Hi friends! It is time for another training tip from yours truly......a prescription for fitness from Dr. J! After reading an article on quad training, I decided to perform the exercises as described. I brought along a friend to see just how effective "slow negative" training affects the growth potential of the quads.

Let me explain, one efficient way to encourage growth of muscles, is to slow down the negative stroke on every rep of a set. On squats, for example, you take a full five to six seconds to lower, then fire up at normal semi-explosive speed.

My training partner and I both did slow negative reps all the way to the bottom........with a little pause at the bottom........then an explosion upward to finish the rep. By holding the weight at the sticking point for a pause produces even more tension time, muscle breakdown, and further growth.

Partial reps at the very bottom of a squat are still another high intensity technique to bring more muscle fibers into action. Of course, you have to decrease the amount of weight you normally would use on the squat, but this is necessary to perform the reps with good form.

This is not to say that you should not use fast reps in your regimen as well. You need these faster two-seconds-up-two-seconds-down rep speeds because it allows you to use more weight and achieve more overload.

Let's not forget.......the key to gaining size is not only intense workouts, but also enough rest to allow muscle growth to occur.

Until next time, train hard and eat smart!