| It's
all about Leverage Baby!
Question:
Dear Mr. Wilson
Heavier weights
equals more muscle right? So why perform full range of motion movements?
I mean who cares what range you go at, just lift partial and heavy right?
Matt
Answer:
Hey Big Matt,
I'm glad you
asked this question, as I have wanted to address it in the magazine for a while
now. First off, what you are saying sounds logical, and makes sense when
first approached. But…unfortunately its not that simple. If I curl a
weight, when is their a greater mechanical advantage? At the top range of
motion, or at the beginning of the movement? You might recall your
last 21 session. The reps at the top range of motion were considerably
easier then the lower range correct? It's the same thing with most
exercises. When you near lockout you will have a greater mechanical
advantage then near the beginning of a movement. Simply put you will have
a tremendous amount more leverage in this area.
This has a
twofold effect. If a mechanical advantage allows you to lift a heavier
weight, it does not mean that your muscles are working harder, because the
weight is heavier, but rather that the leverage is allowing you to lift the
weight. Secondly, if you were to design a muscle, when would you give it,
its greatest contractile strength? I know if I were the designer I would
make it near the most difficult area of contraction. If you were to
execute a barbell curl, then this would be at the bottom range of the movement.
It turns out that this is exactly how our bodies were made. Your muscle
will contract at its top level of force, when it is at the bottom range of
motion, and when it is shortened considerably, like in the top range of motion,
it will only have the ability to contract at about 50 percent of its efficiency!
In other words you cannot have a successful program by simply implementing
partial reps. Just because you can lift heavier weights, does not
constitute bigger muscles, or that your muscles are working harder. It
just means that you have a greater mechanical advantage.
Does this mean
that partial reps are not useful? Absolutely not! They can extend a
set past failure, you can target certain areas of a muscle with greater
efficiency with them, and they are proven to strengthen partial ranges, and
break sticking points. Furthermore partial range reps in the lower range
of a muscle, can actually add sarcomeres to a muscle fiber, which would fill the
area of a muscle out where it inserted( see anatomy section of the site for more
detail ). The real lesson here, is that you should always include
full range movements in your programs, if you want to stimulate maximum growth.
Do You
Have What It Takes To Curl!
Question:
Hi Jacob,
I do not
have a leg curling machine, but I heard that was the best exercises for
hamstrings. Is there a way to replace it?
Answer:
Leg curling motions, for the bodybuilder are an absolute
must! Period! If you do not have a leg curl at home, you really have
two choices
A.
Purchase one
B.
Follow my advice that I am about to give
I am about to show you how
to not only imitate the leg curling machine, but actually use a movement that is
more effective than its counter part!
Here’s how it works. Position yourself facedown
on a flat bench so your knees are just above the bottom edge. Now have your
partner grab a dumbbell, and holding it vertically, place it between your feet
so that the bottom side of the top plates are resting on the soles of your feet.
Now you simply perform leg curls in the typical fashion, holding your feet
together so the dumbbell doesn’t slip out. Here’s the catch. Because you are
forced to plantar flex your foot in order to keep the dumbbell in place, this
exercise feels nothing like standard leg curls on a machine. It’s like a super
leg curl and also works the calves due to this.
If you do not have a partner, place the
dumbbell on the ground, and perform the movement on the ground. You'll be
able to grasp the dumbbell by yourself that way.
Not Just Another
Watered Down Theory
Question:
I heard that drinking more water caused you to burn more calories? Is this
true?
Answer:
The theory is actually that cold water causes you to burn more
calories. So the answer is yes. How much is another question.
In
the case of an 8-ounce glass of ice water, your body must raise the temperature
of 227.28 grams of water from zero to 37 degrees C. In doing so, your body burns
8.5 Calories. That would mean that if you drank 8, 16 ounce glasses of
water a day that you would burn 136 calories. Hey, that is 956 calories a
week, and about 4, 000 a month, which is over a pound of fat! Of course
that is quite a bit of water as well.
Underground
Muscle Building Principle!
Question:
Dear Jacob,
have you ever
heard of a technique called riot bombing? I heard it mentioned in my gym
once, but I couldn’t find out what it actually was? And the guys talking
about it left before I could ask them.
Thanks allot
Haun
Hi Haun,
Answer:
Riot Bombing a what I like to call, “ an underground
shocking method. “ In other words, it is extremely hardcore, used
exclusively by insanely hardcore bodybuilders, and is not well known. This
question actually inspired me to start a new section on our site, called “
Underground Shocking Methods. “ I will add all the shocking methods that
are of this nature, as the months go by to this section!
Riot Bombing Explained
This technique is meant to flush two muscle
groups, that are opposite to eachother with as much blood, as is humanly
possible! It also incorporates extremely short rest intervals.
I would compare the growth used here, to that of the first time you ever used
supersets. Remember how your arms just exploded!
I would not be surprised if you saw measurable gains, almost immediately with
this one!
The workout is structured by choosing 2 opposing
muscle groups with one exercise for each muscle group (for example, biceps and
triceps) and performing them in superset fashion with 30 seconds rest for 20
sets each exercise.
Lets say you chose standing barbell curls
supersetted with skull crunchers. You would begin by choosing a weight
that you could lift for 10 repetitions to failure with both the barbell curls
and the skull crunchers. After you have completed this utterly exhausting
set, you can only rest 30 total seconds! Then choose a weight you can lift
for 9 reps on each. I would imagine the same weight would suffice.
Heres what it would look like:
barbell curls supersetted with skull crunchers.
The below reps apply to both of these exercises:
Set One: 10 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Two: 9 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Three: 8 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Four: 7 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Five: 6 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Six: 5 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Seven: 4 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Eight: 5 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Nine: 6 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Ten: 8 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Eleven: 10 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Twelve: 10 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Thirteen: 11 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Fourteen: 12 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Fifteen: 13 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Sixteen: 14 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Seventeen: 15 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest:
Set Eighteen: 14 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Nineteen: 13 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Set Twenty: 12 reps a piece
- 30 seconds rest
Repetitions are performed in a full pyramid style beginning with 10 repetitions
and going to the peak of 4 repetitions and then back up to 15 repetitions.
You would build up more mitochondrial density then
you could imagine, shock the muscles into new found growth, and enhance
vascularity big time! Again, I would say that your gains would be
extremely noticeable on this method! Use it sparingly though, and lower
the volume a bit on your other body parts. Definitely increase protein
intake, and of course sleep. Only perform this when mass is the goal.
Yours In Sport
Jacob Wilson
jwilson@abcbodybuilding.com
President abcbodybuilding/ Journal of Hyperplasia Research
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