Photography iStock
There’s nothing more frustrating than reaching a max-weight plateau, because it will limit your strength gains. If that happens, give cluster sets a shot. A cluster set is one set of an exercise, but instead of only resting once all the reps are done you get mini-rest breaks between reps, allowing you to do more reps or lift closer to your max. In a new study published in the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, subjects of equal squat strength did three sets of five squats at 80% of their one-rep max, with three minutes of rest between sets. Later they were tested again but did cluster sets with 30 seconds of rest between individual reps, with three minutes of recovery after each full set. They all saw big increases in peak power output and bar speed, suggesting a clear value in trying cluster sets for anyone wanting to improve performance.
Read the complete article and many more in this issue of
Men's Fitness
Purchase options below
If you own the issue,
Login to read the full article now.
Single Digital Issue
May 2019
 
This issue and other back issues are not included in a new Men's Fitness subscription. Subscriptions include the latest regular issue and new issues released during your subscription.
Annual Digital Subscription
SPECIAL OFFER: Was
$32.99
Now $25.99
billed annually
Monthly Digital Subscription
$3.99
billed monthly