Train Like an Athlete by ATHLEAN-X (Video Podcast)

There are definitely some workout techniques that, while effective, are not universally recommended for various reasons. In this video, I show you my 5 best workout tips and tactics that you can apply for more muscle gain if you have the workout confidence and space in your gym to get them done. I’m not holding back in this one, as I believe each of these techniques has the ability to deliver big results if you are able to do them.

I start with the issue of workout confidence however. Nobody knows what it feels like more than I do to enter a gym feeling self conscious. When I first started to train I always felt as if someone was looking at me no matter what exercise I was doing. They were looking to see if I was going the exercise wrong or if I was struggling with a weight that most people should handle rather easily.

When I started to focus more on me and not on what people were thinking of me, everything changed. In fact, I realized that most people do the exact same thing. They are focused on what they need to do and couldn’t care less what others are doing around them. Once you have this level of gym confidence to try new exercises and see how they work for your body, the restraints are lifted and the results start to go to another level.

The 5 best workout techniques that I rarely recommend are held back due to issues of equipment usage in commercial gyms and the fact that one of the exercises could make you feel self conscious if you are just a beginner. I’ll start with that one. The stuck reps used on squats is a tremendous way to bust through a plateau and take your squat strength to a new level. Instead of quitting after completing a set of back squats to failure, rest the bar on the pins and try to push it off as hard as you can. If you truly went to failure you will not be able to move the bar and this will become an overcoming isometric.

This form of static muscle contraction is great for recruiting extra motor units and overtime allowing you to get more out of the exercise when you perform it in the future.

Beyond that is the issue of taking up too much equipment in the gym. For instance, doing inverted rows requires that you use a straight bar in a squat rack (without ever doing a squat). Some people get testy about doing anything but squatting in the rack. That said, this is a great upper back and potentially explosive posterior chain exercise that really doesn’t work better anywhere else.

The same can be said about the run the rack technique for biceps. The combination of dropping the weight with minimal rest afforded by the proximity of the dumbbells to each other allows me to keep the overload coming even when the biceps have been fatigued and or taken to failure. Of course, a lot of people tend to use the dumbbells in the rack so it has to be carefully timed so that you are not obstructing others from getting their workouts in as well.

The same can be said for using two benches to perform the taps pushups or even a squat rack for squatting but doing so for 10 sets of 10, which can take up a good 20 minutes in one spot. The key is finding a way to not compromise your confidence, the effectiveness of the workout or the courtesy of others around you when you’re training.

If you are looking for a complete training program that gives you options to not just train at the gym but in the comfort and privacy of your own home as well, head to http://athleanx.com and get one of the ATHLEAN-X Training Systems. Stop holding back and instead step out of your comfort zone to realize all new gains in strength and muscle size with me coaching you every step