Recent Experiments with Negative Emphasized Training

I had a great workout earlier, so good I ended up needing a bit of floor time before I was able to train my wife (who cheerfully snapped photos of me laying exhausted on the floor):

  1. MedX Neck Extension
  2. MedX Neck Flexion
  3. Stiff Leg Deadlifts on the Nautilus XPLoad
  4. Weighted Dips on the Nautilus Omni Multi Exercise
  5. Weighted Chin Ups on the Nautilus Omni Multi Exercise
  6. MedX Leg Press
  7. MedX Shoulder Press
  8. MedX Row
  9. Calf Raise on the Nautilus Omni Multi Exercise

Drew Baye on the floor after a high intensity training workout

All of the exercises were performed using a negative emphasized protocol, except the calf raise which was performed in a negative accentuated manner. Negative emphasized reps are something I talked about with Ryan Hall several years ago, and and am revisiting because he reminded me of it in a recent phone conversation, and shared some compelling reasons for giving it a try. I also discussed the method a while back with Wayne Westcott, who did a study comparing negative emphasized repetitions and other advanced high intensity techniques and wrote about it in Building Strength and Stamina (Chapter 5: High Intensity Strength Training).

Westcott compared the effectiveness of several advanced high intensity training techniques with experienced trainees who had plateaued rather than previously untrained subjects like most strength training studies, and found negative emphasized repetitions beat all the rest. The negative emphasized group experienced the greatest increases in strength over a six week period, compared with the standard Nautilus 2/4 protocol, breakdowns, assisted reps, and SuperSlow.

Negative emphasized reps consist of a moderately-slow three second positive, followed by a very-slow ten second negative, with emphasis on very controlled turnarounds due to the ability to handle heavier weights. Surprisingly, during a previous negative emphasized workout while performing the MedX shoulder press  I encountered the “runaway negative” discussed on the Renaissance Exercise web site earlier this year, as an indicator of highly efficient inroad (which their protocol emphasizes). This shows despite emphasizing load and muscular tension over metabolic stress, the negative emphasized protocol still produces fast enough fatigue (most likely due to greater microtrauma) to overwhelm the relatively higher and more slowly-reduced negative strength.

It’s important to mention that fatigue or “inroad” is about more than metabolic stress. Microtrauma, which is achieved more effectively with higher loads, also contributes to fatigue by reducing the cross bridges that can be formed and even the number of muscle fibers able to contribute to force production. This is something I’ll be covering in more detail later.

I usually perform between seven and ten repetitions, taking around 8 seconds per rep (three to lift, three to lower, plus turnarounds or a “squeeze technique” on simple and compound pulling movements), so to maintain a relatively consistent time under load I’m using a range of three to five with the negative emphasized repetitions.

In a way, this negative emphasized protocol is a reversal of Ken Hutchins’ original guidelines for SuperSlow training which appear in chapter 9 of The Nautilus Advanced Bodybuilding Book by Ellington Darden. At that time (early 1980’s) Hutchins’ recommended a time under load of thirty to seventy seconds (two to five repetitions) using a ten-second positive positive movement and a four-second negative.

While the guidelines for SuperSlow training were meant to optimize fatigue by emphasizing the more metabolically-demanding positive while keeping the duration of the stronger and less metabolically-demanding negative shorter (in part due to the unloading caused by excessive friction in earlier machines), negative emphasized repetitions optimize the other important elements in stimulating muscular strength and size gains: tension and microtrauma.

This doesn’t mean negative emphasized repetitions don’t also have a considerable metabolic effect. Performed with an adequately heavy weight and relatively short rest intervals between exercises, the protocol is just as effective for metabolic conditioning as any other method performed for that purpose.

Since it is possible to handle more weight due to both the longer negative and fewer reps per time it is even more important to maintain strict form during the turnarounds, especially the lower one.

