With the latest studies showing stretch-position loading for heightened hypertrophy, as well as a new one finding that stretch-partial reps produced more overall growth than full-range reps, it’s time to tweak our workouts…
A small change can make for big gains, and I think the stretch-partial tactic is one of those.
While stretch-partials stress the key area of the stroke for maximum hypertrophy, they also reduce damage due to less range of motion…
Remember, lowering a weight through a full range of motion produces the most damage due to “friction” within the muscle fibers.
While the friction makes them easier for you, it produces more muscle damage—hence the term “garbage negatives.”
To apply these new findings, let’s look at the Old Man, Young Muscle workout in Chapter 9. It’s one inspired by the training of former pro bodybuilder Mike Menzer…
He was a big proponent of pre-exhaustion, doing a higher-rep isolation exercise followed by a compound, or multi-joint, move.
For example, for his chest, he would do machine flyes for 12-plus reps, rest only briefly, then follow with a lower-rep set of decline presses.
In OMYM, the pre-ex workout puts an isolated stretch-position exercise first. So chest is…
Stretch: Flat flyes, 20
Midrange: Dumbbell decline presses, 10, 7
Contracted: Close-grip bench pushups, 10 (Speed 1.5-second reps)
All of those sets except the last one are done lifting in 1 second and lowering in 2 to 3. With the latest findings on muscle damage and stretch-partials, you can tweak it like this…
Stretch: Flat flyes: 20 (stretch-partials: bottom third of the stroke only)
Midrange: Dumbbell decline presses, 10 (1/3 tempo), 7 (Speed: 1.5-second reps)
Contracted: Close-grip bench pushups (Speed: 1.5-second reps)
Now you are doing the stretch set with partial reps only. Then you do the first set of declines in normal 1/3 tempo, but the second you perform in Speed style. Ditto for the pushups.
It’s less damaging but more growth producing…
You can attempt to apply these heightened hypertrophy tweaks to any workout. Just remember to
1) Perform stretch-position moves in partial-rep fashion
2) Use Speed Sets on about half of your other sets.
3) Prepare to grow
Note: For a chart of stretch-position exercises for each muscle, as well as the ideal and contracted-position moves, see pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
Sculpt your perfect physique: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
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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