4 Programming Strategies to increase productivity in the gym

Time is our most valuable asset, one that cannot be reclaimed once spent. My clients and athletes, ranging from busy tech professionals in the Bay Area to firefighters in Southern California, rarely feel they have enough of it. This is largely why my clients train with me: they want to walk into the gym knowing there's a trusted plan in place, eliminating the need to think, 'What am I going to do today?'

To increase the efficiency of our training sessions and leave my athletes feeling better than when they walked in, I use multiple strategies when writing their exercise programs.

Supersets

Supersets are a fantastic way to speed up the efficiency of a training session. They involve performing exercises back-to-back that target opposite muscle groups. For example, if you're doing dumbbell bench press and rows, you'd perform a set of dumbbell press, rest briefly, then immediately move into rows. This saves time on warming-up and prevents the need to walk back and forth between equipment. The downside is that this limits how heavy you can lift due to residual fatigue, making it less ideal for pure strength. However, it's excellent for building size and conditioning.

Giant Sets

Giant sets are another fantastic loading paradigm where you aim to hit a set total number of reps in the fewest possible sets. This is best for single-joint exercises and machine-based movements where stability is higher. For example, aiming for 50 bicep curls in the fewest sets might look like 18, 14, 13, and then 7 reps if you're pushing yourself. This provides you with a ton of volume in a workout, while eliminating long rest times between sets.

Myo-Reps

Myo-reps are opposite to giant sets, but instead of aiming for the fewest sets, you perform as many sets as possible. You'd start by taking a weight you can lift for ~20-30 reps, performing 20-25 reps, then resting. Instead of your usual rest duration, you'd rest for only ~10 seconds. After this brief rest, perform another round of 5 reps, repeating until you can only manage 3 reps. Once you can only do 3 reps, you stop completely. This aims to maximize effective reps with minimal overall volume (referring to reps per set).

Effective Warm-Ups

Lastly, focus on more effective warm-ups. Put away your phone, and if you're strong, stop doing light bodyweight exercises like side planks from the knee. Instead, opt for Copenhagen planks, or if those are too challenging, a side plank with both feet on the bench and your elbow on the ground. Rather than light banded pull-aparts, grab heavier dumbbells for a controlled reverse fly or reverse dips. Tailor your warm-ups to your skill level to boost efficiency and feel better as you approach your working weights.

As mentioned, time is a valuable resource that cannot be reclaimed. Try these strategies in your next training session. Or, if you'd prefer personalized guidance, reach out to me via email at Blake@bmcmtraining.com, phone at (951)760-6322, or schedule a session through my Calendly link.