rep. speed?

[tiny4now]

I've heard that performing a repetition at a slower speed gives you greater muscle growth. Is there any truth to this, or is it just a myth?

 

[G.E.R.M]

..

i have had great success by reducing my rep speed.

my cadence is roughly 1sec positive and 3 sec negative...

better for me than just banging reps out...1sec up and 1sec down..

 

[Rogue]

Do your reps as fast as you can without loosing form. You will grow...and grow... and grow.

 

[Conan21]

here is my take on this

there is goin to be many different view points,so i'm not trying to argue; just stated what i've learned and have successfully applied

if your training specifically for muscle hypertrophy then slow reps are great.

your goal as bodybuilder is not to lift the heaviest weights but to stimulate growth. Futher more, if there is not set rep candence how are you sure you are using good form? for example i can do pretty good form x amount of weight and the next week i can prolly do just about the same amount of reps with a heavier Y weight just be using SLIGHTLY less form. U can trick yourself into thinking ur progressing.

you do not concentrate on the negative you muscle is under no tension in during 50% of an exercise. If you lift fast and explosively you are using momentum which decreases the intensity of the exercise, decreasing the stimulation........thereby decreasing the results.

the goal is to eliminate all possible momentum and achieve the greatest amount of muscle stimulation possilbe

4 second negative into a fully stretched position and then a non explosive positive....anywhere from 2 - 3 second; working all 3 levels of strenght, positive,contracted, and negative. Don't get too caught up in the exact timing; but keep in mind to lift under complete control elimating all momentum. this is extremely intense and very painful but the rewards are worth it

 

[brachialis]

....Take my opinion for what it's worth. We all obviously have our own insight and opinion. I know one thing and that's I don't know everything.

Slow repetitions definitely increase something and that something is an influx of "lactic acid" into the muscle cell. Will you feel a pump? Yes... Do you feel like you've had a good workout? Yes... Can you handle a lot of weight? No... So you're left thinking you had an amazing workout and you'll get huge, but really all you did was cram your muscles with a ton of "acid" that does not allow the muscle to grow. Unless you're in a positive nitrogen state with the assistance of gear I haven't seen too many folks get YOKED doing slow reps.

Growth is a response to "stress" placed on the muscle. The bigger the weight the bigger the muscle.. Again within control. The body is forced to adapt by strengthening and increasing the size of the muscle fiber to handle the stress placed upon it.

My advice is with Rogue. Do them UNDER CONTROL focusing on the muscle with explosiveness on the up movement and controlled coming down.

 

[BALDNAZI]

Pump speed

I have read before that alot of pros use a form of pump sets.They use as heavy weight as they can,but the reps are fast and never fully locked out or fully stretched.For years I always focused on negatives,deep stretches slow reps,and I grew.Recently I started powerlifting where speed and explosiveness is everything.Im getting strong as shit and look good but something is lacking.I have not been growing.So what I did was after all the explosive shit(board presses,box squats,bands etc),I will pick a more bodybuilding type of exercise,more isolation,and do the pump sets,like a piston in an engine.The difference is huge,I finally started growing again.The constant tension and fast speed forces alot of blood in there and it seems to be causing growth.Try it.....

 

[PHIL HERNON]

AFAP

As fast as possible.

 

[Jollymon]

Is fast rep speed part of the theory behind HIT training?

 

[Sandblaster]

The eccentric part of any movement makes you sore. So if you exaggerate that by slowing down rep speed, you will get sorer. But soreness shouldn't be your guide for muscle growth.

SB

 

[Conan21]

and the reasoning for causing more soreness?

ripping down the fibers more i would presume

i don't remember any one saying they judge their progess by soreness??

 

[G.E.R.M]

..

why is faster better.

 

[Sandblaster]

Per Zatsiorsky,

"The greatest muscular forces are developed in eccentric contractions; such forces are sometimes twice that of isometric contractions."

So, I suspect the force is the main cause of the soreness.

SB

 

[ironone1]

I usually do them at a steady pace with strict form. I've had shoulder problems so I always worry about possibly hyperextending or injuring something if I jerk it up too fast. Alot of guys I see do speed training where they do fast reps and don't lock it out; i.e. bench presses where they do a half reps fast. I think its like Weider's holistic principle.

 

[G.E.R.M]

..

Per Zatsiorsky,

"The greatest muscular forces are developed in eccentric contractions; such forces are sometimes twice that of isometric contractions."

So, I suspect the force is the main cause of the soreness.

SB

i always thought doing it slower increased TUT, which would be responsible for increased micro-trauma as well as increased time for lactic acid buildup...

 

[brandonjpowell]

My chiropractor told me that the faster you can move the weight through a range of motion the more stress you place on the muscle and connective tissue. She said to get the most from an exercise you should press the weight as fast as possible and then resist the weight on the way down. Their should be a rhythmic motion to the movement like a piston, and yes some momentum will be generated but if you take the set to momentary exhaustion you will still get maximum benefit.

 

[BigBoyJ]

I'd have to agree with BaldNazi. It's the combination of different weight and rep speeds that produce the best results.

 

[Sandblaster]

i always thought doing it slower increased TUT, which would be responsible for increased micro-trauma as well as increased time for lactic acid buildup...

Yeah, that is not inconsistent with the above, especially if the eccentric part of the movement is being done more slowly.

SB

 

[Sandblaster]

I'd have to agree with BaldNazi. It's the combination of different weight and rep speeds that produce the best results.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

One thing most trainees don't think about is that if you do an average set, where the initial reps are faster and the latter reps slow down, you are actually doing both types of training. Of course that supposes you have enough reps, something like 7-10 as a minimum. Your initial reps are done at a much faster tempo and your latter reps necessarily due to fatigue are done at a slower one.

BN talked about his recent powertraining and I suspect he was working on speed strength which is usually done for few reps concentrating bar acceleration. While he may have gotten stronger, the hypertrophic element he needed wasn't there. Basically he was training his nervous system to be more efficient and produce more power.

SB

 

[Jonnyel]

There is no best one way that fits every person. We all respond to different forma of stimuli. Changing training styles so as to not let your body adapt to any one is the key to breaking plateus. The body doesn't know 400lbs, or 60lbs, 0r even 20 lbs. What it does know it the time under tension, and the duration of stress on the muscle. Lifting 60 pounds with a 1 sec concentric and 1 sec ecentric, would be the equivalent of raising 30lbs for a 2 second concentric and lowering for 2 seconds.

 

[Conan21]

I think BigHeinz is a good example that slow controlled reps will turn you into a silver back gorilla.