The Pre-Exhaust Workout…
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What Is Pre-Exhaust? – From Wikipedia…
“Pre-exhaustion” is a strength training protocol invented by bodybuilding writer Robert Kennedy and popularized by Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer. In theory, muscle development will always be incomplete with standard movements, because the large muscle group will outlast the smaller supporting muscles. As an example, the triceps will become exhausted prior to the chest or shoulder muscles on any given pressing movement. The proposed solution is to “pre-exhaust” the larger muscle, in order to given the smaller muscles a temporary advantage in strength. |
For example, it makes sense to start your chest workout with the bench press since this is a multi-joint exercise that works the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Most people start their leg workouts with squats or leg presses because they work the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, etc. For shoulders it’s common to start with an overhead press to work the deltoids and triceps.
In all these examples, secondary muscles are recruited to execute the lift and assist the targeted muscle group. However, let’s take a step back and do a full 180 and turn this whole training idea up side down with the pre-exhaust method. Pre-exhausting a muscle simply means starting your workout with an isolation exercise before moving on to a compound multi-joint exercise. The exact opposite of what most people do in their workouts.
The reason this method can work is because sometimes your target muscle cannot get worked to 100% of its capacity due to the limiting strength in the supporting muscle groups. For example, you’ve probably racked the barbell after a set of bench presses only to find that your shoulders or triceps felt much more fatigued then your chest.
These weak links may force you to stop your set short of working the primary muscle to it is full capacity. However, using pre-exhaust training you will be able to fatigue the target muscle with an isolation exercise before finishing it off with a compound exercise. This is an advanced way to increase the intensity of a workout and stimulate deeper muscle fiber recruitment in the targeted muscle.
Here’s how it works…
For a chest routine before doing the bench press, which is a compound exercises, start your workout with a chest isolation exercise like pec-deck flys to pre-exhaust the chest muscles.
For your leg workout before doing squats or leg presses, start with a leg isolation exercise like leg extensions to pre-exhaust the quadriceps.
For your shoulder workout, before doing overhead presses, start with side lateral raises to pre-exhaust your side delts.
Etc…
When you pre-exhaust your targeted muscle group first, the secondary muscle groups are still fresh after you’ve completed the initial pre-exhaust movement. This way they’re far less likely to be the limiting factor on the compound exercise and will actually assist you in working the pre-exhausted muscle even harder.
Pre-exhaust workouts are ideal for bodybuilding and brining up development in stubborn bodyparts. However, for pure strength and power training you will be better off with traditional workouts starting with the big basic exercises first. As the pre-exhaust method will reduce some of your training weights due to the nature of the workouts.
This video chat covers the Pre-Exhaust Workout Program in detail…
Click The Link Below To Download The Full Pre-Exhaust Workout Schedule:
–>> The Pre-Exhaust Workout Program – PDF
–>> Printable Workout Gym Schedule – PDF
If you have any questions or comments about this workout program,
please post them in the forum and we’ll chat there 🙂