For those of us who have been weight training for more than a couple of years it can often feel as if we are stuck in a rut, making minimal gains, nothing like the quick gains we experienced when first starting out in the iron game. Some people call it “hitting the wall”, or the “plateau”, whatever you call it we all will likely come face to face with an ever increasing battle to gain muscle.
This is why bodybuilding and fitness training can be a long term commitment, making slow and gradual changes to the body. Increasing intensity and switching up training methods to interchange the stimulus to the muscle is an approach many advanced trainers make in a quest to continue muscle growth.
The Tri Sets principal is a training method which is used to increased intensity and offer a different stress to the muscles to aid further adaptation. So how does it work?A Tri Set is one large set, composed of three sets of different exercises, all targeting the same muscle group.
An example would be performing ten repetitions of barbell curls, then ten repetitions of cable curls, finishing with ten repetitions of alternating dumbbell curls, with no rest between the exercises. The completion of the none-stop thirty repetitions is classed as one Tri Set.
This is a high intensity training method which is guaranteed to get the target muscle group pumped and stressed. Two or three Tri Sets can be completed, creating a sufficient high intensity workout for the target muscle group.
Examples of Tri Sets for muscle groups
Back
Seated Cable Row 8 repetitions
Underhand Pull Down 8 repetitions
Wide Grip Pull Down 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your back session. Note the high use of cables due to ease of changing resistance in case the weight has to be reduced due to fatigue.
Chest
Dumbbell Flys 10 repetitions
Dumbbell Press 8 repetitions
Chest Dips 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your chest session. Dumbbell Flys are performed at the start of the Tri Set to pre-exhaust the chest fibres before the pressing exercises.
Triceps
Cable Press Down 8 repetitions
Close Grip Bench Press 8 repetitions
Triceps Dips 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your triceps session. The press down is performed at the beginning of the Tri Set to tire the triceps directly in an isolated manner before the pressing. Add resistance to the dips if required.
Biceps
Barbell Biceps Curls 8 repetitions
Alternating Dumbbell Curls 8 repetitions
Alternating Hammer Curls 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your biceps session. The exercises implemented in this Tri Set should offer a variety of stress to the elbow flexor muscles.
Shoulders
Dumbbell Lateral Raises 8 repetitions
Military Press 8 repetitions
Upright Row 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your shoulders session. This Tri Set will successfully stress the front and side head of the deltoids, it however offers little stress to the rear deltoid head. An additional exercise which targets the rear head may be wisely performed at the end of your shoulders session for balance.
Calfs
Standing Calf Raise 15 repetitions
Seated Calf Raise 25 repetitions
Donkey Calf Raise 15 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your calf session. This Tri Set will target the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles of the calf effectively. The donkey calf raise offers a great stretch to the calfs during the latter phrase of the Tri Set when the muscles are highly pumped.
This is why bodybuilding and fitness training can be a long term commitment, making slow and gradual changes to the body. Increasing intensity and switching up training methods to interchange the stimulus to the muscle is an approach many advanced trainers make in a quest to continue muscle growth.
The Tri Sets principal is a training method which is used to increased intensity and offer a different stress to the muscles to aid further adaptation. So how does it work?A Tri Set is one large set, composed of three sets of different exercises, all targeting the same muscle group.
An example would be performing ten repetitions of barbell curls, then ten repetitions of cable curls, finishing with ten repetitions of alternating dumbbell curls, with no rest between the exercises. The completion of the none-stop thirty repetitions is classed as one Tri Set.
This is a high intensity training method which is guaranteed to get the target muscle group pumped and stressed. Two or three Tri Sets can be completed, creating a sufficient high intensity workout for the target muscle group.
Examples of Tri Sets for muscle groups
Back
Seated Cable Row 8 repetitions
Underhand Pull Down 8 repetitions
Wide Grip Pull Down 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your back session. Note the high use of cables due to ease of changing resistance in case the weight has to be reduced due to fatigue.
Chest
Dumbbell Flys 10 repetitions
Dumbbell Press 8 repetitions
Chest Dips 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your chest session. Dumbbell Flys are performed at the start of the Tri Set to pre-exhaust the chest fibres before the pressing exercises.
Triceps
Cable Press Down 8 repetitions
Close Grip Bench Press 8 repetitions
Triceps Dips 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your triceps session. The press down is performed at the beginning of the Tri Set to tire the triceps directly in an isolated manner before the pressing. Add resistance to the dips if required.
Biceps
Barbell Biceps Curls 8 repetitions
Alternating Dumbbell Curls 8 repetitions
Alternating Hammer Curls 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your biceps session. The exercises implemented in this Tri Set should offer a variety of stress to the elbow flexor muscles.
Shoulders
Dumbbell Lateral Raises 8 repetitions
Military Press 8 repetitions
Upright Row 8 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your shoulders session. This Tri Set will successfully stress the front and side head of the deltoids, it however offers little stress to the rear deltoid head. An additional exercise which targets the rear head may be wisely performed at the end of your shoulders session for balance.
Calfs
Standing Calf Raise 15 repetitions
Seated Calf Raise 25 repetitions
Donkey Calf Raise 15 repetitions
The above exercises completed back to back to compose one Tri Set. Perform between two and four of these Tri Sets for your calf session. This Tri Set will target the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles of the calf effectively. The donkey calf raise offers a great stretch to the calfs during the latter phrase of the Tri Set when the muscles are highly pumped.
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