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Shake It Up to Work It Out

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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! 😉

Comments

  2. I’ve heard of the 24 technique. Is there any particular reason for why it works or is it simply because you’re doing more reps per set?

    • They are great for endurance and muscle growth with the three different ranges of motion in one exercise, rather than just one single range of motion.

  3. Haha I LOVE your disclaimer- I wouldn’t put it pass some people coming back saying your tips didn’t work ;)! 24’s seem killer…definitely want to give them a shot! Varying the weights and reps seems to help add variety to my workouts! As you know I also changed up my workouts recently in terms of the kind of split I follow weekly and that alone seemed to have recharged me both physically and mentally!

    • Hey, you never know… 😉

      Changing splits can definitely do it! That’s the first thing my trainer did to me.

  4. I love this technique and you really do feel it when you make this change in how you do the reps! I also like doing 5x5x5 workouts! I love the disclaimer…seriously, who doesn’t want to look like Jamie Eason?

  6. Great post, although the only thing I would add is that lack of DOMS doesn’t mean you’ve reached a plateau. The more years you lift, the less and less you will feel it. It’s also not smart to push yourself to that level in every single workout. I know some experienced bodybuilders who say that when they feel sore the next day, they know they’ve done something wrong. To them, soreness means they pushed too hard!

    • True – a plateau should take a but to reach. I do like to always “feel” a workout the day after, otherwise I don’t think I’ve pushed hard enough.

  9. Once upon a time, i ran every day after work. And that’s all I did. Once upon a time, I gained about 20 lbs in a short amount of time, couldn’t figure out why, and ended up with an overuse injury.

    Four years later I do something different every day, and have never felt better (though I do miss running daily).

    • Awwww… I’m glad you’ve worked out something that is a better fit. I did the same thing injuring myself – I didn’t have the quad muscles built up to support the distance I was running.

  10. I used to love 24’s (well I did 21’s but same thing) back in the day before I got into CrossFit! I loved how I felt like I had to really push to get through them !

  14. Nice! I do a weight lifting class where we sometimes do this… it is so hard! I can’t wait to hear more of what you’ve learned for your upcoming competition! You are looking awesome, btw!

  15. Great idea! Love this – I’ll have to give it a shot this week! By the way, I haven’t had internet since we moved into our new place but I love catching up on your blog and fitness comp progress – it’s super inspiring to me, Laura! 😀

  18. i love it when one simple change of an exercise becomes effective and you feel the burn the next day! i love doing a 1:3 count on hamstring curls! it sounds easy but always get me during the last two sets

  19. Keep it clean … who do you think your readers ARE? ;] My favorite body part to work is (are?) my glutes… I also love doing abs. It’s because I know both those areas really need toning up! Thanks for sharing about 24s! One of my body works teachers uses those but I didn’t really know what the point was- all I knew was that I was REALLY sore every time she pulled that move out!

  20. But… but… sometimes easy feels so good! Hehe I know it’s best to switch up exercise routines, and my main motivation to do it is because I just get bored of doing the same thing and need to do something else to keep me motivated. I’ve never heard of 24’s, but I’m liking the sound of em 🙂

    • I know… but I just tell myself that I’m wasting my own time by not giving it my all. My motivation for switching is the same! I get excited about going to the gym when I have something new.

  21. How cool, girl 🙂 I have only done 24’s for bicep curls, but military presses would be neat to try

    Love you

  22. Love this, I’ll have to try it out this week! Possibly tomorrow, since I’m in a little fitness rut at the moment!
    I’m always switching up my fitness routine, otherwise I get super duper bored.

  23. I like the idea of 24’s it would definitely change things up for me and leave me less bored (sometimes I get that way).

    I’ll just leave off the fave body part, other than to say it is a pair.

    Thanks for the tips and I look forward to future posts like this 🙂

  24. YES, like others mentioned – like 21’s. Why not 24’s!!!! 🙂 I love the idea of you sharing. I change up the way I do the same exercise too to keep my bod guessing – it leads to RESULTS! 🙂

  26. 24 reps, oh man. Yeah that will definitely help burn it out. I try to switch it up whenever I get bored or stop feeling it working. But there’s only so many times you can switch it up… I guess I never thought of actually doing the exercises differently before.

