In a previous newsletter I discussed why resistance bands are not ideal for muscle building—the strength curve is backward…
An ideal mass-building exercise should be hardest near the stretch and easier as you reach contraction—for example, a dumbbell decline triceps extension…
But if you were using bands anchored behind you, the resistance curve would be the opposite—easiest at the bottom, where the band is retracted, and harder at the top contracted position, where the band is most elongated and you’re trying to straighten your arms…
If all you’ve got to train with is bands, use them. While they’re not ideal for building muscle, they will build strength—they’re just not optimal for efficient hypertrophic stimulation…
Nevertheless, the resistance-curve flaw can make band moves excellent add-ons to the ideal exercises if you’re after more muscle…
For example, after dumbbell decline extensions, the ideal triceps exercise pictured above, you could use the band pushdown as a contracted-position move. Here’s me demonstrating. Note that I’m looking up because I’m worried the clip will snap and the hook will smack me in the privates—a danger with bands…
You’ve essentially “pre-exhausted” the stretch range with the first ideal exercise, the decline extensions, with very little resistance at the top contraction…
So why not train the weakest range after? There’s a variation in muscle-fiber recruitment order when you use a different exercise for the target, especially one that has a different resistance curve, like a band move…
And as I explained in a previous newsletter, you can use X-Rep partials after full-range failure to make band moves better…
Once you reach full-range failure and can’t lock out, keep repping in only the top half of the pushdown stroke, training the stretch zone…
With those semi-stretch X-Rep partials, you’re “patching” the strength curve of a less-than-ideal exercise, although the resistance will be less in the X range with bands as compared to cable pushdowns…
So you may need to squat down halfway for the partials to get enough resistance in the stretch zone. That will put more tension on the band so the top-end partials are more difficult…
For a chest press, you would step forward when you’re ready to pound out your stretch-zone partials; for curls, you’d need to step up on a riser. And so on…
Those partial reps near the stretch point at the end of a set can get key growth fibers to fire right at the target muscle’s strongest force-generating point on the stroke.
X Reps can help compensate somewhat for the backward strength curve of bands, keeping you on your max-muscle plan.
Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, my complete workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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