Post on 03-Jun-2018
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Two days ago, freaky strong powerlifter Mike Tuscherer posted an article titled Why Speed Work Doesnt Work . Please read the article before continuing. Mike basicallystates that he feels that speed work (aka dynamic effort work, which involvesperforming lighter loads usually between 50-60% of 1RM as explosively aspossible) is overrated because:
1. Powerlifting is about force and technique, not power,
2. Max effort lifts take time to build up maximal force,
3. Maximal force is related to loads and cannot be achieved th rough submaximal
training even if performed explosively, and
4. Dynamic effort doesnt improve technique as it involves a different motor pattern
compared to maximal training.
Mike also mentions that he believes that dynamic effort training can improveperformance via increased training frequency and hypertrophy, but still urges liftersto move away from dynamic effort work and begin using heavier loads on alltraining days.
In case you didnt know, Louie Simmons from Westside Barbell Club popularizeddynamic effort training based mostly on Russian texts including the work of Zatsiorsky. Yesterday, Tom Barry from Westside Barbell Club (Louie Simmonsintern) provided a rebuttal HERE . As you can see in the comments section,emotions run pretty high on this topic.
Rather than take sides, Id like to present some research to help clarify some pointsof contention in this debate.
Force Equals Mass Times Acceleration
In Physics, we know that F = MA.
With maximal loads, M is at its heaviest, but A is very small.
With submaximal loads, M is lighter, but A can be faster.
Lets say a strong 275 pound powerlifter can squat 1,000 pounds, bench 800pounds, or pull 900 pounds. Since acceleration would be nil during these maximallifts, we can estimate the force by multiplying the mass of the lifter and the barbell(in kilograms) by gravity (which is 9.8 m/s^2). We could also just perform the lifts ona force plate which shows the vertical ground reaction forces (Newtons laws statethat for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). So this powerlifter
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squats a system-load of 1,275 pounds (body mass plus barbell mass) which comesto 578 kgs, which comes to 5,668 Newtons (578kgs x 9.8m/s^2).
The theory is that the lifter could use submaximal training to create just as muchforce by increasing acceleration. Lets say the powerlifter used 600 pounds (60% of his 1RM), he could theoretically accelerate the load rapidly and therefore create the
same 5,668 Newtons of force.
Lets see what research says about this
Zatsiorsky States that it Takes .4 Seconds for Muscles to Produce FMax
In The Science and Practice of Strength Training , Zatsiorsky uses a graph (see below)showing that maximum muscle force takes approximately four tenths of a second(.4 sec) to achieve (he mentions that this varies according to the lifter, with some
taking .3 sec and others taking .5 sec). Its worth mentioning that the graph and datawasnt cited, so theres no reference to check (though I dont doubt Vlads data).
Based on this premise, it does not take much time for the muscles to producemaximum force. Sure, it shows that the muscles dont have time to produce maxforce during sprinting or drop jumping, but it does imply that the muscles have
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sufficient time to produce max force during a dynamic effort lift (i.e. speed squat,speed bench, speed deadlift). For comparison purposes, ground contact timesduring sprinting can reach as low as .07 seconds at maximum speed (Tyson Gayin THIS paper), whereas maximum power lift grinders can easily last 5 seconds(Benedikt Magnussons WR deadlift appears to last 3 seconds, DonnieThompsons WR squat appears to last 7 seconds, and Ryan Kennellys WR
bench appears to last 8 seconds), one study by Escamilla showed that maxdeadlifts took a around 4 seconds to complete.
However, it appears that this data pertains to single joint movements, which maynot apply to compound movements. Lets see below what happens during acompound movement
Max Force During a Mid-Thigh Pull is Reached in Under .3 Seconds
Kawamori et al. published a study seven years ago titled Peak force and rate of forcedevelopment during isometric and dynamic mid-thigh clean pulls performed at variousintensities which included a detailed chart of the peak force and peak rate of forcedevelopment data for isometric and dynamic mid-thigh pulls (sort of like a rack pullbut the knees are more involved).
As you can see, it only takes the muscles .256 seconds to produce peak force duringisometric mid-thigh pulls, and with dynamic pulls it takes .277 seconds, .255seconds, .205 seconds, and .152 seconds to produce peak force with loads
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16937959http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10912892http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMKiBdhnYlAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBbRmuPTHNQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jO21-a2W0http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/225107988/12/2019 Articol Bret Contreras Acceleraie compensatorie
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corresponding to 120%, 90%, 60%, and 30% of 1RM power clean loads,respectively. Whats interesting is that peak force is reached more quickly during allmid-thigh pull variations compared to static and countermovement jumps, whichtook .324 seconds and .397 seconds, respectively.
