slow motion reps?

[paulsed1]

I was talking to a trainer who seems to think they have some value, the type where you lower the weight pretty slowly and also take a few seconds to lift. I know Charles Poliquin and other trainers endorse this type of training, but I never seem to have gotten much out of it when I have tried it, haven't trained that way in years. I have always thought it best to resist on the way down without going ultra-slow and lift as quick as you can, while staying in control with no cheating (which may not actually look fast.) Seems like a waste of energy to do slow concentrics. Is there anyone out there who has actually gotten results with slower motion reps? Just curious.

 

[AKIRA]

Muscle tension = hypertrophy. Yes it makes a difference, although, when one really commits to a strict tempo of say, 2/1/2, youd be amazed how much slower that is vs. what one would normally do.

P/RR/S has much focus on rep tempo. Though I dont like the Power's 4/x/0 rep scheme, it certainly mixes regular exercises up a bit just by adjusting small details.

 

[Chevrolet]

changing rep tempo can have enormous benefits.

 

[paulsed1]

changing rep tempo can have enormous benefits.

So you have gotten results from it?

 

[Chevrolet]

well in general, change is the essence of growth, so doing different types of workouts can pretty much only benefit you. that being said, in your first few years of being a dedicated weight lifter you do want to stick to things and try to progress on them (the big lifts), and not radically change your workouts every time or every week necessarily.

now to answer your question, there was a time when i departed from my tried and true methods and really gave other training types a shot. i found certain aspects of DC training really hammered me, and those included doing the ~six second negatives as well as the stretching.

now to say what 'results' i got from that just that is kind of hard to pinpoint, as i train really hard, and if you train with intensity just about any system will give you results, especially to the novice lifter.

 

[Tank316]

I just posted a new training system that gopro has created, check it out, its pretty brutal.
One thing after doing 9 yrs of P/RR/S, i had to make adjustments to the amount of wts i use during FD/FS, Tempo is key with fd/fs.

 

[Skib]

this is from p-funk's training 101 sticky

"rep tempo is something that should not be overlooked. I don't like to dictate the concentric (the shortening or up phase of the lift) tempo just because the human body is built for speed and purposly slowing down the concntric will send improper signals to the CNS allowing it to think it is okay to move slowly. The eccentric tempo, if your goal is hypertrophy, would be a good thing to try and slow down and control. It has been showen in studies that slowing down the speed of the eccentric can lead to better gains in hypertrophy. This is due to the fact that during the eccentric (the lowering or down phase of the lift) a greater amount of trauma can be placed on the tissue. The isometric (the static moment of the lift between the eccentric and the concentric) can also be beneficial to those looking for a greater amount of hypertrophy as holding the weight in place for a moment will (a) require you to recruit more motor units then if you were just to begin the up phase of the lift since you have to hold and stabalize the load and (b) require you to use more strength on the up phase as you are putting an end to the potential enregy being stored in the muscle during the eccentric portion of the lift thus delaying the elastic energy."

 

[Ngordyn]

i actually use a bicep workout that has an 8 second down and 8 second up timing

its resistance so you do need a partner but you only need 3 sets of 3 reps and your bi's a searing you set a preacher curl seat like normal but grab a light flat bar and have your partner apply just enough resistance to make you work your ass off for 8 seconds while he forces it down then for 8 seconds on the way up ........thats 1 rep , i have seen noticeable improvements with this

 

[fightbackhxc21]

its the difference between fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, both fast reps and slow reps are good to do.

 

[abraq]

Done correctly, it will work well - for a while. Then you have to change if you want continued gains.

 

[Double D]

I have used tempos that go from 6/2/3 to 2/4/6. Try doing a pullup with a 6 second concentric, 3 second iso, and a 6 second eccentric. I got a good bit stronger with this. I wasnt sore at all, but soreness means nothing. I really like this type of training, but I always needed a partner there to count the number of reps I was doing because I would lose track when I was counting the tempo.

 

[camarosuper6]

its the difference between fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, both fast reps and slow reps are good to do.

uh, what?

 

[camarosuper6]

Unless Im purposely accentuating the negative portion of the movement, its always an explosive positive and a controlled negative.. I hate counting rep tempo, and I think its way overanalyzed.

and I dunno about the statement that change is the key to growth... unless you mean progressive resistance.

 

[P-funk]

Unless Im purposely accentuating the negative portion of the movement, its always an explosive positive and a controlled negative.. I hate counting rep tempo, and I think its way overanalyzed.

I agree. The only time I have found slowing down the concentric to be beneficial is if you are working with someone in a rehabilitation setting and you need them to control their movement.

 

[camarosuper6]

Interesting. That is exactly what Im doing for my tricep rehabilitation. Seeing that my left tricep is weaker than my right, I usually use a controlled negative on certain exercises in which my tricep is required heavily to stabilize.

BTW... I checked out your site a few weeks ago. Super impressive how far youve come with your business and education.

Major props.

 

[P-funk]

Interesting. That is exactly what Im doing for my tricep rehabilitation. Seeing that my left tricep is weaker than my right, I usually use a controlled negative on certain exercises in which my tricep is required heavily to stabilize.

BTW... I checked out your site a few weeks ago. Super impressive how far youve come with your business and education.

Major props.

thanks for checking it out and the compliments!!

I am really focusing on developing my concepts and ideas for dealing with soft tissue dysfunctions and adding that into what I do with strength and conditioning. I have a long way to go, but I am pretty excited!

patrick

 

[camarosuper6]

youre welcome.


any advice you can offer for this damn stubborn tricep Id be more than willing to listen too.

One doc told me he thought it was a herniated disc, other one said a tricep tear of some kind....

Gosh doctors are morons.

 

[P-funk]

youre welcome.


any advice you can offer for this damn stubborn tricep Id be more than willing to listen too.

One doc told me he thought it was a herniated disc, other one said a tricep tear of some kind....

Gosh doctors are morons.

based on those two descriptions - which are totally opposite ends of the spectrum - my advice would be to go get a third opinion.

 

[camarosuper6]

haha. doesnt matter anymore. Its strength is slowly improving.

I am just damn impatient.

 

[P-funk]

haha. doesnt matter anymore. Its strength is slowly improving.

I am just damn impatient.

no one is ever patient when returning from injury. slow and steady wins the race though! the last thing you want to do is rush progress, disrupt tissue and create more trauma and a bigger hole to climb out of.

patrick

 

[abraq]

and I dunno about the statement that change is the key to growth... unless you mean progressive resistance.

Progression is the name of the game. But if you are going to do the same stuff for a long enough time, you will reach a plateau sooner or later. It is at such times that change comes into the picture.

The truth is that when progress comes to a halt, you change because you want to continue progressing.

Regards.

 

[bigback51]

Paulsed1,
Reguarding your question about Slow Motion Reps, I`ve been training for 43 years, and have been a student of "The Iron Game" for that length of time. For whatever its worth, I would not consider doing slow motion reps, maybe as a little change up for one work out, but not a long term thing. Try viewing the " Bar Movement" as a deliberate movement, think of a pneumatic piston. Of coarse there are exceptions where you want to emphasize BAR SPEED, like when you are doing sumo deadlifts, your mind set better be about " Grippe`n & Rippe`n. Another example when you are doing HEAVY Bent Over Rows, or T-Bar Rows, you better be thinking about bar speed. I think Deliberate motion while performing your exercises will serve you best, with an emphasis on Bar Speed, for certain exercises.
Good Training,
Big Back 51

 

[Richie1888]

T-Nation.com | 3 Reasons to Lift Explosively

always eplosive for me have never believed in slow reps