The "Rocket Rep"
When teaching rep execution to a new player we emphasize three points: The Raising Phase, The Contracted Phase, and The Lowering Phrase. These are the teaching points we stress while you train. It is a never-ending and on-going process during each exercise of every workout.
The Raising Phase
Raising the weight is one-half of the exercise. The muscle contracts concentrically (shortens) during this phase. It is also called "positive" work.
During the raising phase it is your goal to raise the weight in a manner to recruit every available muscle fiber (motor-neuron). Doing anything that detracts from this recruitment process lacks logic. You lift weights to get stronger. The more muscle fibers recruited and exposed to overload, the greater the strength gains. The brain will only recruit those muscle fibers needed to raise a weight, no more, no less. Curl a 25- pound dumbbell and you'll recruit 25-pounds worth of muscle fibers. Incorporate any momentum and fewer muscle fibers will be recruited. Any sudden or jerky movements can contribute to the lifting process. A player lifts (throws) more weight, but recruits fewer muscle fibers.
We ask our players, "Which muscle fibers are most important to you on game day?" They learn to respond, "All of them." It is important to recruit and strengthen every available muscle fiber if injury prevention is our primary concern for building strength.
Poor technique during the raising phase will leave many muscle fibers undeveloped. Stand on a scale while you lift a 25-pound dumbbell. If you weigh 150 pounds and the dumbbell weighs 25-pounds, the needle on the scale should register 175 pounds. The needle on the scale should remain steady while you raise and lower the dumbbell. Any major deviation of the scale needle while raising or lowering the weight is an indication of impact forces or momentum. If you raise the weight fast enough you will see the needle drop to 150 pounds. The dumbbell is literally being thrown in the air. How many muscle fibers are being recruited now?
Raise the weight as fast as you want provided you eliminate momentum and there are no sudden or jerky movements.
The Contracted Phase
The sliding Filament Theory provides us with information regarding how a muscle fiber contracts. Each muscle fiber is composed of two filaments. As a muscle (each individual fiber) contracts these two filaments pull themselves toward (and eventually over) each other causing the fiber to fully contract.
The process is important to understand if full-range exercise is to be accomplished. The greatest numbers of muscle fibers are recruited in a muscles contracted position. It is at this point the best gains in strength can be made if... you pause momentarily (stop) in the muscles contracted position. If there is any bounce in this position there are literally thousands of muscle fibers not recruited or developed, eliminating potential strength gains.
The greatest gains in strength can be made in the contracted position if proper form is used. It is this point and those points approaching the contracted position that are more important than any other position throughout the entire range of motion. Maximum gains in strength will not be attained if an athlete doesn't come to a complete stop in the contracted position, and then leave this position in a smooth and controlled manner. We require you to come to a complete stop in the contracted position. Other examples of the contracted position are: lat pull down, seated row, dumbbell lateral raise, neck extension and the shoulder shrug.
Remember, if there is any visible bounce in the contracted position of any exercise, there will be thousands of muscle fibers left undeveloped.
The Lowering Phase
Lowering the weight is one-half of the exercise. The muscle lengthens eccentrically during this phase. It is also called "negative" work. During the lowering of the weight significant gains in strength can be generated if our players take more time to lower the weight.
It is much easier to lower a weight. Lift a weight and then let it go. It falls effortlessly to the floor. No muscles are required. Gravity makes it really easy to lower a weight. It is the goal of our players to recruit and overload as many muscle fibers as possible. To accomplish this our players must take more time to lower the weight.
We require you to raise the weight in good form and pause in the muscles contracted position. Once you reach the contracted position we ask them to lower the weight in a very smooth and controlled manner. The weight should be lowered at the same speed from the contracted position to the starting position. There should be no sudden drop from the contracted position. Separate from the contracted position slowly, not suddenly, and continue lowering the weight in a smooth and controlled fashion. Observe the typical lifter performing the bench press. As the bar approaches the chest he lets it drop to create momentum and help him bounce (lift) more weight.
When a new player arrives we require him to eliminate the bounce. It becomes immediately obvious how weak the player is through this range of motion. He must decrease the weight and begin to strengthen muscle fibers he hasn't been using. That's how we perform each repetition of every exercise.
How to Complete a Set
Our goal is to make each set as hard as possible regardless of the number of sets performed. The Overload Principle is pretty simple and straightforward. If you want to get stronger you must attempt to lift more weight and/or more reps, each set of every exercise, each workout. For maximum gains this process must continue until you stop gaining strength.
If one of our players can lift 100 pounds for ten reps, he will not get stronger by lifting 95 pounds for ten reps. He is already strong enough to lift 100 pounds ten times. To get stronger our player must attempt to lift the same weight (100 pounds) for eleven reps, or add weight, 105 pounds and see how many good reps he can perform. Common sense and logic dictate, for maximum gains you must lift as much weight for as many reps as you can perform. If you can lift 100 pounds ten reps but stop at eight, you can't expect to produce the same gains developed by continuing to ten reps.
Realistically you don't know how many reps you can perform unless you continue the exercise to the point where you are unable to perform another good rep. Must you continue the exercise to the point of muscular failure to get stronger? The answer is no. However, to stimulate near maximum gains it is probably necessary to come really close to the point of failure.
During the course of a game you will gradually become more fatigued. They are bringing more and more muscle fibers into play as they grow tired. When you get really tired they have used most of the muscle fibers they have available. In the weight room they must perform each exercise in a manner that recruits as many muscle fibers as possible. The intensity of the exercise must be high enough to accomplish this. A sub-maximal effort will recruit fewer than all of the muscle fibers available.
We keep accurate records of every rep performed and we suggest you do the same. Once you are warmed up we select a weight heavy enough to cause momentary failure, or, come really close. If you perform multiple sets, the first set should be your heaviest. If you are working your hardest, each succeeding set the weight must drop (if you are allowing 90 seconds between sets).
Remember, it is not the exercises, the sequence of exercises, or the equipment used, that is the key to generating maximum gains. The key to maximum gains is how you perform each rep and how you complete each set.
