Build muscle by making this simple tweak to your training program

pulse

August 16, 2017 12:52 PM

Your muscles will stay engaged every moment of every set.

two types of resistance training

In order to maximize your strength and muscle development, you need to add variety to your training program.

There are several ways to do this, including changing up your sets, reps, and rest intervals. But you can also vary the type of resistance you are using.

Pneumatic air resistance training is now becoming common in high level collegiate and professional athlete training. Just last year the New York Giants revamped their entire fitness center with pneumatic resistance machines from Keiser, the leading company in the space. We've also added several Keiser machines to our collection of gym equipment here at Men's Health.

Why is it so special? Because it keeps the resistance fixed throughout the entire range of motion. It doesn't allow for outside factors like momentum or inertia to come in to play because the air compressor is always on to ensure resistance stays constant. What this means is that there's a consistent load during the entire exercise, no matter how fast you move the weight, helping your muscles stay engaged.

Banded resistance is great because bands can be added to almost any exercise or piece of equipment to strengthen different parts of the exercise. The can be used to add resistance to make an exercise more difficult, or reversed so that exercise becomes easier. Bands also help to challenge the stability of the exercise because the resistance level is always changing though out the movement. (Don't have any resistance bands laying around? We like these from Rubberbanditz.)

So if you feel like you are at a plateau or just looking for ways to change up your training routine, try these tips in the video above.

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

Get rewards worth up to $20 when selected to participate in our exclusive focus group. Your input will help us to make informed decisions that align with your needs and preferences.

I've got feedback!

pulse