ADVANCED TRAINING

TECHNIQUES
Break Training Plateaus
Overcome Sticking Points
Gain More Lean Muscle
and Get Stronger and More Powerful
ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

By Sal Di Stefano
Co-Founder of Mind Pump Media
 All content within this book is not intended as
medical diagnosis or treatment and should not
be considered a substitute for, nor does it replace
professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you have any concerns or questions or think you
have any type of medical condition, you should
always consult with a physician or other healthcare
professional before making substantial changes to
your diet. Statements referenced within this book
have not been evaluated or approved by the Food
and Drug Administration.
©2023 MAPS Fitness Products,
LLC. All rights reserved.

2 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 CONTENTS

04
CHAPTER 1:
06
CHAPTER 2:
09
CHAPTER 3:
14
CHAPTER 4:
Advanced Training – Isometric Progressive Resistance Partial
The Gateway to Gains Holds with Chains or Bands Reps

16
CHAPTER 5:
19
CHAPTER 6:
22
CHAPTER 7:
26
CHAPTER 8:
Heavy Super Slow Post-Activation Pre-Exhaust
Negatives Reps Potentiation Supersets

29
CHAPTER 9:
32
CHAPTER 10:
35
CHAPTER 11:
40
REFERENCES
Drop Sets Antagonist and Blood Flow
Agonist Supersets Occlusion Restriction

3 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 1 ADVANCED TRAINING -
THE GATEWAY TO GAINS
Chapter

“Why has my body stopped responding to my workouts?”

This is the most common question I’ve been asked by my clients over the course of my 20-
year career as a trainer.

Even after increasing the intensity of the workout with more exercises or with more sheer
willpower, your body doesn’t seem to budge. Why?

There are a number of reasons your body stops responding. One can be chalked up
to what I call “newbie gains.” They are those fast and furious gains that most of us
experience when we first start a new program.

Unfortunately, at some point (usually after 4 to 9 weeks), that progress slows down until it
comes to a grinding halt. This frustrating process is EXTREMELY common, and it is one of
the main reasons people slack off their workouts or stop training altogether.

Another reason has to do with your diet. Muscle is a very active and expensive tissue. If
you have more of it, then your body needs more calories to sustain itself. This means you
need to eat more calories and nutrients, which isn’t really an issue in modern times, but
let’s not forget the following…your body is the result of evolution, and a large part of that
evolution occurred during a time when food was scarce.

But whether we’re talking about newbie gains, diet, or something else, the common
denominator here is adaptation.

4 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

Resistance training is a stress on the body. Lifting a heavy weight with intensity causes micro tears within
your muscles (this is why you get sore). Your body heals these tears and then overcompensates with
more strength and muscle size so that the same or similar stress doesn’t cause damage again.

When your body adapts, it aims to become more RESILIENT so that it doesn’t suffer the same damage
from the same activities or actions again. It is literally protecting itself from a potential insult in the
future. This adaptation process that happens to muscles is, in essence, no different than the adaptation
processes that happen from other insults to the body. Break or damage a bone, and it first heals, and
then it gets STRONGER. Ask any osteopath;it is harder to break a bone in the same spot the second
time around.

Every person who does resistance training — from six-days-per-week hardcore bodybuilders to regular
people performing two or three-day-a-week workouts - hits a plateau at some point. So you shouldn’t
feel like your training life is ending when you hit yours. The key is to find the best way to break through.

This is where certain advanced training techniques come into play. When you add in these techniques
once or twice a week or even monthly, you re-ignite your body’s muscle development processes
in several different areas: maximal strength in formerly weak areas, muscle fiber growth, muscular
endurance, and others.

These techniques “shock your system” – a phrase used by trainers that refers to stimulating growth
and strength by changing up your workouts. When your workout routine doesn’t change on a
FUNDAMENTAL level, then your body won’t change. It’s that plain and simple.

There are 10 advanced training techniques that I’ll cover in this ebook – and how to incorporate
them into your workouts to break plateaus and obtain maximum results consistently:

Progressive
Isometric Partial Heavy
resistance with
holds repetitions negatives
chains or bands

Super slow Post-activation Pre-exhaustion

Drop sets
training potentiation training

Antagonist and Blood flow occlusion

agonist supersets restriction

You can get the results you want as long as you program some of these techniques into your routine.
Done consistently and with purpose, they lead to plateau-free results, and you’ll look and perform
even better than you have in the past. Plus, they’re a great way to change up your routine and prevent
mental boredom from creeping into your workouts.

Let’s get going!

5 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 2
Chapter ISOMETRIC HOLDS
Isometric holds are a part of isometric training, defined by Harvard Medical School like
this:

“Isometric exercises are those in which a muscle tenses but

doesn’t contract.”
Isometric exercises generate force without changing the length of the muscle. Here’s an
example: if you’ve ever played tennis, you’ve probably gripped the handle of your tennis
racket hard. You don’t move your hand, but the muscles in your hand and arm tense
to provide a force to keep the racket in place against gravity. Another example of an
isometric exercise would be if you held a weight in front of your body in a fixed position.

Sports that involve isometric muscle action include gymnastics, climbing, and wrestling.
In bodybuilding, when competitors display their poses for the judges, they are doing
isometrics. And if you’ve ever held a plank in yoga class, then you’ve also done an
isometric exercise. With a plank, you’re contracting the muscles in your core, legs, and
upper body to hold you up while remaining in the same position.

6 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

WHAT IS AN ISOMETRIC HOLD?

An isometric hold is when you maintain an exercise position for a certain period of time – usually 5 to
10 seconds - without moving. Examples include the following:

A squat with your thighs held parallel to the floor

A barbell or dumbbell bench press held midway between the top and bottom of the lift

A dumbbell fly held midway between the pathway of the move

A crunch held midway during the upward part of the exercise

An overhead barbell or dumbbell press held halfway up from the starting position

Lateral raises held half up from the starting position

A biceps curl brought halfway up to the point where your elbows form a 90-degree angle and
held there

A triceps extension brought halfway up the point where your elbows form a 90-degree angle
and held there

After the hold, you’d complete the exercise in its full range of motion.

