All of the latest research is compelling: It appears that muscles need variation in loading at different positions, such as stretch and peak contraction for fastest and fullest development…
Yes, many recent studies show stretch-loaded exercises as superior mass builders to contracted-position moves, but…
It appears that happens because stretch-loading creates mass more quickly at the targets ends, and then tapers off, while contracted-position exercises gradually build muscle girth, thickening the fibers at the belly of the target muscle.
That’s why you should get both stretch loading and contracted position “flex” work for each muscle—either at each workout or alternate at every other.
As my first training partner Bill said, who reads this newsletter: “So we’re back to the Positions-of-Flexion method as the most efficient mass-building system.”
Yes and no. Past POF routines had a basic architecture: midrange exercise followed by stretch and ending with contraction. That is still the case for some muscles, such as triceps…
With Mr. America and biomechanics excerpt Doug Brignole identifying the ideal, or ultimate, exercise for each muscle, POF routines now begin with that most efficient mass-building exercise, be it midrange, stretch, or contracted…
For example, the new POF quad routine no longer begins with front squats or back squats or leg presses, which are midrange moves. The ideal quad exercise is actually a stretch-position exercise, the sissy squat…
So it’s sissy squats (stretch) followed by leg extensions (contracted) and ending with a multi-joint squat (midrange)—cable squats, dumbbell squats, etc.
The key now is to emphasize the ideal exercise for each target muscle by doing it first with STX, which quickly activates the most fast-twitch fibers over minimal sets—usually two.
We’ll cover more examples in the next training newsletter.
Note: For a list of the three-position exercises (POF) for each muscle, see the chart on pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For complete mass workouts that include Speed Sets, the ideal exercise for each muscle, and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of 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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