Forced reps are a fairly popular mass-building technique in bodybuilding. Learn about special techniques for performing forced sets. With this training method, the muscles are subjected to severe stress, followed by supercompensation. Simply put, the muscles replenish their strength in excess, making them stronger.
What are forced reps?
Forced repetitions in bodybuilding are a special workout technique characterized by high intensity and providing an opportunity to overcome the point of failure and to work out the muscles as much as possible.
The effectiveness of using forced reps depends on the correct use. First, the muscles should be fatigued as much as possible by completing 2 to 4 simple approaches. When using forced reps in bodybuilding, it is advisable to enlist the help of a friend, but at the same time, his contribution to the training should be minimal. He should only help if you yourself are no longer able to perform the next repetition from muscle fatigue.
It should be noted that even when muscle failure occurs, the muscles are still strong enough. Another attempt to overcome this line with outside help allows you to activate hidden reserves. After you have successfully overcome the "dead center" with the help of your partner, you must again be left alone with the weight. The partner must insure you at this time. This will allow you to do a couple more repetitions.
It should be remembered that forced repetitions in bodybuilding are used only in the final part of a training session and their number should not exceed two or a maximum of three. Athletes should be very careful about forced repetitions, as overtraining can occur if abused. Beginner athletes, whose training experience does not exceed one year, should not use forced repetitions at all.
Rules for performing forced reps
Many athletes make the mistake of using forced reps in bodybuilding. They can only be effective if the muscles have already been brought to a state of maximum fatigue. This means that the athlete is no longer able to perform another repetition of the exercise. Only then does it make sense to perform forced repetitions. As mentioned above, they should not be performed alone.
To better understand why this method is so effective, you should understand its biomechanics. All muscles are composed of bundles of fibers with different thicknesses. At the first stage of the approach, only smaller beams are reduced, gradually larger ones are connected to them, until the turn of the largest ones comes.
Small beams no longer work at the final stage of the approach and are gaining strength, since large fibers have entered into action. Muscle failure itself occurs when all large fibers are no longer able to do the job. Thus, when performing forced repetitions, the entire load falls back on the smaller beams that have had time to rest a little.
As a result, the muscles work, and which bundles are involved in this process no longer matters.
Forced reps for legs
First, you can do a couple of leg press warm-up sets. Then you should increase the load and perform heavy squats. The first approach should not be performed with a large working weight; it will be quite enough to use weights 10% less than usual. Then, after each new set, increase the weight by five percent, and as a result, in the third approach, you will already be working with your usual weight.
In the fourth approach, the weight should again be increased by 2-5% and performed as many repetitions as possible. Now you should again go to the leg press, performing the exercise in four approaches. And now the time for forced repetitions has come. It is necessary to perform two approaches, while not crossing the muscle failure threshold. But in the final two sets, with the help of a friend, perform two forced reps. Moreover, it is worth highlighting that there should be exactly two forced repetitions in each final approach.
It should also be recalled that a friend should only insure you and not take an active part in the exercise. Since forced repetitions take a lot of energy, you should repeat your described cycle no earlier than a month or even a month and a half later. When performing forced repetitions in bodybuilding, the main emphasis should be on the speed of movement of the sports equipment. In this regard, it is worth noting that your comrade should, in addition to safety net, ensure that the speed of the projectile is constant.
Note that if you planned to perform 4 sets of 8 repetitions in each, but you did not manage to complete them completely, then you need to act as follows.
For example, out of the planned number of repetitions, you managed to complete the plan only in the first two. In the third, the strength was only enough for 6 repetitions, this does not mean that the fourth set should not be performed. You just can't use forced reps in the third set. You should perform as many repetitions as possible in the first three sets, and in the final, fourth, perform 2 repetitions under the supervision of a friend.
If you do not follow the above tips, then you will not be able to recover during the pause between sets. In this case, you will have to increase the rest time to restore the reserves of creatine phosphate. However, forced repetitions in bodybuilding are aimed at hypertrophy of muscle tissue, which makes this training method ineffective for your goals. You need to squeeze out more because of those qualities that affect the growth of muscle tissue.
A completely different situation with forced reps develops in powerlifting, but this is a topic for a separate article.
Learn more about forced reps in this video:
