By Elena Voropay

If you have been training on a regular basis for quite some time you may find yourself getting to a point where it seems no matter how hard you work you are getting nowhere. Seems like you’ve done everything – you’ve been consistent, watched your diet, changed your workout routines every 3-4 weeks, but looks like you’ve came to a “dead-end”. What can you do? Well, it’s not a ‘dead-end’, but a strength "plateau" - a sticky point that tells you that something needs to change. Your muscles are calling for an additional stimuli to push them through the growth threshold.

Split Routines

Split routines offer variety to a weight training program that's getting stale. Instead of training the whole body in one session, which is usually done at the beginning of a training program, working different muscle groups on alternate days offers higher intensity and volume of work for greater muscle gains.

Example: Splitting up the exercises can be done in a number of different ways. Among them, training the upper body muscles one day, lower body muscles the next is the most basic split. Another effective technique is a three-day split: push/pull/legs. Exercise front and back of the body muscles on different days. Or perform exercises for opposing muscle groups: chest and back on day one, quads and hams on day two, shoulders and arms on day three. Working out only one body part per day (chest, or back, or biceps) can be referred as Blitz Routine.

Super Sets

Super setting involves performing two exercises or working two opposing muscle groups without a break in between. Rest is taken following the two exercise set. Alternating sets for agonist/antagonist muscle groups (such as quads and hamstrings, biceps and triceps, or chest and shoulders) greatly increases intensity. While one muscle group is being trained or flexed, the opposing one is recovering or stretching. By the completion of the set more blood is pumped to the area due to extended tension.

Example: Follow chest presses with lat pull downs for the back, bicep curls and tricep extensions, leg extensions for the quads followed by hamstring leg curls.

Compound Sets

This training technique requires training the same muscle group with different exercises in back-to-back fashion. As in super sets, there is no break in between sets. Two exercises engage the same muscle in slightly different ways and incorporate more muscle fibers stimulating a greater pump.

Example: Bench press and dumbbell flye for chest, tricep kickbacks followed by tricep extensions.

Tri-Sets and Giant Sets Training Principle

Doing 3 to 6 exercises in a row for the same bodypart with as little rest as possible between sets is demanding and should be done only occasionally in order to let the body recover from this level of effort. Similar to circuit training, the principle is often used to build muscular endurance, does not build muscle size, burns more calories, and takes the bodypart to overwhelming stimulation when done properly.

Example: Standing barbell bicep curl, reverse high-pulley curl, hammer curl, preacher curl, incline dumbbell curl, and isolation curls.

Pre-Exhaustion Training

Performing single joint or isolation movement prior to multi joint or compound exercise for the same primary muscle involves a deeper stimulation. Using this technique you prefatigue the muscle in the first isolation set, so that you can take it to complete exhaustion with a second set of compound exercise.

Example: Begin chest exercises with dumbbell flyes (which solely work the pecs) and complete with a set of bench press (where chest is the primary muscle mover, and front deltoids and triceps work as synergists or secondary muscles). Since small muscles fatigue faster than large muscles the exhaustion from performing a set is usually caused by the tiredness of the former. Pre-exhaustion training will help you taking both small and large groups to the limit simultaneously.

Strip Setting (a.k.a. Drop Set)

In a strip set, repetitions of an exercise are performed to fatigue, to the point where the weight can no longer be lifted without affecting form. Once fatigued, continue performing the same exercise but use a lighter weight. When that feels too hard, lower the weight again.

Example: Start a leg press exercise with 100lb and perform 10 repetitions, change the weight to 90lb and immediately perform 10 reps, decrease to 80lb for 10 more reps, and so on. No rest is taken between sets, and you can complete as many reps and sets as you like decreasing the weight slightly every time.

