Tag: strength training
SARMS FOR SALE
SARMS for Sale: Unlocking the Potential of Ostarine MK-2866, Cardarine, and RAD-140 by SARM Sciences When it comes to SARMS (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators), SARM Sciences stands as a trusted brand offering high-quality products. In this article, we will explore the benefits of three popular SARMS sold by SARM Sciences: Ostarine MK-2866, Cardarine, and RAD-140….
How to Burn 1000 Calories A Day
Burning 1000 calories might sound like a lofty goal, but most people burn 1000 calories every day even if they don’t exercise.
Your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, is the number of calories you burn at rest in 24 hours, and it’s probably higher than 1000 calories. Your BMR is the energy your body uses just to keep functioning.
For example, a 180-pound, 30-year-old man has an estimated BMR of 1814 calories per day, and a 135-pound, 40-year-old woman has a BMR of 1267 calories. Some people may have a BMR of less than 1000, but they tend to be elderly or very small/light.
So, for most folk, it’s actually quite hard NOT to burn at least 1000 calories per day!
So, the real question, and what you probably want to know, is how to burn an EXTRA 1000 calories per day. This increased calorie expenditure could help you lose weight faster.
In this article, we explain why and how to burn 1000 extra calories per day and discuss whether such a challenge is healthy or even necessary.
The main, if not the only, reason to try and burn 1000 extra calories per day is to create a calorie deficit to lose weight and body fat. It’s only by creating a deficit that your force your body to use fat for fuel. No deficit means your body has no reason to use stored fat for energy. Hence, a calorie deficit is critical for fat loss and lowering your body fat percentage.
One pound of excess fat is said to contain 3,500 calories. So, in theory, burning an extra 1000 calories per day means you should lose just under a pound in three days or a little over two pounds per week, which is a good rate of weight loss.
However, for burning 1000 calories to lead to significant weight loss, your calorie intake must match the number of calories needed to maintain your current weight. Otherwise, even burning an additional 1000 calories per day may not help you lose weight.
So, for example, if it takes 2,000 calories to maintain your weight, but you eat 3,000 and burn 1000 through exercise and general physical activity, your weight will remain relatively unchanged.
Use this calculator to determine your maintenance calorie intake, also known as your TDEE or total daily energy expenditure.
It’s also important to note that there is nothing magical or significant about burning 1000 calories. For example, you can achieve weight loss by burning considerably fewer than 1000 calories. However, 600 or 800 don’t make sure a good article headline!
Related: How Many Calories To Eat Per Day Calculator
Burning 1000 extra calories will be easier for some people than others. For example, very fit individuals will be able to burn that much energy in a single workout. In contrast, others will probably need several hours and even all day.
Factors that affect your rate of calorie expenditure include:
Age – younger people tend to have a higher hourly caloric expenditure than older people. Metabolism tends to decrease with age, especially from the sixth decade onward.
Weight – the heavier you are, the more calories you burn per hour. This is true for both fat and muscle weight. Body mass has a significant impact on caloric expenditure.
Gender – men are generally heavier and more muscular than women, so they can potentially burn more calories per hour.
Fitness – the fitter you are, the harder and longer you can exercise, and the more calories you can burn. For example, a competitive runner who can cover 10 miles in one hour can expect to burn close to 1000 calories in a single workout. However, such a feat is well beyond the fitness of a recreational jogger.
Lifestyle – being sedentary, e.g., working in an office, makes it much harder to burn 1000 extra calories compared to someone with a physically demanding job, e.g., manual laborer. The more sedentary you are, the more you’ll have to rely on exercise to burn those surplus calories.
Consistency – while burning 1000 calories could help you lose weight, it’ll only work on the days you actually do it. For example, if you burn an extra 1000 calories per day for a week, you can expect to lose a little over two pounds. But, if you only manage this goal twice a week, you may not even lose one.
Unfortunately, burning an extra 1000 calories can be quite challenging, and doing it every day could be exhausting.
10 Examples of How to Burn 1000 Calories A Day
So, you want to burn 1000 extra calories per day to lose weight faster? Here are some of the ways you can do it. However, you must understand that these are estimates only, and your precise caloric expenditure will depend on your weight, age, gender, etc. Check out our library of calorie calculators to see how much energy different workouts use.
Running
Running burns an average of 10-15 calories per mile, depending on how fast you run plus the other factors discussed in the previous session. The great thing about running is that it’s cheap and readily accessible. All you need is a suitable pair of shoes and someone to run.
That said, running is a high-impact activity, and doing too much, especially on asphalt roads, can cause injuries. As such, it may be impractical to burn 1000 calories every day by running.
Here’s a rough guide to the time you’d need to run at various speeds to burn 1,000 calories:
Speed
100-lb. person
150-lb. person
200-lb. person
5 miles per hour
2.8 hours
1.8 hours
1.4 hours
6 miles per hour
2.2 hours
1.5 hours
1.1 hours
7 miles per hour
1.9 hours
1.3 hours
1 hour
8 miles per hour
1.6 hours
1.1 hours
0.8 hours
10 miles per hour
1.4 hours
0.9 hours
0.7 hours
Related: Discover how many calories you will burn during a run with this calculator.
