Super Slow, Super Massive

Slow Repetition and Negative-Accentuated Training for Renewed Mass Gains

     I have over many years of writing in several different articles and essays mentioned my general disdain for such things as really slow repetitions, negative-accentuated training that focuses on making the eccentric decidedly slower than the positive portion, negative only training, and “time-based” repetitions in general, where you count a certain number of seconds on the descent, the pause at the bottom of a rep, followed by counting the ascent for another number, whatever those numbers might be.  This is despite the fact that there are certain bodybuilding coaches who I admire(d) that have proposed these methods—Charles Poliquin comes to mind.

     If strength and power are your primary goals, and especially if strength is your sole goal, such as a competitive powerlifter or weightlifter (this might be doubly so for the weightlifter) who needs to stay in his weight class, you should, in fact, stay away from slow training at all times.  No great powerlifting coach and/or team used this kind of training to become world champions or to break records in their sport.  Louie Simmons, the mastermind behind Westside Barbell, loathed it for his athletes.  Equally so for great Russian strength coaches such as Boris Sheiko, even though the Russians trained with slower repetitions in general and also used some different forms of pause training that greatly enhanced the “time under tension.”  With sub-maximal effort training—the method preferred by Russian and other East European strength athletes—they often would train with fairly slow reps but they would not intentionally slow the repetitions down to make the rep slower than a max effort.  If anything, all of the reps were simply performed in a “grind” fashion, where their first sets, even if they were performed with nothing but an empty Olympic bar, looked the same as their last max, or “near max,” set(s).  For weightlifting, obviously, because of the nature of the lifts—they’re called “quick lifts” for a reason—it’s not possible to use slower reps even if one wanted to.

     But what about bodybuilding?  What if your only goal is to simply gain muscle mass and you don’t care one whit about whether or not you can perform better?  Even then, I would argue, and often have, that a faster repetition is a “better” repetition.  I have used this quote before, and I will probably do so again if the topic comes up once more, to foster my general argument on the matter.  Here is what Scott Abel, in an article years ago for T-Nation, had to say about rep speed, and keep in mind that Abel was only seeking hypertrophy for his lifters and could also have cared less about strength or “performance.”  This was only meant for those striving for mass gains:

     The other day I received an e-mail from a client, who sounded a little confused. It seems that a so-called "personal trainer" walked by while my client was training and offered this brilliant advice: "You should lighten the load substantially, and do 4-4-1 tempo, to get more out of the set!"

     Say what? My client was confused because I had advised to lift explosively, regardless of rep range. So who was right?

     Let's take a look. If I lift 100 pounds for 5 reps, and you lift 100 pounds for 5 reps; I do 5 reps in about 5 seconds, you use the tempo above and take about 30 seconds to lift it. We both performed the same amount of work. But here's a question for you: whose set required more power? Whose set placed a higher metabolic demand on his body? The answer should be obvious. My set, of course.

     Power, folks, is a rudimentary principle expressed in many ways, but is essential to training for size, strength, thickness, etc. The simple basic premise is that it takes more power to move a weight in one second than it does to move it in two seconds. Over the course of a workout this is seen as an expression of more work in the same amount of time, or the same amount of work in less time. These are all expressions of the principle of power. You'll notice, of course, that the "method" of tempo suggested above by the moron "personal trainer" violates this principle.

     Next question. In the above example which one of us achieved the most overload? The answer is that it's a trick question. If that 100 pounds is a weight we are used to performing, then neither of us achieved overload for that set. Therefore, the advice of lightening a load you can already do explosively and take 4 times as long to do it, is faulty logic that does not follow basic principles. It means negating max load, and therefore negating the overload principle in general. This is just one example of "methods" being not only many, but also mistaken.

Now if you follow this so far, then you may be thinking that maximum load is therefore the way to abide by the Overload Principle. Well yes, but only if you understand max load. I want you to read the next sentence a few times and let it sink in before we continue.

     Max load is not the same thing as max weight.

     Why don't most people get this? I blame the industry for detailing external cues as the be all and end all of performance. How much you "can" lift is not the deciding factor. The deciding factor is how much stress a muscle endures as overload.

     That has generally been my view, as well, and it’s the reason that I’ve quoted Abel before.  His words are succinct and to the point, even if you need to read it a couple of times for them to “sink in” and understand what that point is.  However, and this is a valid argument even if it’s only based on anecdotal evidence, what about bodybuilders who swear by slow reps, sometimes exceedingly so, and/or eccentric-only training because they say that they have gained considerably more muscle using it over other methods?  Is there some “validity” to their methods, or should we just dismiss them because Abel (and me, and others) writes that they are wrong, and often uses “scientific” arguments to back up the claims of their inherent “wrongness”?  What I will argue here is that, yes, these methods might have their place for some bodybuilders, not as an “end all, be all” technique, but as a method that can be integrated into a program at certain times and in certain training environments to achieve your goals of physique enhancement.

