Anybody done HST without a partner? How the hell am I supposed to do negative only squats and presses? OK, I can ask somebody for a spot in bench though that would be more like a bent over row exercise for a poor guy, considering that I’d do negative only. And it is hard to find a guy in my gym who can do several sets of 300lbs rows to begin with. I doubt there will be anyone willing to spot me with a 500lb squat I would use for negative only. The only other option would be squatting down on one leg, which scares me.
I’ve done the program both with and without a partner. Basically, there are certain movements where a spotter is not really needed, because you can use both limbs to raise the weight, and then lower it with one limb. Whether you’re coordinated enough to do it with squats, I do not know.
However, the program is not completely dependent on the negatives. Some of the original literature on the thinkmuscle board really down plays their role. I've done the program without the negatives, and it's not a terrible elimination. You can just do another two weeks of 5s, if your's like. Your results should be good.
Or you can use machines instead of free weights for certain movements. I don’t have a partner, so I’ll have to make do with some machines for the negatives.
I have done two cycles of HST, both without a spotter. I simply avoided doing the negatives and did 4 wks. of 5 reps instead. I had really good results and will probably use HST on a regualar basis.
Bi’s: 1 arm DB preacher curls, asistance from other arm
Tris: JM presses
chest: weighted dips with a chair (step up lower down) or flat bench 2 DB’s on a swiss ball and then roll forward so you are inclined, then lower in an incline position (you could flat BP more than you could incline.
Legs: 1 leg, leg extensions and curls assist with the opposite leg.
calfs: double calf raise, lower single leg
shoulders: push press
I think you get the idea!
I am hesitant about wasting my time with leg curls or extensions. Never do them in my workouts. DB press on swiss ball as you describe sounds like turkish get up mixed with a bench press, and besides there is no heavy enough dumbbells for negative only training in my gym.
My question was about big compound movements, incline and overhead press, bb row, squat and deadlift. Obviously there is no problem in doing negative only calf rise and such. Push press is a good idea, I do it regularly in my workouts anyway so I got accustomed to it and didn’t look at it as a negative only exercise for shoulders.
Do partials. Or you can do what a lot of people do and that is use more than one “spotter”. Also, you could help them some on the concetri (which sould still allow you to use a maximal load. Best of Luck.
Ya, I don’t like leg curls or extensions either, but it is a way to work the quads and hams negatives. I guess I didn’t explain the swiss ball exercise good enough. the swill ball lets you roll from the flat position to the incline positionby pulling with your legs. Most people could flat press more than they could incline so you lay flat on the swissball and BP (it could be done with a BB in a power rack) the weight up the preform the negative portion of the incline press then push with your legs and go back to the flat position and preform another flat BP to get the weight up for reps. Poliquin wrote about this, I believe in an old issue of MM2k. I think for HST Brian indicated you only need to do negatives for bodyparts you could do them for, just trying to throw out some ideas (weighted negatives for pullups using a chair just popped into my head).
well you could do one rep of squat negative by loading up the bar, squating, dumping the bar on the safeytbars
then strip the bar , put the empty bar back up, reload
Since you asked about doing negative presses and squats with out a partner I will start with presses. 1) Press. Jerk the weight over head, then fight it down. 2) Squat are a bit harder. The best way is to use bth legs to raise the weight and one leg to fight it down. In the upright position, you go up on toe on the non-working leg (this will help you keep your balance. Slowly lower yourself to your bottom position. Then put your heal on the ground and stand up. It would also help have your working foot on a box.
Since balance will be an issue for many it might be okay to do leg presses or Smith machine squats for these two weeks.
Best of Luck.