Same here…I did negatives for benchpress before…loaded up more wieght than I could max out, lower it as slow as i could, then have my spotter lift it. I really didn’t care for them and didn’t feel I got solid results…what I did like with them is it gives you a feel for heavy weight…less of a shock when you try and max out.
When I hit a plateau I will run some drop sets or strips and I always get solid results. A lot of people hate the idea of HIT but I think it is OK if done on moderation.