Pre-Exhaust Training

I came across a really cool article today on bodybuilding.com that I wanted to share. It talks about the effects of pre-exhaust training which combines isolated and compound training movements to maximize the efficiency of your workout and the building of your muscles. I'm a huge fan of supersetting exercises and this article provides some great examples of what to superset so you can really target the growth of your muscles. 

But before we get to those examples, what's the difference between isolated and compound movements, you say? Isolated Movements are those that primarily and specifically target one muscle area while Compound Movements are exercises that work several muscles groups at once in the process of attempting to target one. The article provides a great example... 

"Normally, say when you bench press, your triceps, deltoids and other assistance muscles will fail before your pecs. However, when you hit your pecs with an isolation movement like the flye, your pecs will then fail at the same time, or even before, those assistance muscles once you begin benching."

Mixing up your workouts to include pushing, pulling, horizontal, and vertical movements is a great way to work every part of your muscles as it tests your range of motion and the all-around strength of your muscles. For example, when working your core, doing a basic sit up is only targeting one region in one motion. For quicker and more complete results, you want to incorporate leg lifts, rotational work, planks, etc...

Check out the full article here for a weeks worth of pre-exhaust training!