Posted on September 01, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

Everyone has weak areas that they should be focusing on, this could be caused by anything from genetics, to neglecting certain muscles during training. One of the most common I see as a personal trainer is genetic asymmetry, small differences in the skeletal structure of clients from left to right. This in turn leads to the body favouring one side, muscle etc.

Weak muscles can lead to a whole host of problems from injuries, mobility issues all the way to just looking out of proportion. This blog looks at how you can use the training principals of transfer to help iron out any weak areas.

Research has established great principals for utilising transfer in resistance training. Essentially they established that practicing one task changes the ability to perform another, however it can go two ways:

• Negative transfer- One muscle does the work to the detriment of the other. Over time the muscle gets weaker. For example – you have weak Pectorals so common sense tells you do lots of bench pressing. Negative transfer occurs because your Anterioir Deltoids and Triceps do most of the work, further compounding the issues of weak pectorals.

• Positive Transfer- Using light isolation exercises on specific muscles you can teach the muscle to work efficiently and correctly. For example the ability to feel the pectorals working through high repetition Fly variations will help recruitment of the pectorals in the bench press.

Improving Transfer Of Training Through Pre-Exhaustion Training

A training approach that utilizes the principals of transfer is pre-exhaustion training. It is however often used incorrectly and actually can hinder progress of the weak muscle if not used correctly. Essentially pre-exhaustion training refers to using a small isolation exercise to work a specific muscle, then immediately moving onto a compound movement including the same muscle. For example;

A1. Bicep Curls (supinated) Incline to 45 degrees working the short head

A2. Supinated grip Pull ups working the two heads of the bicep + the lats

Pre-exhaustion training can go two ways. When utilized correctly pre-exhaustion training can help stimulate the motor unit of the weak muscle, helping activation during the main compound movement. To ensure you don’t fatigue the weak muscle always work 2-3 repetitions shy of failure on your isolation exercise.

When Pre-Exhaustion Training Doesn’t Work

If you fatigue the weak muscle too much before the main compound movement you risk negative transfer. Because the target muscle is fatigued the body will call on the supporting muscles to carry out the work. This is catastrophic to the goal you want to achieve. Over time if this is continued the negative motor pattern is engrained further compounding the problem.

When Pre-Exhaustion Training Does Work.

In reality the only time pre-exhaustion training does work is on specific small muscles, or small heads of large muscles. Examples would include the posterior Deltoid, the Medial head of the Triceps, the Vastus Medialsis etc.

In conclusion pre-exhaustion training is only suited to muscle heads that make up a portion of a large muscle or small specific muscles. It is very ineffective for large muscle groups such as the lats, pecs, quads as a whole etc.

For greater development of weak muscles opt for post-exhaustion routines. These are generally associated with greater positive transfer and should help develop weak areas much quicker than other approaches.

If you want to find out more information or get a gym program tailored to you, please drop the motive8 North personal training team an email and they will be more than happy to help