WEDNESDAY TRAINING TIP
Combine Flys with Presses
Increasing the time a muscle is placed under tension after momentary muscular failure is one training method popular with bodybuilders. Drop sets, where the weight is immediately decreased to allow for additional reps to be performed, is one such method. Another is to change resistance curves during a set. Here’s an example.
Begin by performing a set of conventional flys with your arms slightly bent for 6-8 reps. When you reach failure, don’t stop, but bend your arms more so that the improved leverage will enable you to perform 2-3 more reps. When you reach failure, again don’t stop, but recruit additional muscle groups by performing dumbbell presses for as many reps as possible. Now return the weights to the dumbbell rack and enjoy the pump!
Credit for popularizing these methods of prolonging muscle tension by changing resistance curves belongs to personal trainer Jerry Telle, who detailed many more of these methods in his rare-to-find classic Beyond 2001.
BOTTOM LINE: Prolong the time under tension by changing resistance curves intra-set. (TSS)
— Miloš Šarčev photos
