Q: Researchers say that the most important reps of a set are the last ones, which slow down. But when I do a Speed Set [with 1.5-second reps], none of the reps are slow toward the end. I hit a wall and have to terminate the set. Am I doing something wrong?
A: You’re doing them right if by the end of the Speed Set you want to scream a vulgar profanity…
They hurt but they work. The pain is unique because you’re getting fast-twitch-fiber recruitment from the very first rep…
On a standard 1/3-tempo-rep set, the slow-twitch fibers dominate early and gradually relinquish to the fast-twitch. As you near failure, it’s mostly fast-twitch fibers firing as the reps slow down…
On a Speed Set, you get a mix of fibers from the beginning. That’s because you can’t move fast without some fast-twitch activation…
You still get fast-twitch dominance toward the end as the muscle fatigues; however, you’ve quickly fired so many fibers that a slow rep or two at the end is impossible…
That’s failure and a sure sign you’ve stimulate growth in the target’s fiber array—from slow-twitch to fast-twitch and everything in-between.
As I mentioned in Old Man, Young Muscle, Olympic coach and hypertrophy expert Charles Poliquin said that one of the least used hypertrophic stimulators is changing reps tempo…
Exactly. You get unique fiber recruitment, including more fast-twitch at the beginning of a Speed Set, but you also do less damage by de-emphasizing the eccentric, or lowering stroke, of each rep, which I call “garbage negatives.”
Those easy negatives in a standard set don’t do much for growth, but they do lots of damage, which sucks recovery from the growth process after training.
One other point about Speed Sets: The somewhat more abrupt turnaround, from positive to negative due to some velocity, helps trigger the myotatic reflex, another fast-twitch activator. And, yes, that does cause some damage, but any productive workout causes trauma…
You shouldn’t do all of your sets with 1.5-second reps, but if you want faster mass gains, there is a need for some speed.
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook : For complete mass workouts that include Speed Sets, the ideal exercise for each muscle, and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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