Q: Big fan of your Positions of Flexion method. Three different exercises to hit different angles with specific focus makes sense and has built much of my current muscle. My question is, Now that you’re older, do you ever do all three positions at a single workout for each muscle? At 55 I’m feeling drained by that. It feels like too much.
A: Training all three positions for every muscle can be overkill for the average old guy—myself included.
If you have good genetics and recovery ability, you may be able to handle it and make good gains for three to four weeks. But you’ll have to back off after that.
For the uninitiated, POF is training a muscle with a midrange, stretch, and contracted move—like this for triceps…
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know that POF has evolved to the ideal exercise + the missing positions…
Triceps above follows the old school protocol because the lying extension is midrange; however, medial-delt heads would not…
For shoulders it would be stretch first because that’s the ideal: one-arm low-incline dumbbell laterals or one-arm cable laterals (pulley at waist height).
You would follow with a midrange move, like lateral shrugs or even bottom-partial presses (see yesterday’s newsletter), and end with contraction, such as lateral raises.
For some straggler muscles, you can do all three positions at the same workout; however…
For most older trainees, I recommend doing the ideal + one missing position. Then at the next workout do the ideal + the other missing position.
So for triceps, it would by lying extensions + kickbacks (contracted). Then at the next workout lying extensions + overhead extensions (stretch).
Note: For a chart of the ultimate stretch- and contracted-position exercises, as well as the key IDEAL mass exercise for each muscle, see pages 42 and 43 of 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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