Contrast Training

Strength & Conditioning Coach Nick Tumminello wrote a good article on Contrast Training for T Nation recently I thoroughly enjoyed. According to Nick...

"Contrast Training is easy to explain: Start with a set of heavy lifts, five to 10 reps, and then follow it immediately with an unloaded, explosive exercise using the same movement pattern and the same reps.

Or to make it even simpler:

Squats followed by jump squats. Bench presses followed by explosive push-ups. Pull-ups followed by medicine-ball slams.

The concept isn't new — researchers have been studying it since the 1960s, and strength coaches and athletes have been employing it for at least that long — but I never run out of new applications for it. I use it at various times, and with various modifications, with all my athletes, as well as the regular folks I train.

With athletes, contrast training builds strength and power simultaneously. For non-athletes, it's a great way to tap into high-threshold motor units for hypertrophy, or to boost the metabolism to improve body composition. And while you're accomplishing those objectives, you're also changing up your workout in a way that's fun and challenging."