Performing the standard 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps of the same weight sound familiar to you? This is not an efficient way to train if your goal is to gain size or strength. There are other, better ways to train that will speed up your results. One method to include in your tool kit is wave loading, which we’ll cover here.
Wave loading involves moving the weight up or down within subsequent sets of the same exercise. The goal with this approach is to “trick” yourself into lifting heavier loads or more reps at a given weight. Why does tricking yourself into lifting more matter? Because you need to lift heavier if your goal is to make size or strength gains.
Ladies, I’m talking to you, too. You’re going to need to lift more than just the 5 lb. dumbbells in the gym if your goal is to make physique gains. , e. g., strong glutes or abs, etc. Dont worry, you won’t become an amazon by lifting heavy weights. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE. The large women you see are all on various forms of supplementation.
You can perform single or multiple ‘waves’. Ill share with you an example of wave loading I did the other night for back – with one arm dumbbell rows. Wave loading is taxing. I wouldn’t do these for each exercise in a workout. They could probably be done a few times per week. More than this might be overtraining, so use them thoughtfully and sporadically.
I did 2 waves (multiple waves) of 4 sets each for 8 total sets of this particular exercise; within these ‘waves, I performed 5 reps, then 4, then 3, then 2, for both waves. I took about a minute break in between each set. I took a 2-3 minute break in between waves 1 and 2. The second wave consisted of the same sets/reps, but in the second wave, I increased the weights by about 5-10 pounds compared to previous wave. It’s a bit confusing; please see my example that follows. Let me know if any questions or how it works for you!
One Arm Dumbbell Rows done via Wave Loading -
Wave 1:
1st set – 5 reps – 60 lb. dumbbells
2nd set – 4 reps – 70 lb. dumbbells
3rd set – 3 reps – 80 lb. dumbbells
4th (final set for wave 1) – 2 reps – 90 lb. dumbbells
Wave 2:
1st set – 5 reps – 65 lb. dumbbells (IMPORTANT NOTE: Because my last set was 9o pounds, even though I increased the weight this set as compared to the 1st set of wave one, this is going to feel relatively light in comparison. This is the concept of neural disinhibition (Ian King; see attached link).
2nd set – 4 reps – 80 lb. dumbbells
3rd set – 3 reps – 90 lb. dumbbells
4th and final set for first wave – 2 reps – 100 lb. dumbbells
Check out wave loading for yourself and let us know what you think. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
