Static Contraction Training Routine
Static concentration where there is no movement has been used very effectively by many bodybuilders. The concept of static contractions needs to be performed correctly to ensure that you get the results you seek.
When we exercise or move a weight from one position to another intensity is measured to be inversely proportional to the duration it takes. This means that the more effort you put into lifting any weight the less time you will have to continue lifting the same weight.
It is for this reason that a sprinter athlete can run 100 meters faster than a marathon runner can. The sprinter is depleted after the fast 100-meter sprint but the marathon runner can run for hours without getting depleted because he/she is going slower.
Static concentration, just like the sprinter with big legs is achieved by selectively doing the exercises that build size and strength and does not waste precious time doing set after set without reaching failure. Limiting the range of motion when doing any movement can effectively increase the intensity.
The bottom line is that holding 200 pounds will develop more muscle hypertrophy than lifting 100 pounds through full range of motion (ROM). This was very controversial when first published do more research was required to establish it as fact.
Sports science decided to test this theory and found 20 competitive bodybuilders who competed at least twice a year. They then told each of them to train twice a week just to maintain and to end each workout by holding the heaviest weight they could, without locking out, until failure.
The results after 10 weeks were shocking. All the bodybuilders, who we already competitive and in very good shape increased their strength by an average of 51.3%. They increased their best 1 rep max (1RM) by an average of 27.6% and their 10 rep max by 34.3%.
The 20 bodybuilders used in the study lost an average of 4.9 pounds of fat and added 1 1/2 inch to their biceps. All the bodybuilders in the short 10-week study also gained 1.1 inches to their chest's. It is stats like that which convince us about the importance of static concentration training if you want to improve your results.
It is important to note that the hold-times in the study quoted above were between 15 and 30 seconds. Since then farther study has suggested one can get better results by reducing the hold-time and increasing the weight. It sounds so ironic that the use of minimum form together with maximum intensity gets the best results, but the proof is in the study.
Leg-press and bench-press are the only 2 movements needed to prove to yourself that it works. If your gym has a power-rack it works better because you need to find a place where you are not locking out on the bench-press or the leg-press, but you are still not fully extended.
It is that mid-range hold that you want to find the heaviest weight you can hold for 10 seconds. It sounds intense because it is intense, start by adding 40-100% more weight than you normally do that movement with. It takes a bit of effort to find your ideal weight when starting off but you can increase every week.
Science has proven to us exactly what is needed to grow a muscle. Static Contraction Training works because the intensity of any muscular output is always going to be more important than the duration of that output when stimulating new muscle to grow.
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