THE BENEFITS OF ISOMETRIC HOLDS

Build Muscle
Isometric holds assist in building bigger muscles. The reason is you are increasing the time under
tension (TUT) on your muscles. Essentially, TUT refers to how long a muscle is under strain during a set.
It stimulates hypertrophy (muscle growth) because your muscle fibers are placed under greater stress,
which triggers your muscles to grow bigger and stronger. In fact, isometric holds allow you to recruit
more muscle during training—like 100 percent of your contractile tissue. No other form of strength
training can match this, according to a report published in 2001 in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Develop Strength
Isometric holds are beneficial for building strength. As noted, holds stimulate time under tension
on muscles and create force overload, which occurs as you lift as much weight as those muscles are
capable of bearing. One study found that isometric contractions assist in large and rapid increases in
strength (40 percent in 8 weeks).

Torch Body Fat

For the longest time, isometrics were considered a no-go for losing body fat. You’re not really moving
any muscles, so how could you burn fat, right? But a study published in The Journal of Applied
Research showed that isometrics are a fat-loss weapon. The participants in the study reduced their
belly fat in the first two weeks of isometric training to drop one dress or pant size; by four weeks, some
people had lost over 22 pounds in weight. They also increased their strength by 20 percent. All of this
occurred in only 7 minutes a day of isometric training while following a healthy diet but without any
drastic calorie-cutting.

7 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

Overcome Sticking Points
As you work toward improving your strength, you may notice sticking points in which you feel weaker
in one part of the exercise than in others. Sticking points can occur with many resistance training
moves, but let’s use the squat as an example.

There are parts of the squat in which you might be most vulnerable or weak, such as trying to come
out of the bottom of a squat.

If you find yourself getting caught at the bottom, perform an isometric hold at that bottom point. This
teaches your body to get strong at its weaker places.

Promote Healing and Recovery

Isometric holds are helpful if you have injuries or medical conditions that limit your movement. In
isometrics, your muscles are tensed but without moving the surrounding joints. Therefore, you can
build strength in the targeted muscle without placing too much stress on the joint.

For instance, if you injure your rotator cuff, you might consider doing isometric holds or full isometric
exercises that involve the group of muscles that helps stabilize the shoulder. This can help maintain
shoulder strength during recovery.

Medically, the Mayo Clinic recommends isometric moves for anyone who has arthritis. Arthritis can be
aggravated by using muscles to move a joint through its full range of motion. Isometric exercises help
people with arthritis improve their strength and physical function without really involving joints.

HOW OFTEN?
You can perform isometric holds in addition to your regular workout. Incorporating them into your
training sets once a week. For best results, use lighter weights when performing isometric holds.

8 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 3 PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE WITH
CHAINS OR BANDS
Chapter
Adding bands and chains to certain lifts provides a different training stimulus that will
take your strength and power to new heights. When properly applied, bands and chains
can help you break through training plateaus and sticking points and provide unique
adaptations. To decide if and how to use bands and chains in your program, let’s look at
what they do and how they work.

WHAT IS RESISTANCE WITH CHAINS OR BANDS?

Resistance training should always be challenging – and progressive (you lift heavier
poundages as you progress). However, even when you’re lifting heavy weights, some
parts of the exercise can still feel easier or a bit lighter than others. For instance, you
might notice this when you’re approaching full arm extension in the bench press or
returning to the starting position in the squat. At these movement points, the tension
typically eases as the target muscle reaches full contraction. But if you can keep constant
tension on the muscle throughout each rep, you can double down on your gains.

Chains and bands help you achieve this. One reason is that they provide variable
resistance training (VRT). VRT means the resistance you feel changes as you move through
a full range of motion on an exercise. The resistance increases as you reach the end of the
movement and decreases as you return to the starting point.

9 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Adding bands and chains to conventional barbell movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench press
is a great way to provide variable resistance. As you go through the move, the weight of the chain
feels heavier as more of the chain comes off the floor. The actual weight you’re lifting gets heavier,
too, providing maximum muscular stimulation and time under tension throughout the entire range
of motion. Your muscles, therefore, work as hard as possible during the entire lift. Only chains and
resistance bands provide this special type of variable resistance.

In short, using chains or bands works for three reasons: 1) they prolong the time under tension of an
exercise, and 2) they increase the intensity of an exercise, and 3) they provide variable resistance.

THE BENEFITS OF TRAINING WITH BANDS AND CHAINS

Improve Strength and Power
Using chains or bands with free weights (such as with a loaded barbell) has been shown in research to
build strength and power better than using free weights alone.

One of these studies compared the effectiveness of variable and constant resistance training methods
during a four-week period on maximal strength and power in trained athletes. This study recruited
24 athletes, including 16 trained males and 8 wrestlers, all in their 20s. They were initially tested on
weight, body circumference, fat percent, upper and lower body maximal strength, determined by
the 1-repetition maximum (1RM) test, which establishes the greatest amount of weight a person can
successfully lift, and upper and lower body power.

The participants were then equally randomized to either variable (using chains) or constant resistance
training groups. Both groups underwent resistance training for a four-week period that consisted of
three sessions per week.

In the variable resistance group, there was a significant increase in lower body maximal strength
compared to the constant group. The researchers suggested that chains improve strength by working
the stabilizing muscle groups required to balance the bar. (No significant differences were found in
upper body power, lower body power, and upper body maximal strength between the two groups.)

10 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Increase Muscle Size
Variable resistance with chains or bands forces you to use more fast twitch muscle fibers, known for
contracting rapidly with a lot of force and making them better suited for sports that require strength,
power, and speed. Fast-twitch muscle fibers are also larger in size than slow-twitch fibers. Chains or
bands can therefore help you increase fast-twitch muscle size, especially on single-joint exercises like
the barbell curl.

Overcome Sticking Points

As noted, in a standard lift, the amount of resistance or force required to move the bar decreases as
you work through the range of motion, but with bands and chains, it increases as you complete the
full range of motion. This forces you to push hard all the way through each rep, ultimately helping you
overcome sticking points.

Apply Extra Resistance

Chains and bands also have uses beyond applying variable resistance. They can also add extra
resistance. For example, you can drape chains around your shoulders when doing dips or chin-ups for
greater resistance.

Increase Core Stability

The core muscles surround your midsection, beginning at your lower ribcage and running down to
your pelvis. Tight, sculpted, and defined core muscles are sought after by anyone who works out
regularly.

Having a stable core is a must to prevent back pain and give you balance to help prevent falls and injuries.
Plus, a stable core keeps your spine in the safest position possible when loaded with heavy weights.

