Arnold's advice, Negatives and a bad joke 🤣

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I. Arnold's advice on going slow.

Anyone who has trained with me for more than 5 minutes has probably heard me drop the quote from Arnold's 90s classic True Lies...

"No, no, no...do it doucement, do it very slowly".

For full effect, you need to read it with a French accent.

Why? Beyond my love of Arnold movies, rushing the reps is a common mistake when lifting, especially during the lowering phase (Eccentric for those geeking out).

If you're squatting, the focus is often more on driving out of the bottom than slowly lowering into a deep squat. If you're doing push-ups, the focus is on pushing back up, not slowly lowering your chest to the floor.

We essentially leave half the value of the exercise still on the table.

Word of warning: going slow is going to be tough. You're going to feel a much deeper stretch in the working muscles; each set will, in turn, take you longer to complete, and your ego might take a hit when you have to drop the weight by a plate or two.

But, the benefits you'll get from these "owned" slow & controlled reps will be superior to those of the jackhammer race car reps.

Now, I was tempted to go into a boring explanation about the strength ratio of eccentric vs. concentric and how we are stronger during the lowering phase, so going slow allows us to fully challenge the muscles. But honestly, even writing that part felt dry and dull. So, let's leave it at that. Going slow is better*.

*Mostly, things like kettlebell swings, snatches, medicine ball throws, and Olympic lifting are some exceptions to the slow rule.

Want to try it for yourself? Perform 10x bodyweight squats going as fast as you like; now retry those 10x squats, but take a minimum of 3 seconds to lower yourself down, hold for one additional second, and then drive up.

Feel the difference? Going slow is both working harder and smarter.

So the next time you're in. the gym, remember, "Do it doucement, do it very slowly".

II. Negative Pull-ups

No, this is not me confessing my dislike for pull-ups. Negative reps are actually a technique where we emphasize doing a slow and controlled "eccentric" phase - the lowering part while getting assistance for the challenging part, which is pulling back up.

Pull-ups can be tricky, and band-assisted reps are a great way to start. However, eventually, letting go of the band is important, and negatives are a fantastic next step.

Check out the demo here.

III. Joke to ponder

Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone were discussing their next Halloween costumes. They wanted to get away from the typical scary characters and do something different.

Bruce: 'How about historical figures? I'll go as Freud.'

Sly: 'OK, sounds good. I'll go as Leonardo Da Vinci.'

Arnold Schwarzenegger overhears their discussion and replies, 'I'll be Bach.'

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie