Concentric Exercise?

[shepherdgirl]

This idea of concentric exercise only makes no sense to me. If you are contracting a muscle under load, aren't you also relaxing the opposing muscle group under load?

 

[BingDing]

Because we've all heard of those bodybuilders and their elastic bands.

Sorry for the photo mishap!

You mean those guys with the big muscles full of scar tissue?

I am thinking this is the real story of being "muscle bound". It's not the size of the muscle it's because the muscle is too rigid to move freely with all the scar tissue in it.

Anyway, I'm uploading a shot of my kit.



Pretty low key for apartment living, eh? I got tired of the clunky handles and changing them out all the time so I sewed up some nylon 1" thingies.

Once you are free of the up/down law of gravity, you can do an infinite number of variations of any exercise. Indeed, I doubt I could do the exact same motion three times in a row.

And holding a contraction for a while before walking back to the anchor point is easy isometric work, a good thing (I'm pretty sure).

Another plus is that when you start getting into the higher resistance, you have to squat down and get some traction under your feet or the bands will just pull you forward. It's a lot like "whole body" work like pretending you are shoveling dirt or chopping wood. Holding the contraction and moving your torso and legs around is easy.

I have tried to get to "failure" like with free weights but have only gotten to "this is a good time to stop". It's a bit hard to explain, just seems right. Doing the same work day after day is not hard, there is almost no muscle pain the next day. YMMV, of course.

Cheers,
BD

 

[DaveFoster]

View attachment 8615

You mean those guys with the big muscles full of scar tissue?

I am thinking this is the real story of being "muscle bound". It's not the size of the muscle it's because the muscle is too rigid to move freely with all the scar tissue in it.

Anyway, I'm uploading a shot of my kit.

View attachment 8615

Pretty low key for apartment living, eh? I got tired of the clunky handles and changing them out all the time so I sewed up some nylon 1" thingies.

Once you are free of the up/down law of gravity, you can do an infinite number of variations of any exercise. Indeed, I doubt I could do the exact same motion three times in a row.

And holding a contraction for a while before walking back to the anchor point is easy isometric work, a good thing (I'm pretty sure).

Another plus is that when you start getting into the higher resistance, you have to squat down and get some traction under your feet or the bands will just pull you forward. It's a lot like "whole body" work like pretending you are shoveling dirt or chopping wood. Holding the contraction and moving your torso and legs around is easy.

I have tried to get to "failure" like with free weights but have only gotten to "this is a good time to stop". It's a bit hard to explain, just seems right. Doing the same work day after day is not hard, there is almost no muscle pain the next day. YMMV, of course.

Cheers,
BD

You never have to train to failure to gain mass while weight training.

 

[YourUniverse]

You never have to train to failure to gain mass while weight training.

beginners certainly dont

 

[DaveFoster]

beginners certainly dont

The gains in the "advanced" stage of bodybuilding remain so marginal relative to the beginner and intermediate stages that it's probably not worth the stress; maybe it's better to raise your anabolic potential and maintain an intermediate regimen.

 

[YourUniverse]

The gains in the "advanced" stage of bodybuilding remain so marginal relative to the beginner and intermediate stages that it's probably not worth the stress; maybe it's better to raise your anabolic potential and maintain an intermediate regimen.

Ray would certainly agree with you, no argument there

 

[BingDing]

@DaveFoster I was actually writing to a broader audience than expressed in your narrow view. Getting to failure is a trivial aspect of what I was trying to say.

 

[paymanz]

This idea of concentric exercise only makes no sense to me. If you are contracting a muscle under load, aren't you also relaxing the opposing muscle group under load?

when you do "concentric only" workout you lift the weight and then release it and let it drop , with out trying to control it.

so your muscle expands while its relax.

 

[shepherdgirl]

when you do "concentric only" workout you lift the weight and then release it and let it drop , with out trying to control it.
so your muscle expands while its relax.

Ok, that is true, but it's not what I am talking about.
If you contract your biceps muscle, your triceps muscle will be lengthening. If you are contracting a muscle under load, then the opposing muscle group will be lengthening under that load at the same time - so if you contract your quads under load(concentric), you are also lengthening your hamstrings under load(not concentric). So how is it possible to restrict your exercises to concentric only?

 

[YourUniverse]

Ok, that is true, but it's not what I am talking about.
If you contract your biceps muscle, your triceps muscle will be lengthening. If you are contracting a muscle under load, then the opposing muscle group will be lengthening under that load at the same time - so if you contract your quads under load(concentric), you are also lengthening your hamstrings under load(not concentric). So how is it possible to restrict your exercises to concentric only?

Good point, but the antagonist stretch in these scenarios is not exactly under load. The antagonist muscles (biceps) provide the stretch stimulus for the triceps in your example, not the free load of the dumbbell or barbell. Try it for yourself - feel the triceps stretch during the concentric portion of a biceps curl, vs. feeling the triceps stretch when hanging a dumbbell behind your back, elbow in the air. Its fair to note that its virtually impossible to eliminate some kind of stretch in exercise, or daily life for that matter

 

[shepherdgirl]

Hi @jamies33
I do feel there is a big difference between the triceps stretch in a weighted curl and a weighted triceps stretch behind the head.
What do you think of this idea: What if, during the release of the biceps curl, a triceps extension is performed(in other words first the biceps is contracting under load, then the triceps) -would that make both aspects of the exercise net concentric? ( I can't speak to whether that would be a good idea in reality as I have never tried it!) There is no way i am aware of to concentrically exercise the triceps without stretching the biceps, but if instead of performing the release of each weight bearing exercise, instead a contraction of the opposing group were performed, it would seem to be more concentric overall and save time as well. (In other words, eliminating the release of both the biceps curl and the triceps extension.) Or maybe it would be too stressful?
Otoh- i have heard that stretching can generate ATP, so i'm not dismissing its importance.

 

[paymanz]

Ok, that is true, but it's not what I am talking about.
If you contract your biceps muscle, your triceps muscle will be lengthening. If you are contracting a muscle under load, then the opposing muscle group will be lengthening under that load at the same time - so if you contract your quads under load(concentric), you are also lengthening your hamstrings under load(not concentric). So how is it possible to restrict your exercises to concentric only?

No those triceps and hamstrings are not really under load!

They are relax,they dont do any work!

As ray once mentioned, they are lengthening passively.

 

[shepherdgirl]

@paymanz
ok. i guess i will need to read Charles Poliquin or something because i am still confused. If what you are saying is true, then i don't understand why lowering yourself down from a chinning bar wouldn't be concentric under load for triceps but eccentric without load for biceps. The biceps is lengthening, and if i understand what you are saying, the lengthening muscle is not load bearing.

 

[lvysaur]

This idea of concentric exercise only makes no sense to me. If you are contracting a muscle under load, aren't you also relaxing the opposing muscle group under load?

No, because those muscles would be totally relaxed (ideally).

If I do knee extensions, I contract my quads under load, and extend my hamstrings under zero load. So it's not eccentric for the opposing muscle.

When I go back to normal position, my quad gets eccentric exercise, because it's extending under load.

 

[shepherdgirl]

No, because those muscles would be totally relaxed (ideally).

If I do knee extensions, I contract my quads under load, and extend my hamstrings under zero load. So it's not eccentric for the opposing muscle.

When I go back to normal position, my quad gets eccentric exercise, because it's extending under load.

Why is it not symmetrical - you contract quads under load and extend hamstrings without load, so when you "go back to normal" as you say, why don't your hams then contract under load but quads extend without load?

 

[shepherdgirl]

@Ivysaur
I think i understand what you are saying - the knee extension machine is pulling your quads, actually elongating them under load. so when that happens it is eccentric.

 

[shepherdgirl]

@Ivysaur
but when you contract the thigh and do a knee extension, are you not also pulling the hamstrings and elongating them?
no, i m still confused...sigh...

 

[YourUniverse]

@Ivysaur
but when you contract the thigh and do a knee extension, are you not also pulling the hamstrings and elongating them?
no, i m still confused...sigh...

The quads are pulling the hamstrings into a stretch, and not the load. I think thats the difference.

 

[shepherdgirl]

ah, i see, the weight is not pulling on the hams to elongate them. that is the difference, yes?

 

[shepherdgirl]

Thank you @jamies33 !