Cycling
Cycling is a low-impact activity, so it’s more joint-friendly than running. However, calorie expenditure is generally lower for cycling than for running, so you’ll need to put in a longer workout to burn 1000 calories. Plus, you’ll also need access to a suitable bike.
Here’s a chart showing how long you’d need to cycle at various speeds to burn 1,000 calories:
Speed
100-lb. person
150-lb. person
200-lb. person
5.5 miles per hour
5.5 hours
3.7 hours
2.8 hours
12–13 miles per hour
2.8 hours
1.8 hours
1.4 hours
16–19 miles per hour
1.8 hours
1.2 hours
0.9 hours
Related: How many calories can you burn during a bike ride? Use this calculator to find out!
Walking
Your calorie expenditure while walking is very low. However, because walking is easy, you can do a lot of it. It’s entirely possible to spend all day walking, covering many miles. The easiest way to track how far you’ve walked is by counting steps.
It’s generally accepted that walking 1000 steps burns around 30-40 calories, so you’ll need to clock up about 25,000 per day to burn 1000 calories. However, the actual number of steps you need to do to burn 1000 calories will depend on your height/stride length.
Related: Use this calculator to determine how far you’ll need to walk to burn 1000 calories.
Rowing
Rowing is a great full-body workout that’s also low-impact, so it’s relatively easy on your joints. Most gyms have rowing machines, and they’re also suitable for home use. You can also row outdoors, although this is a tricky skill to learn without a coach on hand to tell you what to do. Plus, you’ll also need a suitable boat.
There are lots of different workouts you can do on a rower, from ultra-intense Tabata intervals to time trials to easy-paced training, and they’re all great calorie burners.
Rowing for 100 minutes at a moderate pace should burn close to 1000 calories.
Related: Find out how many calories you can burn by rowing here.
CrossFit
A lot of CrossFitters are convinced they can burn over 1000 calories an hour. Unfortunately, this is not usually true. While many CrossFit exercises and workouts have a very high energy cost, they’re too intense to do for more than a few minutes at a time.
As such, you’ll probably spend as much time resting as you do working out when you do CrossFit. Most CrossFit workouts are completed in 10-30 minutes. Needless to say, this will significantly lower your hourly calorie expenditure.
That said, if you can stomach it, doing CrossFit for two non-stop hours will burn about 1000 calories.
Related: See how many calories you can burn doing CrossFit with our easy-to-use calculator.
Swimming
Swimming is arguably one of the best full-body exercises you can do. The water supports your weight, so it’s completely non-impact and very easy on your joints. Whether you do laps in a pool or swim in the sea or a lake, swimming is not just a good workout but is also a life-saving skill.
On the downside, you’ll have to swim fast or far to burn 1000 calories, and some strokes use more energy than others. That said, swimming freestyle for three miles in about 90 minutes should burn 1000 calories.
Related: Use this calculator to estimate how long you’ll need to swim to burn 1000 calories.
Strength training
While cardio is most people’s go-to calorie-burning workout, lifting weights can also be effective. However, like CrossFit, strength training involves as much resting as it does working out, which limits how many calories you can burn. Maximize your caloric intake by focusing on freeweight compound exercises, as they tend to burn the most calories.
Two hours of intense strength training, including calisthenics or bodyweight exercises, should burn about 1000 calories.
Related: Use this calculator to determine more accurately how many calories you can burn lifting weights.
Zumba
Zumba is a dance-based cardio workout that many people enjoy. It involves a mix of high and low-impact movements performed to different styles of music. Like any group exercise class, it’s up to you how hard you work, and it’s possible to cruise and take it easy or go for it and work really hard.
That said, the average person will need to Zumba non-stop for one and three-quarter hours to burn 1000 calories.
Related: Find out how many calories you burn during Zumba here.
Gardening
Gardening might seem like an odd choice of calorie-burning activity, but, like general household chores, it can be pretty energetic. Light digging, planting, trimming, mowing, and carrying all use big muscle groups and plenty of energy. Gardening might not feel like a workout, but it does burn plenty of calories.
The average person will burn 1000 calories during three hours of general gardening.
Related: Discover how many calories you burn while gardening here.
Shopping
Some people LOVE to shop! They enjoy trawling around stores in hunt of bargains or the latest fashions. Invariably, this pursuit involves a lot of walking and a fair bit of carrying, too.
Providing you don’t stop at every coffee shop you come to for a muffin and a cappuccino, it’ll take five hours of shopping to burn an extra 1000 calories.
Related: Find out how many calories you can burn by shopping here.
Contrary to what many influencers and fitness personalities might have you believe, you don’t need to burn 1000 extra calories a day to lose weight. In fact, for many people, doing this on a regular basis may be impractical or even unhealthy.
