THE 4 FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS OF EXERCISE EXECUTION
stabilizing the upper back and lats in order to create a stable base to press from . If you do not stabilize properly , stress will be placed upon the wrong muscles and even potentially add unwanted stress to tendons and ligaments .
Proper form also involves a proper range of motion . In order to maximize a muscle ’ s growth and prevent injuries , you want to take a muscle through all ranges and spend time in the end ranges . Learning when a muscle is maximally stretched and when a muscle is maximally shortened is important information to know in order to tax every possible fiber of that muscle . You do not need to hit both end ranges in every exercise , but at least hitting these end ranges throughout a training week can be beneficial .
Once you get the proper movement , fire the proper muscles , stabilize the proper joints , and utilize a proper range of motion , you can master the next step .
Proper Tempo - I am a big believer that most of the time , the positive portion of the rep ( when you are pushing the weight away from you in a bench press for example ) should be done as explosively as possible . When I say as explosively as possible , I mean properly engaging the working muscle first and then having a rapid acceleration . Where a slow controlled rep is most important , is in the negative portion of the movement . We are much stronger in the negative and this is where the most tension is placed in order to stimulate new muscle growth . THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED THINGS I SEE PEOPLE SKIP OVER . People see advanced trainees moving weights fast and they try to mimic that . The problem is that they do not understand that in order to do this properly , you must earn
the ability to move this weight fast . These advanced individuals , through years of practice , have learned to properly contract and keep tension on a muscle even while moving the weight a bit faster . Most of these individuals are not reading this article though in a quest to maximize their muscle gains . So , for you , start slowing down those negatives and start noticing the new level of gains you will have . Doing 6 reps with 3-4 second negatives will give you many different results than 6 reps of cranking a weight out as fast as possible . Studies show that in order to maximize hypertrophy , time under tension is important , and having sets last more than 40 continuous seconds seems to be a very good point in order to give the body this signal .
Not only will you have better gains , but using slow negatives and controlled direction changes will also lead to a much lower risk of injury .
Intensity - Once we have form and tempo down , we can now bring in the intensity . I do not believe in training to anything under failure ( for muscle growth ) unless it is a deload of some sort or you are nursing an injury . If you are healthy , and looking to maximize your muscle gains , I believe in training with the “ gun-to-your-head ” approach . Going into the gym and putting in anything under maximum effort will never maximize your results . You want to keep tension on the muscle and contract it repeatedly until that weight does not move another inch .
You want to give your body the signal of “ I REQUIRE YOU to grow .” This is something that I see only about 5 % of people do properly . Training to absolute true failure is not easy . It is mentally and physically challenging , and people are afraid to go