Accomodating Resistance for Bodybuilders

[b fold the truth]

Here are a few articles that can help with the basic understanding on how accomodating resistance helps powerlifters and athletes, with a few pics so you get the idea on how to set them up.

http://www.testosterone.net/html/body_127resist.html
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls01.htm
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls6.htm
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls15.htm

I have been thinking for the past few weeks about how a bodybuilder and a powerlifter could possibly cross-train. Although not fully possible for most people, it is possible to pick up a few fine points from both perspectives. I have always believed in hard, heavy, and compound movements for size and strength. Untill recently, I have been only training for size and strength. The past several months I have been training for function.

One of the major aspects of training for function is the different types of special strengths that an athlete needs. Maximal strength, strength endurance, speed strength, explosive strength, and accelerating strength are the major special strengths. The best programs for strength and function will cover all of these aspects in my opinion.

As I set out on my journey to become a better athlete I was set up with a training program based upon the Westside Barbell methods. After weeks of questioning of the system, I began to see results. Months later, I am still seeing results. Recently I have really pushed the envelope of accomodating resistance on my squats. I am working to increase my explosiveness to a much greater level on all of my lower body activities.

Something then hits me. When I was a bodybuilder, many moons ago, I would always take my reps super slow because I believed that the negative portion of the lift was the part that made me grow. I even added some negatives to my routine from time to time. I began to think back on all of the things that I used to do as a bodybuilder: drop sets, negatives, forced reps, forced negatives, heavy weight on the negative and my partner would take weights off for the positive, etc...

WSB advocates the use of bands and chains to help with accomodating resistance. Ever notice that you can quarter squat 500, parallel squat 400, and full squat 300? If you like to do full squats (like myself) and you can only handle 300 at the bottom, then the top portion of your squat isn't really working anything. If you were to add 200lbs of band tension to that full squat...you would have 300 at the bottom and 500lbs at the top...making the squat a more productive exercise for the entire body.

Ever wonder why your back seems to be too weak to do squats or deads? Is it being properly strengthened? That one time that you go for a new personal record on the squat (parallel) and you really push yourself with 400lbs...and your back is only used to handling 300lbs on the top portion...you end up with an injury. Your body was not used to using the 400lbs because you could only do a full squat with 300lbs.

People do partial deads out of the rack to help with their deadlift. The main reason is that they feel that they can pull more weight which will give more muscle mass in the upper back area, traps, and just all over. Why not pull from the floor? Many people will not pull off the floor because their back can not handle the same amount of weight straight off the floor. It would be nice to only have to pull 300 from the floor yet be holding 500 at the top. Kills two birds with one stone.

Flat bench press: the weight increases as the exercise gets easier.

Overhead press: same thing...maybe you could possibly do behind the neck presses again for the first time in years because you might only be pressing the 45lb bar off of your shoulders...yet be able to have 200lbs on the bar at the top.

Standing Bar Curls: decided to go to cables and concentration curls to allow for a full contraction? Add the bands to the bar for constant tension.

Think about this...everytime you lower the bar...the bands are pulling you down. When you squat with bands...the bands pull you down to the floor just as a partner assisted forced negative would. With the bands, you can choose how much the negative will be though and not have to rely on a partner. The negative resistance lessens up as your joints (knees, elbows, shoulders, etc...) become in a more vaulnerable position too.

Pure explosiveness. Developing explosiveness will not only make your lifts stronger...it will make you a better athlete no matter what your venue is. When I do box squats and have over 300lbs of tension on the bar...the bands will either pin me to the box or I will be explosive enough to come back up from a dead stop. This explosiveness is the same as what I do when I shoot my hips to filp a 1,000 lb tire, full squat, from a 3 point stance on the football line, etc...

Think about explosiveness like this. Remember the last time you were doing a bench press, close grip, overhead press, squat, deadlift, etc...and got to your sticking point and got stuck? If you were more explosive through the positive of that lift...you would have blown straight through your sticking point.

The use of chains is not something that I can fully comment on at the moment because I have not used them to their fullest extent. They still provide the explosive positive training but not the negative resistance. The chains load and deload through every rep hence you lift more weight as your leverages become more efficient.

It is also good to note that they are very therapeutic, good for stretching, and can be used while on the road. They can easily be packed away in your suitcase and taken into any gym or simply used in a motel room. I also use them to help me stretch and warm up before a contest.

Here are some links to my training with bands...

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=135625

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=133506

B True

 

[brian747478`]

great post bro, enjoyed it.
brian

 

[b fold the truth]

BUMP...

B True

 

[ZZuluZ]

Sounds good in theory; isokinetic training.

However, I don't think it works in practicality. Not everyone locks out as much as they lift off the ground.

You're assuming a linear relation between the angle in a particular ROM. Different people have different strength curves.

It might work better with single jointed movements like barbell curls however.

Interesting.

-Zulu

 

[b fold the truth]

WSB methods are based solely on these methods.

B True

 

[BlkWS6]

B Fold: did you buy the videos off of WSB on accomodating resistence, or did you just try it off of reading the articles? Im thinking about getting the video's to see exactly how it is done (although your pics do help)

 

[b fold the truth]

The videos show a lot more than you can read. I saw those guys flying with the weights and the bands and thought that they were easy....till I got some bands.

I do suggest them...maybe if nothing else but just for a variable in your training.

B True

 

[Night Fly]

I think this is a good post...and well thought out. I don't necessarily agree that the bands would help on every exercise...but it could on some.

Most of the bodybuilders I know don't usually like to focus on negatives...but when they do it is simply for a change in their program. I think that the bands would be beneficial for that, and also to provide a new degree of soreness. I did them on box squats for the first time on Friday and I am more sore than I thought I was going to be.

I think the bands could be used to help with stretching (like you said), and on some major exercises...Ex: bench press, squat, deadlift, etc. I think that using bands on the exercises for the pretty muscles wouldn't really provide much of a difference than just doing a few sets of negatives with the dumbbells or whatever that person may be using.

I am going to get some simply because I like the variation in my training and I also like the added resistance every now and then.

Good post.

 

[ZZuluZ]

"WSB methods are based solely on these methods.
"

Could you quote any relevant information which might answer my questions? I"m very curious to know why the isokinetic way of training would be superior to regular isotonic training.

I agree it is very interesting for variety's sake though.

The thing is, there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence that it works, but is there any empirical evidence?

Thanks,

-Zulu

 

[b fold the truth]

Sounds good in theory; isokinetic training.

However, I don't think it works in practicality. Not everyone locks out as much as they lift off the ground.

You're assuming a linear relation between the angle in a particular ROM. Different people have different strength curves.

It might work better with single jointed movements like barbell curls however.

Interesting.

-Zulu

This style of training allows for people to work with their strength curve. The main reason why people get stuck at the lock out of the bench press is because that portion is rarely ever worked. The use of bands and chains work that motion.

People may not be able to lock out as much as they can pull off the ground on a deadlift...but with lighter weights and the use of accomodating resistance...they will learn to develop the speed and explosiveness to push through those sticking points.

I'm not really assuming a linear angle or ROM for an exercise...but the squat should be that way, deadlifts about the same, the flat bench press is a straight line motion as well as overhead presses.

Accomodating resistance is resistance that accomodates to the body's natural strength curve. As the exercise gets easier...the bands accomodate with more resistance.

B True