Eccentric Accentuated 2:1 BANA Method (Up With 2 Down With 1) Dumbbell Chest Press

The 2:1 eccentric accentuated protocol also known as the bilateral assisted negative accentuated training protocol (BANA) is one of my favorite eccentric overload methods. Not only does it produce incredible gains in functional strength and hypertrophy but it’s also very effective for targeting each limb individually during the eccentric portion of the lift. Essentially what you’re doing is perform the concentric phase of the lift with 2 limbs and the eccentric phase with 1 limb thereby providing greater eccentric overload during that eccentric or negative movement. Unfortunately, this technique is often limited to machines or cable systems such as seated machine rows, lat pulldowns, leg extensions, leg curls, chest press machines or other variable resistance pieces of equipment thereby limiting the degree of stabilization and motor control. However, this same concept can be applied to dumbbell chest presses as I show in the video using the incline press. The most weight I typically handle on incline dumbbell presses is 100’s. In addition, for the single arm variations (which tend to be a bit more difficult and demanding) that number is typically closer to 90 pounds. By using this 2:1 BANA method I’m able to handle a 110 pound dumbbell thereby providing greater overload to the upper body. Additionally, the level of core activation is inordinately high as the degree of anti-rotation and rotary stability needed to control your body under such extreme unilateral...