Cluster Training is extremely effective for producing a strong hypertrophy (muscle-building) stimulus in the body. It's one of my favorite methods for muscle growth.

It's going to allow you to get more reps with a given weight than you could with "normal" straight-through sets by using strategic breaks (more on this below).

Before I get into the full details of it, I just wanted to give you a heads-up that this is one of the THREE powerful mass techniques found in the free "Muscle Camp" report that I mentioned the past few days.

If you haven't gotten it yet, you can still grab that here...(highly recommended - excellent info).

Let's get to it...

What is Cluster Training?

It's a rep strategy that will allow you to take a weight you can normally only do 10 reps with and do it for more than 20 rep. The increase in time under tension on the muscles is extremely effective for forcing hypertrophy (muscle growth).

You avoid chemical fatigue (caused by lactate buildup) for longer, which helps you achieve fiber fatigue, which is strong stimulus for growth.

The best way to explain Cluster Training is by example.

1. Start with a weight that you can do for 10 reps.
2. Do that weight for 4 reps.
3. Set the weight down and rest 10 seconds.
4. Pick up the weight and do 4 more reps.
5. Rest 10 seconds.
6. Repeat this until you've done 6 mini-sets of 4 reps with the weight.

This sequence is one Cluster Set . It doesn't sound that hard but by the time you've finished the set (and your muscles will be screaming as you get near the end), you will have done 24 reps with a weight you normally could only do 10 reps with!

And this is not the only type of "clusters" you can do. You can very easily use 2 rep or even 5 rep "mini-sets", change up the short rest periods and adjust the number of mini-sets you're doing.

It could look like:

2 reps, 5 sec rest, for 10 sets
3 reps, 10 sec rest for 3 sets
5 reps, 10 sec rest for 3 sets

How It Works:

It's very simple...resting for 10 seconds between each mini-set of 4 reps allows your body to clear out some of the waste products accumulated by the training. This allows you to reach true muscular failure through tension on the muscles rather than by waste product accumulation forcing you to stop.

It's somewhat similar to rest-pause training, if you're familiar with that concept, but instead of taking each set close to failure, your goal is to delay fatigue and complete all the mini-sets.

It's a powerful technique that digs right at the heart of muscle hypertrophy. Working the fibers in this fashion provides a tremendous stimulus for muscle growth, even under lower-calorie conditions.

Notes:

• It will take you a few times through to properly judge how much weight to use in specific exercises. If you have to quit before completing the 6 sets of 4 reps, simply reduce the weight a little next time. If you make it through all the 6 sets or 4 reps easily, you can either stay where you are at (fatigue will catch up to you) or increase the weight next time if the weight was way too easy.
  
  
• Use good form on all reps. If you have to cheat to get the reps, you will lose tension in the target muscles when the idea is to generate maximum tension. You'll get more out of the technique by keeping your form tight. If you can't get to 4 reps, end at wherever you need to end, be it 2 or 3 reps. You've got 10 seconds till your next try at it!
  
  
• Be strict with your 10 second intervals. The best way is to have a partner count it out for you or have a timer to keep you honest. Those 10 seconds can go by very quickly when you're on your 5th set of squats! Do your very best to keep up.
  

 

Pyramid Cluster Training

This is Cluster Training with an increasing and decreasing rep scheme. This technique allows for greater weight to be used while still getting more reps than you normally could.

Select a weight you could normally get 5 or 6 reps with.

First set - 1 rep - rest 10 seconds

Second set - 2 reps - rest 10 seconds

Third set - 3 reps - rest 10 seconds

Fourth set - 2 reps - rest 10 seconds

Fifth set - 1 rep - done

The first two sets are going to be relatively easy. The third set will be challenging to complete. The fourth and fifth sets will be tough but because you're also decreasing the reps on each set of those, you should be able to complete those as well.

This is a very challenging technique and very effective for building strength in a Cluster Training framework.

 

Single Rep Cluster Training

This style takes Cluster Training to it's very base level...doing 1 rep at a time using about 90% of your maximum, for multiple sets with short rest.

The short rest allows you just enough time to regenerate some ATP...enough to get another rep. You'll keep hitting single reps with short rest for a number "sets", allowing you to do much more training load than you normally would be able to do in one normal set.

An example using bench press...if you can bench 300 lbs for 1 rep, put between 265 to 275 lbs on the bar. Do 1 rep, rack the bar and rest 10 seconds. Unrack and do 1 rep, then rest 10 seconds. Repeat these 1 rep sets for 10 to 12 reps. You can also go higher up in the %1RM range and use about 95%, hitting a range of about 5 to 7 mini-sets.

This will allow you to get more reps of that near maximal weight than you could if you had to go straight through. This is GREAT for targeting the high-power fast-twitch muscle fibers that have the most potential for growth.

It's also going to train your nervous system to operate more efficiently when using near maximum weight...practice makes perfect! The more you practice with relatively heavy weight, the better you will be at lifting it.

When people go from doing 10 to 12 rep sets and then try and max out, they're body isn't prepared for that in a number of ways. The nervous system doesn't know how to fire all the muscle fibers at once because it's never had to. The connective tissue and muscles aren't used to near-max loads so injury can result.

This style of training does a tremendous job of preparing the body for heavy lifting and max attempts.

Bottom-Start Single Rep Cluster Training

This type of Cluster Training is done exactly the same as I described only with one major difference...instead of doing the exercises as you normally would, e.g. unrack the bench press bar, press it, then rerack it, you will instead start at the BOTTOM of every movement, from a dead stop.

The idea of this is to completely eliminate elastic tension from the muscles so they don't get ANY help out of the bottom of the exercises. Yes, we're trying to make things HARDER.

And by making things harder, you're going to get better results.

Using the bench press as an example, you will set the rails in the rack so that the bar is just slightly above your chest when you slide yourself under it. You'll get your body nice and tight then press the weight up from the rails from a dead stop. This forces your muscles to be responsible for the ENTIRE weight.

I've found doing this type of training in "single rep cluster" fashion to be extremely effective for building strength because not only does it take away the elastic assistance, the brief rest in between every rep allows you to reset your body into the ideal position before starting the next rep.

This helps keep you stronger, longer by allowing you to use perfect form on EVERY rep.

Going back to bench as the example, before you start each rep, you will squeeze your shoulder blades behind your back, get your knees bent and feet on the floor so that you can exert power with your legs. You'll get your elbows into the tucked position and you'll puff your chest out. You don't to have unrack the bar and potentially mess up your body position.

THEN you'll press the weight up and lower it back down. Then you'll take a few seconds rest then set yourself up again.

This works great for a variety of exercises...bench press, squats, front squats, barbell shoulder press, lying tricep extensions, close grip bench, dips (you can stand on the floor and do the rest).

The reason I don't mention deadlifts is because you're ALREADY doing this technique with deadlifts when you lift the barbell off the floor on each rep - doing deadlifts like a "normal" exercise would mean starting at the TOP, lowering the weight then coming back up again.

Overall, this technique offers a LOT of potential and makes sure that you're training the MUSCLES and not just using elastic force to help yourself. Start conservative on the weight until you know your strength levels from a dead stop - it can be an eye-opener if you've never done this before.

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That's Cluster Training!

If you've never tried it before, you're going to be in for an eye-opening experience. It's fun and extremely challenging.

And again, if you haven't yet picked up your free "Muscle Camp" report, definitely go grab it...you'll find more information on Cluster Training AND two more extremely effective mass-building training techniques.

Grab your copy here...