As important as it is to get your regular workouts it, doesn’t it feel at times like it takes more effort that you’d like to get the results your looking for? Maybe you need to look into maximizing your strength workouts! Rather than just ‘working hard’ – you should look into ‘working smart!’
Sometimes the simpliest solution is the best. Some of your best workouts can be as smiple as “set, rep, rest”. What’s important in terms of maxizing your workouts is that when you are working out, make sure that you are maximizing every single moment of your workout. Make sure that every minute, you’re doing something that means you’re getting better at your workout.
One way of accomplishing this, is a component of what many in Cross-Fit are doing. For example, if your plan is do to a set of 10 squats in one minute, you start the clock and do 10 squats. If the squats take you 40 seconds to do, you can then rest for the remaining 40 seconds. If it takes you 50 seconds, you get to rest for 10 seconds. After one minute, you do your next set.
So, you start every minute by doing something. And you get your rest period in that minute. As you progress through your sets, you are overloading your muscles, yet because you have that “extra” time, you can also manage fatigue.
This basic idea is really a version of Escalating Density Training (EDT), which was popularized by a top strength coach named Charles Staley. Staley’s system had you perform submaximal reps with a certain load or exercise variation as continuously as possible for blocks of time typically ranging from 5 to 30 minutes.
What’s nice about this type of workout, is it allows you to do more quality reps, while regulating your rest and transition periods. You can adjust as you need to. To make gains, you can add reps, or you can add weight.
So, if you feel your strength workouts are getting stale, try this plan to mix things up while also saving yourself a bit of time as well!
If you’re looking for fitness equipment for your home to help you get started on your new fitness program, Fitness 4 Home Superstore carries a wide variety of the industry’s top cardio and strength equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, home gyms, and adjustable dumbbells & weights. Visit any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s 3 Valley locations to learn more!
