A Numbers Game |
![]() |
Want a really easy way to tweak your current training...try doing the following techniques.
Down by 5's:
Say you are working your legs and that you are hitting the leg press w/single leg. Ok, the first set done with the right leg you hit 20 reps, switch legs and hit 20 with your left leg. Now with no rest go back to your right leg and hit 15 reps, switch, press out 15 with your left leg. Do this until you get down to 5 reps per leg then rest, that is one set. :) The following example is what this would look like if you were to write it down:
Single Leg Press: (Down by 5's)
Set #1: Weight:
?? Reps: 20
Switch Reps: 20
Reps: 15 Switch Reps:
15
Reps: 10 Switch Reps:
10
Reps: 05 Switch Reps:
05
Note: I prefer to keep the same weight throughout the exercise or perhaps go up but almost never down since you are going down in the rep range with each progressive set.
This type of training can be utilized with each and every type of exercise that you can do. Also, it is NOT limited to just being "Down by 5's"...you could do down by 10's if you started out with a serious high rep range or if you are going extremely heavy. So if you hit a set of single leg press that you had to struggle to press out 16 reps then when you switch back to the first leg worked drop your rep range down to 6 just to give your muscles a little extra burn. Yet again, it's not limited to "Down by 10's because when I train shoulders I like to play a game of "Down by 1's." What I do here is start out with say 8 side lateral raises and then switch to 8 reps of front raise. Once that is complete I will go back to side lateral raises and hit 7, switch back to front raises for a set of 7 and so on until I've repped down to 1 rep per movement. As you can see this is a very simple concept to follow and burn out the muscles. All in all you can play the "Down by ?" game with any number you so choose. The following example is what it would look like on paper:
Side Lateral Superset w/Front Raise:
(Down by 1's)
Side Lateral: 8 reps
Switch Front Raise:
8 reps
"
" 7 reps
Switch "
" 7 reps
"
" 6 reps
Switch "
" 6 reps
"
" 5 reps
Switch "
" 5 reps and so on until you reach 1 rep per movement
What you may be asking yourself now is, "Why not go the route of "Up by 5's" or whatever number you choose to implement instead of "Down by 5's"?" Oh yeah, this works quite well and can be even more extreme form of training to take on. What I like to do is start out with a weight that I know I can push out for a set of about 20 to 25 fresh and my first set will be 5 reps and they will just grow from there as I switch legs or arms or whatever I'm doing. An example looks like the following:
Single Leg Press: (Up by 5's)
Set #1: Weight:
?? Reps: 05
Switch Reps: 05
Reps: 10 Switch Reps:
10
Reps: 15 Switch Reps:
15
Reps: 20 Switch Reps:
20
Ok, lets take a look at this set...how many reps is held within it? Umm, yeah, HOLY CRAP...50 per leg!!!!! Do you think your legs will be on fire as you push through it and directly after?!!! YOU BETCHOR ASS!!! :) Takes a lot of focus and determination to complete just one set and push on to whatever you have lined up next...be it another set or something totally different. Hmm, lets really twist this, and say you do a rep scheme that looks like this:
Single Leg Press: (Down
and Up by 5's)
Set #1: Weight:
?? Reps: 20
Switch Reps: 05
Reps: 15 Switch Reps:
10
Reps: 10 Switch Reps:
15
Reps: 05 Switch Reps:
20
Do you see what took place in that set? One leg started from the highest reps to the lowest and just the opposite with the other leg. Now, I have never down this before so I don't know how applicable it would be in the gym and just how functional or none functional it may be but it is something that I might try out sometime just to see what the affect will be. I know it would be a huge mind game. :)
Playing the "Down by 5's" game doesn't just have to be limited to the reps side of the house but can also be utilized with the weight that you are utilizing. What you choose to go down by or in some cases, up by, will completely depend on your current level of fitness/strength. Meaning, for many of us in the game of training, dropping by 5's is not enough, it's just to small of a drop but would fit when going up by 5's. Sometimes I will load a barbell on a bench with five 25's per side which comes out to be 295 lbs and from there I will do as many reps as possible, pull a quarter from each side and then go again until I only have one quarter left per side on the bar. Yep, it is quite the humbling experience. ;)
As you can see, this type of training has many twists and turns as does training as a whole. Never limit yourself for when you do you cease to grow and evolve into a more rounded trainer and/or trainee. Stay focused and always strive to learn something new with each and every passing day!
NOW, what can you add to this without my saying anymore than what I have? How can this be modified to be something more than what it already is? I challenge you to modify and/or add some of your own ideas into what you have just read through...share the knowledge.