I’ve reported on a number of studies in this newsletter, and from many of them, one thing is clear: the stretch area of the rep is very important for optimizing hypertrophy…
The exercise doesn’t have to be a stretch-position movement, but even on dumbbell decline triceps extensions, emphasizing muscle elongation appears to enhance growth significantly…
A technique I’ve been experimenting with, and something I noticed Doug Brignole doing in his training videos, is to use a slight pause at the bottom of many of the reps…
He doesn’t do it on all reps, but I’ve been trying to use that momentary stretch/pause on most of my reps during one set for each muscle…
Sometimes I’ll do it on the ideal exercise, like dumbbell decline presses for chest. At other workouts I’ll do it on my add-on set of the stretch-position exercise, like flat-bench dumbbell flyes. (See Old Man, Young Muscle for key add-on stretch moves I use.)
You know that the optimal resistance curve is early-phase loaded and late-phase unloaded—hardest at stretch and easiest at contraction. The muscle is strongest near full elongation, which is where you get ultimate fiber recruitment…
That means emphasizing that stretch area is key—the contracted position not so much…
Tomorrow I’ll have an interesting technique that produced exceptional leaps in muscle growth for Jonathan and me years ago.
It’s something I unearthed recently and have also been including in my training along with the above, while doing my best not to overtrain. Sucks getting old, but at least there’s Medicare and senior discounts.
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best 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.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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