Thread: Negative reps!

If you have a lifting partner or spotter, I personally like to lift until failure on the positive then when needed have assistance getting the weight up and work slow negatives until I can't control them anymore. You'll find that your affinity for the negatives will greatly outlast your positive reps.

Originally Posted by Pittsburgh63

If you have a lifting partner or spotter, I personally like to lift until failure on the positive then when needed have assistance getting the weight up and work slow negatives until I can't control them anymore. You'll find that your affinity for the negatives will greatly outlast your positive reps.

i hear ya will you do drop sets on the negatives tho?

You shouldn't be doing drop sets with negatives. They should be done on your last set only and used sparingly at that.

Originally Posted by jimm

Arite guys well i was wondering how much you incorporate these into your workouts and to what extent..? for example say ive just done a bicep workout id finished my routine and decide to do some negatives how many negatives should i be doing? should i do drop sets till i litterally cant do any more or just blast out a set? and how frequent like should i do negatives every time i train biceps or just every now and then cheers.

jimm,

Negative/Eccentric Movements

Eccentrics and Isometrics are two of the most misunderstood method in strength training.

Both are effective method at increasing strength, size, power and speed, dependent on how you write your program.

Eccentric Training, Warren Frost
http://www.strengthandconditioning.o...20Training.pdf

One of the best research artiles is Warren Frost. This article will provide you with a good founation on how to write an eccentric training program.

Russian Eccentric Training

One of the Soviets method of increasing strength was to incorporate eccentric training into their program. Approximately, 10-15% of their annual training program involved eccentric training. Secrets of Russian Sports Training and Fitness, Dr Michael Yessis (Yessis is one of the gurus of strength training).

10-15% Annually

That would equate to employing eccentrics ONLY training in your program five to 8 weeks out the year.

Limiting Eccentric Strength Training

The reason for limiting eccentric strength training is because it quickly overloads/overtrains you.

Thus, the reasoning for only using it five to 8 weeks during your annual training cycle.

That means you want to use it, as you put it, "every now and then."

Supramaximal Eccentric

Eccentrics are termed as "Supramaximal" load. That because you can work up to load much greater than your concentric contraction in a movement.

Forst "Eccentric Training" article recommends workinig up to load that are 120% of your 1RM (One Repetition Maximum).

300 lb Bench Press Example

That mean if you can bench press 300 lbs one time. You could work up to a360 lb X 1 Repetition Eccentric.

Eccentric Percentage Research

Some research has indicated that you can work up to 150% of your concentric contraction maximum.

This absurd. That would mean if your bench press were 300 bls that you could lower 450 lbs.

Anyone trying to perform an eccentric with 150% of their 1RM in a bench press will have the bar tatooed to their chest.

Submaximum Eccentric Loads

As with anything new, it's better to start of easy and work your way up.

With that in mind, you need to use eccentric loads that are lighter than your 1RM.

That means if your max bench press is 300 lbs, you need to start off using an eccentric load of about 225 lbs for 2-3 repetitions.

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness, DOMS
This is caused by trama to the muscles. The best way to minimize it is to start off with a submaximal load and work your way up.

Doing so allows your muscle to become acclimated to eccentric training...minor or no soreness.

Eccentric Acclimation

Research show by slowly introducing eccentric training to your muscles, allows the less trama. That means as you progress, there is very little soreness.

Ballistic Eccentrics

One least know or understood method of training is ballitic eccentrics. Ballistic meaning an object or body becomes airborne.

Eccentric meaning a downward motion.

Depth Landings

Jumping off a box or platform and sticking the landing (as gymnast do) is a ballistic eccentric action.

This is one of the most effective method of increasing sprint and jumping speed and power.

Medicine Ball Bench Press Drop Depth Landings

Depth Landing can also be employed with upper body movements. One method to use the medicine ball drop.

This is described in, "Plyometric Bench Press Training For More Sterngth and Power". Kenny Plyometric Bench press

David Kerin and Jay Schroeder

Two of the most knowledgable strength coahes on this are Kerin and Schroeder.

Frost Eccentric Training Article

Warren Frost article touches on Ballistic Eccentric Sterngth Training. So, it will give you a bit of a foundation to build on...if your interested.

Kenny Croxdale

I was told that you do your neg's at every last 2 to 3 reps on every set you do

I only give negative reps to trolls and know-it-all-noobs... Ohhhhh, you mean while training!!!

A lot of using negative reps is teaching your nervous system what a heavier load feels like. Since you can generally lower more than you can lift (due to many things, but includes things like gravity) it can be a good way to introduce a heavier load to your joints. However, definitely not every workout and definitely only for things like pushing past a plateau in my opinion.

I enjoy doing negatives on the curl machine at the end of a bicep workout. Come up with two and do the negative with one arm. It really gives me a nice pump walking into the locker room.

I only do these MAYBE once a month. Just when I think about it.

Originally Posted by ponyboy

A lot of using negative reps is teaching your nervous system what a heavier load feels like. Since you can generally lower more than you can lift (due to many things, but includes things like gravity) it can be a good way to introduce a heavier load to your joints. However, definitely not every workout and definitely only for things like pushing past a plateau in my opinion.

amen, i never really do a negative expecting to get strong out of it..or do negatives much at all. I will do a board press and or half/sissy squat to a high box to introduce my CNS to a much heavier weight then it is used to. IE

Had a girl getting ready for a meet this last week. Her last squat day she told me she wanted to squat 250 in the meet...she had not done over 235. so we loaded the bar with 250 and just had her do a walk out and hold it for 10 seconds and walked it back in. shes like omg that feels so heavy. So i loaded it up to 300lbs and said now walk that out just had her walk out get set and put it back in. loan be hold when she got to the meet her CNS had felt much over 250 so it wasnt such a shocker when it got on her back and she smoked 255 easy. Theres much more mental games to lifting then people think.

Originally Posted by SloppyJ

I enjoy doing negatives on the curl machine at the end of a bicep workout. Come up with two and do the negative with one arm. It really gives me a nice pump walking into the locker room.

I only do these MAYBE once a month. Just when I think about it.

LOL gotta love that leave the gym with an extra inch on the arms then by the time your home you look like this....

Haa ^^

I do them but not every workout. They can be very stressful on joints/tendons. It is a great way to add some strength and bust through some plateaus !

I do negatives on my flat bench about every time I hit chest, usually on a 3-5 rep set to get a bit more out when I can't bring it upnall the way,,, big fan on the negatives myself

I feel like negatives at the end of a workout are great to really fatigue the muscle.

i fuckin love em man negs are deffo some gooooood shit.

I throw in some negatives once and awhile.