Essentially, you're taking a set block of time and doing sets of 3 reps with 10 seconds rest between sets. And you keep doing that until you can no longer hit 3 reps. Then you take 20 seconds rest...then 30 seconds, then 40 seconds. You increase rest only when necessary.
You can read more about Time-Volume Training here.
At the link above, I'll tell you the whole formula for how to increase resistance, which is one of the most powerful aspects of this training style.
For THIS version of Time-Volume Training, instead of doing a 15 minute block for chest, I did a 40 minute block of time.
The exercise I used was a variation of the push-up that I call Hooked Feet Push-Ups. It's done with your feet hooked over a bar and elevated so your body is at a downward angle, which targets the upper pecs. Your hands are set on the front edge of a flat bench.
Here's what it looks like:
The setup for this one is very important for properly targeting the upper chest with a push-up.
You'll notice that because I've got both my feet AND hands elevated (on the front edge of the bench), this allows me to get my face below the level of the bench while keeping my body straight.
THIS angle at the bottom is critical for bringing in the upper chest with the feet-elevated push-up.
If you just have your feet elevated and hands on the floor, it will looks like this:
You can see that in order to get the chest to the floor at the bottom for full range of motion at the shoulder, I have to flatten my upper body to the ground because my face gets in the way.
Now, if you don't have a bench, no problem. You can elevate your hands on just about anything solid that gets them off the ground by about 4-6 inches or so.
Another home-gym option for this technique is do them on stairs. Set your hands on the front edge of the bottom step and your feet up on a higher step.
This allows you to get your face below the level of that first step, which allows you to keep your body straight, for optimal upper chest training.
Extended Time-Volume Training Program Structure
The program structure is what I really want to focus on here, though. You're essentially doing 40 minutes of push-ups with 10 seconds rest.
This can be translated to just about any exercise, whether it's bodyweight or free weight or even machine (I'd be hesitant to do this high volume training with a machine, though).
If you want to use this style of training once in awhile, I'd recommend doing it right before a day of complete rest.
I used it in a specialization phase, where I was doing chest Monday, Wednesday and Friday and everything else fairly light and easy on Tuesday and Thursday with Saturday and Sunday off.
This is a GREAT training session and well worth giving a try if you have a specific lift or area you want to work on. I picked this one to focus on upper chest.
You can use this technique with other challenging push-up exercises, such as Angled Plate Push-Ups.
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Want to build muscle without trashing your body with non-stop high-intensity workouts? Time-Volume Training can "sneak" up to 5 lbs of muscle on you in just a few weeks with a unique, volume-based approach.
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