Chains can promote core stability in new ways. For example, let’s say you’re performing overhead
barbell walks with chains draped over the bar. This setup causes the chains to swing (if off the floor)
or drag (if touching the floor). This is a training impetus that forces and activates the core muscles to
stabilize more than if you just walked with a weighted barbell.

11 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 WHAT EXERCISES ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THE USE OF CHAINS AND BANDS?

Many exercises can be used with bands and chains. The benefit of this relates to the strength curve
of an exercise. An “ascending strength curve” is where an exercise feels lighter during the concentric
portion of the lift (when the muscle contracts as in upward lifting of a biceps curl). Exercises with an
ascending strength curve include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, military presses, and so forth. In
other words, the bottom of a squat is much harder than the top.

A “descending strength curve” is where an exercise feels lighter during the eccentric movement (the
lowering or negative part of a lift in which the muscle lengthens). Descending strength curve exercises
are those that create force through flexion, such as biceps curls, pull-ups, upright rows, or standing
lateral raises. Using chains in exercises that fit into this category doesn’t enhance your strength
throughout a full range of motion. Instead, they provide heavier resistance only - which can trigger
muscle growth.

HOW TO SET UP BANDS

When using bands, lower the poundage of the bar weight you’d normally use prior to adding band
tension. For example, if your max squat weight is 300 pounds, you probably won’t be able to lift 300
pounds of bar weight plus the band tension. You’d have to lower the poundage.

A couple of examples. To prepare for a squat, loop one end of the band(s) around the bottom of a
squat rack or other anchor point. Then stretch the bands to the length they will be at the top of the
range.

12 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Next, load the barbell with plates and clamp each side. Next, loop the other end of the band around
the bar fairly close to the clamp. Secure the band by looping it through itself.

Be sure you’ve set your bands up in the same way on both sides of the bar.

To prepare for a deadlift, loop a band around the center of a deadlift bar and stand on that band.
Then perform your deadlift as usual. The increased tension from the bands makes the exercise harder
toward the top. The band is loose at the bottom, so it offers little resistance. But as it gets tighter
throughout the lift, the band pulls the bar down.

You can use bands with bodyweight exercises, too. For more intense pull-ups, dips, and push-ups,
loop a band above you to help pull your body weight. Work on slowly progressing from a heavy band
to a medium band to a light band.

HOW TO SET UP CHAINS

Chains feel more like additional free weights being added to a lift rather than resistance bands
do. And compared to bands, chains are a bit easier to use and set up. Make sure that the chain links
are on the floor in the bottom position of the lift and off the floor in the top position of the lift. Some
chains are sold with collars attached so that they can be attached directly to the bar. For exercises like
dips, you can drape chains around your neck or shoulders.

HOW OFTEN?

I recommend that you use this technique with suitable exercises for one set twice a month.

13 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 4
Chapter PARTIAL REPS

Let’s say you come to the end of a set but feel like you can’t pump out any more reps –
yet you want to! The solution is to squeeze out a few “partial reps” at the end.

WHAT ARE PARTIAL REPS?

As opposed to completing a full range of motion during repetitions, partial reps are
stopped and limited to a shorter range of motion - 3/4 of the range, half of the range,
and or less. A common example is a “half squat,” in which your thighs don’t quite reach
parallel to the floor.

THE BENEFITS OF PARTIAL REPS

Increase Time under Tension

Time under tension (TUT) on the muscle is a key factor driving muscle growth. Without
tension on muscles, they have no impetus to adapt and grow. As such, it only makes
sense to apply time under tension as much as possible.

To elaborate, muscular tension is not consistent, especially when working with free
weights. When your muscles fully lengthen or contract, tension is reduced. To apply more
tension, reduce the range of motion at the beginning or end of each rep. This places
more load where it’s meant to be, leading to greater growth over time. This is what partial
reps do.

14 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Develop Greater Strength
Partial reps allow you to train through a sticking point by targeting specific areas of the muscle that still
have something left to give (even after you’ve reached failure by performing a lift through its entire
range of motion). You can continue to perform reps over a smaller range of motion, and eventually,
you’ll increase your overall muscle strength in those weaker areas and push through that sticking point.

Work around an Injury

Some literature cites partial range of motion movements as valid physical therapy in rehabilitation
settings. Joint problems are often localized to a specific area. Removing the portion of an exercise that
causes pain – by performing partial reps - may allow you to keep lifting without slowing your recovery.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN PERFORMING PARTIAL REPS

Partial reps are not equally effective with every piece of equipment. For muscular growth, they work
better with free weights because you can place the load where it can challenge the muscle the most.

Some of the best exercises for partial reps include

Lateral raise: Cut out the bottom third of the movement.

Preacher curl: Stop curling when your forearm is perpendicular to the pad.
Dumbbell fly: Lower the weights before your arms are parallel at the top.
Skull crusher: Don’t fully extend your elbow at the top of each rep.

HOW OFTEN?

Partial reps are very intense on the body. I recommend performing them for one set on each exercise
once a month.

15 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 5
Chapter HEAVY NEGATIVES
“Negatives” refer to the lowering, or eccentric, portion of a resistance training exercise,
as opposed to the concentric portion or the lifting part.

During the eccentric phase, you are lowering the resistance on each rep. Using the biceps
curl example, the eccentric movement happens while you lower the weight back down
to hip level. This portion of the movement triggers strength and muscle building. It also
strengthens your tendons and ligaments, thus decreasing your risk of injury.

The concentric happens when the muscle contracts or shortens, and is typically the lifting
portion of the exercise. Again, the simplest example of a concentric movement is the
biceps curl, in which you bring a dumbbell up from hip height to shoulder height. As the
dumbbell gets closer to your shoulder, the biceps muscle shortens, and the tension in the
muscle increases. The concentric portion of a movement helps you build strength.

Most people focus more on the concentric part of the lift than the eccentric – for
example, putting most of their effort into curling the bar upward during a biceps curl. It’s
a common misconception that the concentric part of a lift is where all the magic occurs.

However, research has shown that this is not true. More microscopic tears in muscle fibers
occur during the eccentric part of the exercise. The body then repairs and builds new
muscle fibers to support the damaged ones, thus leading to greater gains in muscle and
strength.

16 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 WHAT ARE HEAVY NEGATIVES?

