Insanity.
We’ve all heard Einstein’s definition, and many of us keep this in mind in our day-to-day life. Why not apply it to your workout too?
When you stop progressing, moves become “easy,” DOMS doesn’t make an appearance… it’s a sure sign you have hit a plateau. It’s time to stop the insanity and do something different.
My first instinct is to change the exercise, but sometimes you can just change how you perform the exercise. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a series on some ways to vary how you perform reps.
Disclaimer: I am not a certified anything. I just wor kout a lot. Don’t sue me if you hurt yourself or don’t look like Jamie Eason after performing these moves.
24’s
The primary challenge with 24’s is endurance. One set is 24 reps!
Here’s the break down:
- Perform 8 reps of an exercise that go from the bottom of the movement to the halfway point.
- Immediately perform 8 more reps that start half way up and go to the top of the movement.
- Lastly, do 8 reps with a full range of motion.
For example, if you were to do bicep curls with this technique you would do 8 reps in the lower range of motion (arms straight to 90 degrees), immediately followed by 8 reps in the upper range of motion (arms 90 degrees to flexed), and lastly 8 reps through the full range of motion.
How do you use this technique?
You can apply it to virtually any weight-bearing exercise. Bicep curls are sort of obvious, so here are a couple you might not think to do that I find especially effective:
Lying Leg Curls
Lying Leg Curls using the 24’s technique will burn your hams out better than any other exercise I can think of!
Tip: Be sure that the pads rest on the back of your ankles with your legs are stretched out straight. Grasp the handles under the bench for support. Be sure that your pelvic area remains flat on the bench as you curl your legs up.
Two Arm Side Lateral Raises
This one is simple: simultaneously lift your arms out to the side until they are parallel to the floor.
Tip: Keep your core tight and don’t lock your elbows.
Caution: It is easy to “overtrain” with these modifications. You are pushing your body extremely hard to bust through a plateau. These moves are not recommended as a long-term regimen. Avoid doing more than 2-3 of these per muscle group on any given workout.
Check out more fitness ideas, tips, and tricks on my Fitness page! As always, be sure to get your 20g of protein to help the muscles recover.
***
I did 24’s on the military press the other day and nearly died. In a good way.
Do you vary your workouts? How so?
What is your favorite body part to work? Keep it clean! 😉
