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In the last training newsletter, I mentioned that most of the ideal exercises are isolation, or single-joint…
Starting body-part routines with them is not only safer but also more hypertrophic. What?
Am I crazy? Aren’t the mass moves—like barbell squats, bench presses, and rows—the best of the best?… [Read more…]
Q: The consensus has always been to do heavy compound exercises, like squats and rows, for mass. Do you not believe that? Your focus seems to be on isolation exercises. Don’t you think you would be bigger going heavy on the big exercises?
A: Even if I did think that heavy compound exercises built more mass, which I don’t, I would not emphasize them at this point. I’m 64 years old… [Read more…]
Q: You recently had a quote from Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D. that said his meta analysis came to the conclusion that single-joint and multiple-joint exercises were equal in their ability to produce muscle mass. What do you think [biomechanics expert and Drug-Free Mr. Universe] Doug Brignole would’ve said about that?
A: Actually, I think the analysis came out before Doug’s death, and he did comment. [Read more…]
Q: In your Positions-of-Flexion training, you used to emphasize compound exercises, what you called midrange. Now you focus on isolation exercises. Is that an age thing to minimize injuries?
A: It has more to do with understanding biomechanics now, thanks to Mr. America and Mr. Universe Doug Brignole and his book The Physics of Resistance Exercise… [Read more…]
After a previous newsletter that included a conversation with my friend Bill about compound, or multi-joint, moves vs. Doug Brignole’s ideal exercises, most of which are isolation, he had more to add… [Read more…]
Q: In the “X Factor” interview at X-Rep.com, Jonathan says you guys tried a static contraction at the end of isolation exercises with only mediocre size results. But I just got the X-Rep Update #1 e-book, and you’re recommending them. Why have you found static holds more effective now than in the past?
A: When we first used static contraction many years ago, we did them on contracted-position exercises, like leg extensions, holding the flexed position for as long as we could after full-range exhaustion. That’s a hold after a number of regular reps. We got good gains, but later that hold at the end of a set evolved to X Reps on the big midrange exercises instead of isolation moves, and that worked much better at building bigger, fuller muscles.
[Read more…]Q: You have cable crossovers, cable flyes, or pec deck flyes listed as contracted-position exercises for chest in 3D Muscle Building. I train in a home gym without a cable set up. What should I do for pec contraction?
A: Contracted-position exercises are usually isolation exercises that keep the target muscle under tension throughout the set. In other words, there is no bone-support at lockout so the target muscle gets no rest till the end of the set… [Read more…]
Q: Isn’t it true that you activate the most muscle fibers in the flexed position, like at the top of a leg extension or leg curl? I know that [Nautilus creator] Arthur Jones said that. So shouldn’t I really flex at the top of those isolation-type exercises? Come to think of it, why should I do compound exercises [like squats] at all? Isolating the muscle appears to be the logical way to stimulate the muscle growth best.
A: We respect the late Arthur Jones and value much of his research, theories, and opinions (Steve met him many years ago in Florida); however, newer research states the contrary—that the contracted, or flexed, position of an exercise is not where the most force/fiber activation occurs—it’s the bottom, where the target muscle is somewhat stretched. Here’s a quote from respected scientists Steven J. Fleck, Ph.D., and William J. Kraemer, Ph.D., that makes the point (we’ll put their statements in simpler terms in a moment): [Read more…]
