Listen to Your Body When Trying a New Exercise Routine

You know the situation. You're anxious to try a new exercise or routine that you read about in a magazine or heard from a fellow gym-goer and is supposed to be the next great thing since sliced bread. It may be true and by all means try it out. But LISTEN to your body's response to the routine. What's good for the goose may not always be good for the gander. If it doesn't feel right or you don't get the expected results drop it and move on.

A case in point is today I did giant sets for back. I love performing supersets, especially for arms. I alternate a biceps and triceps exercises for each set and I always get a great workout and pump. Today I wanted to try something else for back so I stepped the superset up one level to giant sets. I usually do about 16 sets for back so I planned on doing five back exercises in the giant set with three rotations for a total of 15 sets. The five exercises in order were pull-ups, barbell rows, front pull-downs, dumbbell rows, and seated cable rows.

I was extremely excited and psyched up for this routine as I was certain that I would get a great pump and finish the workout in about half the regular time. I started out great in the first rotation with 15 strong reps for pull-ups and followed by a strong showing in the remaining four exercises of the giant set. I completed the first giant set in about five minutes. I then rested for about two minutes to get my strength back and I proceeded to start the 2nd of the three giant sets. When I started the 2nd set of pull-ups I knew I was in trouble. I struggled immensely and I was only able to complete 6 reps. My tank was already almost empty.

I completed the next two giant sets and the routine but the results were not what I had anticipated. I was so worn out and energy depleted from the intensity of doing consecutive back exercises that it was a struggle to complete the routine. My strength and endurance were both compromised resulting in a mediocre workout. The conclusion was that working back is so taxing that I never had an adequate chance to recover during the routine. Giant sets may work well for other body parts but not for me when working back.

I am glad I experimented and tried this routine. How else can I find out what works best? Remember, always try new exercises and routines to keep your attitude fresh and your muscles growing. But always remember to completely analyze the routine for best results.

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Benefits of Giant Sets as Part of Your Bodybuilding Routine

Most of you experienced weight trainers have heard of giant sets, the circuit training equivalent for bodybuilding. You perform one set and directly go to the next with minimal rest (preferably for the same body part or group of muscles) and keep going until you complete about 5 – 7 sets and finish the circuit. Perform this circuit 3 - 4 times and you've completed the workout. This method of training has numerous benefits:

1. It helps you maintain a quick pace during your workout which is an aid to cardiovascular training.
2. It cuts down on your valuable time by allowing you to complete your workout faster.
3. Giant sets break up the monotony of your routine in a quick and efficient manner.
4. It helps you attack the targeted muscle group in a new and effective way.

However there are a few precautions to note when attempting to complete a giant set workout:

1. Use a moderate weight for each exercise as the quickened pace and going directly to the next set will fatigue your muscles more rapidly.
2. Stay focused as the increased intensity and muscle fatigue of performing sets quicker may open yourself up to injury.
3. Listen to your body. Your conditioning will let you know how much time to rest you need between sets.

I suggest resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets the first time you attempt giant sets and gradually reduce it to 30 – 45 seconds as your conditioning improves.

Next time I will outline in full detail one of my favorite giant set routines.

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