Here is the full article from October’s Edition of Men’s Health on Plateau Busting!!!
Bench Press:
Your bench is only as strong as the weakest muscle used and there is little doubt that your Rotator Cuff will be the culprit! These muscles are vital for all shoulder and upper limb moves, stabilizing the joint and leading to more control lowering and pushing a weight back up! Strong ‘Cuffs’ also slash the chance of Bench Press related injury, so stick a couple of sets (2 x 8-12each) of External Rotator moves at the back-end of your workouts, and reap the rewards of bullet-proof shoulders and a bigger bench press!
Squat:
A great plateau buster for the squat is to try Cluster Training. Set the bar with a 5RM weight, and complete 10Reps. The trick is to do you 5Reps, then rack the bar. Take a 10-15 second pause, and try for 2-3 more reps. Rack the bar again, rest 10-15 seconds more, before aiming to complete the set with a final 2-3 reps. This method allows you to use a heavier weight for a higher net volume per set, stimulating great gains in both size and strength! (p.s. try it with lifting shoes/ barefoot for better ground contact with your feet).
Biceps:
Assisted Negatives are great for getting over a bicep slump! Grab a partner and load up a barbell with a slightly lighter (10%) than normal load. Curl it up for a full range, and then get your partner to add weight by pulling or pressing it back down. Your aim is to control the bar back down for a full range, working against your partner’s resistance with a good tempo (4-6 seconds). This technique taps into your under-used eccentric strength reserves and allows you to get more out of each rep!
