Bodybuilding.net - Bodybuilding Forum - View Single Post

EricT · 08-27-2006, 12:28 PM

I'll try.

First of all keep in mind that this is an accessory movement. The main lifts, i.e. the one's used in Max Effort, are never used for accessories.

Now some defintitions (these are very basic and simplified and do not cover everything):

Strength - capacity of a muscle to exert maximum contractile force against a load (maximal force)

Endurance - the ability of a muscle to perform repetitive contractions, generating force for an extended period of time (moderate to low level work)

Power - the ability to generate the most force possible within a short period of time

Factors influencing muscular strength:
Number of motor units activated
Motor unit= 1 motor neuron and all muscle fibers innervated by that neuron. More motor unit=more muscle force

Type of motor unit activated
Fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle fibers

Size of the muscle
Large muscles can generate greater force than small muscles due to the greater number of contractile filaments in the larger muscles

Muscle's initial length when activated
Muscles are elastic (they can lengthen passively). Greater force can be generated when stretched prior to contraction

Muscle's speed of action
Slow speed = greater force (vs. rapid speed)

I included these to try and show that many different factors influence overall power (and we are really talking about power here not just strength).

From Dave Tate:
Max Effort: This is and should be an all out effort. This method will improve neuromuscular coordination by increased motor unit recruiting, increased rate coding, and motor unit synchronization.

The Maximal Effort method is considered by many coaches and athletes as being the superior method of strength development. It places great demands on both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination and well as stimulating the muscular and central nervous system. These demand force the body into greater adaptation. This adaptation is what is responsible for strength gains. When training using the max effort method the central nervous system inhibition is reduced, thus the maximal number of motor units are activated with optimal discharge frequency (Zatsiorisky). The one draw back to using this method is that you cannot train with weights above 90 percent for much longer than three weeks before the nervous system begins to weaken. When this happen your strength will begin to diminish. This is one of the major reasons why progressive overload will only work for so long. With this in mind and knowing how good this method is in the development of strength development Westside set out to find away around this three-week barrier. The way to over come it is to switch the exercises used for the max effort method every one to tree weeks. This keep the body fresh so the method can be used year round.

Training with the max effort method more than twice a week should be avoided because it will impair muscular coordination as well as increase defensive inhibition.

The Repeated Effort Method: Has the most potential for hypertrophy. This is defined as lifting a non-maximal load to failure. The most important repetitions here are the last few where the muscles are in a fatigued state. This is because it is the final reps that activate the largest number of motor units. As the tension in one motor unit drops, more and more join in the work. It is important to utilize long rest periods because of this reason. it is during this fatigue state when the muscles develop the maximal possible force.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I'm not sure that it is fair to say that the higher rep ranges produce bigger muscles and therefore more strength. It is according to what is in the bigger muscles. Is it actually more contractile filaments as the definitions suggests or is it sarcoplasmic hypertorphy which does not lead to more strength? So that would be something to be explained further and is obviously according to the rep range used but I have yet to find a more comperhensive explanation.

But as you can see, it is recommended not to use loads 90% or greater more than once a week. After a while the nervous system breaks downand you'll just get weaker. This is also why they switch out the lifts so often. So there is a reason to use more than one method, hence the congugate way of having max, dynamic, and repetitions days.

Also, notice "muscle's speed of action". Louie Simmons says on repeat effort to concentrate on slow movements. If you just did max, effort and dynamic effort you would be leaving out an important part because you wouldn't spend enough time teaching the muscles to exert the most force possible. The faster you lift the less force is actually exerted. The goal here is to combine the greatest possible speed with the greatest possible force thus resulting in the greatest power. As I understand it training the rep method to NEAR failure (the modified repetition method) results in the most motor units being recruited during the last few reps. I.E. the most force...and it is dependent of this fatigued state.

And don't discount what Dave Tate said about the dumbells being used to train stabibility.

That's probably not a perfect explanation but I hope it helps.