As someone who has already achieved a good level of bodybuilding, you’ve obviously put in the necessary time and effort to understand the basic principles of building muscle. Yet if you’re focused on taking your physique to new, unprecedented heights in 2024, it’s high time to explore known advanced strategies that can help you break through any limitations and drive your muscles to even greater growth and strength than you’ve attained so far.
Right now, some of the world’s top bodybuilders are using these never-before-seen methods to push their gains to new levels. We’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill compound exercises that everyone from Joe Snook in Cleveland to the dude next door does. No way. The folks at Canada Steroids Online and our trainers have come up with creative ways to angle and sequence certain exercises, better amounts of time under tension for various muscle fibers (which we’ll explain later), and different types of contractions.
Advanced use of Mechanical Drop Sets
Using mechanical drop sets strategically is a powerful way to create intense metabolic stress and stimulate growth in your muscles. The basic premise behind dropout wrestling is quite simple: you do some kind of work—like machine curling or arm extensions, for instance—at a weight that challenges you (or pushes you) until it becomes too hard to continue without compromising form; then, after taking no rest (save for the period between performances), you immediately do the same exercise with significantly reduced amounts of weight at 10-20% below what you were using previously. You keep doing this even though it may not feel like ‘the best’ thing since sliced bread, maybe especially because it doesn’t feel like that.
One advantage mechanical drop sets have over traditional forms of resistance training is their potential to anaerobically deplete muscle glycogen stores across a variety of weight levels. This means that, unlike in traditional composite forms, the muscles do not have sufficient oxygen to meet demand during those set sequences because they are working at or above maximum intensity. The human body doesn’t store energy under these high-intensity conditions for no reason: It’s what happens when you’re sprinting or lifting something heavy.
Mechanical drop sets can be a great addition to your workout routine, but you need to choose the right exercises for them. Some WORK-MAKING moves, like those using machines or linear lifts with dumbbells or weight plates, are primed for drop set mayhem.
In this context, we mean ‘quick adjustment’ situations where you can rapidly move from set to set without compromising form. My preferred protocol has two parts:
(1) do 6-8 reps (or more if needed) to get the blood pumping and warm any relevant areas; and (2) adjust by dropping approximately 10-20 percent of the weight you were using during part (1), then do either another 6-8 reps (less intense than what got done in part 1) or more reps as my body allows.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training
The bodybuilding and research world has been capturing the power of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training in recent years. BFR involves using rubber hoses or inflatable bands across the upper arms, legs, or even chest to restrict the return of blood from working muscles during resistance exercises. Arteries still bring newly oxygenated blood into these muscles as usual, but because BFR keeps all that freshly pumped blood from going back out and uses it instead to swell up the already present muscle fibres—priming them for growth—the onrushing oxygen diminishes significantly within non-capillary parts of those engaged muscles.
Research points to BFR training as a means to grow muscles, and it may just do so better than traditional high-load training. It accomplishes this with the use of lighter weights—ranging from 20 to 50 percent of an individual’s one-repetition maximum (Lixandrão et al., 2018). Why might BFR have such potential? Metabolic stress duration cell swelling; these two are probably related and could be causing increased cell-to-cell communication in the area of the exercised muscle that promotes muscle growth via various mechanisms discreetly working together.
For BFR training, you need to use specially-made cuffs or bands. Following a proper protocol is very important to ensure both safety and effectiveness. Cuff placement, pressure, and exercise selection matter — mostly because you want to make sure you’re not causing any nerve damage or raising the risk of blood clots.
Loosening the cuffs lets your blood flow back through; tightening them cuts off circulation in your extremity and makes it happen at an ‘extreme’ level that goes well past anything achieved with ischemic exercises like leg raises performed while hanging upside down (and those actually are dangerous if done wrong).
Advanced Myofascial Release Techniques
The art and science of myofascial release move into the ‘zone’ where muscles ‘let go’ of tension, knots, and pain. This is a clinical-grade stretch that could rival any get-rid-of-back-pain stretches you’ve heard of. But these long strokes with the stick take practice—and the short side of this equation has got to be applied consistently in order to arrive at an unrivalled muscle-building experience, freed from scar tissue that Kodi Ráfico models for us with his xanthoma (gristly growth).
