Small Angles Full-Body

Small changes can lead to big results. The changes I’m talking about in this case are the angles you use for your exercises in the gym.

Whereas you’d normally stick to one angle for a movement for, say, three sets before moving onto a completely different exercise, I’ve got a novel concept for you: Change the angle of the movement on every set.

I call it my “Small Angles” program. I’ve introduced the concept before on JimStoppani.com via my Small Change for Big Gains article. The version I’m showing you here is modified for the Train With Jim series to work with full-body training.

Why change the angle of a movement on every set? Simple: To exhaust as many muscle fibers as possible in a workout to maximize size and strength. The more fibers you can break down in your training, the more those muscles will grow (when proper nutrition and rest are provided, that is).

It’s impossible to involve every single muscle fiber in a given area with one exercise. For example, there are muscle fibers not being hit on flat-bench presses that are heavily involved on incline presses. Likewise, there are fibers hit on decline presses that take a backseat when using the flat and incline bench. These different angles are achieved by adjusting the bench setting, but you can make more subtle changes like varying your grip from wide to narrow on rows (for back) or moving the bar from a back squat position to a front squat (for legs).

The number of angles you can subject your body to are endless, and my Small Angles Full-Body program aims to hit as many as possible. Over the span of five days, you’ll be hitting your muscles from literally 30 different angles in each workout.

Small Angles Rundown

The Small Angles Full-Body program is a combination of tri-sets and extended set training, albeit in a slightly different manner than you’ve done the techniques before. You can rest as long or as little as you like between the three exercises, so they’re not technically tri-sets, unless you do them with zero rest. You also won’t keep the weight the same on each movement, as you do with extended set training.

Your goal is to complete the prescribed number of reps on all three exercises. So weight will likely differ on each exercise. And much like my full-body micros programs (linear, reverse linear, undulating, pendulum), rep ranges will change from workout to workout; this will keep your muscles “confused,” while promoting hypertrophy, strength, endurance, and fat-burning through the course of the five workouts.

For the most part, each workout will hit 10 different muscle groups: chest, back, shoulders, legs, triceps, biceps, traps, forearms, calves, and abs. (Two exceptions: On Days 2 and 4, forearms are skipped.) But instead of doing one exercise per bodypart (like usual), you’ll do three. That said, you’ll only be doing one set of each exercise. (Advanced individuals can add a second round if desired, but I prefer to stick to one set each since the program runs five consecutive days.)

I’ll give you an example of how it will work for each muscle group (one tri-set/extended set combo). Let’s use chest, where the workout calls for incline dumbbell flyes, flat-bench dumbbell flyes, and decline dumbbell flyes.

You’ll do a set of incline flyes with a weight that challenges you at the prescribed rep count. Then, you’ll adjust the bench to the flat position and select a different set of dumbbells (slightly heavier ones, most likely); as I touched on earlier, keep rest periods brief if you want to focus on hypertrophy (try staying under 60 seconds), or rest longer (2-3 minutes) to maximize strength gains – or anywhere in between.

You’ll do the set of incline flyes for the prescribed reps, then pick another set of dumbbells and find a decline bench. Rep out on decline flyes, and you’re finished with chest.

You’ll follow this same pattern – three exercises, one set each – for all 10 muscle groups. By the end of each workout, you’ll have hit your muscles with 30 different angles over the course of 30 total sets.

Below are the five days of workouts in the Small Angles Full-Body body program. I’ll also be posting these workouts on my social media channels (Facebook and Instagram), so follow along there and let me know how you’re liking training.

Workout 1

Workout 2

Workout 3

Workout 4

Workout 5

Download All Workouts Here

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