This is one thing that most trainers don’t teach their clients.
Negatives! Negative reps are great for activating the muscle a different way. For those of you who aren’t familiar with negatives, it is when you go slower during the eccentric phase of a given rep.
For example, when I curl a dumbbell up, on the way down I let the weight down slowly and count up to 4 seconds. I repeat that for 15-18 reps. Understand that you are supposed to do this with a lighter weight than usual.
The purpose of negatives is to activate the CNS (central nervous system) in a different way than it is used to. Chances are, if you have some experience in weight lifting (1-2 years), you probably have been doing the exact same thing for a long time because that has been “working” for you. Now you’ve hit a plateau and you are frustrated. What can you do now to break through that plateau?
Slow reps is a fantastic alternative to the traditional 10-12 reps. It is another way to tear the muscle or to fatigue it.
I would not recommend to do this for a long time. Try it out for 2-4 weeks and cycle back to the 10-12 heavy reps. This is a prime example of “keeping the muscles guessing.”
On your next chest/tricep day give this workout a shot.
- Flat Bench Press 3 x 14-18 with 3 seconds on the way down with a 1 second pause at the bottom without resting it on your chest.
- Incline Dumbbell Bench press 3 x 14-18 3 sec negatives
- Skull Crushers 3 x 14-18 3sec negatives with pause
- French press 3x 14-18 3 second negatives with pause.
If you think the weight is light when you start, wait til you get to 12-13 range. You will have a massive pump due to the blood flow.
You will feel muscles you never knew you had. Haha!
Tip: When doing negative workouts on back day, your forearms will almost always give up before your back. So use straps so you you can emphasize and focus more on activating your back! <<<Click Here for some straps from Amazon!>>>
Let me know how it goes!
