If you've ever had a muscle injury and want
to know a good training method I've found
for helping it heal up...

...or even if you're just looking for a way to get a better
pump in your muscles, this is going to be an email you'll
want to read from start to finish.

** First, though, please keep in mind I'm not a doctor or
a physiotherapist...this training method is only what is
working FOR ME. If you try it, start VERY light and let
pain be your guide...just use your common-sense and
follow your doctors instructions over mine!

Alright...lecture over...let's get to it.

---

So last fall, I did something stupid in the gym...

Now, I didn't KNOW it was stupid right away, of course...

What was it?

Well, I was working a strength phase a bit too relentlessly
(which is the perfect word for it). I was hitting the decline
bench for too many sets with near-maximal loads...

...and honestly, that wasn't even the fully stupid part.

One workout...BOOM. I felt a "pop" in my chest.

I immediately dropped the bar on the safety rails and
ended the workout. Pec strain.

I was lucky...I didn't do any major damage. I took it easy
for a few weeks and it felt okay.

Then I was doing pin presses (which is pressing out of
the bottom from a dead stop off the safety rails of the rack).

Again...BOOM. Same spot...this time worse. I re-injured the pec.

THAT was the stupid part...pushing myself to get back into
the pressing too soon, using an exercise that puts
tremendous tension on the pec in it's most stretched position.

The exercise itself is fine...I was just stupid about how and
when I chose to use it.


Now here's how I'm rehabbing it...

I've been alternating sets of two different exercises that both
target the chest in the same movement patter...only in very
different ways.

You'll be going back and forth between 10 rep sets of push-ups
(done on a bar) and barbell floor press (which hits the top
range of motion of the press).

These two exercises, even though they are both "pressing"
movements, are very different functionally. The push-up is
a closed-chain exercise, which means your hands are
anchored and your body is moving through space. These
types of exercise are generally more effective for muscle fiber
activation.

The floor press (or partial-range press) is an open-chain
exercise, which means your body is "anchored" while your
hands have the resistance in them and are moving through
space.

Both exercises are effective and have their place in a training
program....however, by ALTERNATING sets of each type of
exercise with very little rest, I find this causes the body to
pump a LOT of blood into the target muscle.

This is the perfect situation for "pump" training for muscle
development and for rehabbing injuries.

For me personally, I came up with this combo to rehab a
pec strain that affects me more in the very bottom of the
range of motion. Push-ups were ok but didn't give me enough
resistance. And barbell bench press was only ok in the top
range of motion.

By alternating light sets of these two exercises for 10 reps
each, doing 2 to 4 rounds of each exercise, I'm able to force
a LOT of blood into the pecs and help speed the healing
process, without causing any further injury.

I find it to be MUCH more effective than just doing high
reps of a single exercise, due to the different kinetic focus
of the two exercises (open and closed chain).

Here's what it looks like:


Exercise 1 - Push-Ups on the Bar

Set a bar in the rack a couple of feet up off the ground. This
is an incline angled push-up, which reduces the resistance of
your body. You can use a Smith machine for this as well - no
problem there.



While KEEPING your arms locked-out, I want you to let your
chest come down towards the bar. This automatically brings
your shoulder blades together, which helps stabilize the
shoulder joint.

Now bend your arms and come down into the push-up.



Perform 10 reps of push-ups (or whatever rep number you want to use).


Exercise #2 - Partial-Range Barbell Bench Press

Now slide yourself under the bar. It should be already loaded
with the weight you're going to use for the partial press off the
rails/floor press.

I normally don't recommend the Smith machine but in this case,
it's totally fine. The Smith was originally designed for performing
partial-range training anyways, and in this shorter range of
motion, a straight up and down bar path will just fine. Plus, if
you are rehabbing an injury, the extra stabilization may very
well be helpful.



Press the weight off the rails in a controlled manner for 10 reps.





Once you've completed 10 reps, come back and get into the
push-up position. Do 10 more reps.

Repeat for 2 to 4 cycles of 10 reps, taking NO rest in between sets
until you've done the 2 to 4 cycles through. Then take 2 minutes
rest. You can repeat this 2 to 3 times.

I find this alternating between open and close exercises really
forces a lot of blood into the target area. And yes, you can
absolutely extend this concept to other muscles.

For example, alternating sets of seated cable rows and inverted
rows (bodyweight rows, basically)...or pulldowns and pull-ups.
You could also do shoulder presses and pike handstand push-
ups, or dips and close-grip bench press.

The list goes on, but basically the idea is to alternate reps of
exercises where your BODY is the resistance with exercises
where you're using EXTERNAL resistance, like dumbbells or a
barbell (or even a machine...they're actually very useful for
rehabbing injuries when stabilizing free weight is an issue).

If you're NOT rehabbing an injury, give this technique a try
with a bit heavier resistance and see how you like it. The
alternating sets will produce a tremendous pump in the target
muscles!

I've got a video posted of this exercise combination in action
on my YouTube channel. (don't forget to subscribe while you're
there!)



And just on a side note, I'm doing much better...getting back
into pressing and taking it very carefully :).

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"



P.S. If you missed my emails from the past few days, there's
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