Tip The Most Painful and Effective Way to Squat Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip The Most Painful and Effective Way to Squat Yeah it hurts but if your legs are lagging it' ll build them up fast by Joel Seedman, PhD April 2, 2017June 16, 2022 Tags Legs, Squat, Tips, Training The 1 5 Eccentric Isometric Protocol There are a lot of techniques for building stubborn muscle groups and correcting strength deficiencies, but the "one-and-a-half eccentric isometrics" method is hard to beat. It's a combo of two effective techniques: the 1.5 method and eccentric isometrics – slow negatives followed by a pause in the stretched position. When it comes to stubborn muscles and stalled lifts, there are two things that need to be considered, both of which this technique addresses: The neuromuscular component The structural hypertrophy component If you struggle with a movement pattern such as squats or chest presses, chances are that both your technique and neuromuscular efficiency needs improvement. The eccentric isometric allows you to hone-in on your body position by using negatives to fine-tune your mechanics. That's because muscle spindles (sensory feedback mechanisms imbedded within muscles) provide the greatest feedback when the muscles are under stretch. Besides teaching proper mechanics, this improves neural connections and grooves the appropriate movement patterns into the CNS. The result is substantial increases in strength and force production, not to mention a nice bonus of decreased joint pain. To address hypertrophy, particularly in areas of the body that are more resistant to growth, the key lies in taking advantage of the three hypertrophy mechanisms: muscle damage, mechanical tension, and metabolic stress. The 1.5 technique will do the trick. This involves a bottom half-rep followed by a full rep. In terms of increased strength, the phase involving the full rep will allow you to practice lifting with compensatory acceleration/maximal speed (during the concentric phase), while the partial/bottom-half rep will focus more on triggering functional hypertrophy. The muscle damage and micro-trauma from the 1.5 technique (particularly when combined with eccentric isometrics) is potent for triggering size gains because you'll be spending significant time in the stretched position. The bottom half of the movement is also key for triggering increased levels of mechanical/intramuscular tension as well as metabolic stress due to the constant tension and reduced momentum. Regardless of how stubborn your muscles may be, if you can summon the mental fortitude to push past the pain of this brutal protocol, you'll be rewarded with boosts in size and strength. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training 3 Keys to a Big Raw Squat Separate the advice you need from the advice you need to disregard. And get your squat up already! Powerlifting & Strength, Squat, Training John Gaglione April 23 Workouts Complete Guide to Big Biceps & Triceps If this smart, brutal plan doesn't help you build your biceps and triceps, nothing will. Do it, then go buy some new T-shirts. Arms, Bodybuilding, Training Paul Carter January 26 Training Stop Squatting and Deadlifting So Damn Much Sure, the big 3 lifts are great, but experienced lifters need to stop chasing numbers for a while and fix their weak links. Here's why and how to do it. Powerlifting & Strength, Training Lee Boyce May 14 Training Serge Nubret Pump Training In bodybuilding's Golden Age, few shone as brightly as Serge Nubret. Let's learn a thing or two from this recently departed legend. Bodybuilding, Training Bradley Joe Kelly September 6