Mega muscle overload technique: more reps with heavy weight

Bodybuilders and hard core weightlifters are constantly trying to find better ways to overload muscle during workouts. There are several definitions of muscle overload, but the best way to summarize it is that the principle of muscle overload is to push the muscles beyond their limit, reaching complete muscle depletion. This means not stopping at a certain rep count, but doing as many as you can with a lot of weight and going further. You definitely need a trusted observer for this type of training.

There are many ways to achieve muscle overload. Some commonly used techniques are negatives, drop sets, and force reps. The negatives are when you focus on the descent and take several seconds on the negative part of the movement. For example, if you were doing a barbell bench press, the negative position would start at the top of the position where your arms are straight and then you would slowly lower the weight towards your chest. Negatives are normally done on your last set or two, and the last rep or two. Droplet sets are best described as one giant set, usually two or three sets in one. You’ll do one set for as many reps as you can, decrease the weight by 20 percent, and do another set with no rest in between, then possibly repeat, decreasing the weight each time. Forced reps are having a spotter help you with a few more reps once you’ve reached failure and can’t do more on your own.

The techniques described above are great tools to help you achieve muscle overload. However, I have discovered a unique technique that has worked quite well for me. When I say discovered, keep in mind that almost every method advertised as a new technique has been said and done by someone, in some form or other. Therefore, I am not claiming that this is some magical new technique that will instantly put 10 pounds of muscle on you in two weeks or anything like that. However, I have become much stronger and have noticed that my muscles are much fuller when using this technique.

I call it the mega muscle overload technique. This method involves performing one set with heavy weight and a rep range of approximately four to six reps until muscle failure, then resting for 20-20 seconds and doing another set with the same weight. As with negatives, this is only done on your final set or the last two sets. The 20 second rest period is only done once, unlike typical drop sets where you can repeat more than once. Basically, using this technique, you will be able to do eight to 10 reps in total with a weight that you can normally only do four to six reps with. This principle allows you not only to achieve muscle overload, but also to get used to handling heavier weights. Now, there are some who believe that heavy weights are not necessary, but for most people who want to build mass, training heavy will be the ticket (and this is vital if you want to get stronger, obviously).

Here is an example of a bench press exercise that uses the mega muscle overload technique:

Set 1: 135 lbs x 15

Set 2: 185 pounds x 12

Set 3: 225 lbs X 8

Set 4: 250lbs x 6

Series 4 – Mega Muscular Overload Series:

250 pounds x 6, rest 20 seconds, 250 pounds x 3

Try the mega muscle overload technique on your first heavy compound exercise, implementing the technique on the last set as above. Your sets in a row will require a normal rest time in between, such as a minute or two. This often varies from person to person; Just remember that you are not performing an endurance event, so make sure you get enough rest to push a heavy weight for the next set. You can do this for any part of the body and most exercises, but I recommend doing it with heavy free weight exercises or Hammer Strength machines if you don’t have a spotter. Train heavy and grow!