Whenever I do one of Jerry Telle's movements in the gym, I attract a lot of stares. Most likely, they think I've gone nutso. With all the constant adjustments of angles, body position, and lines of resistance, you can hardly blame them. It's like going into a dance hall where everybody is doing a staid and refined waltz, and all of a sudden, you strip down to your metallic thong and start doing the Frug. That's the kind of reaction you get from doing Jerry's movements. Nevertheless, they're extremely effective. If you want to trash your muscles for a week, give Jerry a chance.

Imagine that you had the power to control both your air and your water supply. One day, though, you were told that the water and air had been taken over by the government and, because of strict government regulations, you'd have to choose between receiving either air or water. Which would you choose? Ridiculous, huh? You can't survive without either.

It's much the same with weight training and positives and negatives. Doing one without the other just doesn't cut it. You may, in fact, prefer one to the other, or one might be more productive in helping you achieve your specific goals, but the fact remains that you need both.

I'm sure that you've read articles in the past saying something like "emphasize the negative" or "emphasize the positive." Most, however, will generally agree that you can't do both in the same set. But they're wrong. There is a solution, and I've found it. You can emphasize both during the same set, and you don't need a spotter or any enamel/chrome-plated exercise machine.

Just about everyone knows that you can lower (negative rep) more weight than you can raise (positive rep). Most of the time, though, when you select a weight (50 pounds, for instance), you're stuck using that same 50 pounds for both the positive and negative reps. That's always true with machines, but it's not true for free weights!

Now, you may be thinking that a 50-pound dumbbell weighs 50 pounds, regardless of the direction in which you're going. But a 50-pound dumbbell can exert anywhere from 0 to 50 pounds of resistance on the target muscle, depending on how the weight is positioned in the exercise.

Think I'm nuts? The truth is, most bodybuilders can make 50 pounds disappear faster than Houdini. Take a look at Figure 1 below. How much resistance is the dumbbell exerting on the biceps?

Figure 1)

Start Position

Now look at Figure 2 below. Again, how much resistance is the dumbbell exerting on the biceps? Note that the elbow angle is the same for both exercises.

Figure 2)

End Position

In Figure 1, the biceps may be involved in balancing the weight, but for all intents and purposes, the dumbbell is exerting 0 pounds of resistance. In Figure 2, on the other hand (with the elbow at the same exact angle to the shoulder), there's exactly 50 pounds of resistance on the biceps.

Weight position determines how much force is being exerted on the target muscle. This reiterates one of the fundamental tenets of my training philosophy:

Muscle tension is the most important factor in resistance training.

By adjusting your body during a particular exercise, you can maximize muscle tension and target the muscle much more effectively.

Applying Tellekinetics to the Dumbbell Side Lateral

Consider the conventional dumbbell side lateral. When the dumbbell is hanging straight down, the athlete is in his position of greatest strength. But, unfortunately, the dumbbell is applying the least amount of resistance. Conversely, when the dumbbell is raised up the top (Figure 3), the athlete is in his position of least strength, but the dumbbell is applying the greatest resistance! It's clear that this exercise does a really poor job in effectively matching the athlete's strength.

Figure 3)

Top Position

Now take a look at Figures 4a and 4b when the body has been repositioned and the weight-strength relationship has been adjusted. In Figure 4a, the athlete is in his position of greatest strength and, likewise, the weight is at the position of greatest resistance. That's how it should be. In Figure 4b, the athlete is in his position of least strength and, accordingly, the weight is applying the least resistance (note that the body is at a 45-degree angle to the horizon).

Figures 4a-b)

Greatest Strength, Greatest Resistance | Least Strength, Least Resistance

By raising the dumbbell—after a dead stop at the bottom—in perfect form to the top, the dumbbell places the optimum tension on the side deltoid throughout the entire weight-raising/positive range of motion.

Of course, wouldn't it be great if we could take advantage of optimum tension on the eccentric, or lowering, part of the movement, too? Well, we can.

Emphasizing the Negative

It's pretty much an accepted fact that the lowering phase is considerably more effective in promoting growth, so maximizing muscle tension in the lowering phase is extremely important.

In Figure 4b, we had the body in the optimum position for strength and resistance on the positive phase of the rep. Now, it's time to do the eccentric, or lowering, part of the movement. Take a look at Figure 5a:

Figure 5a)

Upright Body Position

The body is brought upright from the incline position shown in Figure 4b. The weight is then lowered halfway. Then, to continue to maximize muscle tension and take advantage of the optimum position for strength and resistance, the body is again lowered to the position shown in Figure 5b:

Figure 5b)

Lowered Body Position

So, to synopsize the eccentric part of the rep, the first half of the negative rep is performed by lowering the arm to the halfway point. Then, the athlete lowers the body to the reclining position and continues to lower the weight to the starting position. The entire negative rep should take at least 3-4 seconds.

I hope you're not confused. But, in case you are, here's the entire exercise from start to finish:

Figures 4a-b) Positive rep is performed with the body at 45-degrees.
Figure 5a) The body is brought upright, and the first half of the negative rep is performed.
Figure 5b) The body is lowered to the 45-degree angle and the last half of the negative rep is performed.

Sample Routines Using the
Tellekinetics Style of Dumbbell Lateral Raises

High weight, fast speed method:

Select a weight that results in failure at six reps. Lower the weight in four seconds. Pause at the bottom for one second, and raise the weight as fast as possible, using perfect form. This is a rep tempo of 41X (four seconds down, a one-second pause, and up as fast as possible). Do three sets, taking two-minute rest periods in between sets.

Moderate weight, slow speed method:

Select a weight that results in failure at two reps. Lower the weight in ten seconds. Don't pause at the bottom, and raise the weight in ten seconds, using perfect form. This is a rep tempo of 10010 (ten seconds down, no pause, and ten seconds up). Do three sets, taking two-minute rest periods in between sets.

Try these variations of the standard lateral raises and let me know how you like them. Be forewarned, though, that I've got at least three more levels of increased intensity—each more effective at increasing positive and negative tension.

I've got similar methods for every body part—some of which we'll be including each month here at Testosterone. I really feel that everyone will be doing some version of Tellekinetics within two to five years. You and your fellow readers of Testosterone will be first, though, as usual.

This exercise routine is from the author's soon-to-be-released series of books, videos, and exercise cards entitled "Beyond 2001: An Advanced Scientific Approach to Training." The program will cover every body part and present the physique athlete with "never before" approaches to training.

T

To contact Jerry, email him at jrtelle@aol.com or fax to 303-969-0810.
 

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