squats and deads into your workout program, there’s no reason to freak out. Why? Because the five techniques below will help you break through any plateau and keep your body guessing so that you can continue to get bigger, faster, and stronger.

1. Supersets
While this is one of my favorite techniques to bang out on arm day, it also works for a number of different muscle combinations. The superset in the video shows hammer curls and tate presses, but the reality supersets work great with almost all opposing muscle groups. Think bis/tris, chest/back, leg/shoulders, and abs/anything. This technique will keep you moving around the gym (saving you time), keep your heart rate up, and keep your shirt soaked with sweat. Superset your exercises and you’ll get more out of your hour long sessions and burn a few more lbs. before the summer.

2. Triple Strip Sets
These may sound complicated but the technique is relatively simple. The goal is to perform 15 total reps, broken down into 5 rep mini-sets. After completing the first mini-set of five (reps), you’ll strip some weight off, bust out five more, strip some more weight off, and complete your final five reps. Keep in mind that the goal is to come close to failure on every five before stripping weight. Start with a weight that you can rep about 5 times comfortably, and make sure that weight is broken down into a few plates allowing you to easily strip weight off. And make sure the 15 reps are done at a high intensity. Leave 15 reps with 5 lb dumbbells to the treadmill bunnies.

3. Negatives
This technique is exactly what it sounds like. Simply extend the length of each exercise by taking the negative portion of the lift (the lowering part) really slowly. In your head, use a 3-5 second count as you bring the weight down to feel the tension. Again, this isn’t limited to arms, so feel free to emphasize the negative on compound lifts like squats, pull-ups, and the bench as well.

4. Clusters
Most people aren’t in on this secret, but it may be one of the most effective techniques for moving serious weight and building muscle. To perform these, take a weight that’s pretty much your one, or two, rep max. Using that one-rep weight, you’ll bust out 5 reps by increasing your rest periods between the reps. For example, if we’re doing bench clusters, do one rep, rack the weight and rest for 10 seconds, bust out another rep, rack and rest for 10 seconds, and repeat until you’ve finished your 5 reps. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot of time to rest between reps on paper, but this will method will allow you to move more weight during your workout than you ever thought possible.

5. Partials
The last of the fab five, these are another great tool to add to your strength and conditioning program. The good thing here is you can really pile on the weight, as you’re only completing the top portion of the lift. I’m a huge fan of doing these on any pressing exercise (think bench, military press, dips, etc.) because you can go extremely heavy without worrying about dropping the weight on your face. Of course it’s great to work in a full range of motion, but to get through a plateau you sometimes have to work on specific parts of the lift. There’s no better way to do that than by working partials into your routine.

Now that you’re equipped with the secrets, it’s time to put ‘em to use. Throw these techniques into your routine, mix some ‘tein in your 1R shaker post-lift, and get HUGE.

To maximize your gains using these techniques 1R would recommend the following supplements:

1. BSN True Mass – A post workout recovery product with 6 different protein sources will ensure that you’re maximizing your workouts
2. Cytosport Creatine - By increasing your body's ATP production creatine will help you become more explosive, more powerful, and more athletic when taken before or after workouts
3. Cytosport Joint Matrix – When you’re training hard, and/or training heavy, your joints inevitably take a beating. Joint matrix will ensure that you don’t feel that beating the next day