How much weight should I be using on Reverse Hypers?
It seems pretty easy to me to load up the Reverse Hyper Pro with over 300 pounds, do 2 partial swings to get some momentum, then blast out 10 reps.
But as I rapidly move up in weight doing the exercise this way, I get the feeling that I’m not performing the exercise correctly. I AM trying to hold the top position and resist the negative and I AM letting my feet swing under my face so I get the all important fluid pump.
I know you’re not supposed to do Reverse Hypers so strictly that your feet don’t swing under your head. But I feel like if I’m not using the heaviest weight I can do full ROM reps with, then it’s hard to gauge if I’m making progress with this exercise.
I also don’t really have any example to go by. I’ve tried looking for YouTube videos. I’ve never seen anyone actually use the Reverse Hyper at my gym for anything but a table. So I can’t really get a feel for if it should take you one or two partial reps to get some momentum going or if you should be able to raise your legs into the finished position without building up any swing.
I just want a simple answer: Do I swing away? Do I use a weight that doesn’t require me to build up any swing? Or do I alternate between the two styles? I hesitate to use weights that don’t require me to build up any momentum because then all the subsequent reps after the first rep would be pretty damn easy.
``At this point, you try to contract your glutes and lower back as tight as possible. Then you lower the weight past the 90 degree starting point to a position where your ankles are in alignment with your head. This is the point where the disks are stretched apart to allow fluid to enter the joints’’
``At this point, you try to contract your glutes and lower back as tight as possible. Then you lower the weight past the 90 degree starting point to a position where your ankles are in alignment with your head. This is the point where the disks are stretched apart to allow fluid to enter the joints’'[/quote]
See, this is what made me think that it was cool to just swing with whatever weight I could use.
When I did 3 plates and a 25 on each side I had some difficulty finishing the top part of the ROM but I still finished each rep clean. I’m pretty sure I could not complete a full ROM with 4 plates.
The thing is, I can only Deadlift 440 and Squat 425.
The only other numbers I have to go buy are Chuck Vogepohl doing sets of 10 with 500+ with his 825 Deadlift and 1100+ Squat. I would assume that he, being totally Westside, would be doing Reverse Hypers with the largest % of his Squat in the world.
But, I guess the strength curve changes somewhere along the line, and if I just keep hitting everything hard then my numbers will make more sense. Kinda like when you start doing Snatches and you’re using the same weights that you use for Curls, then your Snatch poundages gradually overtake your curling poundages, and maybe overtake your Military Press poundages depending on your build.
Personally, I vary my techniques. You can still benefit from the weighted stretch at the bottom of the ROM with a weight that you can pause and HOLD at the top for a split second. Then again, it can be fun to get sloppy and blast with the full benefits of momentum.
Remember, the top of the ROM in this case is the critical joint configuration (CJC) where the muscles are at their biomechanically weakest point. Therefore, strength gains at this position can be applied to the entire ROM for the exercise. The reverse cannot be said, however, i.e. if you are using a weight that can only be completed with said “cheating”, and cannot quite “lock it out” for the full ROM, or the momentum and not the muscular contraction is locking it out, those strength gains may not necessarily be applied to the entire ROM.
Sort of like the age-old ass-to-grass vs. parallel debate. Most PL’ers or strength-seeking athletes will do both.
I think I’m gonna forgo doing Dead-Stop Reverse Hypers for now. I’m gonna keep doing…
ME Squat DL
Seated or Cambered Bar GMs
Heavy Reverse Hyper
Bench
Row
Off/Active Recovery
Light Reverse Hyper or Nuthin’
DE Squat DL
Reverse Hyper
Pull-Through or Glute-Ham
Bench
Chin
Off/Active Recovery
Light Reverse Hyper or Nuthin’
I think all the other Posterior Chain exercises I’m doing will take care of whatever benefit I’d gain from doing Dead-Stop, non-swingin’ Reverse Hypers.
Well, I’m defiantly completing a full ROM and reaching the top where the CJC exists, I’m just getting there with a lot of help from my good friend/arch nemesis inertia.
I don’t see much point in doing strict RH’s. Just use them for what they are- a recovery/accessory lift and something you can do when you knees/hips/whatever are too fucked up to squat or pull. Your real gains will come from squats, pulls, and GMs
Hey fighting scott where in ohio are you? I live right next to jesse owens north in columbus and they have a reverse hyper. Other than myself the only people I’ve seen use it are in the OSU Powerlifting clube. I don’t go heavy on them and don’t do dead stops at the bottom. I think I’ve done 140 for 8 reps while my max deadlift is 400 and max squat 375. I’ve hurt my lower back on multiple occasions and I think doing light reverse hypers should help to prevent me from straining or spraining my back again.
[quote]biggun7997 wrote:
Hey fighting scott where in ohio are you? I live right next to jesse owens north in columbus and they have a reverse hyper. Other than myself the only people I’ve seen use it are in the OSU Powerlifting clube. I don’t go heavy on them and don’t do dead stops at the bottom. I think I’ve done 140 for 8 reps while my max deadlift is 400 and max squat 375. I’ve hurt my lower back on multiple occasions and I think doing light reverse hypers should help to prevent me from straining or spraining my back again.[/quote]
I actually live in North Carolina and go to school at the College of Wooster.
Yeah you can pile on the 45’s and swing. Of course try to pause at the top. Every third workout or so I will use a lighter weight and 15-20 reps and actually come closer to genuinely pausing in the up position. Bottom Line you can feel if they work or not