Heavy negatives thus involve emphasizing the eccentric portion of a lift. They employ heavy
poundages - between 80 to 85 percent of your max. To perform heavy negatives, you lower the
weight at a count of about 5 to 7 seconds. So if you’re doing a pushup, let your body take 5 to 7
seconds to lower down to the bottom position. You’ll feel an intense burn and give your body a strong
muscle-building signal to initiate growth.

Because the weight should be heavy enough on the negatives, you may need assistance on the way
back up. So use a spotter when performing heavy negatives, particularly on large compound lifts such
as squats and bench presses.

BENEFITS OF HEAVY NEGATIVES

Build Size and Strength

Various studies indicate that heavy negatives produce greater increases in size and strength than many
other training methods. This is likely because of the higher levels of overload they place on muscles.

Reduce Fatigue
Heavy negatives result in less fatigue than is produced by a regular resistance training workout,
according to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning in 2015. Lifters who
emphasized the eccentric portion of the bench press were less prone to fatigue than when accenting
the concentric part of the exercise.

Build Bigger Biceps

Heavy negatives can help you develop more muscle mass in any lagging body part, particularly your
biceps. Maybe you’ve felt you’ve tried everything lately and don’t see any inches adding onto those
arms. Try incorporating heavy negatives. When lowering the weight, try to do it in a slow, controlled
manner. Shoot for 5 to 7 seconds, lowering to full extension. Remember that a lot of muscle damage,

17 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 and thus muscle growth, occurs in the eccentric portion of the lift – so really emphasize the eccentric
portion of your curls for greater gains.

Reduce Your Injury Risk

A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that eccentric training not
only lowered the risk of new injuries but it also reduced the risk of recurring injuries.

Fifty male professional and amateur soccer teams (942 players) were allocated to an intervention
group (461 players) or a control group (481 players). Players in the intervention group performed a 10-
week progressive eccentric training program followed by a weekly seasonal program, whereas players
in the control group followed their usual training program.

The main outcome measures were the number of overall, new, and recurrent acute hamstring injuries
during one full soccer season. At the end of the experimental period, the additional eccentric
hamstring exercises decreased the rate of overall, new, and recurrent acute hamstring injuries.

Researchers and sports specialists believe that the way eccentric training can lower injury risk is
by simply getting athletes to improve their form. Heavy negatives involve the slow, controlled
lengthening of the muscle – which is a great way to practice or relearn an exercise that you may have
previously performed incorrectly.

HOW OFTEN?

Anyone can perform heavy negatives, regardless of age, health, and physical capability. To incorporate
them into your workout:

Perform heavy negatives AFTER the main exercise. Negatives are extremely demanding on the
muscles. If you start with them, you’ll be worn out before you begin your regular exercises.

Heavy negatives require only 1 to 3 sets per workout. Each set can have around 3 reps. These
negative reps should have a controlled lowering phase that lasts between 5 and 7 seconds.

Limit heavy negatives to no more than once a month. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep
and protein afterward because of the muscle damage created by heavy negatives.

18 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 6
Chapter SUPER SLOW REPS
With a traditional resistance training exercise, you normally take 1 to 2 seconds to lift
the weight and a little longer than that to lower it. But with “super slow” training, all that
changes!

WHAT IS SUPER SLOW TRAINING?

Super slow strength training is a type of method that focuses on lifting and lowering
weights slowly and with control. Think of it as slowly grinding out reps rather than trying
to move the weight as fast as possible.

The key is to use a lighter weight than you’re used to and move at a snail’s pace, taking at
least 10 to 20 seconds to complete a single rep – concentric and eccentric portions of the
rep.

Why would you want to do this? Let’s explore what super slow strength training is and
some of the benefits you may experience from adding it to your workout routine.

THE BENEFITS OF SUPER SLOW TRAINING?

The idea behind super slow resistance training is that by lifting weights slowly, you can
better target the muscles you’re trying to work and avoid using momentum to cheat the
lift. This results in a more effective workout for your muscles and helps prevent injuries.

19 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Below are some of the specific benefits of this technique and why it might be good for you.

Perfect Your Form

Form refers to the way you position your body and the weight during an exercise. Proper form is
important in all types of exercise, from lifting to running, but it’s especially important when lifting
weights. Using proper form during lifting can help you target the right muscles. For example, squatting
with the correct form will target your glutes and quads, whereas squatting with bad form may cause
you to use your lower back muscles too much, which can lead to injury.

When you’re not focused on moving the weight quickly, you can better focus on keeping your body in
the correct position and using the right muscles. This can help you to avoid injuries and get the most
out of your workout.

Reduce Your Risk of Injury

Speaking of injuries, lifting weights slowly can help reduce your risk of sustaining one. When you lift
weights too quickly, you’re more likely to use momentum to cheat the lift, which puts a strain on your
muscles and joints.

Lifting weights slowly allows you to better control the weight and avoid using momentum, which can
help to prevent injuries.

Protect Your Joints

Lifting weights too quickly can put a lot of strain on your joints, leading to joint pain or injuries. Lifting
weights slowly helps to reduce the amount of strain on your joints, which can help to keep them
healthy.

20 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Jerky motions can also cause your joints
to move out of alignment, which can lead
to pain and stiffness. Lifting weights slowly
helps to avoid this because you gradually
move the weight through a range of motion,
which is easier on your joints.

Increase Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is the ability of your
muscles to keep working over a period of
time. When you lift weights quickly, your
muscles can only work for a short period
before they become tired. Lifting weights
slowly, on the other hand, allows your
muscles to work for a longer period, which
can help to increase muscular endurance.

Increase Strength
Research has stated that super slow strength
training can help you get stronger. In one
trial, 65 untrained men and 82 untrained
women (their average age was 53) worked
two to three times per week for eight to
10 weeks on a 13-exercise circuit routine,
performing one set of each exercise.

Participants exclusively trained using regular

speed repetitions for 8 to 12 repetitions
per set at 7 seconds each (2 seconds lifting,
1-second pause, and 4 seconds lowering)
or a super slow training protocol in which
they completed 4 to 6 repetitions per set
at 14 seconds each (10 seconds lifting and
4 seconds lowering). Super-slow training
resulted in about a 50 percent greater
increase in strength for both men and
women than regular speed training.

HOW OFTEN?