     Even though I have always believed, and still do, that certain methods are better than others, especially for the natural bodybuilder that doesn’t use any kind of performance-enhancement drugs, and especially for lifters seeking strength and power, not just muscle mass, other methods (that I typically don’t espouse) do have benefits when used correctly.  The worst kind of thinking is an “either/or” mentality, or what you might call “do this/not that” (or eat this/not that) thinking.  The best approach in all domains, not just training (philosophy and theology, for example), is a “both/and” mentality.  This is hard for many to grasp, because in our modernist (and post-modernist) world, we often pit one way against another (usually, “our” way), because we live in a culture of duality and dualisms.  The nondual is neither comfortable nor easy-to-grasp for many because it takes us outside of our comfort zones where, though ignorant, we can remain in a serene bliss of our own making.

     Years ago, I was discussing the subject of “heresies” after Divine Liturgy (what is generally referred to as the Mass in Western liturgical churches) with a visiting priest at the church I attended at the time.  (For anyone actually interested, it was St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church in the small town of Moundville, Alabama, which closed after our priest, and my spiritual father, Father Demetrius Edwards fell asleep in the Lord.)  Anyway, I asked the priest what he thought “made” for a heresy, as opposed to just muddled, but not necessarily heretical, thinking.  His reply stuck with me.  He said, and this is a paraphrase but it captures the gist, that a heresy was when “you took a partial truth and made it the absolute truth.”  In other words, the heretical is “either/or” thinking and truth is “both/and” mind.  When applied to training, this allows us to see where our training can go “off the rails,” for it is anytime that we say there is only one way to train and anything else is plain wrong.

     Part of my personal disdain for “super slow” reps and negative-only training, along with all of their counterparts, is that it has usually been associated with—the king of do this/not that training—so called “HIT” or “high-intensity training” along with other “briefer is not just better but is the only way to train” modalities.  My problem with Mike Mentzer was not that I disagreed necessarily with his training, though I do believe there are better ways to train, but with the fact that he said his way was the only way, and that all other methods were incorrect at all times.  When used judiciously, and incorporated into a yearly training plan, however, I have no real problem with “HIT.”  The reason that Mentzer’s methods (eventually) don’t work is because 2 of the variables of training—volume and frequency—are both low and only 1 of the variables, intensity, is high.  That training will work well for lifters who were doing way too much of all 3 variables beforehand.  Until it doesn’t.  If you have used super-slow reps and the like, and found that they didn’t work, was it because of those techniques or was it because of the fact that you were also using them along with “HIT” training or something very similar?  For the remainder of this article, I will propose some ways to incorporate these techniques into programs that are not HIT or anything similar.

     Before we go any further, let’s look at some benefits or possible reasons that you might actually want to use these methods.  First, this kind of training might be good for anyone who is suffering from injuries and can’t train heavy, especially if they found that heavy training worked well for them in the past for hypertrophy.  This includes older lifters who have nagging injuries or younger lifters who are training through an injury and hope to return to heavier training in the future.  Second, this training might be good for a change of pace or variety, especially if you have never done such training before.  If you have only used more explosive reps, the change of rep speed alone might facilitate renewed muscle gains.  Third, these methods force you to use proper form.  You’ll find it impossible to cheat, assuming you do the training as I will prescribe.  You might also find where you have certain weak points on a particular lift, when you find it hard to do the exercise in strict, slow form, and this could be a weak point that, prior to using these techniques, you weren’t even aware was one of your weak points.

     First, I’ll prescribe a workout that only involves super-slow reps and then we’ll look at one that uses these methods in addition to more “conventional” training.

Ladder Training - Slow Reps

     For our first program, you will use ladders on all of your lifts.  Ladders are great for this kind of training because, especially at first, it’s going to be hard to gauge exactly what weights to use on your movements.  Unlike other programs where I might recommend doing something such as 80 to 90% of a certain max for a certain repetition range, in this workout, I want you to start by using a weight that you would utilize if you were attempting 12 to 15 reps for 1 hard, all-out set.  If you find that to be too light after the first session, you can increase it at the next one for those same movements.  This program is a “full-body split” program.  Train 3 days per week, on non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Workout One

• Squats, front squats, or smith-machine squats: 3 ladder clusters of 2-3-4.  For your first movement, select one of these lifts and only one.  I’m generally not a fan of the Smith machine, but, hey, I’m not generally a fan of slow reps, but here we are.  The Smith machine would have the benefit of allowing you to control the reps easier.  Select it only if you don’t think you can do back squats or front squats in the prescribed manner.  On each repetition, lower the weight on the eccentric for a count of 10.  So that you don’t begin to count faster as the set gets harder, you might want to do the ol' schoolyard “one Mississippi, two Mississippi count.”  At the bottom of the rep, pause for a count of 2 seconds and then, on the concentric portion of the rep, move the bar in a controlled manner but don’t intentionally slow it down as much.  Count the time it takes you to do the ascent, which might be 2, 3 or 4 seconds, and keep that count on all of your reps for all of your sets.  Follow this scheme on all of the exercises in this program.

