If you happen to read this before training today, put one of these “finisher techniques” to use at the end of your workout to ignite more growth.

How do they work? They will:

• Maximize muscle pump
• Maximize metabolic stress levels
• Maximize muscle damage

All of these things increase protein synthesis levels (muscle growth levels). Ready to do it?

 

(1) Running The Rack (biceps)

 

Drop-setting at the end of a biceps workout is brutal! But it’s great for growth – and those of us who love pain.

“Running the rack” simply refers to going from the heavier dumbbells to the lighter dumbbells.

• After finishing your last regular set. Take 2 x heavy dumbbells and curl them – even if you can only get 1 or 2 reps.
• Then go to the next lightest weight, with virtually no rest, and go again for as many reps as you can get.
• Keep going down the rack until you can only get 2 or 3 reps with those 2.5kg dumbbells.

It will look funny at that point – but you will have stimulated some serious growth in those biceps. If you want “hyper-intense” methods for bigger arms in 7-10 days, see my Arms Blast workout.

 

(2) PUSH-UPS

 

Yep, regular push ups. just get down on the floor and get them done.

No added weight. No stopping at a certain rep number. Just get on the floor and knock out as many as you can until you can’t do any more. Great for any full-body or upper body workout.

 

(3) A “Static Hold” After Muscular Failure

 

Arthur Jones, the father of High-Intensity Training (HIT), sometimes advocated that you continue pushing against the bar for a while after reaching positive failure.

So after hitting failure, you’d simply get the weight back into a position of contraction (perhaps at the mid-point of the rep) and hold it there. See if you can hold it for 10 seconds or longer in this position.

This is the “mechanical tension” aspect of stimulating growth. Subjects of my Leg Blast experimental workout know all about this technique.

 

(4) Extended Sets (drop-sets)

 

Now in my free THT Training routine, I do not recommend you do this after every set.  The fatigue generated will mean successive sets are adversely affected i.e. you’ll be much weaker.

So try this on the last set of any given body part:

• When you reach failure, immediately grab a lighter weight and go again (yes the same exercise).
• If possible, reduce the weight and do it again.
• If possible, reduce the weight and do it again.

This is “drop-setting” with as little rest in between as possible (similar to running the rack in point 1).

The “metabolic stress” generated is huge and every muscle fiber will be recruited and begging for mercy! You can also expect some nice new gains 

 

If you’re liking these 5 finishers so far, you’ll also love these 6 techniques from the “Golden Era” of bodybuilding that I put together for you. If they were good enough for Arnold, they’re good enough for you! Enter your details below to get them immediately…

(5) Do “Omni-Contractions”

 

Every muscle has 3 levels of strength. Not just 1. They are:

1. Positive
2. Static (holding)
3. Negative

These each involve different types of contraction – concentric, static, and eccentric.

To ensure maximum intensity across all 3 levels, try this. This is not my own technique, but one I picked up from the book, The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer:

• When you reach positive failure, don’t set the weight down.
• Lower the weight a couple inches and hold there for a few seconds.
• Then lower another couple inches and hold there for a few seconds…
• Then lower another couple inches and hold there for a few seconds…
• and so on all the way to the bottom.

This is an “omni contraction” and can really trigger new gains in the worked muscle. See a video of me doing omni-contractions here.

Note: Only do this after the final set of a particular body part.

 

Hope you found this helpful, guys! Now go do them and grow!