There are tons of weight training options that you can experiment with; one of which is the use of short cycles. A short cycle consists of a series of different workouts that will take anywhere from a week to three weeks to complete. One benefit of using short cycles compared to long cycles is that it is generally easier to track your progress when using short cycles unless you have had a lot of experience with long cycles. Another benefit is that the acclimation principle is much easier to use in conjunction with short cycles. The acclimation principle is based on repeating the same cycle of weights and reps from cycle to cycle until the cycle gets easier.
One of my favorite short cycles consists of three different workouts across the time span of a single week. This workout is listed below:
Workout 1: Do the following sets and reps for each exercise performed:
Do 1 to 3 sets of 6 reps for each exercise
Do 16 reps for your final set of each exercise
Workout 2: Do the following sets and reps for each exercise performed:
Do 1 to 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise.
Do 15 reps for your final set of each exercise
Workout 3: Do the following sets and reps for each exercise performed:
Do 1 to 3 sets of 3 reps for each exercise
Do 12 reps for your final set of each exercise
Choosing the Right Amount of Weight
The amount of weight that you should use for each set is based upon a poundage that will cause you to hit your limit rep or your marker rep when you reach the designated number of reps. Your limit rep is the limit of reps that you can perform while maintaining a steady even rep pace with excellent form throughout the entire set. Your marker rep is one rep past your limit rep. This rep marks the initial rep within a set where you must pause longer between reps, or where your rep speed starts to slow down compared to the previous reps of the same set.
Most Lifters Will Stop 2 to 4 reps Short of Failure
Most lifters who stop a set when they reach their limit rep or marker rep will be stopping approximately two to four reps short of failure. It is not necessary to push to failure to gain strength, although doing so may seem to give you a boost in strength for a short time. The problem with rapid gains that stem from pushing to failure is that they quickly come to an end and transition into a sticking point. You must understand that strength gains are a stress management mechanism that your body uses to reduce the amount of stress it takes to lift the same weight. Your body will initially try very hard to overcome a difficult lifting stress by gaining strength so that you will be able to lift the same weight with less effort. However, if you always push to failure, it will always require a maximum effort to complete the set and your body will never achieve its goal of gaining strength to reduce the effort it takes to complete each set. If gaining strength only leads to more and more weight, but it never leads to a reduction in the effort that it takes to complete each set, then your body will eventually see no reason to keep gaining strength.
Choosing The Right Amount of Sets
If you look back at the number of sets you are to perform for each exercise, you will notice that a range of one to three sets is listed. You then finish each exercise with a final set consisting of higher reps compared to the first one to three sets. The reason a range of sets is listed instead of an exact number is that lifters vary in regard to how many sets they can perform at full strength. They also vary in terms of how many sets they can recover from. I recommend that you base the total number of sets you perform for each muscle group upon the number of sets you can perform at full strength for each muscle group. Most lifters will be able to perform two to four sets at full strength, although there are exceptions. If you are an exception and can do more, then go ahead and do more.
Repeat The Same Cycle Until it Gets Easier
When utilizing short cycles, you repeat the same cycle of workouts using the same cycle of weights and reps until the cycle starts to get easier. If you started the cycle by stopping each set two to three reps short of failure, keep repeating the same cycle until you are stopping each set three to four reps short of failure, or even four to five reps short of failure. When the same amount of weight and reps gets easier to the point where you can leave more reps in the tank than you could at the start of the cycle, you are ready to add five to ten pounds. You would then start repeating the cycle with an additional five to ten pounds for each set of each workout.
By the way, the cycle of three different workouts per week that was listed earlier in this article can be modified and changed into a three-week cycle by simply doing the first workout throughout the entirety of the first week, and doing the second workout throughout the entirety of week two, and doing the third workout throughout the entirety of week three.
Short cycles are a good option if you have been doing the same workout to the point where boredom has set in. They are also a good option if you have been doing long cycles that make it difficult to track your progress as you proceed through each cycle. The key is to design your cycle with the right amount of sets and effort, and to stick with the same cycle of weights, sets, and reps, until the cycle becomes easier. Then add weight. This process enables you to keep gaining a little at a time until you have gained a lot. Best of training to you.