Day 4: Work Out Like a Machine
Click the image to learn more about the benefits of eccentric loading and how it can be the key to muscle building.
Character Trait:
SELF-CONFIDENCE
^^
Character Trait: SELF-CONFIDENCE ^^
Day 4: Negative reps
Legs/Core/Chest/Back
You’re going to need a day or 2 off after this workout. Sorry but if you aren’t already sore, you will be after this day from hell. Plus, you learn a valuable lesson about eccentric contractions and how to perform “negative” reps.
Without getting too technical, the “negative” portion of every lift is most responsible for stimulating muscle growth, aka hypertrophy. In other words, quality negative reps are going to get you bigger (and more sore!).
Today is a little bit of every workout you’ve done so far with an emphasis on your larger muscle groups.
You will start with the leg press on this negative rep workout. Put the pin somewhere around your weight to start. Perform a quality rep with your feet shoulder width and the depth of your rep with your knees close to your chest. When you get to the bottom of your first rep, explode up with a solid leg press like you are trying to jump as high as you can. At the top, you will then practice your negative reps by lowering very slowly over an 8-10 second count with another explosive concentric contraction at the bottom. Your negative or eccentric reps should be slow and controlled with a strong push at the bottom.
Superset 1: Slow negatives
Leg press for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Ab crunch machine for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
Do the same types of sets for the following lifts:
Chest press: 10-sec eccentric, explosive concentric (slower down than the gif below, faster push)
Seated row: 10-sec lower, explosive pull
Shoulder press: 10-sec down, explode up
Lat pull-down: fast pull-down, 10-sec lower after touching chest.
Superset 2: Slow negatives
Chest press for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Seated row for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
Superset 4: Slow negatives
Shoulder press for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Lat pu-down for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
The last part of this workout is the dealer's choice. If some muscle groups aren’t sore from this week’s work, you could attack those to push your gains in those areas. Or you could hit some areas of weakness. Either way you go, focus on the negative portion of the lift. Here are some ideas.
Bicep curls: lower slowly, fast curl
Tricep extensions: fast extension, slowly back down
Leg curl/extensions: first part of the movement fast, second part slow
Shoulder lateral raises (machine or dumbbells): raise wt, slowly lower
Straight-arm pull-down: pull down fast, slowly lower
Chest/reverse flys: fast contraction, slow eccentric
Superset 5: Slow negatives
Bicep curls for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Tricep extensions for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
Superset 6: Slow negatives
Leg extensions for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Leg curls for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
Superset 7: Slow negatives
Shoulder lateral raise for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Straight arm pull-down for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
Superset 8: Slow negatives
Chest fly for 10-20 reps - slowly lower the weight over 10 sec
Reverse fly for 10-20 reps - slowly lower lean back over 10 sec