When teaching new clients turnaround technique, I tell them to approach the start and end points of the exercise as they would a stop sign while driving. You don’t wait ’til you get to the sign to slam on the breaks, then slam gas pedal and blast off through the intersection. You gradually slow to a stop, then gradually accelerate. Do the same during an exercise; anticipate the start or end point and gradually slow to a stop so that you are barely moving when you reach it, then barely start moving in the other direction and gradually accelerate to a controlled speed.

Think smooth, continuous, controlled. Proper exercise form resembles the slow, flowing movements of Tai Chi Chuan hand forms, not the quick, rapid movements of boxing drills.

After a few negative emphasized workouts you’ll get a feel for when you’ve only capable of one more negative, and when you reach that point you should perform the final negative as slowly as possible.

Although you are attempting to move extremely slowly, at some point you will be contracting as hard as you can just to maintain a controlled speed. When this happens you should be trying to reverse the direction of movement rather than just slow it down. You won’t be able to, but I’ve found  it makes a big difference to think about trying to reverse it rather than thinking about just trying to slow it down.

Drew Baye performing stiff-leg deadlifts during a negative emphasized workout

Even if using equipment or performing free weight exercises in a manner providing a resistance curve congruent with your strength curve, which would normally result in failure occurring randomly over the range of motion of the positive, failure seems to most frequently occur around the start point with this protocol, especially if the final negative is performed as I described.

Considering you’re much stronger during the negative than the positive if you can’t reverse the movement during the negative you can be pretty sure you’re not going to be able to lift the weight again, unless the resistance curve is off and the start is too light. If that’s the case and you do fail at some point during the positive, just because you’ve reached positive failure doesn’t mean the exercise is over and you should just set down the weight.

If failure occurs at some point during the positive, continue to contract as intensely as possible, but do not alter your positioning or alignment or sacrifice form in any way for the sake of completing the rep. Just continue to contract as intensely as possible for as long as you can. If the weight selection was correct, this shouldn’t be long, and after a short period it should take everything you’ve got to slow down the negative as described above.

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  • Andy Jun 13, 2011 @ 6:00

    Hi Drew,

    how much do you increase your exercise weights when using a negative emphasized protocol compared to your normal protocol of around 8 seconds per rep?
    Many trainees don´t have equipment with perfect resistance curves and I think they will get problems finding a perfect weight selection to provide ENOUGH resistance for a ten second negative AND THEN a very slow and smooth turnaround at the starting point AND a moderat slow (3 seconds) positive. Maybe for free weight exercises or non-perfect machines the resistance will have to be too high for an appropriate negative and to perform the starting turnaround plus the positive in perfect form and for enough reps.

    Best regards,
    Andy

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 10:16

      Andy,

      I only increase the weight about 5% since I prefer to err on the conservative side, but probably could have increased it further.

      The method can still be used effectively with equipment with less than ideal resistance curves, although I would be very cautious with exercises that get heavier towards the start or exercises where the lower turnaround occurs in a stretched position without the weight stack bottoming-out or weights touching the ground or safety catches.

  • Karthik Jun 13, 2011 @ 7:40

    Great Article, Drew! I’ve had experiences similar to these when training Negative assisted on Chins & Dips. Though soreness is not a clear indicator of an effective workout, I have had the most soreness on negative only or negative accentuated workouts. Got to do with more micro trauma, I suppose.

    NO/ NA workouts do have a place, but doing them regularly without providing adequate recovery period(NO/NA require more recovery time) may hamper progress.

    All said and done, a very effective way to train, but one has to account for the additional recovery periods.

    Karthik

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 10:21

      Karthik,

      Negative emphasized doesn’t allow for as much an increase in load as negative only or negative accentuated (unilaterally) due to the inclusion of a positive phase, so it’s use probably does not need to be limited as much. Like any other change in training, individuals will respond differently and some may find they require a reduction in volume or frequency when using this protocol.

  • Karthik Jun 13, 2011 @ 7:42

    BTW, Awesome triceps in the Dip Picture

    Karthik

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 10:22

      Thanks Karthik,

      I’m happy with how they’re coming along.

  • Skyler Tanner Jun 13, 2011 @ 8:09

    This is right in line with something I’ve been experimenting with, though I came to it through some of the mTOR research and the fatigue management used by the Max-Stim/Myo-rep/DC crowd. Good stuff.