• Weighted dips: 3 ladder clusters of 2-3-4

• Barbell curls: 3 ladder clusters of 2-3-4

Workout Two

• Deadlifts (sumo or conventional) or deficit deadlifts: 2 ladder clusters of 1-2-3.  Because deadlifts take more out of your nervous system, I have elected to do only 2 ladder clusters and to reduce the total reps slightly.  Use the same tempo as all other movements.

• Military presses: 3 ladder clusters of 2-3-4

• Pullovers (barbell or dumbbell): 3 ladder clusters of 2-3-4

     The first week of the program, if you trained on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you would do Workout One on Monday and Friday, and Workout Two on Wednesday.  In the 2nd week, you reverse the order.  Keep rotating back and forth in this manner throughout the program’s run.

     Stick with this program for at least 6-8 weeks.  I personally wouldn’t run this program, or anything similar, for longer than 8 weeks.  At that point, most lifters will find that it has “run its course,” so to speak, and it's time to move on to something new.

     Feel free to substitute any of the movements for something different, so long as they are “same but different” lifts.  For more on what exactly I mean by that, click on the link.

The Complete Split Training Mass Builder

     Now it’s time to look at a more complete program, one that utilizes slow reps and eccentric-only training along with pause reps.  This program is not for beginners but is meant for lifters who already have a good deal of muscle mass.  If you have not trained for 6 months at the very minimum, then you have no business following this program.  Even if you have trained for years but have not built up the work capacity capable of handling fairly high workloads, then you should probably spend a couple of training cycles using some sort of HFT before attempting what follows.

     Some movements are better for these various techniques and some are not.  This program allows you to utilize the methods that work best for some exercises, but also allows for more “conventional” training on others.  Pay attention to the details, and read through them a couple of times before you head to the gym to actually apply these methods to your training.

     This program follows an upper/lower split.  The lower body days, however, will also include some back work, since you will do your pulls on these days, as well.  After I outline the workouts, I will discuss some different schedules you can use based on how you respond to training frequency.

Workout One - Upper Body (A Session)

• Bench presses: 5-rep ramps, followed by negatives.  For this movement, do ramps of 5 reps until you work up to a heavy set of 5 reps.  Once you reach the point that 5 reps is hard, add another 10 to 20 pounds and do a set of 2 or 3 reps.  When you can no longer get another rep, have your training partner(s) or spotter(s) raise the bar to the top of the lift.  Slowly lower the negative rep on your own, taking at least 5 seconds to lower it, and then have your partner(s)/spotter(s) raise the bar for you in order to do another negative rep.  Do another 1 or 2 reps in the same manner.  At first, limit your heavy, negative-accentuated training to just 1 or 2 sets.  Once you have adapted to it, you can do 3 or 4 sets.

• Weighted chins: 5-rep ramps, followed by negatives.  Use the same technique on these as with the bench presses.

• Military presses: 5 sets of 3 reps.  Do 2 or 3 progressively heavier triples, followed by 2 or 3 “straight” sets of 3 reps.  Do these in the “conventional” manner, by leaving 1 or 2 reps “in the tank” at the end of each set.

• Barbell curls: 5-rep ramps, followed by negatives.  Do these in the same manner as the bench presses and weighted chins.  On your negative reps, instead of having a partner spot you, if you want you can do cheat reps by using body momentum to swing the weight upward on the positive portion of the rep before doing your negative reps.

• Skull crushers: 5 sets of 5 reps.  Do these in the same manner as the military presses, but with 5-rep sets instead of triples.

Workout Two - Lower Body (A Session)

• Squats: 5-rep ramps, followed by negatives.  Use the same technique here as the movements from Workout One.  Be sure to do these in the power rack so that you can set the bar at the pins on the bottom of the rep.  Safety is paramount when doing squats in this manner!

• Deadlifts (conventional or sumo): 5 sets of 3 reps.  Do 5 progressively heavier sets of 3 reps, working up to a hard but not all-out set.  Your last should be a near max.  Every 3rd or 4th workout, however, feel free to go for an absolute max.

