BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
I tell you all the time: Lifting heavy is the best, most reliable way to build muscle and strength. But done too frequently, it can wear down your body and batter your joints. And some days, you simply don’t have the physical and mental energy to push those limits.
That’s when the prefatigue set becomes a stealthy-brilliant muscle-building weapon, letting you get more out of less resistance. You start a prefatigue set by doing a lightweight isolation exercise (say, a biceps curl). You then swiftly up the weight and do a heavier-weight multijoint move, like an incline bench row. Since your biceps are fatigued, you rely more on your back musculature during the row – even if you’re using slightly less weight than normal.
Prefatigue sets can build as much muscle as traditional resistance training. A 2019 study found that men who did prefatigue sets of leg extensions followed by leg presses built almost as much quad muscle as those who did heavier leg presses. That makes the prefatigue set a perfect training changeup – and one that works exceptionally well with the ultra-swift weight-changing mechanism on SMRTFT’s Nuobell.
Long-term, don’t stop training heavy (thank me later). But when you’re low on energy, try these prefatigue sets as a total-body workout. Use your typical weight for the first exercise in each prefatigue set. On the final exercise, use a weight 10 to 15 pounds lighter than your usual (trust me: it’ll be enough). Hit 2 or 3 sets of each sequence. Warm up for the whole workout with one minute each of jumping jacks, reverse lunges, and planks.
PREFATIGUE SET 1 (2-3 sets)
INCLINE LATERAL RAISE
You’ll isolate the outer head of your shoulders here, setting yourself up for superheroic deltoid pop. Aim for 8 to 12 reps, and keep flexing your abs on to the bench as you do these.
TALL KNEELING OVERHEAD PRESS
The tall kneeling press limits your ability to arch your back as you press up, making this an ultra-strict shoulder blast. Lower slowly on every rep for even more burn. Do 8 to 10 reps.
PREFATIGUE SET 2 (2-3 sets)
SPIDER CURL
Focus on squeezing your biceps hard at the top of each rep, and lower slowly. Do 8 to 10 reps.
INCLINE ROW
With your biceps compromised, you’ll need to focus on squeezing your shoulder blades extra hard. Do 8 to 10 reps – and don’t be afraid to push even closer to fatigue if you can squeeze out a few more.
PREFATIGUE SET 3 (2-3 sets per side)
SINGLE-LEG HIP THRUST
This move delivers a focused glute pump. Focus on squeezing your glute hard as you drive up on every rep. Do this exercise for time, working for 45 seconds.
BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Immediately grab your other dumbbell and work through 8 to 10 reps of standard Bulgarians. The best part about this prefatigue set: You don’t need much rest. Go right to work on your hip thrusts on the other side. Expect a nasty cardio burn from this entire series too.
The best part about the whole workout? It’s over in under 30 minutes.