There are a few more things worthy of mention in this study. Peak force was
maximized during the isometric mid-thigh pull, peak rate of force development wasmaximized during the dynamic mid-thigh pull with 30% of 1RM power clean load,and peak power was maximized during the countermovement jump.
However, these data are not quite specic to powerlifting, so lets see what thehappens during actual deadlifting
Max Force is Not Indeed Reached Through Dynamic Effort Training
Swinton et al. published an excellent study two years ago titled A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads whichincluded a detailed chart of the load-force, load-velocity, and load-powerrelationships. Subjects were 19 males powerlifters with an average body weight of 252 pounds and an average max deadlift of 538 pounds. Whether this researchapplies to top powerlifters especially those well-versed in dynamic effort trainingremains to be seen, but for now this is what we have to go by.
There are some interesting things we can see here. First, it appears that maximumforce indeed cannot be reached with the dynamic effort method. Force creepshigher and higher as loads increase, indicating that the increases in accelerationwith dynamic effort training cannot compensate for the reductions in mass. Second,velocity decreases as loads increase (duh!), but this is important because velocitydecreases by a greater factor than force, leading to my next point. Third, sincepower equals force times velocity (P = FV), you can see that the product that leadsto the highest power outputs is 30-40% of 1RM loading.
Therefore, if using dynamic effort training during the deadlift for the purpose of maximizing power output, then loads of 30-40% of 1RM should be utilized.
Max Effort vs. Dynamic Effort vs. Submaximal Effort Shy of Failure
Here is a chart showing pros and cons of various loads and methods. Some of it isfactual, while some of it is highly speculative.
Everyone knows that maximal effort (maxing out) is critical for powerlifting success.
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However, as to which method should be used to increase training frequency thedynamic effort method, or simply lifting heavier with normal temp but staying awayfrom maximal loads or going to failure is up for debate.
In fact, its time that this method is named in the strength training community as ithas plenty of merit. Simply busting out a few singles or doubles that you could liftfor 5-10 reps if need-be while really honing in on technique. Maybe, thesubmaximal intensity technique method or something along those lines? At any
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rate, here is a chart that can be used to make decisions about training loads:
I hope you enjoyed the article! And if you like this sort of thing, consider subscribingto our Strength & Conditioning Research Review where you can receive scienticinformation on strength training like this every month.
Based on the above material, what sayeth you? Is dynamic effort the bomb, orcould lifters see even better results going with heavier loads?
Stay strong, BC
This entry was posted in Sport Specic Training, Strength Training, Topic of the Week and tagged dynamic
effort, max effort, mike tuscherer, rate of force development, rfd, zatsiorsky on March 27, 2013
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About Bret
I'm a blogger, author, personal trainer, CSCS, lifter, and PhD student. I love the eld of strength and
conditioning and teaching others about strength training and biomechanics. My blog is at
www.BretContreras.Com.
View all posts by Bret
56 thoughts on Dynamic Effort Training: BS or Legit?
great read as always, but could you x some of the links?
cheers
Thanks for the heads-up. Fixed!
SebastianMarch 28, 2013 at 12:07 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 12:12 am
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Good work.
I guess with powerlifting being so specic its a hot debate, but in the athletic world, the evidence suggestsdynamic work is legit. At least thats what I see with my guys who would be combat athletes or kettlebell
sports athletes. We always keep an eye on bar speed as power production is key.
Denitely agree with you there Dave! For athletes the dynamic effort method is a no-brainer.
Dave Hedges March 28, 2013 at 12:17 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 12:21 am
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Hey Bret,
Great post. Love reading your work because of your scientic approach. Referencing everything etc. Makes a
nice short break from uni work. Also nice surprise to see one of my lecturers studys used! (Swinton et al.).
Looking forward to reading many more like this.
Cheers
Rob
Rob, Swinton is one of my favorites! Youre a lucky guy to have him as a professor!
First, MT is a strong guy. Stronger than me, but hes been at it longer. So I give respect there. Also Bret, Im
sure youre a beast too. Second, Im a nerd above and beyond all of yall. I guarantee it. Im steeped inmathematics as it is my career. I also powerlift. I think its funny how the marginal guys all try to discount
proven winners. Id give more creedence to your argument or science (ps anyone can use excel to make
graphs, but good job) if the author was the biggest strongest dude on the planet. But youre not. Neither is
MT. I mean you guys are big but cmon, nothing close to the likes of the monsters that come out of WSBB. So
go ahead, disseminate this garbage to those intermediate weekend warriors who dont see results and need
some justication. But for those of us that do this day in and day out, and could launch guys like MT and you
to the moon with explosive force.this just makes me angry.
You do, of course, realize that comparing what works for a gym full of people taking super supplements
(steroids) to what works for natural lifters is not exactly a comparison that leads to meaningful knowledge
for those of us lifting naturally, right? WSBB is, without a doubt, the top powerlifting gym in existence. What
Louie Simmons does is working for them.
RobMarch 28, 2013 at 12:37 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:43 pm
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oe BlowFebruary 9, 2014 at 6:15 am
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However, assuming that the claims that MT makes about being natural are legit, it is fair to say that what
works for most of the WSBB lifters is not going to work the best for someone lifting drug free like MT, or me.
Theres no doubt that the dynamic lifting makes an indispensible difference for athletes who do more than
just powerlifting, and personally I think it may be good for joint health as well (based on research suggesting
that lighter squat loads help regenerate cartilage), but without identical twin studies its pretty much
impossible to say for sure what works better for achieving the absolute best Powerlifting total. What we do
know is that MT totals over 2000 lbs, and there are only a handful of people on the planet that can do that,
with several being at WSBB. It is fair to say that either route can take you so close to your peak strength
potential that unless youre actually trying to set a record it really doesnt matter which one is the best
because both paths will take you up into rare air territory.
Personally, I have used each of these approaches but these days there is always some dynamic work. As a
guy who has always been an all-around athlete, rate of force development is much more important than
absolute raw peak force production, so even if MTs method is better for stepping onto a PL platform and
performing I will always have the explosive, maximal acceleration lifts as a part of my program. Its all about
knowing what your goals are, and mine require more than just slow lifts.
Great Post Brett,
You may be interest if you havent already read this article on training load for the development of muscular
power! What I took from it is that its important to train at, below and above the optimal load for improving
power as they all have positive effects, due to all the research suggesting that the optimal load for power is
not conclusive from the research to date.
http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-
content/uploads/Journal_db/THE%20OPTIMAL%20TRAINING%20LOAD%20FOR%20THE%20DEVELOPMENT
%20OF%20MUSCULAR%20POWER.pdf
Michael,
I agree with your comment as unlike the sport of powerlifting more traditional types of sports are more
dependent upon the combination of maximal strength, explosive strength, and reactive strength efforts.
The best athletes are those that can apply the greatest amount of force into the ground surface area in the
shortest period of time. Therefore very often a maximal strength effort alone is not enough to succeed upon
the eld of play. An athlete will never know when the situation will arise where he/she will have to either (a)
produce a strength effort (power) to avoid an opponent (deal with just their own body weight) or produce a
MichaelMarch 28, 2013 at 2:17 am
Rob PanarielloMarch 28, 2013 at 2:59 am
http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal_db/THE%20OPTIMAL%20TRAINING%20LOAD%20FOR%20THE%20DEVELOPMENT%20OF%20MUSCULAR%20POWER.pdf8/12/2019 Articol Bret Contreras Acceleraie compensatorie
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strength effort (power) with the addition of a heavy load (i.e. breaking free of the opponents grasp/tackle)
place upon them.
Just my opinion
Rob Panariello
Agree Rob!!! Nicely put .
Michael, I thought I had every good article on power over the past decade, but for some reason I didnt have
this one. Thank you for linking it! Kawamori is an excellent researcher and from skimming this it looks like a
great article!
Ive seen other articles on the optimal load for power and while there is certainly good evidence, Im sure that
using a combined approach is always superior (light, medium, and heavy loads). Thanks again bud!!!
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:49 pm
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BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:47 pm
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Very useful data/info for us in College. This information is very pertinent to team sports. I can tell you that I
havent spent too much time in the sub 50% range in the past 6 years if any, but after reading this, youve got
the gears turning in my head on ways to plug it in because I can now see a more visible benet. Preciate ya B.
Thanks Donnell! Preciate you too
Donnell Boucher March 28, 2013 at 2:38 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:48 pm
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I nd it interesting that nobody has mentioned the key to Louies DE days.accomodating resistance. Mike
ShawnMarch 28, 2013 at 2:52 am
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mentioned 85% being necessary, which I cant disagree with but being overlooked are the actual
numbers/percentages used at westside.
DE Lower:
Box Squat 50,55,60% + 25% AR
122, 30sec rest
Speed pulls 40,45,50% + 40% AR
81, 30 sec rest
Bench Press 40,45,50% + 40% AR
93, 30 sec rest
So the top end is at or above 85% on wave 3
Im curious to how that changes this debate.
This does change the debate, and I should actually have included that as a separate category in my chart at
the bottom. Good call!
Really like your stuff Brett but was disappointed the use of bands wasnt touched on as they are so key in DEat Westside from reading Louies stuff. Eccentrics occurring at much faster velocites, more kinetic energy,
greater need for reversal strength, how heavy that bar weight will actually be at the different points of the
lift.
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:50 pm
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Michael Carrollanuary 4, 2014 at 12:55 pm
Hi Bret,Thank You for doing the math and physics for us. Ive known from school how mass, acceleration, and
velocity could be used to nd the dynamic force, work, and power, but I never looked for the research to put
it all together.
Frankly, I was intimidated by the dynamics of the problem. Mass is a constant, but I was too worried about
adding the leg and thigh weight to the equation. Not to mention, the lever arms that would increase torque
around the joint. Also, I dont have any way of measuring velocity let alone the accuracy and efficiency of
measuring distance for each rep.
The point is, this information is only useful if it is standardized. Im talking, measuring lever arm length and
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weight, distance traveled, and velocity with standard procedures. Maybe frequency would be a better way to
measure velocity for the lighter weight higher rep lifts. As long as the person travels the same distance every
time, the average velocity can be measured from average frequency.
For heavier lifts, up and down rep duration must be measured to nd the average work, power and force for
the up rep as well as the down rep.
I would like to propose a workout idea regarding the down rep, but it isnt easy.
I will make another post regarding that idea.
Thank You for your work,
Anthony Zahm
Agree Anthony so many factors as youve mentioned. Could look at velocities, force, acceleration, work,
impulse, power, RFD, etc. for geared vs. raw lifts, eccentric and concentric components, etc. Could look at joint moments and joint powers, etc. So much data makes the science intimidating, but a blend of anecdotal
and scientic knowledge is always the way to go.
Thanks Bret,
I know you love the data, science, and anecdotal evidence as per the pictures you graciously share.
Hi again Bret,
I would like to elaborate on the science of the down rep or the transfer of weight from a position of high
potential energy to a position of lower potential energy by the use of gravity either directly or indirectlythrough levers and pulleys.
Please take my ideas as hypothetical, and please allow it to enlighten you in a different area of research.
The down rep must be taken into consideration when comparing light weight/high rep and heavy
weight/low rep lifting situations.
A concept must be understood. The down rep weight can nearly be twice the up rep weight. Basically, the
muscle is better able to handle heavier weight on the down rep.
The lighter weight lifts virtually have no effect on the muscles during the down rep. The muscle bers must
elongate rapidly under little force, which is a reverse reaction compared to contraction when little force is
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:52 pm
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Anthony Z.March 28, 2013 at 5:06 pm
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applied % of bers that expend nutrients in order to elongate should be comparable to the tension of the
muscle bers. Maybe you could gure out if that is true since I am by no means an expert.
The heavier weights obviously apply enough force to the muscle bers to elongate them without
expenditure of nutrients. Muscle bers stretch when under tension, but when creating as much as twice the
tension when lifting the weight, and elongating the muscle bers at the same time, the muscle bers stretch
at every point in the movement and not just at the elongated position.
This type of stretching, called resistance stretching, will shorten the contracted length of the muscle bers.
If you have a hard time understanding what Ive written, then see Bob Cooleys work.
http://www.thegeniusofflexibility.com/
http://www.exiblestrength.com/
I would like to know if strength is directly related to the tension on the down rep.
The only problem with this method is the extra work of lifting twice the weight a person can handle before
doing the down rep. Denitely not a one or two person job.
