On September 23, 2010 I went to a seminar given by Pilates instructor Shelley Hampton at Cox Hospital in Springfield, Missouri.
One of the things she demonstrated was the connection between the mind and the body during exercise. The way she demonstrated it didn’t appear—at least to me—to be very convincing. Her opinion was that you could increase another person’s strength by simply putting your hands on that person, which would help them to concentrate and, by that, increase their strength.
The next day I tried it on a fellow I was training named Adam. Adam had done his first set of bench presses with 250 pounds. He did 3 reps and then failed halfway up on the 4th rep.
Then I had Dianne place her hands on his upper pectoral muscles for his next set with the same 250 pounds. He did 5 full reps.
Seeing is believing.
We took this video afterward just to demonstrate the concept.
Showing posts with label increase strength. Show all posts
Showing posts with label increase strength. Show all posts
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Utilizing Unused Muscle Fibers
One of the things I rail about in my book, Diagnostic Bodybuilding, is the use of “tracked machines,” as they restrict your plane of movement and cause the unused muscle fibers to atrophy.
Then it hit me. Why not increase the plane of movement, engage more muscle fibers, and thereby enhance growth? My reasoning went like this: let’s start with an adjustable incline bench. No bench currently on the market can be adjusted in less than 12-degree increments.
Twelve degrees may not seem like much. Try this simple experiment. Do a set of dumbbell bench presses with the bench completely flat. Use a weight you can do comfortably for 4-6 reps. Now raise the bench 12 degrees, to the first notch. Can’t budge the same weight, can you? Weak as a kitten, aren’t you? Why is this?
It’s the same principle that I used to develop the Sticking Point Smashers. You increase weight in small increments, you increase the angle you lift the weight in small increments. At 12-degree increases in angle, you are engaging muscle tissue that, to some extent, has been “dormant.”
The bench I am in the process of developing doesn’t increase in 12-degree increments; it increases in 3-degree increments.
For example, let’s say you’re doing flat bench dumbbell presses with 120 pounds in each hand. Let’s say you work up to a decent number of reps, say 6-8. You increase the incline or angle of the bench by a mere 3 degrees. Your reps will drop, but you will still be able to lift the weight. When you are back up to 6-8 reps, increase the incline by another 3 degrees.
If my theory is correct, you will eventually be sitting straight up with 120 pounds in each hand, doing 6-8 reps in the dumbbell press.
There is, of course, another way to use such a bench. Vary the angle in each set, in each workout. For example, let’s say you do 5 to 10 sets in a workout, increasing the angle 3 degrees for each set. Then, the next workout, increase another 3 degrees for each set. If you do 10 sets a workout in 3 workouts, you will have exercised the arm, shoulder, and chest muscles from thirty different angles.
What would this do for you? According to Dr. Tom Trimble, chiropractor, when I explained my theory to him, his opinion was that the result would be extremely accelerated muscle growth in that area. More angles equal more muscle fibers reached.
By building the underlying pectoral muscles to a large degree, this may also turn out to be something of a bust developer.
Then it hit me. Why not increase the plane of movement, engage more muscle fibers, and thereby enhance growth? My reasoning went like this: let’s start with an adjustable incline bench. No bench currently on the market can be adjusted in less than 12-degree increments.
Twelve degrees may not seem like much. Try this simple experiment. Do a set of dumbbell bench presses with the bench completely flat. Use a weight you can do comfortably for 4-6 reps. Now raise the bench 12 degrees, to the first notch. Can’t budge the same weight, can you? Weak as a kitten, aren’t you? Why is this?
It’s the same principle that I used to develop the Sticking Point Smashers. You increase weight in small increments, you increase the angle you lift the weight in small increments. At 12-degree increases in angle, you are engaging muscle tissue that, to some extent, has been “dormant.”
The bench I am in the process of developing doesn’t increase in 12-degree increments; it increases in 3-degree increments.
For example, let’s say you’re doing flat bench dumbbell presses with 120 pounds in each hand. Let’s say you work up to a decent number of reps, say 6-8. You increase the incline or angle of the bench by a mere 3 degrees. Your reps will drop, but you will still be able to lift the weight. When you are back up to 6-8 reps, increase the incline by another 3 degrees.
If my theory is correct, you will eventually be sitting straight up with 120 pounds in each hand, doing 6-8 reps in the dumbbell press.
There is, of course, another way to use such a bench. Vary the angle in each set, in each workout. For example, let’s say you do 5 to 10 sets in a workout, increasing the angle 3 degrees for each set. Then, the next workout, increase another 3 degrees for each set. If you do 10 sets a workout in 3 workouts, you will have exercised the arm, shoulder, and chest muscles from thirty different angles.
What would this do for you? According to Dr. Tom Trimble, chiropractor, when I explained my theory to him, his opinion was that the result would be extremely accelerated muscle growth in that area. More angles equal more muscle fibers reached.
By building the underlying pectoral muscles to a large degree, this may also turn out to be something of a bust developer.
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