static contraction training

[art_anx@yaho]

iv just bought a book on this method of training where you just hold a heavy weight, no reps just hold it.

Anybody tried it?

does it increase muscle size?
or is it just another fad

thanks jay

[bwlc]

Ive used it with HIT at the end of sets etc. with good results, im not sure about just the static contraction though, I would have to read into it further to be honest. Who is the book by?.

[art_anx@yaho]

its called
static contraction training
by peter sisco and john r little

i do the HIT training but dont hold the weight i thought i might experiment with say one body part and see how it goes

[bwlc]

Yeh Interesting it would be perfect for use with leg etx./curls if you do them. John R Little was a very good friend of Mike Mentzer and took over his pt clients after he died and is a very knowledgable guy. Ive seen the book before on amazon and was tempted to purchase it. Would you reccomend?

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Hi Jay! What little I know on this subject [yeah, I was swayed - as a kid - by all those Charles Atlas ads in the comic books!] I'll share.

Static contractions [with or without weights] or 'isometrics' were principally studied at the Max Planck Institute, I think. It was discovered that it could develop strength but only in that position in which the contraction was held. An example was if you have a sash window that sticks a third of the way up and you employ a static contraction against this resistance while attempting to open the window - after repeated attempts over a period of time - you may increase your strength sufficiently to move the stuck window. But, if the window then sticks at two thirds of the way up and, from the same vantage point as before, you attempt to push against this new positional resistance in order to open the window, you would not have developed the required strength at this particular angle.

In short, it may work but only at limited angles of leverage. I believe there were few if any gains in hypertrophy using this method. Good if you have a sticking point in your ROM on bench press I suppose!

[art_anx@yaho]

well actually it only came today so i havent read it just flicked through but il start reading it tonight and let you know.

if it works its quite exciting, iv heard you can get some phenomenal weights from it but i want to increase the muscle size so fingers crossed

[Canuck Singh]

From what you are describing, it sounds like functional isometric contraction, which has its use in Physiotherapy but very little use as a core training method in Strength training.
Although this technique may be useful as an adjunct to strength training (e.g. Powerlifting walk outs, or rehabilitation), I do not believe it has use as a core exercise program.

Source: A cross sectional comparison of different resistance training techniques. J.Streng. Condit. Res.

[bwlc]

Have you tryed it canuck?

[Canuck Singh]

Blimey, i just realised I have read that book!

Man o man, I was thinking about this all week, I wanted to recall this training program, as I believe it has very important implications in Rehabilitation, on which I am doing research at this very Moment! THANKS BUD!

Now that I know what it is, this is in fact not Purely Isometric Contractions, it's actually far more complex a training method than Pure Isometrics.

Yes I have tried it mate.

I can not believe my luck, I seriously had TOT with this this whole week.

[bwlc]

what exercises did you use with it? how long did you try it for? what were the results like?