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 10:27

      Hey Skyler,

      When I spoke with Ryan about it he mentioned several studies, I think mTOR is one that came up. The greater loads possible with negative emphasized reps mean higher average muscular tension which should increase signalling for hypertrophy through the effect on mTOR.

  • Chris Lutz Jun 13, 2011 @ 9:15

    I wrote several years ago wondering why nobody ever reversed Ken’s original 10/4 based on the original Nautilus theory that you can emphasize the negative and get more out of it. It is no faster and no more “dangerous”, but would seem to make more sense rather than a slower positive speed or an equal positive/negative speed. I think that can be highly valuable as evidenced by your experiment here and Westcott’s research.

    Additionally, hasn’t Ryan Hall pretty well put the inroad theory to bed? I understand it still may be part of the equation as a MANY variables, but didn’t he make a very good case several years go for NOT basing your entire goal on a “a deep inroad”. For example, some of John Little’s and Pete Sisco’s work probably wouldn’t be as productive as it is because it’s not really based on inroad at all being as short as 5 or 6 second contractions?

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 10:30

      Hey Chris,

      Yes, Ryan thoroughly debunked it. Inroad is not the stimulus for muscular hypertrophy, it is a contributing factor. Tension and microtrauma are the keys.

  • Robert Jun 13, 2011 @ 9:57

    Thanks you for the description. I have been following a similar protocol for a few weeks (after reading your others posts about negative training). I’m just getting back to HIT and is not in shape (yet) so I will not be able to give compare data but personally I feel that I can exhaust the muscle more fully using this technique you are describing here. I guess it works for me. Have you found that this technique has helped you gain strength? Do you think it would help HITers that are not in perfect shape as well (or should the stick to other techniques)?

    When I realize that I’m on the last full positive I do the last negative as slow as I can (normally around 12-20+ seconds). I try to move the weight moving as slowly as I can (goal trying to make it a 60 seconds negative). I find that keeping some movement helps me mentally rather then a static hold (that on paper would perhaps be better?). I do strongly agree that when you get to the stage that you cannot keep the weight from going down then it mentally helps if you try to “reverse” direction. That normally allow me to keep it static for a few seconds longer.

    I find that using this technique I feel my muscles being completely exhausted much deeper then other methods I have tried. I prefer doing a last full (super slow) negative rep rather then getting stuck somewhere on the positive and then trying to do a negative. It’s probably only mental but I find that when I get stuck on the positive I have a hard time switching to negative mode and end up giving up before exhaustion. Might just be beginners issues.

    What do you think it the best way to keep records for this technique? I currently record the number of reps done and the number of seconds of the last negative. I think you need to record the TUL since it might take a couple of weeks to add on one more positive.

    Issue with recording TUL is that it’s “hard” to do when training alone and I don’t like using a timer. Any ideas welcomed.

    I also find this technique hard to do on the pull down. I have several sticking points on the positive part of the pull down (I’m on higher end cybex) but that that I can hold the negative “too long” after the last possible positive. Too long meaning ~40 seconds and that speed is hard to mentally keep working at. Any ideas?

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 10:43

      Robert,

      Either the repetition count or time under load could be used to measure progress on a negative emphasized protocol, but with the repetition count it is important to maintain a relatively consistent speed. I have a metronome app on my iPhone set to 60bpm I use to maintain a consistent cadence.

      Although the slower the repetition cadence the longer it takes to improve by a single rep, as long as you keep this in mind when evaluating progress the repetition count is still fine as a measure of progress. With longer repetition duration adding a full rep every couple workouts could be considered good progress.

      When I used to measure time under load instead of counting reps I started the stopwatch and set it where I could see it without compromising proper head and neck positioning, started on an easy number of seconds to remember, then subtracted that from the total time for the set. On exercises where this was not practical I would wear the stopwatch, and after starting it count to five while getting my hands in proper position, then subtract that from the total time for the set. Not perfect, but it worked well enough.

