When you start working out, there is a certain limit to progress. Once you reach the epic, the workout effect will fade. This is the reason people start with some basic training and slowly build on the intensity. This is not just limited to the weight-based training or the intensity of the workout but also applies to simple workouts like running or jogging.
The idea of progressive workout training is that you need to help your body push toward progress. When you stick to the same weight, same distance, or same intensity, the body will stop progressing and you will be stuck with the same fitness stage. This is where you need to slowly boost the intensity of the workouts.
Experts believe that starting with an intense workout can be very dangerous for your body. This can make you train, cause injury, and worst of all, it can have a seriously adverse effect on your body. Throughout the progress, unless you do not cautiously plan your workout routine, you will notice that the body will stop responding to the workout routine at a certain level. This is the same with all kinds of workouts regardless of the routine you choose.
For running you constantly have to work on the pace, improve the speed and increase the distance. This is a similar case with other workouts like weight lifting, cardio, and cluster sets. With the help of this article, we will mainly look at what cluster sets. We will then technically see how we can work on boosting the intensity of the cluster sets and how they can be arranged for better progress.
What Are Cluster Sets?
Cluster sets are pretty similar to the idea of HIIT-based training but they are rather subsets that you choose and arrange within your overall workout. For the cluster sets you will see small sets that are part of large sets and there is a resting range that starts from 10 seconds and goes all the way to 30 seconds. Usually, reps are arranged without rest and once you are done with one rep you start another. However, with cluster sets, you start with three reps and then take 30 seconds of rest. Then you do three reps again and take a rest and the process continues till you reach the end.
With clyster sets, experts believe that you are able to lift more, which means that more weight-bearing capacity can lead to a better overall volume. Let’s say you want to work on the deadlifts for the whole set. And each set has eight reps, you will start with 75 percent by maintaining the ratio of one rep at max.
However, with the help of cluster reps, you can easily divide up the sets into two reps and get closer to 90 percent each 1Rm without compromising on the volume. This is the reason more people are investing their time in powerlifting and cluster sets.
How To Work On The Intensity Of Your Cluster Sets?
Cluster sets can vary based on your goal and there is no hard and fast rule. However, you can not only design your own cluster set but you can also adjust things around so you can customize the intensity. There are three main things that you need to keep in mind and this will eventually help you adjust the intensity. This includes power, strength, and hypotrophy.
Cluster sets are mainly used as compound movements and their goal is to just boost the load on the bar and work on the multi-joint workouts for weight improvement. Apart from this, you can also use accessory workouts for cluster training. For the cluster sets, just keep in mind that you can change the inert set intervals, total reps per set along with the intensity and the resting time.
As a beginner, let’s break it down into details so you can see how you can make adjustments.
Inter-Set Rest Intervals
The inter-set rest time plays a very important role in forming the cluster sets. The usual range of the inter-set resting time is almost between 10-30 seconds. However, this is not a consistent goal; rather, it should be adjusted based on the intervals you choose, the goal, the intensity, and the total work. Most beginners might find this a little confusing but a good way to understand this is that you can have three simple subsets of three different exercises. These exercises need to be arranged without a set. Once you are done with all three, this will be considered one subset and then you can take a 10-30 seconds resting interval.
Total Reps/Set
While working out, you need to also consider the total reps to be completed in each set. For this, you have to start with the planning first. While planning the clyster sets, keep in mind that the traditional reps and training adaptation needs to be the same. Then look at the real difference and how to plan the breakup of each set into smaller subsets.
A simple example is to start with just 4-5 reps and then cluster it into simple subsets of 2-2-1 or 2-1-1
Total Rest
For resting time, you need to offer your body some time to rest but also make sure that the resting time is not too long so that it can extend the resting time and the intensity can be disturbed. When you rest in between the sets, you need to maintain the same time ratio as in HIIT-based workouts. This will help in making sure that the fatigue is not too much and your body doesn’t break down or fail.
For resting time, you need to maintain the basic limit of 10 to 30 seconds after every three sets.
Intensity
Finally, you need to choose the intensity you will be working with. So far intensity is the most used variable in the cluster sets. When you need to work with high intensity, the process gets tough and it takes a toll on your body. Moreover, it will be difficult to stay focused and work around the numbers because the workload can change as well. The goal is to keep the power at 90% while the strength and the hypertrophy vary somewhere between 70 to 75 percent each 1RM.
Bottom Line of Cluster Sets
To sum it all up, cluster sets have multiple benefits like boosting performance in sports, helping with strength, and improving the volume lifted. This is the reason most people, regardless of the sports they are involved in, try to incorporate cluster sets as a workout in their training routine. Cluster sets are a perfectly useful tool that helps in boosting the work and intensity based on the workout you choose. Also, they do not limit you to just one goal, instead, you can fully customize it based on the goal you have.
For beginners, it is a fairly important routine that is perfect for helping you perform more reps so you can work on the percentage while making sure that you are able to avoid the breakdown. Also, there is no one size fits all kind of format so it offers you full liberty to adjust the routine based on your end goal. Most people might keep the clustering routine very minimal and very basic while others will keep changing it based on the needs of their bodies.
However, experts believe that it is better to keep it consistent so there is no misuse of the structure within the workout.
Exercising is medicine and doing it the right way is a huge help when you are trying to stay in shape. But experts say at least 70% is nutrition and lifestyle change. Sign up for Wellness with Eszter’s free online coaching to get to know how you can stay in shape with a busy or sedentary lifestyle.
