I was wondering what the difference, as far as growth is concerned, is between doing controlled reps with emphasis on the hardest part of the lift, compared to locking out, waiting a second and then starting a rep again.
An example would be the way ronnie coleman does his dumbell presses, He never really locks out and keeps the bells moving. Now what kind of different effect would be produced if he were to lock out every single rep, wait a second and doing it all over again.
I’ve noticed doing this with squats in the 10 rep range is killer, and feels like im working much harder.
I think we all start out locking our joints, simply because we don’t know any better. Also, you get those little ‘breathers’ in before doign a few more reps. Focusing on constant tension has definitely helped me over the years. I don’t come close to the weights I used to ‘move’, but can honestly say that my muscles are working harder, and they show it. Ronnie’s certainly moves his share of big weights as a powerlifter, but do you think he would have had the longevity he’s enjoyed if he didn’t worry a bit about his joints?
Hmm, I get joint pain from locking out, it seems, so I avoid doing it these days.
I use the standard DC way (also used by pretty much every big guy on the planet) of repping out: explosive positive (or at least a fairly fast one) and a controlled negative where I could theoretically reverse the direction in which the weight is moving at any time.
The weight is still moving fast enough on the negative, but I’m in control over it and I don’t let it come crashing down on me.
On some exercises (DB overhead presses for example, just like Ronnie) I cut the range of motion quite a bit, as I find that going anywhere near lockout on those seems to cause rotator cuff issues for me…
(I think it’s the supraspinatus or it’s tendon grating against bone or whatever… Don’t flame me for it, it’s just a theory of mine)
Then again, other people seem to have no such issues (unless they’ve been training for a long time), so take away whatever you want from this… All just some stuff I noticed throughout my years of lifting.
If you are a powerlifter or some such, then you obviously HAVE to lock out…
But as a Bodybuilder, there’s no reason to take chances imo.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I think we all start out locking our joints, simply because we don’t know any better. Also, you get those little ‘breathers’ in before doign a few more reps. Focusing on constant tension has definitely helped me over the years. I don’t come close to the weights I used to ‘move’, but can honestly say that my muscles are working harder, and they show it. Ronnie’s certainly moves his share of big weights as a powerlifter, but do you think he would have had the longevity he’s enjoyed if he didn’t worry a bit about his joints?
S
[/quote]
I agree wholeheartedly!
Those extra reps after taking in a few quick breaths are definitely worth it (unless you don’t want to go to failure/beyond, but eh…).