If you have an existing routine and would

like to modify it to include slow reps, and
controlled movements, incorporate a super
slow program once a week on all sets. Super
slow moves can be used on all exercises in a
routine.

21 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 7
Chapter POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION

Here’s an advanced technique that may be new to your training vocabulary: post-
activation potentiation. This refers to a short-term improvement in performance, such as
jumping, as a result of pairing it with a conditioning exercise such as a squat or deadlift.
The performance improvement is due to your muscles being placed into a “potentiated”
or “activated” state. Here’s a closer look at how it works.

WHAT IS POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION?

With this advanced training method, you perform back-to-back sets of a heavy strength
move followed by a plyometric exercise. A plyometric move is a type of training that
employs speed and force to build muscle power. These moves can include exercises
like jumping, pushups, throwing, running, and kicking. When you pair these moves, you
maximize your body’s ability to generate power and strength.

HOW POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION WORKS

To set up a PAP sequence, put together exercises with similar movement patterns like
squats and box jumps. Your body’s response to the first exercise helps you go harder and
better in the second. Example: If you employ this technique, you’ll find yourself jumping
higher, sprinting farther, or throwing longer. The reason is, performing a strength move
prior to the plyometric exercise helps your muscles generate power more effectively and
therefore boost your performance.

POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION SETS AND REPS - EXAMPLES

Make sure you’re performing exercises you know very well so that your body can focus
on generating power rather than mastering new moves. For example, if a PAP set calls for

22 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 box jumps, but you aren’t familiar with them yet, consider swapping them out with jumping lunges or
some plyometric move you’ve already learned.

Examples of PAP sets:

Squats paired with sprints, jumps, or other lower body plyometric moves
Bench press with plyometric push-ups
Deadlifts with kettle ball swings

THE BENEFITS OF POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION

When PAP is performed correctly, you can use this advanced method to help you train and perform
much more optimally for your strength or power workouts. Some specific benefits:

Enhance Power
Power is the product of both strength and speed and reflects how quickly you can exert force to
produce the desired movement. Here’s an example given by Julie Silver, MD, Chief Editor of Books,
Harvard Health Publishing: If you come to a four-lane intersection and need to cross it, you probably
have enough strength to do so. But it’s power, not just strength, that gets you across all four lanes of
traffic before the light changes and traffic starts coming at you. In another example, it’s power that
can prevent you from falling by helping you react swiftly if you start to trip or lose your balance. Post-
activation potentiation is a way to build power.

Boost Strength
With post-activation potentiation, muscles become easier to contract because they have
been previously contracted. This results in a strength and power boost for a subsequent lift.
This is why a trainer might instruct an athlete to perform a set of heavy squats, then follow this
setup immediately with box jumps. The athlete then finds it much easier to engage the muscles he or
she needs to jump higher in the air.

23 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Why is this? After you start resistance training, you’ll
quickly be able to generate more muscular force,
meaning you can push, pull, and lift more weight than
before. This is mainly because your nervous system has
become stronger. Scientists have found that gains in
strength are driven by a set of nerves that command the
muscles to become progressively stronger. So strength
isn’t just about muscle mass; we get stronger because
the neural input to our muscles increases. This is what
happens with a PAP set. The first exercise stimulates
the nerves, which then sends a message to muscles to
increase their strength for the kind of forceful action
required to jump, throw, or sprint.

Save Time
PAP saves time without sacrificing strength. For
example, designing your workout around similar
patterns and using one strength training move prior
to an explosive one can help you optimize your
performance across many different goals. You’ll save
time while being able to build strength and muscle all
at once.

SHOULD YOU EMPLOY POST-ACTIVATION

POTENTIATION?

While PAP may sound like a tool exclusively for sports,

it can absolutely be implemented into the program
of many different types of athletes and exercisers. For
example:

Explosive Athletes
Explosive athletes — whose sports require them to
generate a lot of force very quickly — use PAP perhaps
most often. Think basketball player, volleyball player,
speed skater, pitcher, any sport in which an athlete must
dash to the finish line or goal line, and others. Explosive
athletes greatly benefit from using PAP to prime their
systems.

Strength Athletes
Although classically used for explosive benefits, you
can also use PAP to improve your strength and power.
Because PAP ensures a mix between heavy lifts and
plyometrics, it works especially well for powerlifting
and Olympic lifting.

24 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Regular Gymgoers

PAP is not just geared for competitive strength or power athletes only. If you’re just looking to improve
your technique or increase some poundage on any given workout, PAP can help you train closer to
your potential no matter who you are depending on your goals and programming.

HOW OFTEN?

Start by using PAP with one strength move once a week and build up slowly from there, adding more
PAP combinations. Before you begin each session, warm up well.

Post-activation potentiation truly is one of the coolest advanced methods out there in resistance
training — and it’s not just all hype. By simply performing a heavy resistance training lift followed by an
explosive move, you can maximize your performance each time.

As long as you’re using exercises you know how to do, PAP doesn’t necessarily pose a higher risk of
injury than other advanced training methods. You can (and should) always scale your workout to your
personal strength and exercise capabilities.

25 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 8
Chapter PRE-EXHAUST SUPERSETS
Here we come to one of my favorite advanced techniques: pre-exhaust supersets. If
you’ve been constantly targeting your largest muscle groups with compound exercises
but realize that the relative strength of your assistive muscles (such as the triceps in
the bench press or the hamstrings and glutes in the squat) is lacking, then consider
incorporating “pre-exhaustion training” into your fitness program.

WHAT ARE PRE-EXHAUST SUPERSETS?

Pre-exhaust, as the name implies, is pre-fatiguing a certain muscle (like the chest, thighs,
or delts) by using an isolation or “single-joint” exercise first and then finishing with one or
two compound or “multiple-joint” movement(s).

For example, you can pre-exhaust the chest with an isolation exercise like a cable fly, then
move to a compound exercise like a bench press where the delts and triceps can now
assist.

This technique seems to go against everything you’ve always been told to do – in other
words, heavy compound exercises prior to isolation moves.

So why would you even perform pre-exhaust sets?

You’re fatiguing the main isolated muscle before moving on to your compound lift,
which incorporates other muscles. The isolated muscle will be worked hard prior to the
other muscles giving out first. This promotes muscle growth, greater strength, and better
muscular endurance.

