Ik kan het het niet beter zeggen als hieronder gedicteerd door Mike Mentzer. Echt tot failure trainen gaat door waar de meesten al stoppen.
TRAINING TO FAILURE
A skeletal muscle has three levels of strength. There is a positive level, which is the raising of the weight and the weakest of the three levels; there is a static strength, which allows us to hold a weight at some given point in
the range of motion and is the middle strength level; and there is the negative level, which is the strongest and allows us to lower more weight than we can raise or hold in a static position. In order to induce maximum growth stimulation in the muscles you must train them as hard as possible. This can only happen when the muscles are trained to a point of total failure by exhausting all three strength levels in a given set. Carrying a set to a point where you can no longer complete another positive rep is not training to total failure. Once you’ve exhausted your ability to raise a weight, you still have considerable strength left in your negative level. Unless you were to continue after having exhausted your positive level, by performing negative reps till failure, you will not achieve maximum growth stimulation. Choose a weight for your exercises that allows you to perform approximately six strict positive reps. Once you reach the point where you couldn’t possibly do another positive rep, have someone assist you in performing two forced reps. If you haven’t got a training partner, you can “cheat” two additional reps in some exercises. After the two forced reps,
have your partner lift the weight into the top contracted position for you to lower. The first few negative reps will be easy, but as soon as you find yourself losing control of the downward movement of the weight, terminate the set, rather than risking serious injury. Those who train alone will find it extremely difficult to perform negative reps at the end of regular positive sets. These people should train as hard as possible by going to a point of
positive failure and including cheat reps whenever possible. Do not include these negative reps every workout. Since they raise the intensity of effort and impose great stress on your body, your chances of
overtraining are greater. You might train your muscles no more than once a week with the inclusion of these negative reps.
By
Mike Mentzer
