As you stroll through gyms and observe trainees of all types
and persuasions, you will encounter many different methods of training. You
will also observe terrible exercise form used in the exercises, such as
barbells swinging with arched backs in the barbell curl, bars being bounced off
the chest during bench presses and rapid downward movement in the barbell
squat. Most of this is the result of attempts to stroke their ego(s) by using
heavier weights than the next guy or gal in their exercises.
The problem with this is the extreme force it places on your
joints and tendons which can lead to career-ending injuries, including muscle
tears, ripped tendons and the like. Not very conducive to a healthy training
career is it?
This lack of proper exercise performance also leads to a
lesser-than-ideal stimulation of the muscle, which undermines the main focus of
bodybuilding training, which is to build bigger, stronger muscles.
In this article we will take a look at the best way to
maximize the benefits of your training by increasing the intensity of your
working muscle’s contractions, thereby utilizing the most fibers you can during
an exercise.
The benefit of maximizing your muscular contractions in your
training
Using proper exercise performance to increase muscular
contraction in your exercises activates more muscle fibers than normally
possible, leading to far more muscle exhaustion. More muscle exhaustion equals
a greater response from your body to rebuild your muscles from the micro damage
that occurred during exercise.
Remember, the main concern with bodybuilding training is not
how much weight you can lift but how a weight is lifted. After you have been
training for a while you will be able to focus the resistance on the muscle and
make the weight seem much heavier than it actually is. This is a skill that
most trainees lack but is essential if you want to make it to the advanced
ranks of bodybuilding.
To practice this lift a weight, and while slowly raising it,
relax all of the muscles not involved in the exercise and concentrate all of
the resistance on the muscle being trained. Lower the weight in much the same
fashion. With time, you will become skilled with this and experience new
results while not straining yourself continuously to lift heavier weight.
Ways to increase muscular contraction
Exercise Performance
The way you perform exercises makes a big difference in the
results that you experience from your training. When training, make sure to
perform exercises in a slow, deliberate fashion to keep pressure on the
muscles. I list some examples below:
Using the dumbbell concentration curl as an example, curl
the dumbbell up toward your shoulder in the typical fashion. Instead of using a
rapid motion, curl the weight to a count of six. At the top of the movement do
six short “burn reps” and hold the weight at the top for ten seconds before
returning it to the beginning position.
Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
By performing concentration curls in this fashion, you
increase the contraction force in your biceps muscles. When you begin an
exercise, your body uses an initial muscle fiber bank to begin lifting the
weight. As you progress, those muscle fibers tire and new ones take over the
effort. This effect is magnified by the use of slow speed during exercise. The
burn reps at the top of the rep cause a cramping effect, leading to additional
fiber stimulus. And finally, the static hold exhausts nearly all of the
muscle’s remaining fibers.
An exercise combination that is effective at activating
maximum muscle fibers for Biceps training is:
Standing barbell curl-1 set of 8 individual static holds
done in the following fashion. Pick a weight that allows you to hold the
barbell at the point of maximum contraction (the point ¾ of the way up) and
hold the weight motionless for 20 seconds. Return the weight to the start
position and after resting for ten seconds, repeat for a total of 8, 20 second
holds. After the initial 2-3 holds it will be necessary to reduce the weight so
you are able to complete a full 20-second hold.
Partial cable pulldowns-1 set of 12 reps. Using a
palms-facing grip pull the bar to your midsection. Let the bar back one third
of the way and do two reps in that zone. Beginning at the middle third
position, do three reps before completing a final three reps in the top third
zone. Use weights that cause you to go to complete muscular exhaustion in both
exercises.
Behind-head cable curls-1 set of 10 reps. Sitting on a
bench, grab a two-handed rope attachment using a hammer curl grip and curl the
rope along the side of your head to the back. Go to failure using a random
series of “burn” reps at several different areas of the movement.
Moving to the shoulder muscle group, use the following effective routine:
Bent-over dumbbell laterals- 1 set of 12 reps. Grab a
dumbbell in each hand and lean over until you are parallel with the floor. Keeping your arms slightly bent, raise them
until they are even with your shoulders. Return to the start position and
repeat for the desired rep count. The temptation is to use momentum with this
movement, but don’t! Go to muscular exhaustion before moving to the next
exercise.
Front cable raises- 1 set of 12 reps. Grab a stirrup handle
after selecting a weight that causes exhaustion at 12 reps and raise the handle
up to a point six inches higher than the top of your head. Your arms should be
slightly bent and out in front of you throughout the exercise.
Seated machine presses- 1 set of eight static holds with a
10 second rest between reps. Select a weight that allows you to barely hold the
press arm for 20 seconds at the point just prior to lockout. Hold the machine
press arm in this position for 20 seconds before returning it to the start
position. You will need to reduce the weight with each succeeding rep or you
will be unable to complete the 20-second hold.
These variables can be used with all body parts to increase
training results. Some variations will need to be made at times due to body
mechanics but through experience that will become second nature.
Hopefully, you have gained some new tools from this article
to use in your training. Best of luck in your bodybuilding efforts!
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Source: http://muscleandbrawn.com
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