In most beginner exercise textbooks, it’s common to prescribe multi-joint movements (e.g. squats, bench press, deadlifts, etc.) at the start of your workout, and follow with isolation-type exercises (e.g. biceps curls, leg curls, triceps extensions, etc.). However, in the 1960s, Arthur Jones suggested the opposite (an isolation exercise performed immediately before a compound exercise) and referred to it as pre-exhaustion training. The idea behind this form of training is to avoid the situation where a smaller muscle group fails before a large muscle group during a compound exercise. A simple example would involve the triceps fatiguing before the pecs in a bench press.
However, let’s take this training method to the next level.
INTRODUCING PRE- AND POST-EXHAUST TRAINING
This training method involves a giant set of three exercises and combines both pre-exhaust and post-exhaust training methods. You may be familiar with the post-exhaust training method. Basically, it involves a compound exercise followed by an isolation exercise. An example of this is a chin up paired with a straight-arm press down (to further fatigue the lats) or biceps curl (to further fatigue the guns). The idea behind this method of training is to further fatigue the major or minor muscle group involved in the compound exercise.
Causing maximal temporary exhaustion in a muscle results in more muscle damage and the accumulation of more metabolic byproducts, both of which are important in muscle building. But be careful not to overdo it with this type of training. It’s easy to over train and become stagnant, so listen to your body and maximize your recovery.
PUTTING PRE- AND POST-EXHAUST TRAINING INTO ACTION
Here are the training parameters:
- The weight you’ll use for the compound exercise will be lower than when performing the exercise by itself, so leave your ego at the door and use a lighter weight.
- Keep the breaks to a minimum between exercises and take 60-90 seconds between sets.
- The tempo of each exercise should be slow and controlled.
- Contract the muscle in question as hard as possible for one full second at the end of the range of motion.
GIANT SET 1:
a. Straight Arm Press Down (to fatigue the lats) 3×8-10 reps
b. Chin-Up 3x max
c. Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curl (to further fatigue the biceps) 3×12 reps
GIANT SET 2:
a. Flat Bench Pec Flyes (to fatigue the pecs) 3×8-10 reps
b. Barbell Bench Press 3×10 reps
c. Decline Triceps Extension (to further fatigue the triceps) 3×12 reps
GIANT SET 3:
a. Knee Extensions (to fatigue the quads) 3×8-10 reps
b. Barbell Back Squat 3×10 reps
c. Hamstring Curls on Swiss-ball (to further fatigue the hamstrings) 3×12 reps
GIANT SET 4:
a. Front Raise (to fatigue the delts) 3×8-10 reps
b. Barbell Overhead Press 3×10 reps
c. Lateral Raise (to further fatigue the delts) 3×12 reps
Jon-Erik Kawamoto, CSCS, CEP, is a Strength Coach and Fitness Writer out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. He contributes regularly to many major health and fitness magazines and websites and is currently in the middle of a master’s in exercise physiology at Memorial University. Check out more of his work at www.JKConditioning.com and follow him on Twitter at @JKConditioning.