Training that's a Novelty for You!

The training I want to present was started by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. Of course, he didn't patent it, but in his book Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding you can find references to his favorite workouts. We read that Arnold used to train often antagonistic muscles, i.e. he used to load the chest and back in one workout. He used to do the same thing in different games such as biceps and triceps, the second half of the game, and the second round, etc. This exercise definitely requires skills and preparation after two minutes of training, and to prepare for such a training session. The training in supersets can be performed in two ways... 1 – The first method is to perform one exercise after another without a break, e.g. We do bench press, then go straight to pull-ups and only rest after the entire series... 2 – The second method are sets with breaks, i.e. we do bench press, rest for 2-3 minutes, then go to pull-ups and rest again for 2-3 minutes... What do you think, which method is better? If it's about strength gain, the second method is the better choice, where we can use more weight... The first method is better when we have little time... It's definitely not a method for people with poor condition and those who don't like to return to the gym on all fours... Combining two complex exercises such as bench press and pull-ups is really demanding... In this training style, it is important to consider variety, so that both the chest and back are properly trained... Such exercises as Face Pull or Flyes should not be missing... The following example training is performed in supersets... We try to rest relatively briefly (optimally 30-60 sec...). The speed of each exercise is 2 0 1 0, so we don't rush with any movement... Remember to warm up well and prepare the rotators for bench pressing! 1a – Incline bench press with positive tilt 5 × 8, 1b – Neutral grip pull-ups 5 × 8, 2a – Flat bench press with dumbbells 4 × 10, 2b – Pendlay row 4 × 10, 3a – Flyes with dumbbells on incline bench (movement towards head) 3 × 12, 3b – Face pull 3 × 12.

Can one engage in cardiovascular training in an appealing manner? Undoubtedly, few people enjoy spending 45 minutes doing exercises on a stationary bike or treadmill. In this article, I present several fascinating variants of cardiovascular training that one can utilize during workouts. It is worth trying them out and sharing an opinion on whether they were appealing solutions. This is not a specific training program, but rather a suggestion on how to combine cardiovascular training with abdominal muscle training.

A fundamental component of the entire system is rebuilding and supplementation. If we do not ensure this, our workouts will be less effective, which can make it difficult to achieve the desired results. Our task during training is to exhaust the muscles as much as possible, which leads to the phenomenon known as MPB (muscle protein breakdown), and thanks to rebuilding, we can restore the muscle fibers damaged during training (MPS - muscle protein synthesis). Everyone should be interested in basic supplementation. It is worth paying attention to such means as: - vitamins and minerals, - BCAA, - creatine, - protein supplement. These means will enable us to train more intensively and frequently and will contribute to our regeneration. More information about the supplements and their application can be found here. Regarding the term rebuilding, I refer to this link. Everything is explained here.

This form of training can be considered metabolic, utilizing methods from the German training known as GERMAN Volume Training. In this training, we combine complex exercises with isolation exercises and perform 4 gigasets, which is sufficient to adequately train the muscles of the lower and upper limbs. The training can be conducted twice a week, with the tempo of all exercises being 2 0 1 0 and the weight remaining constant. The breaks are individually set after each exercise. Proper weight selection is key, so it is beneficial to do warm-up sets before the working sets to select the appropriate weight. We can increase the load weekly by adding an extra set.

We do not exceed 3 weeks for implementing the plan! Training 1a - High bar squat 5 sets of 10 repetitions, tempo 2 0 1 0, 0 seconds rest. 1b - Face pulls 5 sets of 10 repetitions, tempo 2 0 1 0, 0 seconds rest. 1c - Deadline on straight leg with dumbbells 5 sets of 10 repetitions, tempo 2 0 1 0, 0 seconds rest. 1d - Dumbbell press 5 sets of 10 repetitions, tempo 2 0 1 0, 30-60 seconds rest.

To develop large arms, it is essential to train evenly and not neglect any muscle groups. There is no person in the world who weighs 80 kg and has 50 cm in biceps. It is assumed that for every 2 cm in the upper arm, one needs to build around 512 kg of mass. This primarily depends on genetic predisposition. Some individuals have large arms, even though they do not put any particular emphasis on their training, while others require a lot of time to train them. Of course, I do not want to remind you that the question of diet, recovery, and supplementation and the rest of the training needs to be addressed down to the last detail. Our arms will not grow just from exercises focused on biceps and triceps. Do not be the person who, upon entering the gym, immediately starts doing bicep curls with weights. The whole training counts here. When talking about the whole training, I mean exercises such as deadlifts, squats, presses, etc. All this counts for the development of the arms. Below is an example training where we will use wave progression and apply various training methods such as drop sets, the eccentric phase, and rest-pause. These types of methods will be applied in exercises 1, 2a, and 2b.

Workout 1: 1. Conventional deadlift* – 4 × 8–10 reps, 90–120 sec rest; 2a. Dips on parallel bars (weighted optional)* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 2b. EZ-bar preacher curls* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 3a. Decline dumbbell French press – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 3b. Incline dumbbell curls (60–75 degrees) – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 4. Triceps rope pushdowns – 1 × 25+ reps. Workout 2: 1. Close-grip barbell bench press* – 4 × 8–10 reps, 90–120 sec rest; 2a. Overhand barbell row* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 2b. Resistance band pull-ups* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 3a. Standing barbell curls – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 3b. Overhead cable triceps extensions – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 4. Standing dumbbell hammer curls – 1 × 25+ reps. Workout 3: 1. Neutral-grip or underhand pull-ups (weighted optional)* – 4 × 8–10 reps, 90–120 sec rest; 2a. Barbell floor press* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 2b. Seated cable row* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 3a. Zottman curls – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 3b. Seated overhead EZ-bar French press – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 4. Standing reverse-grip cable curls – 1 × 25+ reps. Workout 4: 1. High bar back squats* – 4 × 8–10 reps, 90–120 sec rest; 2a. Seated overhead barbell press* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 2b. Romanian deadlift with dumbbells* – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 3a. Walking dumbbell lunges – 3 × 8–10 reps, 0 sec rest; 3b. One-arm dumbbell row – 3 × 8–10 reps, 60 sec rest; 4. Ab roller – 1 × 15 reps, 60 sec rest. *Drop set – after completing the final repetition of the last working set, rest for 15–30 seconds, reduce the weight by 30–50%, and perform as many repetitions as possible to complete muscular failure.

All exercises continue to be the same, however, a modification occurs in the number of repetitions - in exercises that required 8-10 repetitions, now 6-8 repetitions must be performed. In exercises where repetitions were about 25, no alterations are made. Instead of executing a drop set, this time we perform a free eccentric phase, where the objective is to perform repetitions for about 15 seconds in the last set. After carrying out the appropriate sets, a break of about 30 seconds should be introduced, after which the free eccentric phase is performed for as long as possible. In the first exercise, 5 sets are carried out, in the following 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b - 4 sets, and in the last - 1 set.

All the exercises remain the same, the only change is the repetitions, which are altered to 10-12, and in the last exercise to 30. Instead of the slow eccentric phase, we will use rest breaks. Upon finishing the regular set, you take a break for 10-15 seconds and try to perform several repetitions. Then you rest again for 10-15 seconds and perform additional repetitions. In the first and second exercise, you switch to 4 sets. In C1 and C2 exercises - 3 sets. The final exercise remains with 1 set.

All exercises remain unaltered... the only alteration concerns the repetitions, the number of which will be raised to 15, and in the final exercise to 50... At this point, we will not be employing any additional method... In carrying out all exercises excluding the last one, we execute 2 work sets... In the final exercise, you can take brief intermissions during the duration of the series... The uncomplicated command is to perform 50 repetitions.

In order for our abdominal muscles to be well visible, it is necessary to lower the overall level of body fat. In women, this level should be around 20–23%, and in men, it's 10–12%. However, some individuals, with larger abdominal muscles, may have visible six-packs even with a higher body fat percentage. Others, despite lowering their body fat level, may struggle to achieve the desired shape of their abdominal muscles.

1 – Dead Bug 2 – Plank 3 – Ab Rollout 4 – Farmer's Walk 5 – Complex exercises including squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, bench press, standing and dips - all these types of exercises also have a significant impact on the development of the abdominal muscles.

In this article, I've showcased original and unconventional exercise methods for various muscle groups and prepared workout plans, which I hope will capture your interest... give them a try and see for yourself how this type of training works for you... I wish you the best of luck!