ubel said:
this method of using chains/an increasing amount of pounds as you're going through a rep is actually REALLY smart. by having the amount of pounds increase as you're doing a rep, each rep teaches you to continuously increase your acceleration in order to complete it. in the end, your muscles get both stronger AND faster instead of just stronger.[/IMG]
Actually, there are a fair number of critics of this, including those who are exercise physiologists, with the caveat being "what sport are you training for". Uhh, let me back up a step. I haven't read the link, but am assuming this is talking about, for instance, a bench press where a chain is attached so that as the weight is lifted, more of the chain gets lifted off the floor, so that the weight increases as the weight is lifted.
First, a couple of things. One is that acceleration is a change in velocity. If a weight is lifted upward and during the lift portion the velocity stays the same, there is acceleration.
Second, power in this context is the product of the weight that is lifted and the speed with which it is lifted.
Third, the ability to lift increasingly heavier weights is due to the the joints being in a more beneficial biomechanical position as the lift progresses. There is also some smaller component of neural drive, but in experienced lifters, maximum neural drive occurs within a very short time, less than half a second.
Lastly, in sports training, the key word is "specificity". In other words, you get good at doing something by doing that thing. Once you are talking about an experienced person who is fit and has adequate muscular strength to perform the activity, there is little crossover in training at different speeds with different weights, and especially at different joint angles. So, a tennis swing is like doing a barbell fly, but if you were to do barbell flies with 20 pounds in the hope that will make your forehand stronger, it won't work unless you are relatively untrained.
So, this lifting method does provide a greater stress per repetition than a regular lift. However, it is offset by the fact that you will probably be able to do a lower number of repetitions. Also, since the weight increases, there is no acceleration of the weight as the lift occurs, and probably a deceleration if the chain is heavy. This is the opposite of most sports where throughout a contraction, the speed increases (like a tennis swing, where the movement gets faster and faster). So, this type of lift would be most specific to a sport like football, where as a lineman you are pushing against another lineman.
This training also won't increase your speed. You train for speed by doing speedy things. You can't serve 150 MPH by swing a 30 pound racquet at 30 MPH. You have to swing a normal racquet at 110 MPH to serve at 150 MPH.