• Weighted incline sit-ups: 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 reps.  Use a weight, by holding a plate or dumbbell on your chest or behind your head if you have the “core” strength to do so, where you take each set 1 or 2 reps shy of complete failure.

Workout Three - Upper Body (B Session)

• Incline bench presses: 5 sets of 3 reps.  These are “straight sets” where you will use the same weight on all 5 sets.  Be sure to do 2 or 3 warm-up sets before commencing with your work sets.  On each work set, lower the bar for a count of 5 to 7 seconds, pause on your chest for a count of 2 to 3 seconds, and then explode—or, at least, attempt to—back to lockout.  Use a weight on each work set where you take the set a rep or 2 shy of complete muscular failure.  A good weight is probably one where you could get 5 sets of 6 reps if performed in a “typical” manner.  If you have to, drop down in weight at any point where you think you might reach failure on the next set.  Once you can get all 5 sets of 3 reps with relative ease, add weight at the next workout.  Use the same method on all movements below.

• Wide-grip bent-over rows: 5 sets of 3 reps

• Seated military presses or behind-the-neck presses: 5 sets of 3 reps

• Alternate dumbbell curls: 5 sets of 3 reps (each arm)

• Weighted close-grip parallel bar dips: 5 sets of 3 reps

Workout Four - Lower Body (B Session)

• Front squats: 5 sets of 3 reps, using the same method as the upper body B session.

• Stiff-legged deficit deadlifts: 5 sets of 3 reps

• Ab wheel: 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 reps

     Feel free to add a loaded carry of your choice to the end of your lower body sessions.  Farmer walks, sandbag carries, tire flips, or sled drags are all good options.  Do NOT overdo these movements, however.  Do 1 or 2 sets that are hard but not all-out.  Slowly add weight or distance to these as you adapt to them, but this should come naturally without forcing it.

     As far as what days to train, you have a few options.  You can train on a 2-on, 1-off, 2-on, 2-off option, especially if you like training on the same days each week, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Wednesday and weekends off.  You can also train on a 2-on, 1-off rotation, and just take an extra day off whenever you feel as if you need it.  If you know you respond better to less work, you can also simply train 1-on, 1-off throughout the program, taking an extra day off whenever you feel as if you could use it.  Some “low-volume lifters” might do well by constantly training on a 1-on, 1-off, 1-on, 2-off rotation.

     Stick with the program for 6-8 weeks.  At that point, if it is still working for you, you can stay on it for another 4 to 6 weeks.  12 weeks is probably the limit for how long I would run it without making changes.  You can continue to use the program after that by changing movements or opting for some different set/rep schemes.  Instead of doing 5-rep ramps at the A sessions, you could do 3 rep ramps or 5 rep ramps, followed by triples and then doubles.  At the B sessions, you can switch over to 8 sets of 2 reps and/or try varying the rep speeds on the negatives and the pauses.  If you decide to swap set/rep schemes, and you are also fond of using my preferred method of multiple sets of low reps, then select slightly less sets than what I usually recommend.  For instance, I typically suggest such things as 8 sets of 5 reps or 10 sets of 3 reps, but 10 sets of 1 rep would be better than 10x3 with slow reps, as would 8 sets of 2 to 3 reps over 8x5.  You can also simply reduce sets.  Instead of 8x5, you do 5x5 or 7x3 in place of 10x3.  Otherwise, because of the nature of slow reps and their kin, you will end up being too sore from your workout, and, thus, will have to take off too long between sessions.  Always remember that the more frequently you can train, the better.  Ask yourself at each training session—and this is sound advice no matter what system you utilize—whether or not you will be able to train again at the next prescribed workout.

     Make sure that you are eating plenty of muscle-building food while following either of these programs or when using any routine of a similar nature.  You need plenty of protein each day—at least 1 gram per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis—along with enough calories to ensure you can gain lean weight.  Don’t be scared of either good carbs or good fats.  No one ever got truly massive without them.

     When you are finished with either of these programs, use some routines that do not use any of these methods.  Look through the blog, find some programs that use more HFT, or a Bill Starr-style heavy-light-medium program, or any program that uses more traditional rep speeds.  Even if you find that these programs work for you, you don’t want to use them over the long haul, as they can eventually hinder the amount of power that you are capable of developing.  But, hey, if they do work for you, then you have one more tool in your muscle-building kit.

     If you have any questions or would just like to comment about the kind of training I presented here and your experience(s) with using similar methods, leave them in the “comments” section below or send me an email if you prefer a more private, personal reply.

     For more mass-building programs—if you found this article intriguing—consider purchasing my book “Ultimate Mass and Power: A Collection of Training Programs for Getting Massively Big and Incredibly Strong.”  It’s packed with many training programs and workout routines.  You can find more information about it, and all of my books, at the My Books page of the blog.