There are a lot of tried and true bodybuilding methods out there that have stood the test of time. People who are even remotely interested in bodybuilding have heard of cluster sets, drops sets and many other repetition schemes invented to shock our bodies nervous system and trigger hypertrophy. Variety is the key to muscle growth, it is always important to find new ways to shock our bodies and make it adapt. A lot of us are familiar with the 21s method usually used on biceps muscles, but nowadays bodybuilders are using an even harder variation of this workout, the 28
method.
Variety is the key
Switching up exercises and workouts is the key to always progressing when it comes to bodybuilding. We need new ways to shock our musculature system and force it to adapt to new challenges and therefore become stronger and grow. We can accomplish that by constantly changing up repetition schemes and our workout routines so our bodies have to adapt to everything we throw at them. Depending on the goal of your workout you can choose the method that suits you the best. You have your 5/3/1 method, you have Olympic lifts, and the famous 21s method.
21s method explained
Whatever the muscle group, repetition in each set are usually 8,10,12,15 while working out. Things can get boring pretty fast this way. It will also be boring for your muscles and it will limit the progress that you are making with your workouts. This is why the 21s method was invented. The drill is, grab an EZ-curl bar, then go on to perform 7 reps lifting the weight only halfway up, then do 7 reps on the bottom half portion of the lift, and then 7 full reps with the full range of motion. This method is a
sure way for muscle hypertrophy.
Enter the 28 method
The 21s method is a great way to shock your system, but after a while your body will adapt to it and this can put a halt on the muscle growth. It might be time to step up your game and try the even harder 28 method.
This method might sound simple when you first hear about it, but after you try doing it you will know why it gives great results. This exercise goes one step further than its predecessor by adding 7 more reps but in an ingenious way. After you choose the exercise and the weight start by performing 7 full range of motion repetitions of it. This is followed by a very intense portion of the exercise, your muscles are already tired and you will take it up a notch. Perform 7 slow repetitions, this goes for eccentric (down) and concentric (up) portions of the lift.
If you are not sure just how slow those should be, simply count to 5 while going up and do the same while lowering the weight. The two last portions of the exercise should be seven reps going only halfway down with the weight and seven more reps of only going halfway up, same as in the 21s method. So you will be doing seven full range of motions reps, followed by seven very slow ones, and to top it off seven at the top half of the lift and seven on the bottom part. If this doesnt make you rip your body building clothing, nothing will.
The 28 method can be aplied to any exercise you can imagine. Simply pick a muscle group you wish to work and go with three different exercises for each group. Prepare to shock your muscles with this proven bodybuilding method that will make you see all kinds of gains in the gym.
Check out this article from Elite Training, on ways to stay trim and avoid unwanted weight gain