    • I love hearing that! So glad you’re cleared… I know these past few months have been frustrating.

  30. Awesome! Just like 21’s! I discovered those from a bicep move on Tuesday Trainer just a few weeks before we went to Blend. I’ve used it in my workouts a handful of times, but I can’t believe I never thought to apply it to another move besides biceps. Duh, Heather!

    Is it weird that I can’t do a lying leg curl without my back hurting? I can do the seated ones without much of a problem (I have to REALLY concentrate on pressing my lower back into the seat), but I can never do more than a few on the recumbent machine without pain. 🙁

    I used to vary my workouts a lot more than I have been lately. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve felt less motivated to workout and I think it’s due to that plateau feeling. So today I mixed things up a little…instead of splitting my arm workouts up (back & bi’s, chest and tri’s, shoulders & abs), I did bi’s, tri’s and shoulders today and I’m pretty sure it worked because I already feel a bit sore. Knowing my luck, I won’t be able to wash my hair or feed myself for the next two days! Lol

    My favorite body part to work used to be triceps. I still love to work them, but shoulders is becoming my new favorite…especially lateral raises!

    • Not weird at all! A lot of people have trouble with back doing those. Make sure your pelvis is glued to the machine. If you can’ keep your hips down, it’s too heavy. If they have it, you can always try the standing machine.

      Changing splits is a great way to shake it up. My trainer has me doing back-tri, chest-bi, shoulders-glutes, and legs.

      funny you say that about shoulders. I used to HATE it because I thought I had “football player” shoulders. then I realized it was only sculpting what I had, not making my shoulders huge. And muscular shoulders look hot in tanks tops. #sorryimnotsorry

      • SO true! And once I realized what more defined shoulders look like on your overall frame…sold!! And I totally nailed the workout…just woke up and have the best case of DOMS! Yes…the BEST…the kind where you feel sore and certain movements are like, “ohh, that feels funny” without the “Omg, I want to diiiiiiiie!” Haha!

        Yeah, I guess that machine’s just not for me…if it’s too heavy and I bump it down just one notch, I feel like I could fling the thing up and hit myself in the ass! Lol I just tried the standing machine a couple of weeks ago…looks like some kind of weird torture device, but I think I like it even better than the seated one, especially since you can focus on one leg at a time!

        • Yesssss! I should send you the shoulders I did last night. I was absolutely insane (in the membrane. insane in the brain).

          I have machines like that too. Deadlifts are another good one!

          • Oh yes, do share!! Since I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, I’ve been finding it harder to push myself so I could totally appreciate a good kick in the ass!

            Deadlifts scare me…I’m always afraid of my form…when I come visit, you should show me some tips! 😀

          • How much weight do you use when performing a deadlift? And with what weight did you start? I have no idea how to begin either… oh and do you recommend stiff legged deadlifts or with bending your legs? Sorry for the many questions but I’d love to know your take on this! 🙂

          • I’d start with a really light weight to get the form down. Keep your legs straight/stiff and your chest up. I’d suggest watching a demo video first because these are easy to get hurt doing.

  32. This made me realise that the only time I’ve done 24’s is for barbell curls (well, I usually do 21s, but a similar approach). For some reason I never thought to do them with other exercises. I am liking the idea of doing them for shoulder exercises!

  34. I do these as 21s and LOVE them, well, maybe not while I’m doing it, but it’s a great exercise! 😉

  36. Oh wow I love this! I’ve never heard of this concept! Can’t wait to give it a go! I just had a shitty workout and I’ve been having shitty workouts all week 🙁 I need to change it up!!
    P.S. I love Jamie Eason 😉 She’s kinda like a roll model to me.

  37. I used to do 21’s with bicep curls…same thinking just 7 reps. I loved them!! Great way to burn out the muscle at the end of a session. Love your tips! 🙂

  39. Forgot to add that other ways to shake up a workout are to: change the order, the organizing principle, the speed, the equipment (tube instead of machine, for example), the concentric vs eccentric time under load, the time of day, the day of the week — so many options to avoid stagnation or plateau besides just loading up more resistance. Way to go!

Trackbacks

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