      If you’re able to hold it for that long during the final negative you’re significantly underloaded over a significant portion of the ROM, suggesting either a poor strength curve, but positioning and movement during the exercise can also affect this. I can’t know without trying the machine or watching you perform it. If this happens, you’d be better off slowly lowering the weight until you approach the position that would be the sticking point during the positive and attempt to hold it there.

  • Robert Jun 13, 2011 @ 14:11

    Thanks for the advice!

  • Thomas Jun 13, 2011 @ 14:26

    Drew, Chris and others-can someone tell me where I can find Ryan Hall’s tension vs. inroad work? I don’t think it’s on his web site.

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 17:38

      Thomas,

      Much of this was in the form of posts in an e-mail discussion list for SuperSlow trainers. I will ask Ryan’s permission to share what he wrote here.

  • Kevin Fontaine Jun 13, 2011 @ 14:52

    Please forgive my ignorance, but I have always been confused about what happens during the negative portion of a repetition of a resistance exercise. Let’s say a person lifts 100 pounds during the positive portion of an overhead press. In order to then lower that resistance, doesn’t the person have to reduce their force output?(otherwise wouldn’t the resistance remain statically elevated until the person could no longer generate sufficient force to hold it). If this is so, doesn’t the performance of the negative portion of a full-range repetition require a reduction in force output?

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 17:46

      Kevin,

      The average force encountered is the same both when lifting and lowering the weight, the differences in force occur during the initial acceleration when starting the positive or negative and when slowing down towards the end. Since you are stronger during eccentric contractions and fatigue more slowly due to differences in cross bridge mechanics when a greater percentage of time is spent performing eccentric contractions than concentric you are able to handle a heavier weight. Also, although the relationship between mechanical and metabolic work is not direct (isometrics being an example), there is a relationship, and you are also able to handle a heavier weight when doing fewer reps over a period of time.

  • Avi Ratica Jun 13, 2011 @ 16:39

    Last fall I fractured my Tibia,tore my ACL and tore my Maniscus and am still trying to rebuild my leg strength. I found that doing leg presses slowly and on my last rep, I take about 20-30 seconds lowering the weight and I am whipped without fear of damage to my knee. My Surgeon is happy with my recovery and after two weeks of rehab, I decided to rehab my self using HIT,rest and good nutrition. So far so good!

    • Drew Baye Jun 13, 2011 @ 17:51

      Avi,

      I’m sorry to hear about your injury, but glad recovery is going well for you. Start conservatively, progress gradually, use proper form and your rehab will be successful.

  • marklloyd Jun 13, 2011 @ 17:51

    Are you aware of any 1-on -1 facilities in Chicago open to coaching negative- emphasized routines?

  • Thomas Jun 13, 2011 @ 18:24

    Thanks Drew, that would be great.

  • Mark Jun 13, 2011 @ 23:14

    Hi Drew,

    I have two questions, (if you have the time).

    What are your thought on posture and if it can be corrected through specific exercises? My main problem is that I am always slumped forward and shoulders are in front of my chest. I have been diagnosed with slight scoliosis when I was younger and that may have corrected its self over the past 4-5 years, because there is no visible curve to the spine if I bend over.

    Is it just a matter of consciously and deliberately pulling my shoulders back and chest out or maybe there are specific exercises I can do to correct this? Lat pull or shoulder press maybe, what would you recommend?

    Also I began training a month or two ago and do bench press, shoulder press, and lat pull downs only.(I feel sick and depleted if I do any more over the following two days)I have some old cable pulled machine and a barbell. My strength is improving but visibly I see improvements only in is my forearms and triceps. My body weight, chest and back all look the same. I think its the forearms and triceps that are failing first but my chest and back are not. When I reach positive failure with free weights, what are some techniques to do to increase intensity? Even though I’m able to do many more negative reps, my failure during the positive prevents me from a greater negative workout.

    I am experimenting with the following… When I get towards the end of the set and just barely complete a positive (where I am convinced I wont be able to do another) I do the last negative as slowly as possible until failure is reached. Is this a good idea? Are there better more effective ways?