An innovative method is the use of trigger point balls or massage balls. These small and dense balls are far superior to foam rollers in allowing you to pinpoint precise areas of tension within the muscle. Trigger points, or knots occur when some part of a muscle contracts over an abnormal number of times—such as during repetitive movements that don’t fully lengthen the involved muscles.
Using a golf ball or similar desk ball can be effective for ‘releasing’ tension in these trouble spots because they’re quite hard and plump enough to provide deep pressure on the skin while also indenting sufficiently into the subcutaneous tissues nearby (i.e., those pesky layers of fat just beneath the human skin that always seem to be happy to absorb massaged krill oils).
An advanced tool for myofascial release is the percussion therapy device, like the Theragun or Hypervolt. These gadgets deliver rapid force to vibrate deep into the muscle tissue, which can help promote relaxation and a decent increase in blood flow. According to research, using such devices can be an effective method not just for reducing immense amounts of muscle soreness but also for enhancing one’s range of motion (Konrad et al., 2020).
To incorporate advanced myofascial release techniques into your routine, spend 10-15 minutes per day targeting specific muscle groups that feel tight or restricted. Use trigger point balls to apply pressure to tender areas, holding for 30-60 seconds or until you feel a release. For percussion therapy, follow the device’s instructions for proper use and avoid applying excessive pressure to bony prominences or sensitive areas.
Periodization with High-Frequency Training
The art of periodization is manipulating training variables—mostly volume and intensity, with a nod to frequency—to keep the body more or less constantly in an adaptive state. By doing so, bodybuilders can achieve maximum muscle growth for their dollar (or near-dough return) because they stay in “growth mode” relatively continuously.
Periodizing lets you get two for one: You go away refreshed and relatively light, at a time when renewed rest and recovery have you poised to grow some serious lean mass back up at the next set of routines; simultaneously, doing so enables your also-resting body parts to join the muscle growth party when it’s their turn.
One way to do high-intensity interval training is to perform a full-body workout or work on two extremities (upper and lower, for example) four times per week. So, you’d do something like the following: Work in your major muscle groups at near-maximum intensity using only 1-2 exercises; do 3-4 sets. Cover all those bases 4 times that week, taking 48 to 72 hours between full-scale performances of the entire body (as opposed to working just half of it).
Nutrient Timing Optimization
The idea that the body has a limited ‘anabolic window’ of about an hour after you work out, during which protein is essential for growth and repair, has been somewhat discredited. However, it is still important to consider when you take in nutrients. The timing nourishes not only your body but also your muscles specifically. So if you are no longer as young as you once were—anytime past 25, actually—it is inevitable that your testosterone production will decline. This is where you can safely incorporate Testosterone boosters using either natural or synthetic means.
On page 373 of their book ‘Exercising Without Stress,’ Douglas S. Whiteaker et al. write the following: Islands of nutrition support newly sprouted precursors at every turn during exercise so muscle needs energy from digesting a post-workout meal—while taking up oxygen (aerobic)—and/or from muscular contractions (anaerobically).
Optimize Your Protein Timing
This is another way to look at the old carbo-loading concept that depends on it for athletic performance, says Samson. He bases this recommendation on the scientific notion that consuming 0.4-0.55 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight consumed in multiple meals throughout the day and spaced out evenly not only helps keep a steady supply of amino acids waiting to be absorbed but also enables muscle building, especially when done in conjunction with resistance training.
Key Takeaway
The cutting-edge techniques presented here will help you move to the next level of bodybuilding and give you the push needed not only to maintain muscle mass but also to gain even more, especially in 2024.
With these five advanced methods—mechanical drop sets, blood flow restriction training, myofascial release taken to new heights, high-frequency periodization of training, and nutrient timing that takes into account entries as well as exits—your muscles will be challenged like never before.
These are not just “cool techniques” or things Controllers can use without first having an understanding of proper form and consistency. It’s always a good idea to seek the expertise of a qualified coach or sports nutritionist before putting new strategies into practice. This ensures the techniques you’re using are safe, effective, and appropriate for your individual situation and goals.
