Demystifying Repetitions in Workouts, Part 2: The Perfect Rep
What are the performance secrets of superstar bodybuilders when performing reps?
When it comes right down to it, the number on advantage of veteran bodybuilders is technique. Because of their long experience in bodybuilding, amateur/professional champions have been able to learn or develop their own unique training techniques that bring them the best results at any time in the year.
Of course, if you’re a complete beginner you don’t have these techniques yet. You’re at a point in your bodybuilding journey where you’re still learning the basics and absorbing information from fellow bodybuilders and fitness experts like a sponge… Like what you’re doing now!
Today’s blog post will focus on the exclusive techniques of the best bodybuilders in the industry. Take notes, apply these techniques and see where they lead you!
The Superstar Techniques
1. Higher Reps for Better Calorie Burn – Cutting fat during competition season can be a grueling task. If your natural strength is up to par and you have no issue lifting the heaviest weights you can manage, you may want to increase your reps to improve your caloric burn rate.
Though many factors contribute to actual energy expenditure, performing more repetitions can theoretically raise your metabolism up a notch and the additions reps means more work for your muscles.
If your main goal is muscle maintenance, higher reps can also help. However, you have to find the maximal resistance point so you won’t end up lifting really light weights that won’t contribute to the preservation of large muscle mass.
It can be quite difficult to achieve superstar muscular girths and it would be heartbreaking to see your efforts wasted just because you use resistance that was lower than what your muscles needed.
2. Practice Proper Form 100% of the Time – We have to be strict when it comes to the implementation of movements because the wrong form and techniques can really injure your muscles, joints, ligaments and sometimes even the bones!
If you observe aspiring Mr. Olympias in training, you will notice that they really take their time with every repetition. Speed is not the name of the game!
The real champions of bodybuilding know that slow, deliberate movements can actually help you gain more muscle mass than “fast swings” which shouldn’t even be used in weightlifting!
“Cheaters” often swing their weights to gain momentum, thereby reducing the overall strain on their target muscle groups. You may be able to slog through your intended routine for that day, but did you give your muscles sufficient strain for them to develop? Certainly not.
Safety is also an extremely important concern that should always be taken into account when you’re in the gym.
People who aren’t concerned with gym safety and proper form are often the ones who suffer from the most physical damage. The damage may not come immediately, but there will be that one day where the bad form will result in an accident or injury and sadly, it will be too late to prevent it by then.
3. Maintain Equal Focus on Positive and Negative Phases – Each exercise or movement is composed of two distinct phases: the positive phase and the negative phase. When you perform a bicep curl, the positive phase occurs when you lift the dumbbell upward, straining against gravity. The negative phase of course is when you lower the dumbbell.
Usually, bodybuilders focus only on the positive phase of the movement because that’s when you really strain against the weight of the barbell, dumbbell or Russian kettlebell.
But what if we tell you that people were wrong all along?
Sports scientists have discovered that the negative phase of weightlifting movements actually have more muscle-splitting potential than the negative phase! That’s right: when you lower a dumbbell after a curl, that’s when you should really make the movement very slow and deliberate.
Focus on every second of your workout and feel your muscles heave and strain against the weights. This is the true way of the classical bodybuilder!
4. Take Care of Your Joints, Please – Your joints allow you to perform all the movements necessary to build your muscles. Take care of them because without them, you’re toast.
It’s unfortunate that many bodybuilders are setting really bad examples for the next generation. We see old bodybuilders swinging weights and throwing them around like toys, as if they weren’t handling hundreds of pounds of weights.
“Bouncing Bills” are also very common in gyms across the country. “Bouncing Bills” are really strong fellows who try to outdo their old personal records by benching weights… By bouncing the weights off their chests!
We can’t deny that these fellows are strong but one day, some joint or ligament is going to snap and when that happens… Well let’s just say that any long term goals are going to be disrupted for a few months at least.