    Thanks Drew any help would be appreciated.

    • Drew Baye Jun 14, 2011 @ 10:15

      Mark,

      Whether poor posture can be corrected with exercise depends on the cause. If it is weak postural muscles exercise will correct it, but a deliberate effort must be made to practice proper posture when standing, sitting, etc. Over the years I’ve had numerous clients with posture issues which have improved with training, including an elderly man who stood very stooped over but is now able to stand and walk upright. While a proper strength training program will include exercise for all the major muscle groups, if improved posture is a high priority rowing and back extensions should be prioritized.

      If those few exercises are leaving you sick and depleted your nutrition and sleeping habits may also need work. Also, why no leg work? If you are interested in discussing these or the specifics of form in more detail I’m available for phone consultations.

  • Andy Jun 14, 2011 @ 6:49

    Thanks Drew for your answer,
    my consideration is this: If friction of the machine is high, wouldn’t a prolonged negative excursion of 10 sec. allow for some recovery and therefore reduce the stimulus for muscle growth?

    • Drew Baye Jun 14, 2011 @ 10:41

      Andy,

      This depends on the level of friction. Ideally you’d want lower friction machines like MedX or Nautilus, but most newer equipment lines should have sufficiently low friction for this to not be a problem. Even if the friction is higher, the longer excursion would allow for a heavier weight to be used for the duration of the set, so the average resistance would still be greater.

  • Glenn Magee Jun 14, 2011 @ 10:56

    Hi Drew,

    Great article, I’ve been training in a similar way for about a year now, doing a 2/2/4, with last neg lasting as long as 15 seconds. I was happy to see you mention the fact that the old Nautilus machines had excessive friction, the very reason I stopped using them. I could never understand why Arthur Jones didn’t minimise this problem and use cable rather than chain link. Also I don’t believe this issue has ever been acknowledged by the die-hard ’80’s Nautilus machine advocates like John Little.

    Cheers.

    • Drew Baye Jun 14, 2011 @ 11:10

      Thanks Glenn,

      The problems with the earlier machines weren’t so much the chain links but rather the weight stacks and the brass bushings in some of the older machines where sealed bearings should have been used. The 1st and 2nd Gen Nautilus machines are still some of the best equipment out there, and when refurbished with bearings in all the articulations and top plates and when the weight stacks are perfectly plumb they’re very smooth.

  • Chris Lutz Jun 14, 2011 @ 11:34

    I’ve never had too much of a problem with friction in old machines. In fact, that’s why I like them, is because they are predictable. They act pretty much today the same way they did 40 years ago despite being taken apart and moved several times and used A LOT. I think people make too much out of it. Yes, if you’re doing really slow positives and negatives, it can get in the way, but even most of the old Nautilus that was the most uncared for, still really has never given me a problem and I’ve used tons of them in multiple different locations. Especially public facilities where the upkeep is subpar to private facilities. Even sitting in dusty warehouses, they seem to do fine as long as the weight stacks are plumb and the guide rods are not bent. I’m specifically speaking about Nautilus here. Some other crap brands have been built that never worked correctly from the get go. Don’t make too big a deal out of it, use what you have access to to the best of your ability.

  • Al Coleman Jun 14, 2011 @ 12:15

    Drew,

    Is that the XPload Dead? I like that machine a lot.

    Al

    • Drew Baye Jun 14, 2011 @ 16:33

      Hey Al,

      Yes, it’s the Nautilus XPLoad deadlift. I wish the arc was a little shallower, but other than that I really like the machine as well.

  • David Marcon, DC Jun 14, 2011 @ 12:34

    I appreciate your articles and insight. I have used this 5/10 protocol for almost 2 years on just about every piece of equipment in existence and don’t notice “friction” inhibiting negative movement. It does require more rest time but I have noticed that after 3-4 days positive movements can be done with out the emphasis of the negative without great negative effect on the next whole body workout.

