Negative Sets - A Way to Amp Up Your Workout

Negative reps, also referred to as eccentric contraction exercises, are a completely different type of advanced training method. To explain, let us start with the difference between regular or traditional concentric exercises and eccentric exercises.

A concentric contraction or exercise is a movement where your muscles shorten when force is being generated. An example of a concentric exercise would be the bicep curl. The biceps become shorter as the arms bends at the elbow and the hand moves from its starting position towards the shoulder.

An eccentric contraction or exercise is when your muscle lengthens under force due to the opposing force being greater than that the muscle can produce. Using the example of the bicep curl, imagine that at the top of the curl, when your hand meets your shoulder, you are handed a weight nearly three times the weight you can normally curl. As the weight drags your hand down, your biceps may tremble and shake at the enormous load that is greater than the force that it can produce. This is the eccentric contraction of the bicep and is the basis for the negative sets training technique.

Research has shown that the eccentric contraction of an exercise plays a large role in strength and size gains from weight training. The reason that this occurs is due to the different type of muscle fibers that are being used in this portion of the exercise versus the traditional way. This, however, also has its drawbacks.

Negative sets causes significantly more damage to muscle fibers than traditional weight lifting which translates into the need for increased recovery time. This recuperation time is essential and cannot be bargained with. The dramatic increase in strength and muscle growth can only occur with the increased recovery - and this can mean that you don't require as many strength training sessions in the same week or you could risk overtraining.

One of the drawbacks of negatives sets is that they require a spotter to help you load higher weights and spot you on the eccentric contractions of the exercises. As a biweekly or weekly supplement to your workout, negative sets can be a perfect way to blast through a plateau or up the intensity to keep you motivated and having fun.