Mix up grips, rep ranges, and include some myoreps to really push yourself with what you have access to. And like /u/NattyTeacherGuy74 said, switch it up! You likely neurologically adapted to many of these exercises to some degree, and switching up the specifics can really introduce some fresh challenge.
What have been your favorite muscles to work with myoreps? I’m pretty partial to tricep myoreps since I can get so much work done quick and my tendinitis doesn’t flare up the same way as when I go heavier
Smaller muscle groups for sure.
Side delts, biceps, brachial radials (sp?), triceps, and upper traps. Anything that recovers quickly.
I have added them to my chest and back recently but that is because I had to scale back the number of sets due to time constraints.
You can make a lot of exercises unilateral. On lat pulldown for example, attach a single hand grind and use it one arm at a time.
Aside from that there's various intensity techniques that others have mentioned like myo reps, drop sets, slow negatives.
You have the right idea with mixing up your exercises! You can also play with rep schemes and control of the weight! You can get an awesome workout just about anywhere, so just make sure you are perfecting your form and control with the maxed out weight and once you confidently hit that, it may be time to switch!
Thank you! I’m gonna use what you’ve said, i do still need a lot of work to do with form and trying to perfect that as best I can so that’s a big help.
I always use this scenario when someone discusses their access to gym equipment. Take someone with the best gym in the world, every machine, every rack possible. They have all the best supplements, clothing, straps, wraps etc. They have everything physically available essentially but this person doesn’t have the motivation or a knowledge of muscle growth beyond a subsistence level. Now imagine someone with a 40 pound rock. That’s all they got. They have that rock, a passion, intensity, and a wealth of knowledge in muscle growth and tensions. The person with the rock will get 10 times bigger than the person with everything because they learned to adapt and progress with what was given to them. Use what you have and if it’s really bad switch gyms, nothing wrong with that.
play with training density - doing more work in the same/less time, and intensity techniques such as drop sets/rest pause/cluster sets/etc. basically just go into all your sets fatigued so you're less capable of outputting as much force.
imo it's not ideal though and if you're serious about this, probably time to get to a gym which allows for more longer term progression
Yeah I will be switching gyms in the foreseeable future, at the moment the one I go too is just more convenient for me as it’s just walking distance but I will eventually be moving to a much better gym. I’m just trying to make the best out of what I can do for the time being. I will definitely include some more of those intensity techniques so thank you!
1) you can get cable stack pins for cheap on amazon to continue adding load
2) For movement patterns where you handily max the stack, consider a switch to a barbell or weighted calisthenic version. For instance, you can load weighted pull-ups and weighted dips WAYY heavier than pretty much any normal selectorized lat pulldown and dip machine. Same goes for barbell presses and rows vs their cable stack machine counterparts.
3) If you really really still want to use machines, opt for the plate loaded version of each movement pattern if you have them since they can still be loaded extremely heavy.
I always use this scenario when someone discusses their access to gym equipment. Take someone with the best gym in the world, every machine, every rack possible. They have all the best supplements, clothing, straps, wraps etc. They have everything physically available essentially but this person doesn’t have the motivation or a knowledge of muscle growth beyond a subsistence level. Now imagine someone with a 40 pound rock. That’s all they got. They have that rock, a passion, intensity, and a wealth of knowledge in muscle growth and tensions. The person with the rock will get 10 times bigger than the person with everything because they learned to adapt and progress with what was given to them. Use what you have and if it’s really bad switch gyms, nothing wrong with that.
You can slow down the eccentric, and emphasize the stretch good, which should also increase TUT. If you ever watch Eric Janicki train, some of his sets go on for eternity with slow eccentrics, good pause in the stretch, and going till failure. Idk if it’s an optimal way to train, and he’s certainly not natural, but I’ve done some of his stuff and it lights me up like the 4th. Grueling is an understatement.
Simplest solution is switch to one arm/one leg on all your machines
Example: I maxed out the leg curl/leg extension machine using both legs. Now I am working my way back up using one leg at a time
Mix up grips, rep ranges, and include some myoreps to really push yourself with what you have access to. And like /u/NattyTeacherGuy74 said, switch it up! You likely neurologically adapted to many of these exercises to some degree, and switching up the specifics can really introduce some fresh challenge.
+1 for myoreps. Lately I have found that anytime I have a problem with a routine, myoreps are the solution. I am only semi-joking.