After all, burning 1000 calories takes a lot of time and effort, and doing it every day could become exhausting. Too much exercise with too few rest days is a recipe for overtraining. This chronic condition can cause aches, pains, and even immune system impairment.
So, instead of trying to burn 1000 extra calories per day, most people find it more practical to eat less AND expend a more moderate number of calories. In studies, combining dietary interventions with exercise has been shown to be more effective for weight loss than diet or exercise alone (1).
For example, instead of creating your 1000-calorie deficit by running for 90 minutes, you could cut 500 calories from your caloric intake, and burn 500 through more modest exercise. The total deficit would be the same, but you’d be less reliant on training to achieve it.
Doing 1000-calorie workouts might make for entertaining social media posts, but for most people, they are impractical and unsustainable.
Also, a 1000-calorie deficit is pretty big, and while it will result in significant weight loss, it may be too large to sustain long-term. In fact, most experts suggest a 500-calorie-per-day deficit, which should be more manageable. So while weight loss will be slower, you won’t have to work as hard, so the chances of quitting are lower.
Exhaustive workouts and extreme diets are usually tough to stick to, even though they can produce rapid weight loss. It doesn’t matter how effective a diet or exercise program is; if you can’t maintain it for as long as it takes to reach your target weight, it’s pretty much useless.
Sustainable diet and workout habits are the best way to lose weight and keep it off.
How to Burn 1000 Calories A Day – FAQs
Do you have a question about burning 1000 calories extra per day or weight and fat loss in general? No problem, because we’ve got the answers!
1. Can I burn 1000 calories in a single workout?
It is entirely possible to burn 1000 calories in a single workout. However, you’ll have to train very hard or for a long time to do it. For example, you can burn 1000 calories by running ten miles, doing two hours of CrossFit, or rowing at a moderate pace for 100 minutes.
However, unless you are a fit, experienced exerciser, you probably won’t be able to do this every day, and any missed workouts will mean no calorie deficit, which could delay weight loss.
For this reason, it’s usually best to combine exercise with a reduced-calorie diet.
Your body burns calories constantly, and most people expend 1000-1500 per day just to stay alive. That said, the more you move, the more calories you burn. As such, you can burn an additional 1000 calories simply by being more active each day.
For most people, this is more manageable and sustainable than doing 1000 calories of exercise. For example, the following activities should take you close to burning 1000 extra calories per day:
Activity
Duration
Calories burned (male)
Calories burned (female)
Cleaning gutters
30 minutes
174–249
108–198
Cleaning or sweeping
1 hour
156–228
126–80
Moderate walking
60 minutes
348–498
276–396
Shoveling snow
30 minutes
183–264
147–210
Washing dishes
30 minutes
87–126
69–90
Total
3.5 hours
948–1,365
726–1,074
Burning 1000 extra calories could help you lose weight, but it might not. It all depends on your diet. For example, if you need to eat 2,000 calories to sustain your weight but eat 3,500, burning 1000 calories will mean you still have a calorie surplus, so you’ll actually gain weight instead of losing it despite your workouts.
However, suppose you lower your food intake to 2,500 and burn an extra 1000 calories. In that case, you’ll create a daily deficit of 500 calories, which should lead to one pound of weight loss per week.
Exercising off 1000 calories is no guarantee of weight loss.
4. What is the highest number of calories burned in one day?
Studies suggest that the maximum number of calories an average human can burn in 24 hours is equal to 4-5 times their Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR (2). So, if your BMR is 1200 calories, your maximum theoretical daily energy expenditure will fall between 4800 and 6000 calories.
Of course, in extreme athletic events, the participants can burn vast amounts of calories. However, such fitness feats are far beyond most recreational exercises’ reach. For example, ultra-runners can burn 8000-13,000 calories running 100km (62.5 miles), and endurance cyclists can burn 14,000 during a 24-hour bike race.
This is why nutrition is a such a critical part of endurance sports and why athletes still lose weight during very long events despite eating many thousands of calories. It’s almost impossible to consume 10,000 or more calories when running or cycling huge distances.
5. What is the best workout for weight loss?
All types of exercise increase your caloric expenditure, so in theory, any workout can help you lose weight. That said, some workouts burn more calories than others. Caloric expenditure is usually higher when you work out at a high intensity level or for a long time.
This means there is no single best workout for weight loss, and there are lots of options to choose from. Some of the best calorie-burning include:
Ultimately, the best fat loss workout is one you enjoy, can do frequently, and that you can do for long enough to burn the requisite number of calories in a reasonable timeframe.
6. What is the best fat-loss diet?
The best diet for fat loss is the one you can stick to. Not for a week or a month, but for as long as it takes to reach your goal weight or body fat percentage. Unfortunately, some diets are either too strict or too boring for long-term use.
The main thing to look for in a fat-loss diet is that they provide a modest calorie deficit, and you enjoy the foods you’ll be eating. No deficit means no fat loss, and unpleasant foods mean you have a readymade excuse to quit your diet once your initial motivation wears off.
