By the very term ‘weight lifting’ what else are we meant to think of other than the lifting of a weight? The lifting part is known as the concentric movement (positive) and the lowering of the weight known as the eccentric movement (negative).
Even the most hardcore bodybuilder can sometimes forget that the goal is not to simply lift a weight (positive phase) but to simply use the weight to generate tension in the muscles to fatigue the fibres.
So caught up with the actual lifting are we, that we easily forget…
Negative reps are 50% (or more) of building muscle.
That is why it is very important for us to remember that when we are lowering the weights (negative phase) this part of the movement is equally important as the concentric, and should be given the same care and attention.
I say that negative reps are maybe more responsible for building muscle because our muscles are naturally stronger in the eccentric phase. This gives us an opportunity to use slow or forced negatives to continue the deeper breakdown of tissues when we are struggling or close to failing in the positive phase.
Remember, our muscles do not fail because the fibres are tired and lacking in energy as such, but because the central nervous system shuts down. By being absolutely sure to use negative reps and forced negative reps to your advantage you can continue working the muscle fibres beyond concentric nervous system failure.