What are the different approaches

You have been told to listen to your body, to learn its quirks, to embrace it like a friend. Don't believe it. You can listen and learn about your body, but forget about being a friend. When it comes to muscles, you have to be the boss, not the friend.

Don't let your muscles relax. When they get used to lifting certain weights in a certain way (sound like your exercise program?), they stop growing. If you don't change your strength training program, it creates a strength imbalance; it's ineffective and dangerous.

This doesn't mean you have to master super-complex exercises for professionals. Just do regular exercises, but use different combinations of sets and reps.

Below is a guide to the different types of sets. It will help you learn what results can be achieved with different combinations. Apply them to your exercise program and watch your muscles react in unexpected and impressive ways.

• Consecutive sets

What it is: Nothing fancy - a certain number of reps, followed by rest, then another set or sets of the same exercise.

Why they're helpful: Rest periods and the narrow focus of consecutive sets help build muscle mass and develop maximum strength. If you rest enough between sets (1-3 minutes), your muscle or muscle group will work two, three, or even five times harder when performing the exercises.

How to Use Them: The beginning of your workout is the best time to use progressive sets, no matter your fitness level. Your energy and focus are high at the beginning of your workout, so it’s the best time to perform compound movements. Perform three consecutive sets of 6-9 reps of compound exercises like bench presses, pull-ups, or squats; aim to perform the same number of reps per set each time, using the same or increasing number of exercises.

• Supersets

What it is: A set of two exercises performed one after the other without rest.

Why they're great: Supersets save time and burn fat. You can challenge your muscles more — for example, by strengthening your chest and back in one set and your legs and shoulders in another. Lifting heavy weights in a short period of time increases the rate at which your body breaks down and re-creates proteins. This metabolic boost lasts for hours after you finish exercising.

How to Use Them: You can do supersets at any point in your workout. To target more muscles, pair combination exercises—movements that work multiple muscles at once across multiple joints. For example, pair chest presses with rows and shoulder presses with deadlifts. To save time, pair muscle groups that don’t compete with each other, like the deltoids and glutes. One muscle group will recover while the other is working, so you can continue the set without taking a break.

• Trisets

What it is: Three different exercises that are performed one after the other without a break.

Why they're good: Trisets save time and speed up your metabolism. A single triset can be a full-body workout routine in itself.

How to Use Them: Trisets work well at home (or in an empty gym) because you have to monopolize equipment for three exercises. Perform basic exercises that work different body parts—bench presses, squats, and pull-ups. Warm up using 50 percent of the weight you would normally use during the exercise. Then repeat the triset two or three times, using a weight that allows you to complete eight reps in one set. Rest 1 to 3 minutes after each triset.

• Drop sets

What it is: Three or four sets of exercises performed without rest, using a lighter weight for each subsequent set. Also called a descending set.

Why they're good for you: Drop sets are an effective and fast exercise routine that challenges your muscles in a short period of time, gets your heart pumping, and gives you impressive results by pumping blood into your muscles.

How to Use Them: Use drop sets when you're short on time. Don't do them more than 3 times a week; you'll be so tired you won't be able to do anything else. Start with a warm-up using 50 percent of the weight you intend to use for your first set. Now take the heaviest weights you used for 8 reps of a particular exercise to get as many reps as you can. Reduce the weight by 10 to 20 percent and start over. Keep reducing the weight, always trying to get the same number of reps (even if you can't) until muscle failure.

• Circuit training

What it is: A series of exercises (usually six) that you do one after the other without a break, although you can also do some aerobic exercise (like jumping rope) between exercises.

Why it's good for you: When using weights, circuit training can be a great full-body workout. It's even more valuable without weights, acting as a warm-up for your nervous system, joints, and muscles. Because circuit training stresses your entire body, it's more effective than running on a treadmill, which only works your lower body.

How to use them: You'll annoy the other guys at the gym if you do your entire routine as circuit training because you're monopolizing a lot of the machines. You can get good results with just one circuit. If you're using it as a warm-up, all you need is your body weight or a barbell. You can also use dumbbells and do circuit training at home where you won't be in anyone's way.