Grease the groove (GTG)
This is one of my favourite training techniques to increase reps for a difficult, or relatively new, movement and it lends itself perfectly to bodyweight training. It works just as well for barbell or kettlebell movements, however it’s a little more impractical because of the need for equipment.
Popularized by our comrade Pavel Tsatsouline, the man who brought the kettle bell to the west from Soviet Russia, GTG involves performing a chosen movement frequently throughout the day without ever going to muscular failure, generally staying at around 50% or less than your maximum number of reps.
It works best if you can perform between 3 – 10 reps of your chosen movement. Anything below 3 reps and you’re too close to your maximum to get the benefit, anything over 10 reps and the exercise is already too easy for you.
I personally used it with great success with ring dips and later ring muscle ups.
How to implement GTG
Let’s take the classic example of a GTG program for pull ups. Say that your max is 5 reps.
You would perform various sets through out the day consisting of 1 or 2 reps, no more, and taking very long rest periods between sets – at least 15 mins. The beauty of this method is it doesn’t have to be structured that well at all. If you have a pull up bar set up in a doorframe, every time you walk through the door you perform 1 or 2 reps. Set up your bar in a door which you use a lot, maybe to your kitchen, and you’ll easily rack up anywhere between 10 – 30 pull ups every day. The best part about all of this… you won’t even feel fatigued because you never went close to failure. It’s easy work.
After a month of so of doing this every day, you’re guaranteed to have increased your max pull ups. It’s no joke.
I’ve also implemented it with many of clients to help them increase reps in their pulls up and push ups.
Why does it work so well
GTG method works so well because your body becomes very efficient at performing the desired movement. At the beginning of every muscle contraction your brain sends a signal, called an action potential, to that muscle. This action potential starts the chemical reaction which causes the muscle to contract. The more frequently this signal gets sent to a muscle, the more efficient it becomes and your nerve cells can fire faster, meaning your muscles can contract faster, which leads to easier and more natural movement.
This is where the method gets it’s name. You’re literally greasing the neurological groove of a specific exercise.
Give it a go and witness the gains for yourself!
