Speed Muscle Growth

Q: You mentioned that almost all of the big bodybuilders use fast reps on most of their sets, like Arnold. But in Old Man Young Muscle 2 you say to do at least the first set with slower negative strokes [3 seconds to lower each]. Wouldn’t it be better to do ALL sets, even that first one, as Speed [1.5 seconds per rep] to limit damage and bring in more fast-twitch fibers?

A: Excellent question. In fact, I’ve been considering doing more sets as Speed—with the exception of that very first higher-rep set. Why?

As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, you use a slower 1/3 tempo on that first set of 15 to 20 reps for a few reasons…

1) It acts as a warmup—you’re cold and susceptible to injury

2) It exhausts more slow-twitch fibers

3) Mounting fatigue triggers a fiber-array cascade: 1 (endurance) —> 2a (endurance/power) —> 2b (power)

4) It primes the target muscle for immediate fast-twitch activation via Speed Reps on “Set 2” (not really a second set—it’s a rest/pause extension of Set 1)

Remember, most of your muscle hypertrophy occurs from the concentric, or positive, stroke….

That’s because you are 30 percent stronger on the negative, or eccentric, stroke—which is mostly slow-twitch activation on a standard set.

So doing the first “primer” set with slow negatives helps create more slow-twitch fatigue for higher fast-twitch activation at the end and on your follow-up Speed phase.

In fact, it helps you engage fast-twitch fibers from the very first rep on that second phase…

Should you do all of your add-on-move sets as Speed? It may depend on the exercise. Stretch moves are more dangerous, so I would not recommend faster reps…

Contracted-position exercises, however, may be a different story. If you’ve ever seen the Quad Father, Tom Platz, do leg extensions, it’s an education in acceleration.

Note: For more on Speed Sets and how to use them, see the ebooks below.

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.