Set extending techniques are a great way to get the most bang for your buck from an exercise. Dropsets, Myo-reps, Rest-Pause, and partial reps are just a few examples that you may have used in your training.
In the Physique Mastery Movement group coaching experience December workout plan we are using a finishing negative rep with intermittent pauses to extend the set for a select few exercises.
Check it out in action here;
The gist of finishing negatives with intermittent pauses is performing an exercise until you can no longer lift the weight with proper form. Reaching the point of momentary muscular failure.
During the final rep you will lower the weight slowly while pausing a few times along the way down.
We’re strongest in the eccentric portion of an exercise. Often referred to as the negative, when you lower the weight.
When you reach that point of momentary muscular failure during the concentric portion of the lift you still have some strength left. So why not maximize those gains!
Extending a set with a slow negative and intermittent pauses is also a great way to enhance your mind-muscle connection.
In the video demonstration above you’ll see me perform the Chin Up. While lowering myself slowly during the final rep I am trying to relax my biceps as much as possible while steering my neural drive toward my lats. I’m feeling my shoulder blades opening up and the tension shifting along my back muscles as I complete the stretch.
The Dumbbell Bench Press is another excellent exercise to perform Finishing Negatives with Intermittent Pauses. Even if this is the only chest exercise you perform for the day, chances are you’ll experience muscle soreness for days afterward.
Just be sure to use this technique sparingly.
As I mentioned, we’re using finishing negatives with intermittent pauses for a few exercises in the December workout plan of Physique Mastery Movement group coaching experience.
The priority focus of the December plan is on building a bigger Chest and and thicker Back. So if those are areas you’d like to improve upon, now would be a great time to hop on board and share the journey with other positive and like-minded people.
All other body parts are getting worked with lower volume in December. But they are still being challenged really well.
In the video demonstration above you’ll see me perform the Bulgarian Split Squat. Because it’s the only exercise I’m hitting legs with that day I am going to give each set everything I’ve got.
In this example I take the finishing negative with intermittent pauses to the next level adding a dropset to the end. It’s a fun way to make this great technique even more challenging.
Hope to see you inside the Physique Mastery Movement community!
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant