Increased TUT with Slow Negatives & ISO Holds

I have begun experimenting with extending sets by increasing TUT, Paul Carter’s 10-6-10 and Ellington Darden’s negative-accentuated 30-10-30 for example. Do any of you have experience with these, or similar, techniques. If so, how many sets and what frequency have you used? How about exercise selection? And most importantly, results?

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For me, doing extended Iso holds or negatives, especially in the form of 30-10-30, requires me to drop the weight far too much for it to make up a significant portion of my session. at most its a finisher for a different stimulus.

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These techniques can definitely bring some new gains, and soreness! Drop sets are another technique, there are some tools I have called “performance pins”, made locally by a company here in NJ, you put them in pin loaded machines and when the weights touch together they automatically pop out. So, you can put a series of pins in, and do your own drop set without ever having to stop the set to adjust the weight.

With any of these extended TUT techniques, I’ve found success using them on a last set or two of an exercise, and not at the very beginning of my workout. So, anywhere between 2-5 of these sets during the course of the workout, allows for great growth and recovery. I think if you over do it on these techniques, and you do them daily, you’ll inhibit your ability to recover over time. Just my experience.

Anything that’s not a big heavy movement, like I wouldn’t do these with a squat or deadlift or something similar. But cable machines and pin loaded machines are always great for these techniques.

I’ll toss these in every now and then to shock the muscles a bit, and it’s a tool that’s allowed me to continue to get bigger and stronger. As I mentioned earlier, I think the best results from these techniques will come from balancing them in your training, and learning how you can incorporate them while still allowing for optimal recovery.

Thank you Rob, I’ll put your guidance to use. I have always had best results with lots of sets, as I’m getting older, however, recovery has become an issue. Perhaps incorporating these extended sets with lower volume will be useful.

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I suggest following CT’s Best Damn Program for guidance. It’s two working sets where you basically feel out the weight and then one all out set to finish - 5 sec eccentrics + weighted stretch, rest/pause, myo sets, etc.

If you really go all out and hit failure on that intensification set then do you really need to do more? How many times do you need to hit failure on one exercise?

This works very well for a short term burst…

I have done both Best Damn programs, I like them but didn’t have satisfactory results. Went back to more volume.

I am familiar with this.

I think it’d be best to follow @robstein’s advice and only use the intensification sets on the last set as a finisher.

I just did a program that had slow eccentrics and pauses using the bench press and zercher squat. It’s a CT program called “2 exercise plan…”. The way it was laid was to perform 4x6 for each lift. So, if it was a slow eccentric day, you might do a 6-0-1-0 tempo using about 75% of your 3RM for that lift. On pause day, you might do a 3 second pause at the eccentric phase using the same weights and reps. Each week, you would increase the length of the eccentric or pause.

Results were quite good, but it will drain you more than lifting even much heavier weights. It is mentally challenging, as well, even beyond working up towards a new max or AMRAP set.

As others have said, this type of work could also be a good finisher. The only problem I have had with this is being too drained to really put in the effort required to do slow eccentrics if I put them at the end.

Thanks antiquity.

Maybe my question wasn’t clear enough. I’m not asking for suggestions for my programming, rather if anyone is doing or has done, programs like 10-6-10 or 30-10-30. If so, what sets, frequency and results did you experience?

I don’t like ISOs at all, but I loved “super slow lifting” - and not just the negative. Super slow for the entire rep, executing maximal control. Seemed like a great tool at the time, when I was using it. Something about manhandling every millimeter of ROM that makes you feel very strong.

Thanks.

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