  • Steven.turner Jun 14, 2011 @ 17:53

    Hi Drew,

    Just in response to Kevin’s post, hopefully I can give him an answer from my practical experiences with negatives. The first couple of reps I lower the weight, the next few reps I try to hold the weight back but still lower it, the next few reps I try with all my effort to try to stop the weight whilst it is being lowered. The reps speed remains constant and if I am correct it is only in the first few reps where the force would be less.

    I know that Arthur Jones explained how to do negatives sets, I have tried to follow his method.

  • Dale Jun 15, 2011 @ 12:33

    Drew –

    Could this protocol be of benefit for, say, a novice trainee with knee and shoulder issues ? In other words, would negative-emphasized freehand squats, pushups, etc. be sufficiently intense as to generate the necessary inroads for hypertrophy ?

    • Drew Baye Jun 15, 2011 @ 17:29

      Dale,

      The protocol would be safe for someone with knee or shoulder issues as long as done in good form and particularly with very smooth turnarounds, although I would be very conservative with the initial resistance selection and test the exercise to see whether the movement will be tolerated and if so what range of motion before performing it with a heavier weight.

      Body weight squats, push ups, and other exercises can be very effective when done in this manner, but muscular tension and microtrauma are the stimulus for hypertrophy, not inroad.

  • ad ligtvoet Jun 15, 2011 @ 14:54

    Hi Drew,
    Is the reason for using the negative accentuated method instead of the negative emphasized method the shorter stroke? Do you prefer to keep both feet on the footstep and “shifting” the resistance to the worked side or do you lift your non working foot a bit ? How do you keep the turn arounds smooth , transfering the resistance from one side to the other. I find this distracting especially when fatigue sets in .
    ad

    • Drew Baye Jun 15, 2011 @ 17:34

      Ad,

      I do negative accentuated instead of negative emphasized calf raises because I need more resistance to train both calves on the Nautilus Omni Multi Exercises than is on the weight stack.

      During the negative the foot of the non-working leg is lifted off the step, but kept close enough to be able to immediately step back down if it becomes difficult to control the speed of the negative. Becoming proficient in the transfer during the upper and lower turnarounds just takes practice.

  • Tauno Jun 15, 2011 @ 16:25

    Thank you for the excellent advice! I would like to try this protocol.

    Could a barbell squat be done in a negative emphasized way? Also 3-5 reps with 10 sec negatives? Should it be started in a usual way: from a upper position, with a negative?

    Would you suggest doing a barbell shoulder press standing or sitting with this protocol? I can handle heavier weight when sitting.

    • Drew Baye Jun 15, 2011 @ 17:43

      Tauno,

      Negative emphasized reps can be done with any exercise, although I would caution people to use some kind of a mechanical safety or stop near the lower turnaround on exercises where the resistance increases significantly towards the starting position and to be very conservative with the range of motion if there is any question of joint safety around the start with heavier loads.

      Squats can be performed with negative emphasized repetitions but I you should start with a weight you know you capable of using in good form with normal reps rather than estimate high the first time you do them this way.

      Either seated or standing presses are fine, but I recommend doing both inside a power rack with the safety bars set just below your starting position, rather than cleaning a weight into position to do them standing, or using an upright bench without safety catches.

  • Drew Baye Jun 15, 2011 @ 21:15

    I asked for and received permission from Ryan Hall to post his comments on inroad. They can be read at https://baye.com/ryan-hall-on-inroad/

    I will be interviewing Ryan next week about this and related topics, so if you have questions related to inroad, tension, microtrauma, etc. and growth stimulation please ask in the comments on that post and I will include them in our interview.

  • Craig Jun 21, 2011 @ 22:00

    The gym I go to doesn’t have a Nautilus XPLoad, but there is a Hammer Squat Lunge machine. Is it basically the same thing?

    • Drew Baye Jun 21, 2011 @ 22:15

      Craig,

      Yes, the Hammer Squat Lunge machine is very similar.

  • Drew Baye Jun 23, 2011 @ 0:51

    Someone I’ve been training with negative emphasized repetitions for the past three weeks had his second BodPod measurement performed Tuesday morning and has gained six pounds of muscle so far. Another test will be done in three more weeks.