Also, your muscles and tendons will be warmed up before you begin the bigger,
compound movements.

26 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 I have personally seen the benefits of this training technique. If clients had challenges building their
leg muscles, for example, I’d have them do pre-exhaust sets – say leg extensions first, followed by
squats. Now you’re probably wondering: by the time they get to the squats, won’t they be too tired to
lift as much?

That’s exactly my point. Pre-exhaust training forces the already-fatigued muscles to work twice as hard
on compound movements. The result: more size and strength.

Below are some examples of exercises to pair together to get you started.

27 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 You can also utilize two single joint isolation exercises followed by compound movements. This is
typically referred to as a “double-pre-exhaust.”

So basically, you’d begin with an isolation or single-joint exercise that is specific for a muscle group.
Then you’d finish off with one or two compound or multiple-joint movements that use other muscles to
lift the weight.

With pre-exhaust sets, perform at least two or three sets of 12 to 15 reps or more, depending on the
amount of weight you’re working with. Then move on to the compound exercise to finish the set.

THE BENEFITS OF PRE-EXHAUST TRAINING

Trigger Muscle Growth in Large and Small Muscles
Pre-exhaustion training doesn’t only boost muscle growth by increasing activity in the target muscle
during the compound exercise. Rather, it boosts growth in that muscle and the supporting musculature
by leveling the playing field and making sure that all of the muscles involved can be worked to fatigue.

Overcome Plateaus
Pre-exhaust supersets can be used during training plateaus. They are typically used to offset the body’s
ability to adapt to a certain exercise stimulus, such as a certain exercise and/or mode of training. Thus,
pre-exhaustion training can help you bust out of a rut—or prevent one from occurring in the first place.

Prevent Muscular Imbalances

With pre-exhaustion training, you’ll be less likely to end up with muscle imbalances as you progress
in your training. If you’ve noticed that a certain part of your body seems underdeveloped, pre-
exhaust training can help you resolve this. How so? By fatiguing a muscle before you move on to the
compound movement, you’ll be ensuring that it doesn’t get left behind.

HOW OFTEN?
Pre-exhaustion training is just like it sounds—exhausting—so only use it to target one or two muscle
groups once a week.

28 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 9
Chapter DROP SETS
Looking for yet another way to take your training up a notch? One popular approach
in resistance training is called a drop set, and you may want to consider it, especially if
muscle gain is one of your primary goals.

WHAT IS A DROP SET?

With a drop set, you focus on completing your first set until failure — or the inability to
do another repetition. Over the next few sets, you lighten the load by 10 to 30 percent
and repeat, with little to no rest in between sets. The goal is to maximize potential muscle
gain.

Let’s say you’re completing a biceps curl, and you want to do drop sets. You’d
follow this sequence:

SETS 1 TO 2. Do 6 to 8 reps. Go to failure on the first set. Decrease the poundage on the
second set and go to failure.

SET 3. Drop the poundage by 10 to 30 percent; do 10 to 12 reps.

SET 4. Drop the poundage again by 10 to 30 percent; do 12 to 15 reps.

You take little to no rest between sets. Pay attention to your form during each rep. This is
always important, but it’s especially key during a drop set when you’re working to fatigue.
This can help prevent injuries.

29 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 THE BEST EXERCISES FOR DROP SETS
Certain exercises are not the best fit for drop sets. For example, a drop set with on squats may make
you winded and keeled over before you can even finish your leg work.

That said, here is a list of exercises that are ideal for performing drop sets:

Chest fly Machine shoulder press Leg curl

Machine chest press Lateral raise Seated calf raise

Lat pulldown Leg press Curls (any variation)

Machine row Leg extension Cable press downs

THE BENEFITS OF DROP SETS

Trigger Muscle Growth
Drop sets can help you develop greater muscle mass by recruiting more muscle fibers and increasing
tension on those fibers. In fact, a 2018 study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness put
drop sets to the test. One group performed a single drop set for six weeks, while the other group
performed traditional straight sets. The drop set group displayed superior gains in muscle versus the
other group.

In addition, drop sets promote muscle gain by fully fatiguing all muscle fibers in a specific muscle.
When you train a set to failure, you’re fatiguing all of your smaller muscle fibers. By then dropping the
load and immediately asking your body to perform another set, it’s forced to recruit your larger fast-
twitch muscle fibers as well. This can promote more muscle growth than a conventional set could.

Enhance Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is defined as your muscles’ ability to exert force over and over again. In simpler
terms, it’s how many reps you can complete prior to tiring out.

One study in 9 untrained young men found that single drop set training, which was measured by
maximum repetitions at 30 percent one rep max (1RM), increased muscular endurance. This held true
even with less training time than typical resistance exercise protocols. That means that even with less
training time, drop sets can help increase your muscular endurance.

Boost Work Capacity

Work capacity is defined as your ability to perform more reps and sets in a single workout - say,
pushing through a heavy 20-rep bench press – a training situation that demands strength, muscular
endurance, and a strong cardio output. It is not the same as muscular endurance, which is a
component of work capacity.

30 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Drop sets improve work capacity because you’re forcing your muscles to work harder for a longer
period of time. Eventually, your body adapts and gets accustomed to greater intensity. This, in turn,
gives you an advantage when it comes to developing muscle because you’re primed to work out
harder.

Save Time
Drop sets are intense, especially if you do them correctly. But one big benefit is that you’ll spend less
time in the gym and still produce your desired results.

HOW OFTEN?
Although there are proven benefits to drop sets, they should not be incorporated into every set or
too frequently in your overall training regimen. When done correctly, this training approach is very
demanding on the body – which is why I recommend that drop sets be performed only once a week.
Choose one exercise per workout, one time per week, to prevent overtraining.

Also, prepare for your set by lining up your dumbbells (or a barbell and plates) within reach. This
minimizes downtime and thus maximize time under tension, or the amount of time your muscles are
continuously working. This also optimizes muscle gain and other benefits.

31 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

10 ANTAGONIST AND AGONIST
SUPERSETS
Chapter

To jumpstart your gains, many times all your body needs is a small change in your
workout program. One of the best ways to change things up is to perform “supersets.”
A superset involves performing two exercises back to back with no rest in between. Two
superset techniques I’ve used with some of my advanced clients are antagonist supersets
and agonist supersets.

WHAT ARE ANTAGONIST SUPERSETS?

