Rep Form and Rep Speed
June 1, 2009 by Bodybuilding Blog
Filed under Bodybuilding Exercises
Rep form is related to rep speed and between rep pauses, however slow rep speed does not necessarily mean good form, just like fast performance does not necessarily mean the use of poor technique. In the same vein slow does not always mean strict, just as fast does not always mean cheating.
If you perform a slow rep it can still involve terrible exercise form and some exercises, for example snatches, clean and jerks, and other explosive movements must be done quickly. As important, if not more so, than rep speed is that of rep smoothness. If you perform your reps in a smooth motion then you are using the control that is necessary for safety and you will be applying great stress on the involved musculature.
Smoothness and a slow tempo are not necessarily the same thing, as it is possible, for example, to perform a 3 second bench press ascent which involves an explosive start. In this movement the first few inches might take a split second to perform, but the rest could take almost 3 seconds. That initial thrust could greatly exaggerate the stress on the involved musculature and connective tissue, and would be an unnecessary risk to take. You probably could have performed a smooth 2 second ascent with the same weight and if that was the case, the 2 second rep would have been much safer then the 3 second one.
When performing any type of lift you should be able to stop at any point, hold the weight briefly, and then continue. This is known as the pause test. In an intensive set you will most likely not be able to pause and get your target reps, depending on which of the reps you paused. The idea would be that you could pause any of them as a demonstration of control. If you can pass the pause test then you could say that you have control over the bar and can therefore focus your attention on intensity of effort and poundage progression.
If you do not have control you will need to remedy that as sloppy reps done with intensity will hurt you. You should let rep smoothness and the pause test be your guides for rep performance, a smooth rep will take about 3 seconds for the positive – or longer for the final rep or 2 of a set – and at least 3 seconds for the negative.
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