We’ve incorporated a great training technique to our boot camp classes in the last month – pre-fatigue – and Sharks are loving the results! There are several ways to incorporate this into your training regimen.
For the upper body, set up for a regular set for either the chest or back and begin the set with a 30 second HOLD in the flexed position. If your resistance is set to the proper level, you’ll experience a bit of muscle fatigue setting in and perhaps some shaky arms. After the 30 seconds, transition immediately into your normal set of repetitions (using 12 as the benchmark here for a goal of strength and resistance). You should hit muscle failure well before the 12th repetition – probably around the 7-9 mark. Make sure you replicate the technique for the opposing set of muscles! (i.e. if you do this for chest, do it for the back next)
Now, for the lower body you do NOT want to hold the flexed position to pre-fatigue the muscles. That is an example of careless training that could easily lead to injury. Instead, to target the lower body with a pre-fatigue technique, perform a series of calisthenic exercises to fatigue those muscles before you begin a set of squats. Those could be jumping lunges, jumping squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers. running, and MANY other options. Tire out the lower body a bit and THEN begin your set of squats. Again, you should hit muscle failure well before the 12th repetition.
Train hard. Train smart. Train effectively.