Lowering a dumbbell 6 times a day offers significant gains in strength | Hacker News Reader

Lowering a dumbbell 6 times a day offers significant gains in strength

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57 pointsgeox16 comments

Negative reps (lowering dumbbell) is often overlooked in weight lifting. I see people trying to lift fast but have bad form. Negatives are where real strength and muscle is built. See: Dorian Yates.

> I see people trying to lift fast but have bad form

I think this started when crossfit style programs gained popularity. It's all about pumping out as many reps as possible in the shortest amount of time.

While that's good for elite athletes who compete in the sport. For the general gym-goer it's just asking for injuries to happen.

Can confirm. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with a Marfanoid habitus, and prior to diagnosis, I wanted to get ripped and be colossal because reasons. Anyway, I stupidly bought the Insanity workout program with Shaun T, and within two weeks, I broke my ankle. It's never been the same. Forever clicking.

Before anybody undergoes any major lifestyle change, for the love of fuck, listen to the warnings about checking with your doctor, you might be glad you did.

yeah, not sure about the popularity aspect, but with serious weightlifters, you go slow. I've known about negative reps for 45 years, that that's where the muscle is actually built. Those last 2 or 3 reps, you use shit form to get the weights where they need to be - usually swing the weights, then lower it down ever so slowly. Of course, if you have a partner, they help you lift the weights up in good form, but if you have no partner, you resort to shit form because otherwise you can't get the weight to where they need to be. That extra burn is great.

How do you lower a dumbbell without having first lifted it? If I’m alternating between “dumbbell up” and “dumbbell down” using my biceps, isn’t “lifting” vs “lowering” just a matter of perspective?

Here’s an example without dumbbells. For beginners who can’t do pull ups a chair is used to get to the top position after which you step of the chair and slowly lower the body. When at the bottom you use the chair again. After some weeks of this regimen there is enough strength built to do few regular pull ups.

You don’t have to do the strict movement to raise the dumbbell, and can do less work by employing other muscles. For instance, using your legs and back to give the weight momentum to make it easier to raise it to the target position.

Simple. You have six dumbbells. In the morning, your partner raises them. In the evening you lower them. And repeat.

If you're single you can just choose which side of your body you will use for lifting, and which for lowering.

It's about slowly lowering a dumbbell. You first lift it at normal speed, but then slowly lower it over 4 seconds, so that your muscles are working the whole way down.

You lift it first, at normal or plyometric speeds.

The key is to extend the lowering(/lengthening aka "eccentric") time. 4 seconds is a minimum, but "extreme eccentrics" (30+ seconds) are even more effective.

Use both arms to lift them, and one to lower them.

I use two sets of weights and a dumbbell elevator.

I’d love for them to do a study of how many reps give the best reps/growth ratio. Say 6 a day vs 15 a day. All together vs spaced out throughout the day.

I would bet 15/day would show an increase in strength and muscle volume and done all at once a day would show increased size, while done through you the day would show better increases in strength.

Based off knowing low reps do more to increase strength and high reps increase size.

Seems to be a fire in the stock photo gym.

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