The Muscle Adaptive Process
When new to the whole weight lifting scene, most of us experience fast muscle gains which are also known as starter gains.
One of the reasons behind this is because the muscles are shocked as they are not used to the excessive strain, therefore they will repair and build faster than normal due to the body attempting to rapidly deal with the shock.
After working out for some months you may notice that your muscles are not as sore after a workout as they used to be, and therefore your gains are slowing down somewhat.
The reason behind this is because over time the body adapts to the constant strain which is being placed on the muscles, therefore gets used to it.
Fewer muscle fibers may be torn over time due to the body's adaption; therefore this must be combated to constantly shock the body into growth.
- Variation of your workout - If you are lifting weights and constantly doing 3 sets of 10 reps every time you perform a set, your muscles may get used to this over time and therefore need more work in order to become torn.
You should vary your lifting routine and Instead of the usual 3 sets of 10 on each exercise, you should try different methods to try and shock the muscles into growth.
For example increasing or decreasing the number of reps, how much rest you take in between each set and how slowly you perform each rep.
- Drop sets - Start on a weight that you think is moderately light and perform a set of 10 reps.
Without taking any rest move onto a medium weight and perform a set of 10 again, then without taking any rest again move onto a heavy weight and perform a set of 8 reps to finish the drop set.
Drop sets should be varied a lot in order to constantly shock the muscles into growth.
For example you might want to start on a heavy weight, perform a set of 5 reps and then move to an even heavier weight, perform a set of 2 reps and then move on to the heaviest weight you can possibly lift and perform 1 rep.
Drop sets are designed to promote maximum fiber tear within the muscles and should always be included in your routine if you are aiming for maximum muscle growth.
- Negative reps - Negative reps are a slow or extremely slow movement of the negative part of the rep.
The negative part of the rep is the part when you bring the weight down to the starting point.
For example when performing reps on a bench press, the negative part of the rep is bringing the weight down to the chest whereas the positive part is lifting the weight back up to the start position.
Negative reps may be most effective when performed in addition with normal reps as this promotes maximum muscle fiber tear and growth.
For example perform a set of 8 reps and then 2 more negative reps to complete your total set of 10.
Bring the weight down to the chest extremely slowly until you touch the chest and then use all of your explosive power to bring the weight up as quickly as you can.
- Pyramid sets / Pyramid with no rest - A pyramid set is a where you perform a full set of 10 reps and then increase the weight while taking no rest in between.
You then perform another set of 10 reps and increase the weight again while taking no rest in between.
Once you have reached the maximum weight that you can lift, you then decrease the weight until you return to the starting weight.
For example you may start on 20 kilogram's of weight and perform a set of 10, then without taking any rest you move the weight up to 30 kilogram's and perform another set of 10.
You will do this until you reach the maximum of weight you can possibly lift and then start to move back down, decreasing the weight with each set.
Pyramid sets help to shock the muscles, due to the constant variations in the amount of weight and the minimal rest you are giving the muscles.
- Fast reps - Faster reps can promote more fiber tear within the muscles and therefore should be included in your workout routine.
Performing a fast rep with a heavy weight can be extremely difficult and you will need to use all of your explosive power to force the weight up into the air in order to perform an extremely fast rep.
It may be beneficial for you to include light weights and fast reps into your routine - For example 20 fast reps with an extremely light weight can offer just as much of a benefit of performing 5 fast reps with a heavy weight.
- Super sets - A super set is where you perform a set of reps and then immediately move on to another type of exercise to perform another set of reps, no rest in between.
For example perform 10 side lateral raises, immediately followed by 10 front lateral raises, immediately followed by 10 rear deltoid raises, with no rest in between each set.
As you can see from this super set, we target the entire shoulder muscle for maximum muscle burn and fiber tear, which promotes maximum shoulder muscle growth.
- Rest in between sets - The amount of rest you take in between each set can help combat the muscle adaptive process.
Basically the more rest you take in between a set, the more time your muscles will have to recover and refuel.
Instead of letting the muscles fully recover before performing the next set, it may be beneficial for you to perform your next set quicker as this completely annihilates the muscles and promotes maximum fiber tear.
If you usually perform a set of 10 and then wait a few minutes before performing the next set, try performing a set of 10 and waiting just 30 seconds before performing your next set.
- Taking a break from training - Taking a break from training every once in a while can be beneficial, as it is a great way to shock the body back into growth.
You should take a few weeks off every few months, but make sure that the muscles are kept active in order to prevent atrophy.
When you get back into training you should hit the muscles hard with a solid weight training session in order to shock the body and put the body into a state of anabolism.
You should always remember that after weight training for some months or years, the body will become extremely used to the excessive strain that you keep placing on the muscles; therefore the fibers may be very difficult to tear.
Using the above methods can help to combat the body's adaption process so that you can continue to achieve maximum muscle growth all year round.
One of the reasons behind this is because the muscles are shocked as they are not used to the excessive strain, therefore they will repair and build faster than normal due to the body attempting to rapidly deal with the shock.
After working out for some months you may notice that your muscles are not as sore after a workout as they used to be, and therefore your gains are slowing down somewhat.
The reason behind this is because over time the body adapts to the constant strain which is being placed on the muscles, therefore gets used to it.
Fewer muscle fibers may be torn over time due to the body's adaption; therefore this must be combated to constantly shock the body into growth.
- Variation of your workout - If you are lifting weights and constantly doing 3 sets of 10 reps every time you perform a set, your muscles may get used to this over time and therefore need more work in order to become torn.
You should vary your lifting routine and Instead of the usual 3 sets of 10 on each exercise, you should try different methods to try and shock the muscles into growth.
For example increasing or decreasing the number of reps, how much rest you take in between each set and how slowly you perform each rep.
- Drop sets - Start on a weight that you think is moderately light and perform a set of 10 reps.
Without taking any rest move onto a medium weight and perform a set of 10 again, then without taking any rest again move onto a heavy weight and perform a set of 8 reps to finish the drop set.
Drop sets should be varied a lot in order to constantly shock the muscles into growth.
For example you might want to start on a heavy weight, perform a set of 5 reps and then move to an even heavier weight, perform a set of 2 reps and then move on to the heaviest weight you can possibly lift and perform 1 rep.
Drop sets are designed to promote maximum fiber tear within the muscles and should always be included in your routine if you are aiming for maximum muscle growth.
- Negative reps - Negative reps are a slow or extremely slow movement of the negative part of the rep.
The negative part of the rep is the part when you bring the weight down to the starting point.
For example when performing reps on a bench press, the negative part of the rep is bringing the weight down to the chest whereas the positive part is lifting the weight back up to the start position.
Negative reps may be most effective when performed in addition with normal reps as this promotes maximum muscle fiber tear and growth.
For example perform a set of 8 reps and then 2 more negative reps to complete your total set of 10.
Bring the weight down to the chest extremely slowly until you touch the chest and then use all of your explosive power to bring the weight up as quickly as you can.
- Pyramid sets / Pyramid with no rest - A pyramid set is a where you perform a full set of 10 reps and then increase the weight while taking no rest in between.
You then perform another set of 10 reps and increase the weight again while taking no rest in between.
Once you have reached the maximum weight that you can lift, you then decrease the weight until you return to the starting weight.
For example you may start on 20 kilogram's of weight and perform a set of 10, then without taking any rest you move the weight up to 30 kilogram's and perform another set of 10.
You will do this until you reach the maximum of weight you can possibly lift and then start to move back down, decreasing the weight with each set.
Pyramid sets help to shock the muscles, due to the constant variations in the amount of weight and the minimal rest you are giving the muscles.
- Fast reps - Faster reps can promote more fiber tear within the muscles and therefore should be included in your workout routine.
Performing a fast rep with a heavy weight can be extremely difficult and you will need to use all of your explosive power to force the weight up into the air in order to perform an extremely fast rep.
It may be beneficial for you to include light weights and fast reps into your routine - For example 20 fast reps with an extremely light weight can offer just as much of a benefit of performing 5 fast reps with a heavy weight.
- Super sets - A super set is where you perform a set of reps and then immediately move on to another type of exercise to perform another set of reps, no rest in between.
For example perform 10 side lateral raises, immediately followed by 10 front lateral raises, immediately followed by 10 rear deltoid raises, with no rest in between each set.
As you can see from this super set, we target the entire shoulder muscle for maximum muscle burn and fiber tear, which promotes maximum shoulder muscle growth.
- Rest in between sets - The amount of rest you take in between each set can help combat the muscle adaptive process.
Basically the more rest you take in between a set, the more time your muscles will have to recover and refuel.
Instead of letting the muscles fully recover before performing the next set, it may be beneficial for you to perform your next set quicker as this completely annihilates the muscles and promotes maximum fiber tear.
If you usually perform a set of 10 and then wait a few minutes before performing the next set, try performing a set of 10 and waiting just 30 seconds before performing your next set.
- Taking a break from training - Taking a break from training every once in a while can be beneficial, as it is a great way to shock the body back into growth.
You should take a few weeks off every few months, but make sure that the muscles are kept active in order to prevent atrophy.
When you get back into training you should hit the muscles hard with a solid weight training session in order to shock the body and put the body into a state of anabolism.
You should always remember that after weight training for some months or years, the body will become extremely used to the excessive strain that you keep placing on the muscles; therefore the fibers may be very difficult to tear.
Using the above methods can help to combat the body's adaption process so that you can continue to achieve maximum muscle growth all year round.
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