Self assisted negatives. Any ideas

rubadub

When I first started training negatives helped me a lot. A typical self assisted negative would be getting a single dumbbell lifting as much as you can with one arm for say 6 reps, now use the other hand to lift it up again, then lower it with just the one hand again, do this slow and controlled for a few more reps. For doing chinups or pullups you can stand on a chair and be in the highest position on the bar and lower yourself slowly down, get right back up again and lower again.

You are said to work the muscles more in the negative (lowering) phase, and you can handle more weight too.

Yesterday I tried them for overhead dumbbell presses.

So I assisted this lift. I actually held the dumbbell between my legs with both hands and swung it up.
Then slowly lowered to the shoulder. Then just lowered it down again with a standard curl

Then swing it up again with both hands like a kettlebell.

I like the fact I am doing 2 exercises at once. I am going to try negative weighted chinups, pullups and dips next.

For a front raise I was thinking it could be up on a shelf and you just step back with it.

Once I had a strap on a dumbbell on both sides and it was looped over a chinning bar, I could pull the strap with my free hand to assist it going up, just as much as I wanted, then lower with the working hand.


Has anybody any other methods of self assisting negatives?

Saabdub

I have a power rack (at home) that allows me to raise a bar to any height I like (with complete safety, I workout without a spotter). Then I just have to position myself, unrack and try top stop it from falling too fast:D. I use this technique once and awhile for a negaitive bicep curl and for negative bench press when I'm trying to get over a sticking point (otherwise known as my 1 rep max:)). But you could probably also do a negative squat, military press, etc.


Saabdub

Hanley

You could do assited shoulder work by push pressing a barbell and slowly lowering it.

rubadub

Hanley wrote: »

You could do assited shoulder work by push pressing a barbell and slowly lowering it.

Yes, I actually do that already (I think). After doing a few standing military presses towards the end I just bend the knees a little and stand up quickly pressing it up fast, then do a slow return. I figure that is what you mean. It was that motion that lead me to do the single arm ones. I can do the same with a single dumbbell, when it is lowered down you bend the knee on that one side, like a shotputter, then hoist it up quickly.

I only returned to dumbbell presses recently and found them much harder, I guess I wasnt using all the stabilising muscles. Also with the dumbbells it allows you to rotate your arms in many directions which seems to work a lot more areas. I got a little bit of a strain on my shoulder recently reaching awkwardly for something and trying to push it. I figured some muscles must not have been getting worked properly.

rubadub

Does anybody have info on negatives. e.g. what is one "worth". I find them much easier to do than full movements. Of course you should always warm up well, so I do a set of normal resistance weight for around 12reps.

But say I can do 6 reps with a weight. If I only do negatives, is 12 sort of equivalent to 6 full ones, in the amount of muscle stimulation you get?

EDIT: found this http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ridgely3.htm

BossArky

rubadub wrote: »

EDIT: found this http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ridgely3.htm

That was an interesting read.

rubadub

I did some negative chins on sunday. Think I did 2 warmup unweighted sets of about 12 reps. The some leg raises. Then did 1 set of 10 negatives with 30kg on a dip belt, some of these were pullups too. The most I have properly chinned for a single rep was 40kg on a dip belt, might be able to get 45kg if I tried, I am around 73kg at the moment. I think I have done 5 reps with 25kg on a belt. I could have gone on to do more but left it, I find them quite easy to do, i.e. no real point of failure. Yesterday morning I did just 1 set of dumbbell presses, nothing major.

But last night the DOMs started to hit, and this morning I can really feel it in my bicep and lats. Not killer DOMs but I haven't had them in the bicep for a very long time, so it must be doing something. Will be keeping these up, dips are next.

rubadub

Found this interesting page on negatives.
http://www.exercisecertification.com/articles/JAF/Negative%20Case%20Study.pdf

Eight High School football players were selected for their work habits. All of the athletes were involved in weight training for at least on year....

The workouts were scheduled twice per week, Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday, for six weeks. Each workout consisted of one set of six different exercises, with two different workouts used....

The guide number of repetitions was eight on all exercises except chins and dips, where the guide number was six. Anytime the guide number was meet the weight was increased the next workout. For a repetition to be recorded, the weight had to be lowered in 8-10 seconds. A stopwatch with a verbal count was used. The set was terminated when the repetition was lowered in less than six seconds....

The overall strength gain for the eight athletes was 25.69%, while the average strength gain from the ‘traditional’ strength training classes I supervised in previous years ranged from 10-15%. However, it should be noted that the number of repetitions completed relative to the load in the pre- and post-tests were not identical (as weight increased, repetitions decreased), and the overall average gain of 25.69% may be a slight over-estimate....

The negative workouts averaged 11 minutes per session. From a time standpoint, negative workouts are a very attractive way to train.

I am going to try more negative work myself. I had thought my 1RM chin was 50kg, but now see it was only 40kg. I am currently at about 8reps with 20kg for chins, and 6 reps at 30kg on dips. I will test these again to be sure and then start more negatives.

slemons

I know its not the same thing, but i love bottom up lifts.
Set the pins on the rack to just above your chest for a bench and push it up from 0 momentum
Same with front squat etc

rubadub

slemons wrote: »

I know its not the same thing, but i love bottom up lifts.

I did a similar thing before, I had straps from a bar onto a barbell in the lowest squat position, so I could get under it and go up. I have no squat stands, but I found this very difficult to go up from.

I found more on negatives here.
http://www.houstontexans.com/fanzone/fitnesscornernegative.asp

It mentions 8 second reps. These are so slow that I presume they are sort of like isometric exercises. Also there is probably a short rest between reps so it is like a rest-pause effect, which I hear lets you get a lot more reps out. I read about technique using pauses and people go from 10normal reps to 20 with pauses of ~5 seconds between reps.
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/exercise-science/53632-max-stimulation-next.html

itsallaboutheL

Smith machine bench press, incline press, military press etc where you use both arms to press the weight then one to fight the negative