So you just finished doing a set on the bench press. You did 6 reps of 150lbs. You were shooting for 8 reps, but you didn't have a spotter. You felt very tired after the sixth rep and decided to throw in the towel. You know that you could have done 7 or 8 reps with a spotter helping you a little, but you didn't have one, so you cut it off at 6 reps.
Enter the Forced Rep
The situation is the same. You are struggling with your sixth rep, but got it up. Your spotter encourages you to do a seventh. You lower the weight, and lift it about six inches off of your chest and your stuck. Without your spotter, you are in bad situation, but your spotter is there, and lifts about 10lbs of the weight, and you get past the sticking point to power the rest of the rep.
Then your spotter wants you to get an eighth rep. You slowly lower the weight, but its not going back up. You just can't lift the weight, by yourself. Your partner barely lifts the bar with you. He only lifts about 10-30lbs of the weight while you strain and give it everything you possibly have. After what seems to be an eternity, you finally get the bar up and the rep and set is over. That is a forced rep.
The actual definition is: an extension of a particular set of repetitions in which your strength level at the beginning of the set has been reduced to a point of positive failure. This is basically the point where you can't possibly move the weight with your own strength. Your partner then steps in to help you lift the weight only slightly, so you can achieve maximum intensity. The partner just bridges the gap between your current, fatigued strength level and the weight you are trying to lift. Your partner only lifts a small percentage of the weight, but you, lifting the weight, felt lifeless and think that the partner lifted all of the weight. Rest assured, you lifted the weight, and your partner barely lifted any.
The Good
The forced rep squeezes out every bit of intensity from your working muscles. When you are faced with a force rep, a physiological reaction occurs. When you are performing a rep and simply can not lift the weight, it's a scary feeling. There are only a few options, drop the weight on yourself or try to tilt the bar to make the weight fall off, or have your spotter help. Those are your mind's options, your body's options are DO or DIE. This releases a surge of adrenaline making you stronger and able to lift the rep. All in all, when one or two forced reps are used in an exercise, you will have no doubt that you have put in maximum intensity. You used all of the force that your muscles could produce at the time.
The Bad
Forced reps are good when used properly, but it's really easy to get carried away. I suggest using one or two forced reps per exercise, not per set. The goal of any size gaining weight training program is to employ maximum intensity. The problem with forced reps can lead to overtraining. When performing a forced rep, your body is lifting a weight that is at its maximum strength capacity, and when intensity increases, duration must decrease. Put simply, the heavier and harder something is, the less you can and should do it. Forced reps are not bad, but doing too many forced reps is bad.
Forced reps are an excellent way to get the absolute most of a set. They ensure maximum intensity because a forced rep is only used when the muscle is completely exhausted and can't complete the lift without a little help. That's a good thing, but taken to far, it's a bad thing. I recommend doing two forced reps at the end of your last set. Doing more forced reps at the end of a set, or for more sets, will lead to total muscular exhaustion and a decrease in size of the muscle.
Enter the Forced Rep
The situation is the same. You are struggling with your sixth rep, but got it up. Your spotter encourages you to do a seventh. You lower the weight, and lift it about six inches off of your chest and your stuck. Without your spotter, you are in bad situation, but your spotter is there, and lifts about 10lbs of the weight, and you get past the sticking point to power the rest of the rep.
Then your spotter wants you to get an eighth rep. You slowly lower the weight, but its not going back up. You just can't lift the weight, by yourself. Your partner barely lifts the bar with you. He only lifts about 10-30lbs of the weight while you strain and give it everything you possibly have. After what seems to be an eternity, you finally get the bar up and the rep and set is over. That is a forced rep.
The actual definition is: an extension of a particular set of repetitions in which your strength level at the beginning of the set has been reduced to a point of positive failure. This is basically the point where you can't possibly move the weight with your own strength. Your partner then steps in to help you lift the weight only slightly, so you can achieve maximum intensity. The partner just bridges the gap between your current, fatigued strength level and the weight you are trying to lift. Your partner only lifts a small percentage of the weight, but you, lifting the weight, felt lifeless and think that the partner lifted all of the weight. Rest assured, you lifted the weight, and your partner barely lifted any.
The Good
The forced rep squeezes out every bit of intensity from your working muscles. When you are faced with a force rep, a physiological reaction occurs. When you are performing a rep and simply can not lift the weight, it's a scary feeling. There are only a few options, drop the weight on yourself or try to tilt the bar to make the weight fall off, or have your spotter help. Those are your mind's options, your body's options are DO or DIE. This releases a surge of adrenaline making you stronger and able to lift the rep. All in all, when one or two forced reps are used in an exercise, you will have no doubt that you have put in maximum intensity. You used all of the force that your muscles could produce at the time.
The Bad
Forced reps are good when used properly, but it's really easy to get carried away. I suggest using one or two forced reps per exercise, not per set. The goal of any size gaining weight training program is to employ maximum intensity. The problem with forced reps can lead to overtraining. When performing a forced rep, your body is lifting a weight that is at its maximum strength capacity, and when intensity increases, duration must decrease. Put simply, the heavier and harder something is, the less you can and should do it. Forced reps are not bad, but doing too many forced reps is bad.
Forced reps are an excellent way to get the absolute most of a set. They ensure maximum intensity because a forced rep is only used when the muscle is completely exhausted and can't complete the lift without a little help. That's a good thing, but taken to far, it's a bad thing. I recommend doing two forced reps at the end of your last set. Doing more forced reps at the end of a set, or for more sets, will lead to total muscular exhaustion and a decrease in size of the muscle.
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