In fact, you may not even need to follow a regimented diet, and can lose fat just by controlling the size of your portions.
Combined with a sensible and sustainable workout regimen, eating less than your maintenance level of calories should result in fat loss.
Closing Thoughts
Burning an extra 1000 calories is entirely possible and may help you lose weight. You can burn these calories through exercise, general physical activity, or a combination of these two things. However, if you eat less, you may not need burn an additional 1000 calories each day. After all, you can create a caloric deficit just through dieting. However, most studies suggest that the combination of diet AND exercise work best.
The bottom line is that developing sustainable eating and exercise habits is almost always the best strategy for long-term weight loss and health. Focusing just on burning 1000 calories means you may be missing the big picture. And, if you are eating too much, even a 1000-calorie workout won’t help you lose weight.
References:
Joseph G, Arviv-Eliashiv R, Tesler R. A comparison of diet versus diet + exercise programs for health improvement in middle-aged, overweight women. Womens Health (Lond). 2020 Jan-Dec;16:1745506520932372. doi: 10.1177/1745506520932372. PMID: 32597335; PMCID: PMC7325539. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7325539/
Thurber C, Dugas LR, Ocobock C, Carlson B, Speakman JR, Pontzer H. Extreme events reveal an alimentary limit on sustained maximal human energy expenditure. Sci Adv. 2019 Jun 5;5(6):eaaw0341. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw0341. PMID: 31183404; PMCID: PMC6551185. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6551185/
Master the Art of Cluster Sets: Boost Your Workouts and Unlock Your True Potential!
The set is the basis of everything you do in the gym. It comprises a certain number of reps, after which you rest briefly before moving on to your next set. But, just as there’s more than one way to skin a cat, there are several ways to structure your sets. If your goal is to lift as heavy as possible and turn up the intensity, then you need to know about cluster sets.
Cluster sets are an advanced training technique, but there is some confusion surrounding them. Some people confuse them with rest-pause training, while others mix them up with drop sets. In this article, we’ll clear up the confusion as we explain exactly what cluster sets are, why they’re a good technique for increasing strength and muscle, and how you can program them into your routine.
What are Cluster Sets?
Cluster sets are like a series of mini-sets within a larger set. You do a certain number of reps, then rest for a few seconds before doing the next cluster of reps. Typically, a cluster set will consist of three or four of these mini-sets. Cluster sets are considered an inter-set form of training.
Cluster set training is popular among powerlifters and other strength athletes. There is a large body of research investigating its benefits to enhance strength and power. That research tells us that different forms of cluster training are more beneficial for different outcomes.
There are three primary reasons that you would include cluster set training in your routine:
Strength
Power
Hypertrophy
When it comes to power training, the goal is to develop explosiveness. You should use a reduced weight that is 40 to 65% of your one-rep max. The focus will be on completing three to five clean, explosive reps. You then rest for around 20 seconds before completing the same number of reps again. You will usually complete three of these many sets while focusing on maintaining excellent form and producing as much explosive power as possible.
Power training cluster sets aim to train for power rather than exhausting your muscle fibers. This type of training has also been shown to improve the neurological pathways between your muscles and brain.
Cluster sets for strength training should see you working with between 80 and 90% of your one-rep max. So you might take a weight that you can perform four reps on and do two reps. You then rest for around 30 seconds and then do two more. If you did this for a total of four mini-sets of two reps each, you would end up doing eight reps within that cluster set. That represents double the volume and a substantially increased amount of intensity compared to if you were to just do a traditional set of four reps.
When it comes to hypertrophy, cluster sets are an excellent intensity-enhancing tool. That is because it allows you to train with heavier weights than you could usually do to complete the set. It also increases your time under tension. But unlike traditional sets, where it’s usually only the last two or three reps that could be described as high threshold time under tension, with cluster sets, every rep is a high threshold time under tension rep.
Finally, cluster sets allow you to achieve muscle overload. For example, you might choose a weight with which you could normally do eight reps and perform a cluster set of six, four, and three-rep mini sets. That’s a total of 13 reps — five more than you previously would have done.
Cluster Set Research
The vast majority of the research into cluster sets focuses on strength and power training. This research highlights five key benefits of cluster set training.
