Double Your Results Without Adding Any Extra Time to Your Workouts

Most people are missing out on the single most important and the most fundamental principle in a workout. If you are like many people you look forward to the end of your workouts and your achievement of one workout closer toward your goal. Unfortunately most people cruise through the "motions" of a workout giving no mind to the quality of the sets and reps in there workouts. If you want to double the effectiveness and the results from your workouts you need to give a every rep your upmost attention and focus.

The concentric phase of the rep is the actual "lifting" action of the weight during a set. In the example video below, when my arm is pushing down the bar and the weight stack is being lifted that is the concentric phase. Most exercisers only focus on this portion of the movement. Our muscles are actually stronger on the eccentric phase, the lowering of the weight. To optimize this phase you need to slow down and "fight" the weight going up the best you can. Your intention should be to make the eccentric as hard as possible. When you really slow down the eccentric the next reps contraction will be multiplied in intensity.

By keeping your muscles maximumly contracted while they are lengthening you double the demands on the muscles during a set. There are multiple benefits for accentuating the lengthening phase of the reps in your sets.

Slowing down the lowering of the weight:

• Is safer because of the control during the turn around point in the set.

• Increases the muscles time under tension during your sets leading to better muscle gains.

• Improves the muscles flexibility because when your reps are faster you tend to shorten them because of safety.

• Allows for controlled breathing during your sets.

Examples of the eccentric phase of an exercise rep.

1. Lowering your body during a pullup, suspension /inverted row.

2. The lowering of your body during a squat, lunge or leg press.

3. The lowering of the dumbbells or barbell during a chest or overhead press.

4. The lower of your legs in the leg extension or the raising of the leg in a seated leg curl.

5. The lower of a dumbbell or barbell on a curl.

Remember to stay focused during sets and feel the muscles working. The typically, cadence or tempo for lowering the weight is 4 seconds, whereas the lifting may take only 1-2 seconds. Also, this increased focus on your reps can be used for cardio training and total body movements. With exercises such as biking, jogging or walking you can focus on your body posture, engaging your core or your technique. Most likely subtle improvements in your performance techniques will increase the demands on your body leading to greater work output by your body (more calories burned). Basically, you should be thinking about how to make your sets harder during your workouts.

Are you out of shape, overweight and over 40 years old? I help and care about starting you easy and safely. For my assistance www.TransformWilmington.com Contact Brian Autry