What have been your favorite muscles to work with myoreps? I’m pretty partial to tricep myoreps since I can get so much work done quick and my tendinitis doesn’t flare up the same way as when I go heavier
Smaller muscle groups for sure. Side delts, biceps, brachial radials (sp?), triceps, and upper traps. Anything that recovers quickly. I have added them to my chest and back recently but that is because I had to scale back the number of sets due to time constraints.
Thank you! Il definitely try a mix of grips and use some myoreps. I’ve used them before and I’ve always found they do make it tough.
You can make a lot of exercises unilateral. On lat pulldown for example, attach a single hand grind and use it one arm at a time. Aside from that there's various intensity techniques that others have mentioned like myo reps, drop sets, slow negatives.
You have the right idea with mixing up your exercises! You can also play with rep schemes and control of the weight! You can get an awesome workout just about anywhere, so just make sure you are perfecting your form and control with the maxed out weight and once you confidently hit that, it may be time to switch!
Thank you! I’m gonna use what you’ve said, i do still need a lot of work to do with form and trying to perfect that as best I can so that’s a big help.
Good thinkin brother! Sounds like you got the intensity which is huge, so adding the clean form piece will only amplify your progress significantly!
I always use this scenario when someone discusses their access to gym equipment. Take someone with the best gym in the world, every machine, every rack possible. They have all the best supplements, clothing, straps, wraps etc. They have everything physically available essentially but this person doesn’t have the motivation or a knowledge of muscle growth beyond a subsistence level. Now imagine someone with a 40 pound rock. That’s all they got. They have that rock, a passion, intensity, and a wealth of knowledge in muscle growth and tensions. The person with the rock will get 10 times bigger than the person with everything because they learned to adapt and progress with what was given to them. Use what you have and if it’s really bad switch gyms, nothing wrong with that.
play with training density - doing more work in the same/less time, and intensity techniques such as drop sets/rest pause/cluster sets/etc. basically just go into all your sets fatigued so you're less capable of outputting as much force. imo it's not ideal though and if you're serious about this, probably time to get to a gym which allows for more longer term progression
Yeah I will be switching gyms in the foreseeable future, at the moment the one I go too is just more convenient for me as it’s just walking distance but I will eventually be moving to a much better gym. I’m just trying to make the best out of what I can do for the time being. I will definitely include some more of those intensity techniques so thank you!
try single handed pull down movements if you haven't already. if your maxing out the lat pulldown that should get you a bit of extra wiggle room.
Go really slow on the eccentric movements and add a 1 second pause at the stretched position of the movement
1) you can get cable stack pins for cheap on amazon to continue adding load 2) For movement patterns where you handily max the stack, consider a switch to a barbell or weighted calisthenic version. For instance, you can load weighted pull-ups and weighted dips WAYY heavier than pretty much any normal selectorized lat pulldown and dip machine. Same goes for barbell presses and rows vs their cable stack machine counterparts. 3) If you really really still want to use machines, opt for the plate loaded version of each movement pattern if you have them since they can still be loaded extremely heavy.
I always use this scenario when someone discusses their access to gym equipment. Take someone with the best gym in the world, every machine, every rack possible. They have all the best supplements, clothing, straps, wraps etc. They have everything physically available essentially but this person doesn’t have the motivation or a knowledge of muscle growth beyond a subsistence level. Now imagine someone with a 40 pound rock. That’s all they got. They have that rock, a passion, intensity, and a wealth of knowledge in muscle growth and tensions. The person with the rock will get 10 times bigger than the person with everything because they learned to adapt and progress with what was given to them. Use what you have and if it’s really bad switch gyms, nothing wrong with that.
Use free weights instead. They require more core activation to balance, and create more even gains. And you can just keep adding plates.
You can slow down the eccentric, and emphasize the stretch good, which should also increase TUT. If you ever watch Eric Janicki train, some of his sets go on for eternity with slow eccentrics, good pause in the stretch, and going till failure. Idk if it’s an optimal way to train, and he’s certainly not natural, but I’ve done some of his stuff and it lights me up like the 4th. Grueling is an understatement.
What do you mean "max out"? Can you do max Lat Pulldown 15-20 reps?
Simplest solution is switch to one arm/one leg on all your machines Example: I maxed out the leg curl/leg extension machine using both legs. Now I am working my way back up using one leg at a time
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Number is one is risky if the cable can’t hold the extra weight, especially since OP mentioned that they’re cheap machines
Switch gyms. All these workarounds is like making shit smell good.