Overload Techniques

Muscles will strengthen only if it has been forced to work beyond its limits

Muscles can be overloaded by: The Intensity – decreasing rest periods The Resistance – Lifting more weight The number of repetitions Number of Sets Speed of muscular action

Overload Techniques

Overload techniques specific to strength training include:

• Blitzing

• Forced repetitions

• Pyramid Training

• Compound training

• Burn out sets

• Breathing sets

Blitzing

Practice of working a muscle or muscle group with different exercises from different angles in one training day

This strengthens and builds the muscle groups around the main muscle which is being worked

Example: Doing Dumbbell Fly’s, then doing lateral Incline Shoulder raises working both the deltoid and subscapularis muscle

Forced repetitions

Exercises in which a partner assists Best used where the muscle is the weakest Partner gently supports the weakest point Basically when the person performing the exercise is

physically unable to lift anymore without using incorrect technique, a training partner or ‘spotter’ will come and assist in the lifting of the weight up to 3 times more.

Pyramid Routines

Pyramid routines use sets at different levels, at the different weight levels, doing the same training exercise but at different reps.

Start with a lighter weight at 12 reps, then a medium weight at 6 reps and a heavier weight at 1 reps to form a pyramid.

Then once finished, you work your way back down from 1 reps of heavier weights, to 6 reps at a medium weight and 12 reps at a lighter weight.

Extremely effective at building muscle as it works the muscles to exhaustion causing greater blood flow into the muscle as more oxygen is moving to the muscle.

By allowing you to train at different levels those routines really stress the muscles well.

Compound Training

Involves combining exercises of the same muscle group and the antagonist muscle group with minimal or no rest in between exercises.

These include Super sets Tri sets

Supersets

Work out using agonist and then antagonist muscles alternatively

This can be done by doing a different exercises with the same muscle group.

No rests in between sets

Example: Doing bicep curls, then immediately after changing to tricep pull downs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ9uPGgPZO0&feature=related

Tri - sets

Same principles as a super set except doing 3 exercises of the same muscle.

This over exhausts the muscle tearing and expanding the muscle fibres which then fill with blood making the muscle group larger.

Example: Doing a set of incline leg press, followed by a set of leg press, then a set of squats without rest in between, to exhaust the quadriceps and triceps.

This is mainly used for the experienced trainers as it can lead to severe muscle damage if not conditioned before hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seJ_lO711to

Burn out sets

Working the body until completely fatigued It is basically doing supersets but dropping the weight

each set until no more can be done. This is completely exhausting the muscles to their

physical limit and is effective but requires long rest periods.

Example: Doing bench press sets starting at 30 kgs and working it down until just the bar is left. (by this time if done correctly the bar should feel as heavy as the first set)

Breathing sets

These sets are completed by pausing for 3 seconds at the top of the exercise and take 3 deep breaths then perform the next rep.

The deep breaths allow for more reps to be completed at a heavier weight than what could have been completed in a basic workout due to the extra oxygen flowing through the muscles.

Example: Doing a 20 squat routine, 10 squats basic workout then 10 squats using the breathing technique. The first 10 squats should almost fatigue the muscles and the final 10 will have to be forced by the person to work through.