Hi peeps,
Just a quick blog today about speed of repetitions. I see a lot of crazy things in the gym, but the most common mistake I see people make is performing an exercise too fast.
A good rule to follow when strength training is 2 seconds eccentric and 2 seconds concentric. This means performing the downward or pulling motion of the exercise over 2 seconds and again for the upward or pushing motion. Performing an exercise too fast can risk in using momentum rather than your muscle fibres. This takes away the benefit of the strength regime resulting in a swinging motion. You may well be able to lift more by doing this but it’s far more advantageous to decrease the weight/resistance and perform it slower.
The 2 second rule is only a guideline. There is a lot of evidence to support super slow training for a strength/hypertrophy programme which would mean decreasing the weight even more, and changing the 2 seconds to 5 seconds.
Give this a try next time you’re training, and get that form spot on for maximum results!
Benji