Progressive overload is a cornerstone of strength and muscle gains that involves gradually increasing stress on the muscles. And while it’s often achieved by lifting heavier weights, alternative strategies exist.
On June 9, 2024, former Women’s Physique Olympia champ Dana Linn Bailey published a video on her YouTube channel detailing five training strategies for building muscle and strength without relying on heavier weights.
5 Strategies to Build Muscle Without Lifting Heavy
- Drop sets
- Pulsing Reps (Shortened Partials)
- Tempo Reps
- Isometric Holds
- Rest-Pause
These five techniques can be used across the board.
Check out the video below:
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1. Drop sets
Drop sets involve training to mechanical failure (where form starts to break due to fatigue), then reducing the weight and continuing the set until failure again. This can be repeated multiple times.
Bailey prefers using drop sets on the final set. She recommends multiple drops per set, decreasing weight by 30 to 40 percent each time.
2. Pulsing Reps (Shortened Partials)
Partial reps in the movement’s top half to keep constant tension on the target muscle. For instance, after completing a set of dumbbell lateral raises through a full range of motion (ROM), Bailey performs banded shortened partials to max out her muscle pump. (1)
This strategy contrasts with findings from a randomized controlled trial published in the European Journal of Sport Science, which suggests that partial ROM training may be more effective for muscle adaptation when performed at long muscle lengths rather than short muscle lengths or full ROM. (2)
3. Tempo Reps
Slow, controlled reps can boost hypertrophy by increasing the time under tension (TUT) (3). While Bailey favors three-to-four-second eccentrics, she notes that slow concentrics can be equally effective.
Tempo reps can help strengthen stabilizer muscles, which can translate to better performance in compound lifts like the squat, bench press, and deadlift.
4. Isometric Holds
After completing 10 to 12 reps on her top set, Bailey holds peak contraction for as long as possible. She suggests incorporating isometric holds with manual resistance, where a partner applies pressure to the weight for added challenge.
5. Rest-Pause
The rest-pause technique involves performing an exercise to mechanical failure, followed by a brief five-to-10-second rest before resuming the set with the same weight. This process can be repeated multiple times within a set.
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References
- Hirono, T., Ikezoe, T., Taniguchi, M., Tanaka, H., Saeki, J., Yagi, M., Umehara, J., & Ichihashi, N. (2022). Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 36(2), 359–364. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003478
- Pedrosa, G. F., Lima, F. V., Schoenfeld, B. J., Lacerda, L. T., Simões, M. G., Pereira, M. R., Diniz, R. C. R., & Chagas, M. H. (2022). Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. European journal of sport science, 22(8), 1250–1260. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199
- Azevedo PHSM, Oliveira MGD, Schoenfeld BJ. Effect of different eccentric tempos on hypertrophy and strength of the lower limbs. Biol Sport. 2022;39(2):443-449. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2022.105335
Featured image: @danalinnbailey on Instagram
