OnFitness Magazine - September/October 2021 - 73

73 WWW.ONFITNESSMAG.COM | VOL 22 NO 2 | 2021
GIANT SETTING
Giant sets lie at the top of the multiple-set approach to
training. Giant sets are like a pair of supersets added
together.
Giant sets evolved in the early years of
bodybuilding. As bodybuilders looked for ever more
challenging ways to work their muscles, they devised
the giant set. From supersets, they progressed to tri-sets,
and finally giant sets.
Giant sets are four different exercises performed for
one muscle group, to maximize the effort.
The trick is that there's no rest allowed between the
sets until you complete the cycle of four exercises. This
type of training is extremely demanding.
It's the heavy demand that giant sets put on your
body that makes this such a great fat-burning tool. One
set of lifting weights gets the metabolism going, but
when you multiply that by a factor of four, the results
are even more spectacular.
-
All giant sets can be very productive, but for the most
fat-burning action, it's smart to aim your exercises at the
major muscle groups, your thighs, and back. The
smaller muscle groups don't generate as much metabolic
activity, nor do they have the potential to produce as
much hormone activity.
Again, it's possible to gain some benefit from giant
sets on smaller muscle groups, such as your triceps, but
nowhere near what you can achieve by targeting the big
muscles. This is especially applicable for firing up the
fat-burning process.
A giant set involving your back and/or legs is quite
challenging. After all, it's tough enough to work these
big muscles with a single set. Giant sets elevate the
intensity; getting you into a warrior's attitude. If you
come in with a hesitant attitude, you're lost.
-
For your back, you can use any of a variety of exercises.
Here is one suggested approach. Remember, no rest
between sets until the final exercise is completed.
The deadlift, five to seven repetitions; the narrow
grip chin-up, as many repetitions as possible; the barbell
bent-over row, eight repetitions; and the one-arm
dumbbell row with a deep stretch, ten repetitions.
This routine starts with the toughest first, the
deadlift. As soon as the bar hits the ground on the final
repetition, spring right over to the chinning bar and pull
getting your chin over the bar, for as many good
repetitions as possible. Once you start to waver, get over
to the barbell and start rowing. Without any rest after,
finish out the giant set with one-arm dumbbell rows,
getting a deep stretch on the downstroke, and bring the
dumbbell high at the top of the move.
Allow a brief rest after the giant set. This means
enough time to catch your breath, about a minute. This
minute of rest will also allow you to regain strength,
your body regains roughly ninety-eight plus percent of
its strength level after a minute of rest.
How many times do you run through this giant set?
You may only be able to get through a couple initially,
but keep pushing to eventually get in at least three to
four giant sets in one workout. If your super serious
about fat burning, consider cranking it up to five sets
total.
-
Blast your legs with ten repetitions of the front squat;
ten repetitions of the hack squat; ten repetitions of leg
extensions; ending with eight more repetitions of the
hack squat. This mix of exercises features the hack
squat twice, but you get a break the second time
around, due to lower repetitions.
Why so many hack squats? They allow some
balance support, something that will come in handy in a
giant set. Your legs will most likely get a bit wobbly by
the final set.
These giant sets are a specialty routine and should
be part of a cycle approach. That means that you don't
want to make the giant set approach a permanent way
of doing business. This type of training cycle should
be brief - lasting no more than a few weeks.
However, even though it's a short cycle, it's a very
effective cycle. Z
Power clean
Standing over a barbell with your feet under it, squat and grab it with an overhand grip at
least shoulder-width apart and, without jerking, lift it off the ground by extending your hips
and knees. As the bar reaches your thighs, vigorously raise your shoulders while keeping
the weight close to your thighs. Once the bar passes mid-thigh, jump up, extending your
body, shrugging your shoulders, and pulling it up, allowing your elbows to flex outward.
Then, flexing your hips and knees into a quarter squat, pull your body under the bar,
aggressively rotating your arms around and under it, catching it on your palms in front of
your shoulders. The lift is complete when you're standing up straight. Return the bar to
your mid-thighs by bending your knees slightly, keeping a taut lower back and your trunk
close to vertical. Then drop it, and repeat.
Highintensity
workout
If
you're just starting
with exercise, it's best
to take it slow. If
you're running or
cycling, build up your
endurance for three to
four weeks before you
get into anything more
intense. That means
going at a rate where
you can easily talk
without being out of
breath. However, once
you have that base of
endurance, step up
the intensity to where
talking is difficult.
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OnFitness Magazine - September/October 2021

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