Breaking Down a Rep

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The full text of “Breaking Down a Rep” by Doug Heslip, from the Vol 2 — Summer 2025 issue.

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING Did you ever wonder what each phase of a weightlifting repetition does? Did you ever wonder why we use different tempos for each repetition? I never thought about it while I was in athletics, but as I got older I got more interested in what the heck is actually going on within my muscles, tendons and ligaments. I suggest you break down each movement of a rep with your athletes. This will give them an understanding and motivation not to cheat a rep.

Cheating a rep will not signal the body to change in a positive fashion. We are looking to progress, not regress. Bad reps will not help build a better athlete. It will compromise the nervous system causing it to short circuit. This is the last thing anyone needs during crunch time in a crucial game. BREAKING DOWN A REPETITION

All muscle action is Triphasic. For example, when jumping for a rebound you have to dip your hips (eccentric), stop (isometric) and explode upward (concentric). The dip is the eccentric phase, the stop is the isometric phase and the explosion up is the concentric phase. The same can be said when an athlete makes a change of direction. First there is an eccentric lowering, a slight iso and then a concentric action to propel you in the direction you want to go. This is why every rep is important.

You can train your body with weights in all three of these phases to become very explosive. Every muscle movement begins with an eccentric lowering. Below I will detail what is happening with your muscle in each phase of a rep and how this applies to the football field or basketball court etc. I suggest reading TRIPHASIC TRAINING a systematic approach to elite speed and explosive strength performance by Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson.

This book is a fantastic source of information on how to train athletes to be more explosive and dynamic. The below information is referenced from this book. There are three phases to a repetition: Eccentric phase: This is the deceleration or lowering portion of the movement. It is associated with muscle lengthening. During this phase, kinetic energy is absorbed and stored in the tendons of the muscle structure to be used during the stretch reflex.

Isometric: This is where the mass, or athlete, comes to a complete stop before being reaccelerated in a new direction. Concentric: This is the acceleration of an athlete or mass. It is associated with muscle shortening. Emphasize quality over quantity when it comes to reps and sets. Don’t aim to strain using the Triphasic model. You don’t want to send the wrong message to the nervous system. We are using weights to build an explosive athlete.

Straining reps will send the incorrect signal hampering our ability to be as dynamic as possible. Quality over quantity is a continued theme throughout each phase of Triphasic Training. Every rep has to be performed with 100% effort throughout the range of motion.

ECCENTRIC PHASE The eccentric phase trains two physiological processes that contribute to force development. One of them is the most powerful human reflex in the body the stretch reflex. The other, whose force producing abilities are dependent upon the stretch reflex, is a close second in terms of force production and it is called the stretch shortening cycle. The stretch reflex has two muscle proprioceptive nerve signals.

The muscle spindles act as neurotransmitter stimulators and the Golgi tendon (GTO) acts as a neuromuscular inhibitor. Training eccentrically produces a stretch reflex within the muscle structure that is responsible for explosive, dynamic movement. The goal of the eccentric phase is to improve the neuromuscular synchronization of the afferent/efferent neural pathway between the muscle spindle, CNS, and muscle desensitizing the GTO.

This allows the athlete to absorb higher levels of force without triggering an inhibitory GTO reflex. Never perform slow eccentrics with loads greater than 85% of an athletes 1RM. Always spot an athlete when performing slow eccentrics. Always finish an eccentric focused lift with an explosive, concentric movement. ISOMETRIC PHASE The isometric phase is trainable just like other muscle actions. The isometric phase is the energy transfer station of all muscle action.

It turns absorbed eccentric energy into explosive, concentric actions. The isometric phase has two neurological processes that need to be trained to maximize the force Illustrations provided by Marlee Heslip

9 transfer from the eccentric to concentric contractions. When muscles need to increase their level of force production, as in decelerating and stopping an eccentric contraction, they have two options. Motor unit recruitment - increase the number of muscle fibers that fire. Rate coding - Increase the rate at which each of these fibers fire, which increases muscular tension. Specific attention to isometric training will result in improved force and power outputs for an athlete.

Improving the qualities of the nervous system in this regard allows for high amounts of energy to be absorbed through the efficient sequencing and work of recruitment, coding, and coupling rates, diverting maximal energy from the eccentric directly to the concentric with little or no energy loss. The isometric phase allows the athlete to maximize the power of both the stretch reflex as well as the stretch shortening cycle (SSC).

Add these to strong, concentric contractions and it makes the athlete appear as if he is jumping off a trampoline instead of a sand pit. CONCENTRIC PHASE The true importance of training the concentric phase is the synchronization of the entire triphasic muscle action and maximizing the energy transfer from the preceding eccentric and isometric phases into a unified, explosive, dynamic movement.

Training the concentric phase to perform explosive dynamic movements improves intermuscular coordination, allowing for the inhibition of the antagonist muscle and resulting in maximal rate of force development. The concentric phase takes place sandwiched between the stretch reflex and stretch shortening cycle. All three components must fire in rapid succession. This sequence has been termed reactive ability.

Intramuscular coordination - within fibers of same muscle group Motor unit recruitment - The maximum number of motor units are recruited

Rate coding - The discharge frequency of motor neurons is at the highest level Rate coupling - The myosin heads attach, pull, and detach Intermuscular coordination - between different muscle groups Inhibition/disinhibition Synchronization Perform the concentric phase fast! Remember the goal of concentric training is to maximize intermuscular coordination, increase motor unit recruitment, and maximize force production.

Push against the bar as hard as possible, driving the bar all the way through the entire range of motion. The focus should always be on developing a synchronized, powerful concentric contraction. There are several other phases of Triphasic Training; training between 55% and 80% 1RM and below 55% 1RM, for example. Each phase trains the muscle to fire on demand. The AFSM method gets the muscle to relax as fast as possible, so it can contract faster.

Elite athletes’ muscle contractions can relax up to 200 times faster than that of a novice athlete. Dr. Bondarchuk stated an athlete must do two things to see a transfer of training result in performance enhancements. They are: Choose specialized developmental exercises that are closely related to the movement patterns and neural firing rates the athlete will find in competition. Perform these exercises at velocities that are slightly slower or slightly faster than those found in competition.

High velocity peaking or training below 55% is designed to maximize the transferability of athletic abilities (speed, strength and power) the athlete has gained through his hard work over the past two mesocycles. A comprehensive and well thought out training program is the catalyst to get an athlete to evolve and become as dynamic as possible. Each phase of Triphasic builds upon the previous phase. During the aforementioned phases you can implement the French Contrast System, shock jumps and sprinting.

SEEK AND DESTROY Coach Doug Heslip, a Performance Enhancement Specialist, details advanced drills for running backs. The agility drills include teaching players to be nimble on their feet. These unique drills will help improve your players’ performance in avoiding defensive players with their feet, reacting to defenders, and missing tacklers. The 52 minute video is a complete guide to maximizing the performance of your running backs. There are specialized means to use in each phase.

This keeps training fresh and competitive. This system is fluid and will help your athletes avoid the Law of Accommodation. We never want an athlete to adapt and just hangout during an exercise. Adding and subtracting exercises during training will keep the athlete on edge so to speak. There is no perfect training program because by itself training is imperfect. Constant change needs to be made to keep your athletes motivated.

If they come into training dragging their feet it may be time to throw away what you have written down and change the scheme for the day. Change is good because we want the body to adapt to new stimulation. Keep them sharp by adjusting the workout as necessary. Listen to what they are saying to each other and watch their body language. These give clues as to how to train them for that particular day. Don’t be afraid to change. Proper recovery is a component that can keep your athletes fresh and healthy.

I tell my athletes to get their money sleep and avoid fatty foods prior to training and competitive events.

There are also strategies that can be implemented to clear out the legs with weighted sleds and foam rolling. Proper breathing and hydration all go into the program. Look at all phases of your training methods as reps. From lifting weights to recovery. A proper rep will lead to inter and intramuscular synchronization. The switchboard that makes this happen will operate seamlessly. Recovery reps will help this switchboard run efficiently. It all starts with the first rep and then repeats fl awlessly rep after rep.

For a more in-depth look at Triphasic Training this is the book you want to read and digest. Check out Coach Heslips Sports Consulting and Performance on Facebook Owner of Coach Heslip Sports Performance and Consulting Green Bay Packer/USA Football Instructor Team USA Football Certifi ed SAQ Certifi ed Triphasic Trainer NASM Performance Specialist Coach Heslip is a sports performance trainer in Marquette Michigan. He has been coaching and training athletes for 30 years.

He has worked with the Green Bay Packers, Coached Team USA, hold’s several sports performance certifications through the IYCA and Athletes Acceleration. In addition to this he has multiple published pieces in reference to sports performance world wide. He is also a certified Triphasic Trainer which specializes in strength and conditioning for optimal athletic performance.