daniellewebsterfit

Are you training hard enough!?? Now I want to pre-face this by saying, when I say training hard, I’m not specifically referring to how much weight you’re using. Heavy is going to be relative. My idea of heavy may not be your idea of heavy and vice versa. So don’t take this as me saying go pick up way heavier weights than you’re used to doing and try to pump out a bunch of reps… That could definitely lead to injury. But it’s important that you are using weights that challenge you and you are working to increase these weights overtime. This is how you build muscle, this is how you get stronger etc. If you are always using the same weights for the same amount of reps, you’re not going to make progress! Your first set should not look and feel the same as your last set. It most likely won’t be the same weight. And if you are pushing for failure, it most likely won’t be the same amount of reps. The way I program and the way I personally train entails using lighter weight sets working to a heavier set. So I begin with a lighter weight and my reps are higher and as I continue through the set, I decrease the reps and increase the weight I am using. This prepares me for my final working set which I am to take to failure or close to it. And here, I am showing what some of my last sets look like. It entails making ugly faces, the reps are not smooth, they are slower, and some of them may even be partial reps. Now there are certainly other ways you can train and make progress, but if you want to be the most efficient in the gym, I have found through my own training as well as training clients that using a method that entails decreasing the reps and increasing the weights each set working towards one hard, heavy set to failure is the most effective! I also want to mention that there are different types of failure and on some exercises, it may not be safe to go to actual failure. I have another post on this☺️ If you are interested in this way of training, four out of five of my programs entail this type of programming! All except for my powerbuilding program☺️

BOX SQUATS FOR GLUTES! I get asked about box squats for hypertrophy at times so I'll use this post to demonstrate how to use a box squat for it, and what not to do. Box squats are best used for a more glute biased squat. The reason being is because glutes don't need DEEPER squats, they need squats at the proper depth to keep the tension on them. It's become mantra in the lifting world to say "ass to grass is best" but that needs context. And for the sake of a glute biased squat, it's actually about parallel in terms of squat depth. Any deeper than that will become more adductor dominant due to the adductor magnus gaining leverage to extend the hip. So find a box height wise that your glutes will touch when you're about parallel, and then use that to find your proper glute squat depth. What you don't want to do is sit back like is commonly done on box squats, and unload both the quads and glutes and take away the stretch reflex from the glutes, since they do benefit from stretch mediated hypertrophy. Instead, use the box to gauge your depth, “tap” it and come back up! Link in bio for coaching, app subscriptions and guides!