Q: I like the stretch partials. When I do them, I feel bigger. But what do you think of an isometric hold in the stretch position instead, like just hold it there for a 60-second set, no movement?
A: Sounds like a painful way to take a nap, but it can work—if you can tolerate being in suspended animation for 60 seconds. Here’s what hypertrophy and strength researcher Chris Beardsley said about isometrics…
It’s very well-known that isometric contractions can produce hypertrophy in both humans and animal models. This happens because visible muscular hypertrophy occurs whenever a large enough number of muscle fibers experience a sufficiently high level of mechanical tension that stimulates them to grow.
And remember the animal study that’s discussed in Old Man, Young Muscle (pages 34-35 for details). The researchers produced a 334 percent increase in muscle mass in the latissimus muscle of a bird with loaded stretch and very little movement.
Of course the bird was an untrained subject without a membership to the local Molt’s Gym, but still…
I think some movement, as in partials, is a better way to go for optimal fiber recruitment at stretch. I discussed Dr. Phillip Gardiner of the University of Manitoba in our very first ebook, The Ultimate Mass Workout, which was on end-of-set X-Rep stretch partials. Here’s what he said…
The nervous system is tuned to the performance of tasks, not just generation of force, so it can be easier to get complete recruitment of muscles if something moves.
Plus, it’s not as boring as just holding the weight…
Either way, holds or partials can amplify stretch loading to significantly enhance your mass gains. Stretch loading works, as many new studies are verifying. You may want to try applying either method to the stretch exercises in the Stretch-First Mass Workout on pages 72-73 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
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.
GROW like never before: Get the complete Stretch-First POF Pre-Ex Workout as well as the Base-STX Workout, which both include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for mass, 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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