Pyramid Training (a.k.a. DeLorme System)

This form of weight training employs using multiple sets for a given exercise. Weight can be lifted in an ascending or descending manner. In ascending pyramid a trainee would use less weight and higher reps for the first set, then gradually increasing the weight and decreasing the reps over the remainder of his or her sets (light to heavy). This technique allows gradual muscle warm up preparing to deal with heavier amounts of resistance over the course of exercise. In descending pyramid the weight decreases with every set while the number of repetitions increase (heavy to light).

Example: A bicep curl performed 12 times using a 10 pound weight. In the next set, the same exercise is performed 10 times using a 15 pound weight. In the third set, a 20 pound weight is lifted 8 times. In a descending pyramid, the number of repetitions increases while the weight decreases. To add variety to a workout, combine sets of ascending and descending pyramids.

Negative Resistance (Eccentric) Reps

This technique requires your training partner to lift the weight in the positive or concentric part of the movement, then you resist the weight through negative or eccentric portion of a full repetition. If you notice, the negative part of the exercise is much easier than the positive. The strategy behind this principle is that the weight chosen is too heavy for you to do a full repetition, but you are capable of controlling the weight on the way down.

Example: In tricep high-pulley extensions, your partner applies some downward pressure to lift the weigh bringing the bar down. From the extended elbow position where your triceps are flexed, slowly lower the weight down. This way you are working triceps against negative resistance.

Forced Repetitions

Forced repetitions are used using a spotter or a training partner to perform additional repetitions of an exercise at the end of a set when muscle can no longer complete the movement on their own. The purpose of this is to push the muscle past the pain threshold.

Partial Repetitions

Toward the end of a set when your muscles have fatigued and you cannot do another full rep, do a few more with just half the movement further stimulate the muscle. Even though exercising with full range of motion is necessary to prevent injury, fully develop muscles, and increase flexibility, the combination of full and partial reps will force your body to respond favorably through its survival mechanism. Example: Using partial reps you continue to bring up the weight as far as you can (a few inches) and then lower it. Get out 5 or 6 more reps if you can. This will work the muscle until it burns.

21's

This is a variation of Partial Reps technique used to completely overload the muscle - performing parts of the full repetition separately, followed by a set through the full range of motion.

Example: With a set of barbells first perform 7 reps of bicep curls in the lower range of motion, then 7 reps in upper range of motion, and then 7 reps using the full range of motion. It doesn't matter how many reps you use, all that mattered was that you completed it since the demand on the muscle is huge.

Priority Training

Priority training means training muscle groups that are most important to you or that are underdeveloped, usually your weaknesses. Smaller, slower-developing bodyparts require special attention, and might need a different approach as compared to the rest of your body.

Example: If you want to have firmer glutes, choose back kicks prior to doing squats or leg presses. If you need to gain an inch on your arms, then prioritize that muscle group by working them first and then training larger muscle groups such as chest and back. Set goals and become more focused on your weaknesses to eliminate them.

Ultra-Slow Reps

This method helps to minimize the momentum and involve muscle fibres which you might be skipping over due to fast movement speed. Besides, ultra-slow reps are safe.

Example: Lift the resistance (concentric) in 10 seconds and lower the resistance (eccentric) in 5 seconds. However, you should perform a lighter resistance and 2-3 less reps than you perform in a normal set. For example, you normally use 100 lbs to perform 8 reps and now use 80 lbs to perform 5 ultra-slow reps.

Peak contraction

Peak contraction includes holding the resistance for 1-2 seconds at the top of movement. This is an effective way to stimulate muscle fibers.

Example: When working your chest with a bench press, lift the resistance in 2 seconds and hold it for 2 seconds at the top of movement and lower it in 4 seconds.

Isometric Reps

When you cannot complete one more rep using correct form, hold the resistance for 5-10 seconds (isometric contraction) without returning it to its position. It may stimulate these muscle fibres that probably were not worked before. It is important to continue breathing during the isometric rep.

These methods should be used to mix-up your workout so that you can grow. Don't use these methods every time you train or you will end up overtraining. For best results, you should train at least 3 times per week. Be sure to allow the muscle 48 hours of rest in between workouts.