Rep Quality
According to some research, cluster set training improves the technical precision of each rep within the cluster set. That makes sense because, unlike with straight-set training, there is no fatigue accumulation to impair performance on the last few reps. Doing a technically demanding exercise like the clean and jerk or snatch using the standard high rep approach can lead to form breakdown. However, when you’re only doing a couple of reps and then having a short rest, you are far more likely to maintain correct form. [1]
Greater Power Output
Research suggests cluster sets can result in greater power output on each rep than straight-set training. Again that’s because there is less accumulated fatigue going into each new rep. Greater power output means more explosiveness in sports like basketball, football, and powerlifting. [2]
Reduced Inter-Set Fatigue
Cluster set training, when done in power training and strength training style, will reduce the cumulative fatigue effect from set to set and exercise to exercise. This is beneficial when you want to move to a new exercise fresh and relatively unaffected from the previous exercise. That is what you want when you are training for power and strength. With hypertrophy training, of course, your goal is the opposite — you want to increasingly fatigue the muscle as the workout progresses. [3]
Power Endurance
A 2008 study showed that cluster set training could help develop power endurance very effectively. This type of muscular endurance is needed by cyclists, soccer players, and people who play racquet sports. [4]
Increased Strength and Power
Cluster sets have been shown to produce superior results than traditional straight sets in terms of power and strength gains. In a 2013 study, 22 men were assigned to either a cluster set or a traditional set training protocol. Each group followed a 12-week training program. At the end of the study, the cluster set group showed significantly greater improvement in the bench press, vertical jump, and squat. However, the two groups had no significant difference in lean mass gains. [5]
What a Hypertrophy Cluster Set Looks Like
When using cluster set training as part of your muscle-building routine, you should select a weight that allows you to perform eight reps if you were lifting in traditional set form. On the first set, perform six reps, even though you know you could do a couple more.
Now rest for exactly 20 seconds. During that rest period, put the weight down and let go of the bar.
On the next mini-set, leave one rep in the tank. So, if you know that you can get five reps, stop after the fourth rep. Rest for another 20 seconds, then go to failure, which will probably be around three or four reps.
You can also experiment with higher starting reps. So you might begin with the weight you can do for 12 reps. In this case, you perform ten reps, rest for 20 seconds, then do your next mini-set, stopping with one rep in reserve. In the final mini-set, you go to failure.
What Exercises Should You Use for Cluster Set Training?
The exercises you choose for cluster set training will depend on your objective. If you’re using it for power or strength training, compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are ideal. With this type of training, you’re using 50 to 65% of your one-rep max. That means your risk of injury due to muscular failure and form breakdown is relatively low.
However, when using cluster sets for hypertrophy training, your muscular fatigue goes through the roof. That increases the likelihood that you will fail on the last rep or two of the cluster set. You want to avoid that from happening when using maximum weights on compound movements like the squat or bench press. For that reason, you should select exercises that are relatively safe if you fail on a rep.
So, rather than doing a cluster set on squats when training quads, do it on the leg press. If you fail on the last rep of a leg press, you won’t injure yourself the way you could on a squat. Similarly, when training the chest, you are better off using dumbbells or a chest press machine than a barbell. All those options will allow you to bail out of a rep without ending up with 90% of your one-rep max crushing down on your rib cage.
What an Explosive Power Cluster Set Looks Like
When using cluster sets for explosive power development, you should reduce the weight to about 50-65% of your one-rep max. Compared to hypertrophy or strength training, your reps will be relatively high.
For example, if you were doing squats, you might choose a weight with which you can do 10 quality reps. Perform five clean reps, concentrating on an explosive drive out of the hole on each rep. Now re-rack the weight and rest for exactly 30 seconds. Now do another five reps. Complete for a total of three mini sets within the cluster set.
Perform three or four cluster sets as part of your power training program one or two times per week.
What an Explosive Power Cluster Set for Strength Looks Like
Cluster sets for strength training typically involve the use of heavier weights than for hypertrophy or power. Choose a weight that is between 80-90% of your one-rep max and keep each mini-set to 1-2 reps. Here’s what that might look like for deadlifts:
Load the bar with 85% of your one-rep max.
Perform two reps.
Rest for 30 seconds.
Do your second mini-set of two reps.
After another 30-second rest, complete your third and final mini-set of two reps.
Complete a total of three cluster sets to complete your deadlift workout. Your rest between cluster sets should be 3-5 minutes.
How To Program Cluster Sets into Your Routine
When training for muscle gain, you don’t want to do cluster sets at the beginning of your workout. That’s because they are so fatiguing that your performance on the rest of the workout will probably be compromised. You should add a cluster set on the third exercise for a body part. For example, if you are training your chest, you might begin with three or four sets of dumbbell bench presses, then go to the incline barbell bench press for four sets before moving to the Hammer Strength machine chest press. This is the exercise you should do a cluster set on. Make it the final set for that exercise.
So, if you are doing the Hammer Strength machine chest press, you might do two sets of 10 reps. The third and final set is going to be a cluster set. If you were doing a traditional set with the same weight you did on the previous set, you might be able to get eight reps. It is because you’re fatigued and can’t get to the 10 reps of the previous set. For the cluster set, though, you will pump out six reps. You then rest for exactly 20 seconds and do another four reps. After another 20-second recovery, you keep going to failure. That might be three or four reps, taking your total for the cluster set to 13 or 14 reps.
At this point of your workout, your chest muscle fibers will be on fire. However, you may choose to do a final exercise. This will likely be an isolation move like dumbbell flyes or the pec dec. If you can handle it, do a final cluster set on the last set of that exercise to max out the intensity of your chest workout.
