The Other Half of the Rep

Image courtesy of jfit360.com

A challenge I've been presenting some of my clients with recently is for them to make the movement they are doing as challenging for themselves as they lower the weight as it is for them when they raise it.

In other words, try to squeeze and generate the same sensation of tension and challenge on the eccentric part of the rep as they feel on the concentric part.

My goal with this is to reinforce the idea that the eccentric phase is just as much a part of the rep as the concentric phase--to not just see that part of the rep as something to do until it is time to challenge the tissue again, but rather to employ that time to appropriately challenge the tissue as much as possible, creating both different sensations and experiences for the client.

I've been playing around with this during my own workouts and have found that for me generating that same sensation of challenge throughout the entire motion is easier with some motions and applied forces than others, but whether the goal of an equally challenging sensation is reached, the experience is still pretty cool.

Your body.  Your training.

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