60: Negative Training with Bill DeSimone

On this episode, we bring back biomechanics’ expert, Bill DeSimone, to discuss an exercise technique called ‘Negative’ Training. Negatives are performed by substantially slowing down the lowering phase (negative phase) of the repetition, thereby, increasing the intensity of the exercise you are performing.  

Bill starts off addressing the recent surge in popularity of Negative training and its subcategories; Negative Only training, Forced Negatives, Static Contractions and Negative Emphasized training.  We cover:

• Can Negatives build bigger muscles compared to conventional high intensity protocols? 
• Thoughts on when to use negatives as a good tool. Different types of negative protocols.
• A novel way of looking at ‘plateaus’ – the point where the trainee doesn’t seem to be getting       any stronger.  
• The potential dangers of negative training and how to avoid the big mistakes?  

Listen to this episode and get positively InFormed on negative training.  Enjoy!

Negative Push-up video: https://youtu.be/65JduvWc8AE

Negative Chin-up video: https://youtu.be/B44dYlm5H_8

Failed Squat video: https://youtu.be/8NAEEeqVrag

Bill DeSimone Website: Optimalexercisenj.com

Bill DeSimone - Congruent Exercise: https://www.facebook.com/CongruentExercise

Adam Zickerman – Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution:

http://bit.ly/ThePowerofTen

For a FREE 20-Minute strength training full-body workout & to find a location nearest you:

http://bit.ly/Podcast_FreeWorkout

Inform_DeSimone 2_July 14 Transcript

Arlene [00:00:01] The Inform Fitness podcast with Adam Zickerman and co-host Mike Rogers is a presentation of Inform Fitness studios a small family of personal training facilities specializing in safe efficient high intensity strength training. On our bi monthly podcast Adam and Mike discuss the latest findings in the areas of exercise nutrition and recovery with leading experts and scientists. We aim to debunk the popular misconceptions and the urban myths that are so prevalent in the fields of health and fitness. And to replace those sacred cows with scientific based up to the minute information on a variety of subjects. We'll cover exercise protocols and techniques nutrition sleep recovery the role of genetics in the response to exercise and much more. 

Arlene [00:00:59] On this episode Adam and Mike welcome back biomechanics expert Bill DeSimone to discuss an exercise technique called negative training. 

Bill [00:01:08] You're not proving that negative only training or positive negative or no negative is no better or worse. They all work. I think the real value of playing with the negative is it helps you get a little extra mileage out of a given weight. 

Adam [00:01:23] We're back with Bill DiSimone again biomechanics expert from Cranberry New Jersey. 

Mike [00:01:34] This show we're going to talk about something very very very negative. 

Adam [00:01:37] Yes negative. Want to stay positive but we have to get negative. All right. So again current events and you know they've been some books out recently touting the negative portion of weight lifting. Those of you don't know that negative is the lowering of the weight when you're when your weight training and the positive motion is when you're lifting the weight. So there is a school of thought out there been there for a long time but it's becoming popular again and that is that the negative portion of the repetition is actually more beneficial than the positive portion or if you emphasize negative only type training that you get better results meaning to a lot of people bigger muscles and we're going to talk about what's being shown out there what the truth is what the science is if there is any validity to the fact that negatives have some kind of magical benefit or should we just be doing nice normal slow reps positive and negative and you know leaving it at that. So what would you like to say about that Bill? 

Bill [00:02:37] Funny you should ask Adam. Just off the top of my head I feel like Sam Kennison with my rant. 

Adam [00:02:47] Hopefully not as loud as, or as dead. 

Bill [00:02:51] Beginning of the year roaming right. Yeah he's kind of dead. Think of a more recent comic who yells a lot. I don't know. It was tragic my car crash. I just get that I deserve a cheap joke I wasn't. I don't really know the guy. Anyway where were we. Where was it. So where was I. After the new year in a bookstore looking at the brand new crop of diet and fitness books I stumble onto one that I won't name we can put it we can put the information in links I don't I'm not looking to make enemies here. So it's predominately a diet book with a couple of chapters on exercise. The gist of his exercise program is to work as a week to 20 second sprints with recovery sort of like Martin Kibala type protocols and the other work out a week is supposed to be a Doug McGuff type protocol like a Big Five routine only negative only advocating just negative negative contractions in the workout. With the justification that it's more intense so you have to do a briefer so it ties into the whole just twice a week for 20 minutes in addition to that Sprint workout. I didn't buy the book and I went to look at look it up online and sure enough there is a Web site so looking through exercise information on the Web site and it's more negative emphasized exercise but almost reckless like lifting one dumbbell heavy dumbbell over your head lowering it with one arm for a press one a TRICEP EXTENSION we're doing a one legged squat you know to negative failure and then switching legs. So it it's really a cursory look really really superficial look at negative training and then since I signed up for my free report in the following month I got 30 emails text messages and voicemails from the website calling me to buy stuff. And when I poked around a little bit deeper in the store is where they have the nutraceutical sales that you can get on auto renew. The point of the book wasn't to convey information in a package. The point of the book was to get you hooked into this auto renew of the nutraceuticals, otherwise we use to call them supplements. 

Mike [00:05:06] Like Infowars. 

Adam [00:05:08] Yeah I was sensing a thousand times a ten second left ten seconds lowering. 

Bill [00:05:12] So I would not regard that as a good source of negative training information that's pretty negative. Yeah. Wasn't I get a 30 second negative a 30 second positive 30 second negative thread and so according to this study a little eccentric little eccentric. Thanks. 

Adam [00:05:30] Well having our friends Dr. James Fisher and Steele...