Let’s start with antagonist supersets. An antagonist superset is when you pair two
exercises that work opposite muscles, and you do them one set after another set, without
resting between each set. Examples would be a chest and back superset, a biceps and
triceps superset, or a quad and hamstring superset.

When a muscle contracts, its antagonist (a muscle that does the opposite action) relaxes
in a unique way. This phenomenon is called “reciprocal inhibition.” This “relax” then
ACTIVATE signal sends a different muscle-building message to the body, and the feeling
is amazing. In fact, I almost always superset like this when working my biceps and triceps.
I do biceps curls followed by triceps pressdowns, for example.

32 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Here are examples of other antagonist supersets:
Barbell row and bench press
Overhead press and pull up
Leg curl and leg extension

THE BENEFITS OF ANTAGONIST SUPERSETS

Save Time
Supersets save time. By training two opposing muscles like chest and back – first the chest exercise,
followed immediately by the back exercise – you can always do more total work in a given time, as
opposed to performing straight sets.

Create Muscular Balance

Many people develop nagging injuries from imbalanced training. One of the less obvious benefits
of antagonist superset training is its effect on creating and maintaining muscular balance at the joint.
Antagonistic supersets force you to stay balanced in your training.

Increase Strength
Antagonist supersets are a viable method for building strength. There are a couple of reasons for this:
First, by contracting antagonistic muscle groups alternately, you can enhance motor unit recruitment.
This refers to the activation of “motor units,” which consist of one motor neuron (nerve cell) and all of
the muscle fibers it stimulates. When motor units are activated, they trigger an increase in contractile
strength in a muscle.
Second, strength development requires plenty of quality sets – which you get with these supersets.
They are more intense than pumping out traditional straight sets with a rest between sets. The working
muscles also get more time under tension – a factor that contributes not only to muscle strength but
also to muscle growth.

Burn More Calories

Research has found that this type of training increases metabolism. The reason is, it stimulates
an increase in calorie burning long after the exercise session has been completed – a state known as
excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and often referred to as the “afterburn.”

After you work out, your body needs to rebalance its hormones, replenish its fuel stores, and repair
damaged muscle to help it return to its normal state. It uses oxygen to produce energy to make all
this happen. As a result, your body continues to burn calories even after your workout is completed
because of EPOC.

WHAT ARE AGONIST SUPERSETS?

An agonist superset, on the other hand, consists of simply combining a primary muscle exercise with
an assisting muscle exercise. For instance, an agonist pairing superset could supinated grip chin-ups
and biceps curls or a dumbbell bench press followed by a dumbbell fly. In short, agonist supersets are
different as they involve performing two exercises that challenge the same muscle.

33 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 Examples of agonist supersets include:

Hack squats and leg extensions

Incline bench press and flat dumbbell fly
Seated dumbbell press and dumbbell lateral raises
Wide/overhand pull-ups and narrow/underhand pull-ups
Incline dumbbell curls and preacher curls
Close grip bench press and lying triceps extension
Leg curls and deadlifts

THE BENEFITS OF AGONIST SUPERSETS

The benefits of agonist supersets are similar to those of antagonist supersets – with a couple of
differences.

First, agonist supersets produce a dramatic pump, which is a huge factor that can increase muscle
growth. The pump helps the body create more capillaries which in turn creates large and larger pumps
and more growth. The pump also helps stretch out the fascia layer that envelops the muscles, allowing
more room for muscle growth to occur.

Second, agonist supersets do a better job of building muscular endurance.

Third, agonist supersets are a great technique for doubling down on lagging body parts and bringing
them up to speed in no time at all. With agonist supersets, you’re doing two different exercises that
work the same muscle group and then execute them back to back without taking a break. This really
challenges the lagging muscles to grow.

HOW OFTEN?
These supersets are an effective way to get a muscle-building workout done in a much faster time.
They tend to be really intense, however, and cause more muscle damage than regular sets – which is
why I recommend that they be incorporated into your workouts twice a week – one superset only per
move - for best results.

34 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

11 BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION
(OCCLUSION TRAINING)
Chapter

In medicine, occlusion is defined as “the blockage or closing off of a blood vessel.”

“Occlusion training” does this and is a scientifically proven way for you to build more
muscle WITHOUT lifting heavy weights and an almost magical way to kick-start growth in
your lagging body parts (the ones that just don’t seem to respond to traditional training
routines).

WHAT IS OCCLUSION TRAINING?

Also known as Venous Blood Flow Restriction (VBFR), occlusion training involves tying
off or “tourniquetting” your extremities (arms and legs) with a wrap, band, or cuff and
performing low-intensity exercises (20 to 30 percent of your concentric one rep max). So
basically, you’re restricting blood flow to certain areas of your body while training with
reduced poundages.

At first, this sounds strange or scary, like everything you don’t want during a workout.
But it is very safe and actually triggers a stress response that increases levels of anabolic
hormones, including growth hormone. These hormones trigger myogenic (muscle
contracting) stem cells and set off a cascade of reactions that ultimately result in muscle
growth.

35 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 With VBFR, you are intentionally placing your body under a new type of controlled stress situation.
And it does what most organisms do with exposure to intermittent stress: it responds by adapting to it.
In response, your muscles get larger and stronger than they were before.

Because blood flow is being restricted to the muscle that has been tied off, the blood is essentially
being pooled in that one area, and this then limits oxygen delivery there, which in turn takes longer to
reach muscle fatigue in the area that has been occluded.

When blood is restricted in your muscles, they get bigger – and you get a crazy pump. The theory is
that this leads to cellular swelling, which shocks the muscles into new growth (see below).

Expect this type of training to make your muscles burn like hell. They quickly become deprived of
oxygen and can’t get rid of accumulating waste materials like lactic acid.

THE BENEFITS OF VBFR

Activate Muscle Growth
Multiple studies have demonstrated that when combined with low-intensity strength training,
using VBFR can help increase muscle growth without having to use moderate-to-heavy resistance or
experiencing muscle soreness that usually accompanies high-volume, high-intensity strength training.

You can also build more muscle with less effort because you’re using lighter poundages – roughly 10
to 30 percent of the weight you’d normally lift. With VBFR, though, you can now achieve close to the
same results as if you were lifting heavy. Bottom line: With occlusion training, you use less weight while
still allowing you to achieve the same muscle gains as you would lifting heavier weights.

