Forced repetitions in training: what it is and how to apply it

Author: Mikhail Ziborov - author of the site makefitness.pro.
2021-05-24

Forced repetitions or Forced Reps – these are repetitions that you perform after hitting failure, i.e., when you can no longer do any extra repetitions in the usual way. This approach allows for greater workload volume, which leads to increased strength and endurance gains, overall adaptation, and muscle tissue growth.

Usually, such repetitions can be done either with a partner (who helps you after you've hit failure) or on your own (using your other hand to help lift the weight with the first). How does it look in practice?

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Advantages of Forced Training

1. You will definitely push yourself harder. Many individuals unconsciously hold back during workouts, resulting in minimal progress over time. For example, many plan to do 10 repetitions and stop right at 10. Even though they could manage 12-13 with the working weight. Did they push themselves enough? No, they didn’t.

Forced repetitions represent an increase in time under tension, reaching failure, and working beyond it. In short, it provides complete stimulation for both the muscles and the nervous system.

2. Complete muscle hypertrophy. Beginners usually focus on the lifting phase of the weight and make the lowering phase as easy as possible. Have you seen guys bench pressing who lift the barbell and then just drop it onto their chest? Or during pull-ups, they pull up and then drop down like a bag? That’s skipping the lowering phase.

However, the lowering phase is somewhat better for muscle and strength growth. Therefore, with forced repetitions, you have to lower the weight yourself and lift it with help. This compels muscle tissue to grow fully (both in width and length).

You might be surprised that the lowering phase is just as important as the lifting phase. And there are plenty of such points. For a full arsenal of articles on muscle gain, follow the link.

3. Accelerated strength and endurance development, and slightly quicker results. Due to the two points mentioned above, you will progress faster. Simply put, you push yourself harder.

How to Perform Forced Repetitions

1. Forced repetitions with a partner. You perform an exercise to failure: you can no longer lift the weight on your own with proper technique. Now, your friend, workout buddy, or on-duty trainer – anyone will come into play. They help you lift the weight for a few more repetitions.

This technique is often used in popular compound exercises such as bench press, Squats with a barbell on the shoulders, dips, and pull-ups. However, it can also be applied in isolation exercises – bicep curls with a barbell, French presses, and others.

2. Forced repetitions on your own. Usually, this method can be applied when you are doing an exercise with one hand. It’s similar to the previous point: you perform the exercise to failure, and then you help yourself with the other hand.

These can be dumbbell curls, tricep extensions behind the head, and similar exercises. Unfortunately, not all exercises can be done solo. For example, you can’t do squats with a barbell and assist yourself. However, you can do one-legged squats and, after reaching fatigue, help yourself up with your hands (holding onto something stable).

How to Properly Perform Forced Repetitions

It is often recommended to perform 1-3 forced repetitions in the last set of each exercise. That is, if you have 4 sets of bench press, you do 3 on your own, and in the 4th set, your partner helps you. This applies to other exercises as well.

However, there is also the option to perform forced repetitions in every set! Just remember that this method can significantly fatigue your nervous system. And, as we know, effort depends not only on the muscles but also on the nervous system. If it becomes fatigued, the effectiveness of your further training declines. Simply put: you will overtrain and won’t be able to perform the next exercises properly.

The main thing about all this is to help properly. Help yourself or properly instruct your partner.

First point. If you are doing forced repetitions, your partner should not lift the weight for you. They should exert just enough effort to help you lift the weight. They should not pull the barbell up for you but merely give a little assistance. They shouldn't propel you upwards in pull-ups, to the point where you are essentially doing a two-hand muscle-up instead of a pull-up. The main effort should still come from you.

The same goes for solo forced repetitions: don’t assist with the second hand too much. Otherwise, all the load will shift to that hand, which is still fresh, rather than the working hand.

Note that this method strongly resembles drop sets. The only difference is in the number of repetitions (there are more in drop sets).

Second point. Assistance – whether from yourself or a friend – is only given during the lifting phase of the weight (the concentric phase). The lowering phase is entirely up to you (the eccentric phase). This is important to maximize the benefits of each repetition, as the eccentric phase is slightly more crucial for muscle growth than the lifting phase.

In other words, help should only be given during the lift, during muscle contraction, and not during the lowering and relaxation of the muscles.

When to Best Apply Forced Repetitions

Remember that this training method is very energy-consuming and tiring for the central nervous system. Therefore, for beginners, it is relevant to apply this method during a three-day training week (with rest days in between). If you train more frequently – 5 times a week or more – this approach could be more harmful: you simply won’t have enough time to recover.

Thus, forced training is best applied with adequate rest. Are you training 5 times a week or more? Then choose the 3 most important and challenging workouts and apply forced repetitions to those.

Regarding recovery, without proper nutrition, you won't achieve anything. Unfortunately. Just utilize ready-made professional nutrition plans: menus, caloric content, recommendations, and much more – all available there for free.

By the way, doing random exercises without a clear system will also doom you to failure. Here are some of the best training programs for working out at home or in the gym.