  • Steven Turner Jun 28, 2011 @ 18:58

    Hi Drew,

    The six pounds of muscle is a great results, as you know I have been doing a lot of body composition testing recently – (still trying to get all the results entered). The only people who have consistently reduced body fat and increased muscle are HIT trained clients.

    This is what I have been trying educate people on altering body composition should be what our primary goal is. Or should I say decreasing fat and increasing muscle because their are a lot of people out there undertaking fitness programs where the oppsite is happening – increasing fat and decreasing muscle. What are the so-called fitness experts doing about it, or more important do they actually know what is occuring with their clients in relation to body composition.

    For most of the so-called experts would beleive that results of increasing muscle tissue at that rate is impossible. It is impossible if you train people the way that most of them do.

    Great results.

  • David Sears Jun 29, 2011 @ 13:47

    Drew,

    How often are you using this routine? Also, what kind of frequency were you using with the guy who gained the 6 pounds?

    I’m going to give some of these a try tomorrow.

    Thanks,

    David

    • Drew Baye Jun 29, 2011 @ 15:28

      David,

      I’m training once every 4th or 5th day. I started Jim at twice weekly but am also cutting him back to once every fourth or fifth day.

  • David Sears Jun 30, 2011 @ 7:56

    Drew,

    Are you using a single routine or an A and a B?

    Thanks,

    David

    • Drew Baye Jun 30, 2011 @ 9:58

      Hey David,

      We did a single full body routine the first two weeks then switched to an A/B routine to include more direct exercises for some muscle groups without increasing the individual workout volume.

  • Rami Jul 4, 2011 @ 12:38

    Drew,

    I’ve used negative emphasized reps for a long time now. I stick to a smooth 1-5 cadence but for the past 5 months I’ve made absolutely no gains on the bench press. I can’t seem to work past the third repetition. I cycle through the my chest workouts once every ~25 days, although I’ve experimented with both shorter and longer days off. Hoping I could find success with Rest Pause Training under the same weight conditions also failed. Perhaps I’m erring with the following strategy—–in order to compensate for the short TUL thats associated with 3 reps, I increase the weight post failure 15% for EACH rep for 4 more reps to get STRICT negative repetitions.

    Visually speaking, it appears as though my chest has made some development, but quantitatively speaking its disappointing. I’ve considered lowering my benching weight in order to aim for a higher number of full range repetitions, but I’m afraid the loss in muscle tension will set me back—-so I continue to fight through the current weight, but I’m afraid I might just be spinning my wheels.

    I’d appreciate your guidance on the matter.

    Thanks,

    Ramy

    • Drew Baye Jul 4, 2011 @ 13:30

      Ramy,

      If by “1-5” cadence you mean a 1 second positive movement you are moving way too fast. For a bench press or chest pressing movement the typical range of motion should require at least two seconds to complete after a controlled lower turnaround (a gradual start with no bounce or extraneous body movement) and I recommend taking closer to three seconds for the positive during most exercises.

      Only training chest once every twenty five days may also be part of the reason for slow progress. While it is better to err on the high side with recovery, this is somewhat extreme and probably not enough to stimulate an optimal rate of progress unless you have very poor recovery ability.

      That being said, barring a complete restructuring of your training program I suggest “microloading”. If you are not able to increase your reps, try maintaining the same number of repetitions while adding only one or two pounds of resistance each time you train.

      If you’re interested in discussing this in more detail I’m available for phone consultations.

  • David Sears Jul 13, 2011 @ 9:56

    Drew,

    I have been experimenting with these and so far I like them a lot. I had some interesting results in my last workout. I did the Hammer neck machine on the 30th of June and repeated the workout on July 12th. The improvement was incredible. I was up in both weight and TUL. I made a bigger jump in weight than normal (5 pounds instead of 1 or 2) and had improvements from 10 to 30 seconds in TUL on each movement. I’m going to continue to experiment with these reps and will let you know the results.

    Thanks,

    David

    • Drew Baye Jul 13, 2011 @ 10:04

      Hey David,

      Thanks for sharing your results with it so far. We’ve been having good results with it, and I’ll be reporting on Jim Keen’s six-week muscle gains when he does the final BodPod measurement.

  • Richard Jul 14, 2011 @ 14:11

    Hi Drew,

    I’m going into a bulking phase soon with some pretty tough targets of 1 stone in 4-6 weeks.

    Would you reccomend negative emphasised reps for gaining lean mass and if so how many exercises and how often would you reccomend for someone thats pretty experienced with HIT.

    Cheers,

    Richard

    • Drew Baye Jul 15, 2011 @ 10:48

      Richard,

      I would definitely recommend it. Jim Keen gained over six pounds of muscle in his first three weeks (waiting for him to get the next bodpod measurement and report the total gains). The best volume and frequency would depend on your recovery ability, but I recommend erring on the low side with protocols like negative emphasized, negative accentuated and negative only.

  • Tauno Oct 10, 2011 @ 6:40

    I have added resistance to a barbell squat little by little so that now I can perform 5 negative emphasized reps to failure. But after this one and only set I don’t feel my legs are really worked through — I can stand and walk freely and I do not feel that they have been worked thoroughly. Is there anything else I should do to work legs better?

    • Drew Baye Oct 10, 2011 @ 16:06

      I suggest doubling the reps on squats.

  • Tauno Oct 10, 2011 @ 7:03

    How many reps would you suggest for negative emphasized neck exercises? Still 3-5 or 4-6 as with other exercises? Thank you!

    • Drew Baye Oct 10, 2011 @ 16:02

      I recommend a little higher reps for the neck, just to err on the safe side. A range of 4 to 6 (about 60 to 90 seconds) or more is fine.

  • eric Oct 15, 2012 @ 15:24

    Hey Drew, i found this post by way of Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnsons website. Sorry for asking a few elementary questions but what do you mean by turnaround, and would negative reps on a cable/pulley machine consist of 2 up (positive)), 5 down (negative)?

    how does one emphasise the portion of negative resistance correctly?

    At the moment i have been doing A:B splits of Leg Squats/lats and chest/shoulder presses, for the last 2 months. In addition, ive been performing negative only chin ups and dips, on the same days as leg and lats.

    I apologise these are probably incredibly newbie questions, but you’ve been highly recommended so i thought you were the one to ask.

    Any tips/ advice appreciated. cheers

    Eric
    Background: i’ve been using gym equipment from a local gym as i can’t yet afford my own setup.

    • Drew Baye Oct 16, 2012 @ 8:35

      Eric,

      The “turnaround” is the reversal of direction between the positive and negative phases of a dynamic repetition.

      A “negative-emphasized” repetition is one where the negative phase is performed significantly more slowly than the positive.

      While split routines have their place, if you’re starting out I recommend full-body workouts consisting primarily of compound movements. Check out What Is High Intensity Training? for examples of basic HIT workouts and routines.

  • eric Oct 16, 2012 @ 16:58

    thanks very much, will check it out

  • Lifter Jan 4, 2018 @ 7:18

    Having tried N/E back in 2014, as per your ideas, I am keen to revisit them. I did a set of bb curls today for 4 reps, my biceps have been deeply aching ever since…so much so they are at the point of annoying!!!

    I had forgotten the depth of stimulation 2/8 induce, far greater than my usual rep tempo of 2/4. Doubling up on the negative clearly induces a greater stimulus. Tomorrow I plan to try them out on legs…if the effect is anything like my bis then walking will be an optional extra this weekend! Hehe

    • Drew Baye Jan 8, 2018 @ 10:55

      For most exercises two seconds is too short. If you’re going to experiment with this I suggest 4/10 instead.

  • Lifter Jan 9, 2018 @ 6:28

    Thanks Drew. Having tried them I found that too. Oddly enough 2/8 didn’t have as much impact on my “pushing muscles” as it did my “pulling: ones. Have you found that oddity?

    • Drew Baye Jan 25, 2018 @ 11:15

      No, I have not seen this with anyone.