Increase Cell Swelling

The pressure applied on a body part through occlusion keeps blood in the muscle tissue, which can
increase the volume of cells. Sports scientists believe that the pressure of the occlusion forces more
fluids into the intracellular spaces of muscle fibers. This creates “cell swelling” (in layman’s terms, this
is the pump). There is a large body of evidence indicating that cell swelling promotes an increase in
protein synthesis, leading to muscle growth.

36 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 In short, by generating such an intense pump, inhibited with hypoxia. This, in turn, activates type
muscle cells become filled with so much blood II fibers.
that they have to grow.
Also, one important long-term adaptation of the
Activate Type II Muscle Fibers occluded state is that the type II fibers become
The “size principle of muscle activation” states capable of storing more glycogen, allowing them
that when a muscle contracts, the smaller type I to generate higher levels of force for greater
muscle fibers are recruited first, followed by the performance.
larger, type II muscle fibers (recruited for very Enhance Satellite Cell Activity
short-duration high-intensity bursts of power
Satellite cells are skeletal muscle stem cells
such as maximal and near-maximal lifts and short
that grow, maintain, and repair muscle tissue.
sprints). With VBFR, a hypoxic condition is created
They are also “multipotent,” which means
in the muscles, in which oxygen is not available.
that they can generate several other types of
This triggers the larger type II fibers to be
cells, including myocytes (cardiac muscle and
recruited – and developed - in greater numbers.
skeletal muscle cells), adipocytes (fat cells),
In addition, it appears as if the neurons and osteocytes (a type of bone cell). They are
responsible for activating type I muscle fibers are activated in response to muscle injuries.

37 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 When combined with low-intensity resistance further damage and allows you to maintain
exercise, VBFR increases satellite cells. This is muscle mass and strength as you rehab.
good news because these cells are assigned to
In fact, VBFR is widely used in the rehabilitation
repair muscle fiber damage during exercise – and,
field. It is especially helpful for post-operative
ultimately, muscle growth afterward.
recovery, chronic pain, osteoporosis (because it’s
Boost Anabolic Hormone Production safe, and it builds bone density), and extreme
Restricting the venous blood flow increases the weakness in people who need to build strength.
production of anabolic hormones, including
WRAPPING
growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth
factor, a hormone that, along with GH, helps There are various types of wraps you can use,
promote normal tissue growth and development. including pressure cuffs designed specifically
of VBFR, but any wrap will work. Some people
Studies that have compared use ace bandages or knee/elbow wraps. Others
resistance exercise protocols with or use run-of-the-mill hospital tourniquets. At Mind
without VBFR have demonstrated a significantly Pump, we like Melster Powerlifting Knee Wraps
greater systemic GH release with VBFR. with Velcro. You can purchase these wraps in the
Reduce Myostatin Mind Pump store at: mindpumpradio.com/store.

Myostatin is a protein that can prevent muscle Where to Wrap

growth – so you want to reduce it in your body. For your upper body, wrap just below your
Fortunately, you can do this with VBFR. Studies shoulder at the top of your upper arm so that
have shown that resistance exercise training the wrap is wedged into your underarms. For
with venous occlusion helps reduce myostatin your lower body, wrap just below the gluteal fold
protein concentrations. When you can lower from the back and just below the hip flexor from
these concentrations, you can optimize muscle the front. These points are “Primarily Occlusion
hypertrophy. Points.” You can wrap in other locations too,
Many resistance training experts believe that which are “Secondary Occlusion Points,” as
lowering myostatin can increase muscular shown in the diagram below. (We recommend
development, as well as mitigate aging and including the diagrams from the VBFR guide.)
improve overall health. How Tightly to Wrap
Get Lagging Body Parts into Growth Mode For both your upper and lower body, wrap to 4 to
Here’s one of the benefits we love at Mind Pump: 7 out of 10 in tightness, with 10 being as tight as
forcing stubborn body parts into a growth mode. possible.
In my case, I’ve always struggled to build my You shouldn’t feel any numbness or tingling after
calves. But I’ve made my greatest gains with applying the wrap. If you do, that means you
VBFR. I do 3 sets of VBFR at the end of my calf wrapped it too tightly. A wrap that’s too tight
workout, three times a week – and the results over-restricts blood flow and prevents blood
have been phenomenal. from pooling in the muscle, so it defeats the
Rehab Injuries purpose. When in doubt, wrap on the looser side
of the range, especially as you learn how to wrap
VBFR and very light resistance let you continue
correctly.
training any injured muscle without causing

38 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 You will know when you wrap it right if you get the best muscle pump of your life.

You can also try a more “scientific” way to tell whether you’ve wrapped correctly. It’s called the
“capillary refill test.” After wrapping, press down on the palm of your hand with one finger until your
skin turns white. If you have applied the wraps correctly, normal color will return in no more than 2
seconds.

Also, wrap both arms together. Do both legs together. Do NOT do arms AND legs together.

HOW OFTEN?
VBFR can be performed on your non-training days as a separate workout or at the tail end of your
workout on heavier lifting days.

If adding VBFR during your off days, do

3 sets per exercise

Once a day
 o more than 3 times a month, unless you are very advanced and have been training for many
N
years.

When including VBFR in your regular workouts, add them in as finishers. For example, once you’ve
completed your leg workout, add 3 sets of light occluded squats or leg extensions.

The variety of exercises you can perform with VBFR is nearly limitless. You can use free weights,
machines, resistance bands, stability balls, and even your own body weight.

The key is to use low-intensity weights, typically around 20 to 30 percent and no more than 40 percent
of your one rep max. For example, if you can curl a 100-pound barbell, choose a 20-to-30-pound
barbell for VBFR. With this weight, you’ll find that you can perform a higher number of reps the first
set, but that number will decline substantially when doing subsequent sets.

Although VBFR is safe, certain people should not use it. Hypertension, diabetes, history of stroke or
DVT, cardiac disease, active infections, pregnancy, clotting disorders, or other vascular insufficiencies
(like varicose veins) are contraindications.

For more information on VBFR, see our Mind Pump Guide to Occlusion Training, available on our
website, mindpumpmedia.com.

39 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES

 REFERENCES
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and Eccentric Contractions. Journal of Applied Physiology 91: 2628-2634.
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Term Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 58: 597-
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41 ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES