Assisted Repetitions

[Typhon]

I was wondering what people’s opinions were on assisted reps.
I see these performed all the time at the gym, where a guy has a spotter take some of the load on the last couple of reps. I’ve always thought of this as being pointless as you’re not actually lifting the weight yourself so not getting the benefit and should simply lower the weight on the bar.

Am I being too hard on these guys? It seems to be a recognised technique that many people use and some claim great success.

Would using forced reps prevent the body from feeling the need to adapt as it always has support available? Or would it encourage faster neurological adaptation by allowing you to fail frequently at the higher weight?

 

[Typhon]

Eccentric phases of lifting are responsible for alot of the strength gains that you get through NA. Also I would rather lift the absolute max I can than go for a lighter weight and easily getting my quota.

Yeah but surely it wouldn't really be your max though if someone was helping you lift it?
Would NA occur if you recieved assistance?

 

[JohnnySolo]

I think it works well. Instead of benching 250lbs for 5 reps you can get 253.55555lbs for 5 reps with 255lbs loaded and a little help.

I also advocate cheat sets, a little bit of a hip thrust on standing curls………yeah, noobs cheat from set 1 on and are going to hurt themselves, but veterans can cheat a bit near last sets to keep the heavy sets flowing. Look at the push-press, it is a cheat for the OH press, nudges you into a heavier load.

 

[blackbeard]

I was wondering what people’s opinions were on assisted reps. I see these performed all the time at the gym, where a guy has a spotter take some of the load on the last couple of reps.

Forced reps, drop sets and training to failure have their uses as well as abuses.

I’ve always thought of this as being pointless as you’re not actually lifting the weight yourself so not getting the benefit and should simply lower the weight on the bar.

If used properly they are not pointless. If abused which is the case most of the time then one's progress can be hampered. A good example of abuse is on the bench where the guy does one Oly plate on each side on his own and then everything after that is with the help of multiple spotters/assisters. One should not be assisted on every single set of their working sets.

 

[Typhon]

Forced reps, drop sets and training to failure have their uses as well as abuses.

I have no problem with 'cheat' reps or training to failure (within reason). But as assisted reps are essentially lifting to failure as you have to have reached a point where you can no longer lift the weight on your own; would you then suggest that they are only performed infrequently to avoid CNS burnout and overtraining?

That is of course if you believe in overtraining at all of course

I asked the question as I've read a lot of experts saying that assisted reps are detrimental if anything

 

[johnny83]

When I was lifting at a gym, I loved assisted reps, But only only the last set for burnout, great way to get the maximum amount of blood flowin to the muscle rather than just droppin the weight and doin a whole other set, which can cause you to overtrain the muscle. I would do this for just about every muscle group but like i said, only on my burnout set. Had great results with these. This topic is exactly one of the things i miss about havin a spotter.

 

[NoLoveLost]

well I don't know how *assisted* they are, but I do help my hubby and he helps me, *but* we are really only there to "stabilize" the lift. I couldn't lift the weight he pushes if I wanted to! But I am still able to help him keep his form. I think it definitely has its benefits

 

[johnny83]

well I don't know how *assisted* they are, but I do help my hubby and he helps me, *but* we are really only there to "stabilize" the lift. I couldn't lift the weight he pushes if I wanted to! But I am still able to help him keep his form. I think it definitely has its benefits

Either way NLL, thats awesome you guys workout together. Wish my wife worked out with me, shes strictly a treadmill or workout video girl.

 

[NoLoveLost]

Either way NLL, thats awesome you guys workout together. Wish my wife worked out with me, shes strictly a treadmill or workout video girl.

lol, well, I have to say, I started out that way too. Cardio is the *easiest* way for beginners to shed fat, and of course everyone (mainly women) are always looking to see results easier.

Weights take a bit more learning and time. But once you get into it, it can be a lot of fun! I enjoy working out with my husband. Who knows, she may make the jump....I did.....

 

[blackbeard]

I have no problem with 'cheat' reps or training to failure (within reason). But as assisted reps are essentially lifting to failure as you have to have reached a point where you can no longer lift the weight on your own; would you then suggest that they are only performed infrequently to avoid CNS burnout and overtraining?

That is of course if you believe in overtraining at all of course

I asked the question as I've read a lot of experts saying that assisted reps are detrimental if anything

Yes I would not recommend anyone do forced reps, drop sets, partials, training to failure all the time as they tax the CNS quite a bit. It may be good once in a while to shock your system.

 

[buzz]

Forced reps, drop sets and training to failure have their uses as well as abuses.


If used properly they are not pointless. If abused which is the case most of the time then one's progress can be hampered. A good example of abuse is on the bench where the guy does one Oly plate on each side on his own and then everything after that is with the help of multiple spotters/assisters. One should not be assisted on every single set of their working sets.

agree
Forced reps, drop sets and training to failure all have there benefits and time but not all the time.

 

[dswithers]

If you beleive that exercising at or near failure most of the time leads to overtaxing the CNS and less than optimal gains then you would tend to use forced reps sparingly, if at all.

If you look at the training of the guys who want to move maximum weight (rather than those who just want to look good naked, or impress their buddies or random strangers), like competitive power lifters, a lot of them swear by a three workout sequence of ME (maximum effort 5x5 type session), DE (dynamic effort - 10 sets of 3 with 50% 1RM for speed), and RE (recovery effort - 2 sets of 12 with a weight you could do 15+ reps with). They recommend the use of chains often, but bands only extremely sparingly, because they tend to tax recovery ability as well. Maximum gains in strength over the long term (as required to reach world class level) requires a delicate balance between getting enough stimulation in the gym to promote strength increases and being able to recover and actually experience those strength increases over a long enough period to approach world record levels.

 

[TopKnife]

I want to take my last sets to failure, but I am concerned about overtraining.

Any of you guys overtrain or come close to overtraining? What do you look for as clues and how do your change your training if you are starting to overtrain? How do you keep from stopping your training altogether if you do take extended rest?

 

[JohnnySolo]

I want to take my last sets to failure, but I am concerned about overtraining.

Any of you guys overtrain or come close to overtraining? What do you look for as clues and how do your change your training if you are starting to overtrain? How do you keep from stopping your training altogether if you do take extended rest?

When I get up at night to urinate, I’ll breakout into a cold sweat. That’s over training. I’d then switch to and every other day routine and go back to the drawing board for what I’m trying to accomplish.

 

[Typhon]

I think overtraining is easier said than done and is often just a case of under-eating. Your body can cope with great stresses so to take it past that level takes a lot of effort

 

[kenzo242]

I was wondering what people’s opinions were on assisted reps.
I see these performed all the time at the gym, where a guy has a spotter take some of the load on the last couple of reps. I’ve always thought of this as being pointless as you’re not actually lifting the weight yourself so not getting the benefit and should simply lower the weight on the bar.

Am I being too hard on these guys? It seems to be a recognised technique that many people use and some claim great success.

Would using forced reps prevent the body from feeling the need to adapt as it always has support available? Or would it encourage faster neurological adaptation by allowing you to fail frequently at the higher weight?

Every so often our bodies plateau. One way to get over that is to do heavy negatives. The eccentric phase of lifting yields more gains in strength than concentric and isometric when done alone. Of course focusing on the total spectrum of movement yields the best results but eccentric by itself gives greater gains than the others. This should not be done by beginners as there are other ways to overcome plateaus.

Komi and Buskirk (1972) who recorded greater strength increases after an eccentric training regimen than after a concentric-only regimen. It was also found that omitting eccentric stress in a training program severely compromise the potential strength gains (Dudley et al. 1991).

One recent study (LaStayo et al. 2003) even found accentuated eccentric training to cause 19% more muscle growth than traditional strength training over eleven weeks!