So, as you can see from the example, just one or two cluster sets per workout are all you need. This is an extremely intense form of training that places exceptionally heavy demands on your muscle fibers. If you overuse the technique, you will overtax the muscle and inhibit your ability to recover fully between workouts.
Who Should Use Cluster Sets?
Cluster set training is not designed for beginners. If you are still within your first two years of consistently working out, you should stick with traditional sets. They will give you all the muscle stimulation you need for growth. Then, once you’ve been training for a couple of years, have built your strength base, and are able to develop the mind-muscle connection that you need to know how many reps you’ve got left in the tank, then you can start experimenting with cluster sets.
The more advanced you become, the more beneficial cluster sets will be for you. The longer you’ve been training, the harder it will be to keep making strength and muscle gains. So an advanced technique like this will help you to push the envelope.
FAQs
Are cluster sets the same thing as rest-pause training?
Though cluster sets and rest-pause training are very similar, the key difference is that cluster sets are pre-programmed. At the outset, you know how many reps to do in all but the last mini-set (which is to failure). You also know how long your rest between each mini-set will be. When it comes to rest-pause training, though, you do reps to failure, then rest for just long enough to allow you to pump out another 2 or 3 reps.
How do cluster sets differ from drop sets?
Drop sets and cluster sets are both an extended set form of training. With drop sets, though, you start with a weight that will allow you to perform 6-8 reps. You then immediately decrease the weight slightly and pump out another few reps. You continue doing this for further drops until you reach muscle failure.
In contrast, cluster sets involve using the same weight for each of the mini sets that make up the cluster set.
Are cluster sets effective for building muscle?
Yes, cluster sets are an effective muscle-building strategy. It allows you to increase your training volume and time under tension while pushing a muscle to maximum fiber stimulation. This advanced technique can help you break through a muscle-building plateau and continue making progress.
How are cluster sets written on an exercise program?
Cluster sets can appear a bit like an algebra equation when you first see them. Here’s what they look like:
1(4 x 4) -20s w/ a 6RM
This means you will do one cluster set consisting of four mini-sets of four reps. Your rest between each mini-set will be 20 seconds. You will choose a weight that you can do six reps with.
Wrap Up
Cluster sets are a safe, effective way to maximally stimulate your muscle fibers for muscle gain. They are also great for increasing strength and power with load and rep modifications. This is a tool to be used in a careful, targeted manner. If you aim to build muscle, you don’t have to do more than one or two cluster sets in your workout to achieve results. Program them towards the end of the workout, during the third or fourth exercise, for maximum benefit.
References
Haff, Guy & Hobbs, Ryan & Haff, Erin & Sands, William & Pierce, Kyle & Stone, Michael. (2008). Cluster Training: A Novel Method for Introducing Training Program Variation. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 30. 67-76. 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31816383e1.
Lawton TW, Cronin JB, Lindsell RP. Effect of interrepetition rest intervals on weight training repetition power output. J Strength Cond Res. 2006 Feb;20(1):172-6. doi: 10.1519/R-13893.1. PMID: 16503678.
Lawton, Trent & Cronin, John & Lindsell, Rod. (2006). Effect of Interrepetition Rest Intervals on Weight Training Repetition Power Output. Journal of strength and conditioning research / National Strength & Conditioning Association. 20. 172-6. 10.1519/R-13893.1.
Haff, Guy & Burgess, SJ & Stone, Michael. (2008). Cluster training: theoretical and practical applications for the strength and conditioning professional. Prof. Strength and Cond.. 12. 12-17.
Oliver JM, Jagim AR, Sanchez AC, Mardock MA, Kelly KA, Meredith HJ, Smith GL, Greenwood M, Parker JL, Riechman SE, Fluckey JD, Crouse SF, Kreider RB. Greater gains in strength and power with intra set rest intervals in hypertrophic training. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Nov;27(11):3116-31. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182891672. PMID: 23736782.
Cite this page: Theunissen, S. (2023) ‘Master the Art of Cluster Sets: Boost Your Workouts and Unlock Your True Potential!’, Fitness Volt. Available at: https://fitnessvolt.com/cluster-sets/ (Accessed: 5 May 2023).
Best Ways To Improve Your Body Composition For That Ultimate Physique
Change your body composition and sculpt that shredded aesthetic.
We all want that shredded aesthetic, but too often do we not fully understand body composition and what it actually means. This baseline knowledge of body composition that many of us have is a great foundation, but at the end of the day, knowing what it is and how best to improve it, or totally change it, can go a long way.
You hear about body composition, body fat percentage, and all of those terms but just how much do you actually know? And do you know enough to change and improve it? While most of this reflects a strict lifestyle of working out, eating right, and keeping other aspects of your lifestyle in check, it is possible to improve your body composition so you see those results you want most.
Let’s get into this and talk body composition, body fat percentage, and how to best improve all of these for the best gains possible. By the end of this, you will have set yourself up for what matters most, and that being a well-sculpted and well-worked on physique.
What Exactly Is Body Composition?
Body composition in the measure of fat, muscle, and bone as it pertains to an individual. This does not necessarily have to do with how much you weigh, but rather what your body fat percentage is. So, two people weighing 200 lbs. will have different body compositions depending on a number of factors. To make things simple, losing fat and gaining more muscle is putting you in a more healthy spot (1).
Related: How To Burn Stubborn Body Fat
When it comes to your body fat and measuring your body fat percentage, there are a few factors to consider that can help us understand this. Sex and gender, age, how active you are, and what your lifestyle is around food, among others, can influence your body fat percentage so knowing all of this information and how it affects you is more than important to know (2).
Best Ways To Improve Body Composition
Knowing the best ways to improve your body composition can go a long way and should not be overlooked as an effective way to see great gains. All of these tips are achievable and it just takes you wanting to work at it and setting the best goals to get there as fast as possible.
Set A Realistic Goal
To start, setting a realistic goal for yourself is super important. Too often do we make massive goals that are simply unreachable. We start to fail and fail and ultimately give up because we aren’t hitting our goals. Smaller battles help win the larger war and by setting these smaller, more attainable goals for yourself, you start to hit bigger goals, and ultimately, that end goal.
Focus On Strength Training
Changing your body composition requires you to focus on lifting weights. Strength training, and doing so effectively, will build muscle and through this, you start to see better development and an overall sense that your muscle growth is starting to show. When you take your shirt off and see more definition than before, it only makes you want to work harder (3).
Keeping a journal of your weights so you can see progress is important, but you also need to be increasing in weight to continue to build as much muscle as possible.
Work With HIIT
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great form of cardio that allows you to lose fat while also building muscle. Longer, more steady forms of cardio will build endurance, but you start to pull from muscle stores for energy which can be costly. Focusing on more intense forms of cardio still build endurance, keeps on that lean muscle, and works to burn more calories so you actually see weight loss results (4).
It’s All About The Kitchen
This could not be more true. Working out only goes so far if your diet is not on point. What happens in the kitchen and what food you make for yourself greatly impacts body composition and how this is handled. Eating right is incredibly important and while it is okay to cheat here and there, having the best quality food in your diet goes a long way. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste once you step back into the house.
Related: Straight Facts: Pros and Cons Of The Most Popular Bodybuilding Diets
Don’t Let Sleep Slide
You absolutely cannot let sleep slide, for sleep is a vital part of our bodies and the recovery process. If you are someone looking to keep on lean muscle, then focusing on sleep and giving yourself the best chance at recovery can go a long way. Don’t let sleep slide and really work to emphasize this in your routine (5).
In Supplements We Trust
Supplements can be a helping hand when it comes to changing body composition and with the right approach to supplementation, a quality product can go a long way. Whether that be a protein powder, pre-workout, fat burner, or many more, you will see results.
National Bodybuilding Co. Strongest Fat Burner
National Bodybuilding Co. Strongest Fat Burner is a great supplement for weight loss and optimizing muscle building. A clean, high-quality, and science driven fat burner allows for optimal benefits.
National Bodybuilding Co. Strongest Fat Burner is a clean, effective, and powerful product designed to target stored fat and deliver high amounts of energy to boost all of your goals. With 10 great ingredients, this supplement works for a host of benefits to maximize the effects of your fat loss journey. Strongest can optimize muscle building and recovery to maintain that lean muscle, cut your appetite so you are comfortable yet still able to lose weight, ignite fat loss to see those desired body composition changes, and provide for real energy boosts by burning extra calories and stored fat.
Price: $58.00
Check out our list of the Best Fat Burners for more great fat burning products!
Wrap Up
Changing your body composition may seem challenging but it is absolutely possible with the right approach. Knowing the best tips and how best to attack this can go a long way so put your focus on the right things. The best approach to this is optimizing both fitness and nutrition so you see those results you want most.
Generation Iron may receive commissions on purchases made through our links. See our disclosure page for more information.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Wells, J.; et al. (2006). “Measuring body composition”. (source)
Gallagher, D.; et al. (2000). “Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index”. (source)
Seguin, R.; et al. (2015). “Strength Training Improves Body Image and Physical Activity Behaviors Among Midlife and Older Rural Women”. (source)
Heydari, M.; et al. (2012). “The Effect of High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise on Body Composition of Overweight Young Males”. (source)
Carneiro-Barrera, A.; et al. (2020). “Body Composition Impact on Sleep in Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Sedentariness, Physical Activity, and Diet”. (source)
Best Summer Shredding Tips To Get You Beach Body Ready
Get that beach bod ready with these summer shredding tips.
The summer months are around the corner and now it’s time to show off that beach body and these summer shredding tips can help. If you were someone who hibernated all winter and maybe let your diet slip, fear not. The top tips for shredding can get you back on track and seeing those gains you want most.
The winter months can be hard. Trekking through snow and cold temperatures to have to hit the gym. It feels like more of a process than actual enjoyment. And if you are someone who maybe slacked off a bit, what you will find is that you might not look as beach ready as you would like.
The top summer shredding tips on the other hand can get you looking and feeling great and without these tips, you may find yourself floundering through spring only to be dissatisfied come those sunshine summer months. Your shirt off can prove to everyone that you were willing to put in work and get that beach body ready for viewing.
Let’s jump into the top summer shredding tips so you can better prepare yourself for when you want to go shirtless. The right approach to making this happen can make your life a bit easier and allow for only the best gains to unfold.
Top Summer Shredding Tips
By following these tips, you will find you can better tackle those goals and allow yourself the ability to see great gains. While it may be challenging to stick to all of these all the time, know it is just until you see that summer shred and get that body beach ready.
Effective Workout Plan
You need to make sure your workout plan is working for you. This means a nice mix of strength training and high-intensity interval work to enhance both muscle building and cardio. What you will find is that by building effective muscle and working towards increasing high intensity intervals, you burn fat without suffering any muscle loss (1). With too much cardio, you start to diminish strength gains and ultimately will lose that definition you want most.
Healthy Diet
We know that healthy diet can mean a lot of different things for a lot of different people. But what we mean by this is to maximize protein and not sacrifice the other two macronutrients (2). At the end of the day, a well-balanced diet is imperative to a summer shred. If you restrict too many calories thinking you can starve yourself to a shred, it won’t work and you will not see gains.
Give Your Body Rest
Your body needs rest and it needs to recover overall as well. What you will find with better recovery is you will feel better and you will give your body the time it needs to recuperate and heal. By feeling better and more loose, you won’t be so tight and wound up so as to cause unwanted stress and you will move better in the gym, thus giving yourself a better workout.
STOP Tracking Your Weight
Tracking your weight will only lead to obsession. It is good to know how much you weigh. But when it comes to a summer shred, pay attention to how you look and feel as opposed to how much you weigh. Muscle weighs more than fat and sometimes it isn’t a question about losing weight, but instead about losing fat.
Use Supplements
Using supplements is absolutely key in a summer shred and what you will find is there are certain supplements to aid in your goals for the most effective shred. A protein powder is exactly what you need post-workout to see great gains for muscle growth, recovery, and fat loss while a pre-workout can give you energy and muscle pumps for that pre-workout boost (3,4). Plus, to aid in that summer shred, a fat burner can kickstart your metabolism and work to suppress your appetite for better gains to fat loss.
Hydration!
Staying hydrated is key for it helps with all of the above tips. For exercise, it will keep those muscles hydrated and moving efficiently to see great gains and optimize recovery. When it comes to diet, what you will find is this can increase satiety and work for overall better support. For its role in weight loss and overall better recovery, staying hydrated is absolutely key in allowing you to shred and optimize all forms of training for the best results possible (5).
Featured Shaker Bottle For Increased Hydration
We wanted to share a high-quality shaker bottle so you see the best gains possible and actually want to stay hydrated. With a great design and overall excellent durability, this shaker bottle is worth every dollar in efforts to help you shred and keep you hydrated.
Ice Shaker 26oz. Shaker Bottle
Code GENIRON For 20% Off
Ice Shaker 26oz Shaker Bottle is a great shaker bottle for those looking for durability, portability, and the best mixing for those training and hydration needs.
Ice Shaker 26oz Shaker Bottle is a kitchen grade premium stainless-steel cup perfect for training and everyday use. This no sweat bottle keeps everything dry, the odor resistant stainless steel allows for longevity and no foul odor, and double wall vacuum insulation allows drinks to stay hot for up to 12 hours and cold for 30 hours or more. Great for mixability, you will find this shaker bottle tackles any and all of those needs and can hold 26oz of any desire beverage.
Price: $34.99
Check out our list of the Best Shaker Bottles to make sure you keep up with all your hydration needs!
Wrap Up
As these warm summer months approach, these summer shredding tips are exactly what you need to succeed. By focusing on the right approach and working to maximize your shredding goals, what you will find is you can effectively shred with these worthwhile tips. That beach ready body may seem farther away than it is and by looking ahead and thinking positively about your prospective gains, you will absolutely get there with the right plan of attack and top summer shredding tips to follow.
Generation Iron may receive commissions on purchases made through our links. See our disclosure page for more information.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Roy, M.; et al. (2018). “High-Intensity Interval Training in the Real World: Outcomes from a 12-Month Intervention in Overweight Adults”. (source)
Leidy, H.; et al. (2015). “The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance”. (source)
Frestedt, J.; et al. (2008). “A whey-protein supplement increases fat loss and spares lean muscle in obese subjects: a randomized human clinical study”. (source)
Gonzalez, A.; et al. (2011). “Effect of a Pre-Workout Energy Supplement on Acute Multi-Joint Resistance Exercise”. (source)
Shirreffs, S. (2009). “Hydration in sport and exercise: water, sports drinks and other drinks”. (source)
- 1
- 2