Density Intensity: Do the Hard Stuff
Training sessions should never be easy and that’s why there’s density intensity. In fact, they should be the complete opposite of easy and leave you feeling like you’ve got nothing left to give when the workout is all said and done. This won’t happen if you continuously, and perhaps unknowingly, continue to select exercises that aren’t really all that hard to do. Wait a second here; did he just really say some exercises are easy?
Well, indeed I did and chances are you already know what exercises cause you the most grief in the gym and which ones don’t which is why most likely you have a good mix of the two in your plan. There’s nothing wrong with that per say but if you are in search of thick and densely striated quality muscle tissue, then there’s no way around the fact that you’re just always going to have to do the hard stuff no matter what. It’s going to require a ton of intensity, true grit and maximum dedication but it will be all worth it in the end. Let’s take a closer look.
Big Lifts for Big Muscles
To build massive amounts of muscle tissue that is thick and densely striated, you have to lift heavy and you have to progressively overload as much as you can from week to week. The best course of action when pursuing this is to stick with the basic, free weight compound movements.
These exercises require the most energy, the most concentration and the most effort to complete which is why they’re always considered the hardest workouts. When you base your training session around barbells and dumbbells, you have nothing but you to stabilize yourself, nothing but your form and posture to position yourself and your entire body to rely upon to complete the lifts. This is a very taxing way to train but an incredibly rewarding one all at the same time.
Master the Machines
Next to using free weight exercises, your second option for building density in your physique is to go all out on the machines in your gym but be selective in the machines you choose to use. Make sure you’re always opting for the ones that offer you the greatest challenge. If you’re lucky enough to be training at a gym like Brickhouse Gym, then you have plenty of options to fill this need.
You can always manipulate the load on the machines here and you will always be able to make the exercises as challenging as possible. The last thing you want to do is start working on a machine that you can easily lift with the full stack pinned and move through the movement with relative ease.
Secondly, in mastering your use of the machines you do have at your disposal, always play around with your positioning until you find the exact spot where you feel the most disadvantaged at and then begin your set there. This will go a long way towards offering you a real challenge with your machine work.
Body Blast For Density Intensity
Perhaps one of the most overlooked strategies for building true muscular density intensity while having to muster up the most amount of intensity possible to complete the exercises are body weight movements. As strong as some people get, they still have a hard time just simply moving their own body through space.
It could be their overall body weight making it difficult to get that density intensity or the fact that they’ve never even considered body weight exercises as a part of their plans and when they start it’s hard.
Whatever the case may be, exercises like pull ups, dips for both the chest and triceps as well as elevated split bench push ups and maybe the hardest of them all, muscle ups are all incredible uses of your own body weight for the purposes of building new muscle density intensity. You’ll quickly see once you start incorporating these movements into your plan just how difficult they can be and how much intensity you need to bang out a set.
Listen, it’s not easy to always choose the path of most resistance; it’s just not. It’s in our nature to choose the path of least resistance so that we can get to our end goal more quickly. However, if bodybuilding is what you want to do, then it’s time to turn around and start walking into the waves by choosing to do the hard stuff every day.
You’ll grow at a much greater rate, your muscles will take on an entirely different look, you’ll be strong and you’ll look the part. Remember, it’s one thing to say you’re a bodybuilder and another to actually look the part.
Author: Dana Bushell
Gym Star Team Member
