If you are looking to build strength and also challenge yourself, here's how this technique can help in the gym.
Athletes and fitness enthusiasts often try to challenge themselves to keep improving their endurance levels. If you think you want to break from routine and attempt something more demanding, try zero momentum reps or pause reps.
Known to considerably improve strength and enhance overall techniques, this involves pausing for 3-5 seconds at some point during the movement in the repetition (rep), which maintains muscle tension and strengthens the muscle through its full range of motion.
The most common exercise that involves a pause is the Bench Press. It’s like the second the barbell gets heavy, athletes want to cheat the movement. Instead, trying to pause for 3 to 5 seconds on the chest using weights within 70-80 per cent range of one-rep, can help improve fitness as the muscles get a better workout.
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It is said that pausing mid-rep forces one to pay attention to the body and the muscles that are being utilised to move the weight. This essentially allows one to study one’s own body more closely as compared to full-speed reps.
It also helps to develop muscle action or an overall lengthening of a muscle as it develops tension and contracts to control motion performed by an external force. For instance, the calf muscle shortens when one is rising onto their toes but lengthens to control the descent.
Even actor Hrithik Roshan swears by it.
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A post shared by Hrithik Roshan (@hrithikroshan) on
“I would particularly push people to try the ZMR (zero momentum reps), which is something I discovered for joint strength thru all my injuries,” wrote Hrithik in a post.
A post shared by Hrithik Roshan (@hrithikroshan) on
Here’s how to gain the maximum out of this technique:
1. Use this method early in your workout on basic, mass-building exercises such as the bench press, squat, overhead press, dip or pull-up.
2. Make sure you perform this under guidance.
3. Keep the reps low when training with eccentric pauses. For most, 3-5 reps per set will suffice.
4. As opposed to traditional negatives, the loads should be heavy enough that you can move the weight concentrically with little assistance from your trainer/spotter.
Have you tried this technique?
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