The “negative” or lowering phase of a repetition is of supreme value if one is to get the most out of strength
training. Studies suggest that the negative phase plays a primary role in gaining muscular strength and seeing hypertrophy (muscular size increases). Simply, to get the most benefits from strength training, we have to perform controlled negatives. Additionally, our muscles are up to 40% stronger when lengthening (as in a negative) than when contracting (lifting). Because of this effect, greater muscular gains can be stimulated if we simply “accentuate the negatives” by performing them slowly and deliberately, forcing the muscles to work harder.

Next time you’re under the iron, don’t just drop your weights. You’re robbing yourself of half of the rep and all the benefits that go along with it!

Helpful Hints . . .

What the authors want to emphasize here is not the performance of a specific speed of movement. Rather, we wish that the reader not employ what is commonly the norm in gyms ‘round the globe – the practice of throwing a weight up, and dropping it back to the start. If you want to throw weights around, join a track team.

LIFT WITH CONTROL!

Most people believe that stretching is an important, even vital part of a proper warm-up. Some people even
advocate warming up for exercise by stretching. However, studies published in the Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research have shown that performing stretches prior to lifting weights decreased maximal power generation by 2-5%. In addition, a more recent study published in the journal “Running Research News” found that pre-activity stretching actually increased risk of sustaining injury! We now know that general stretching is neither a necessary nor desirable component of one’s warm-up. Merely increasing the core temperature (via a 2-5 minute active warm-up) is sufficient warm-up for general exercise (more thorough, activity-specific warm-ups are required for athletic competition, however).

Helpful Hints . . .

What does a proper warm-up for weight training look like?

Some examples of a good warm-up:

• 2-5 minutes of low to moderate intensity rowing on a stationary rower
• A preparatory set of your first exercise using a light weight (aka warm-up set)
• Callesthenics circuit, e.g., 20 bodyweight squats followed by 10 pushups followed by 30 crunches

The bottom line in an active warm-up is working up the beginnings of a light sweat.

Science shows that the level of cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone) in your system rises dramatically once an exercise bout exceeds 60 minutes in duration. Cortisol deals a double whammy: it breaks muscle tissue down into sugar for quick energy and it increases storage of belly fat. While this mechanism will ensure our survival in an emergency situation, it represents the worst possible scenario if you’re trying to lose fat and/or gain muscle. Make your workouts more time efficient to avoid spinning your wheels – be sure your workouts do not exceed 60 minutes in duration.

Did you know?

Perhaps the single most powerful example of training gains through brief, infrequent training was the so-called “Colorado Experiment” involving Arthur Jones and bodybuilder Casey Viator in May of 1973. Viator gained a staggering 63 pounds of muscle in 28 days! What makes the feat even more remarkable was that Viator trained 3 times a week, averaging a mere 33.8 minutes per workout.

Jones’ results were somewhat less spectacular, but impressive nonetheless. He gained more than 15 pounds of muscle in 22 days, using only upper body exercises. Not bad for a 50 year old.