Anthony Zahm
Hi Anthony, I have tons of research on eccentrics (down rep as you say), exibility, strength, etc. I think one
is usually 30% stronger during eccentrics, but this depends on the lift. In research, youll see 30% differences,
however, as a trainer, many lifters struggle to control 105% loads (there is great variability between lifters in
this regard, and it depends on the lift as chins, bench, curls, squats, deads, etc. will all be slightly different in
max eccentric loads). Speed obviously matters too, anyone could lower a 1000 pound deadlift just drop the
weight and keep your hands on the bar. Doesnt mean that youre controlling it though or that the muscles
are doing much work. Owing to the force-velocity curve, eccentric contractions are actually stronger with
greater speeds. Furthermore, the lament titin delivers huge passive force when stretched during an
eccentric contraction. BC
Anthony,
I commend you on your thought process. A training technique that may correlate (and has been around for
years) to your post is as follows. Years ago when studying in the former USSR I was rst introduced to
weight hooks that could be placed upon a bar and loaded with weight. At the bottom of the eccentric
portion of the exercise repetition the hooks would hit the ground and release the extra weight leaving a
lighter weight upon the bar to perform the work set. The theory behind this exercise technique was to
recruit the difficult type IIb fast twitch muscle bers via the slow heavy (tension) initial eccentric
rep/contraction, and once these muscle bers were now recruited so to speak, they would contribute to
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 5:02 pm
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the subsequent performance of the higher velocity lighter intensity work set. Eventually this concept was
available in the USA. As Bret stated the total (safe) weight placed upon the bar (including the weights placed
upon the hooks) would be approximately 105% of the athletes 1 RM max.
Another example occurred when Johnny Parker and I visited our friend, then NFL Denver Bronco S&C Al
Miller in Denver as Al had brought in (at the time) USA Head Weightlifting Coach Dragomir Ciorosian.
Dragomir mentioned something similar to the above mentioned training concept. He stated to load a bar
with 90% 95% the athletes 1RM, perform a single rep and then immediately move to a different rack with a
bar of a lighter weight to complete your work set.
Rob
Hi Rob,
What you wrote made me realize that I really didnt fully grasp why someone would do 1 heavy rep followedby a lighter weight set. I knew that it would make the set seem easier.
So the method is very simple. Do an initial eccentric contraction with heavy weight. Quickly decrease the
weight and carry on with the concentric contraction. Now think about this. Squats, bench presses, good
mornings, and other lifts that start with the eccentric contraction of the targeted muscles must have a
greater effect than if it were done in reverse? Would deadlifts, weighted hip extensions, and other related
lifts that start with concentric contractions benet more if they started as eccentric contractions?
Wouldnt the actin benet greatly if the transition from eccentricity to concentricity were smooth? The mere
fact that high tension eccentric stretching allows the muscle bers to shorten when maximally contracted,
and increase in exibility with greater control along the entire range of motion are all positive outcomes that
only lend to support the idea I previously mentioned.
Is there research to prove this? Maybe more people should be focusing on eccentric weight lifting for their
needs. As I said before, it takes more people to do heavy eccentric lifting than the typical concentric lift. How
can we get around this?
I imagine that an antigravity machine might help with the concentric part of the lift. Haha
Anthony
P.S. here is an interesting article:
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/923/Ten_Things_You_MUST_Know_About_Eccentric_Training_.aspx
Anthony Z.March 29, 2013 at 5:15 pm
Bret,
Great article. Thanks for digging into topics like this. The chart near the end is worth the read!
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Bryan
Glad you liked it sir!
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:53 pm
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Thanks for this great post! Those graph things + your analysis wre very interesting.
Printed and bookmarked!
Thanks Frankwa!
FrankwaMarch 28, 2013 at 5:09 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:53 pm
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One thing I see is that no study tested the dynamic method using acommodating resistance, it would have
been great that in A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal
loads. Westside always states that acommodating resistance is the key of the dynamic method the way
they do it.
I would like to see someone test it that way.
Anyway great article Bret
Swinton actually has looked at deadlifts with and without chain resistance right here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21993040
I thought about adding this to the blogpost but didnt want it getting out of hand.
MatibuMarch 28, 2013 at 5:10 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:54 pm
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Based on research that shows repeatedly that higher volume and multiple sets lead to maximal gains in
strength and muscles mass I would lean towards the method that would allow you to do so safely and most
affectively be that through dynamic effort/correspondence or as you termed it the sub-maximal intensity
technique method. However that doesnt mean that either or is better than the other. Each has there place
in a training program and will be dependant on the type of athlete, the type of adaptations we are trying toachieve and the time of year or time of season within the sport.
Yep, I agree. And the best approach probably uctuates according to the lifter, the lifters training history, etc.
Nate RogersMarch 28, 2013 at 5:35 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 3:55 pm
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I felt that the original article failed to demonstrate how people that are strong actually use the dynamic
method. As matibu stated, accommodating resistance is a big component in the west side method although
I have had success using dynamic work without bands. The other thing is that no one strong uses dynamic
efforts alone, theres a dynamic day and a max effort day, they go together. Now if you were going to use
only one method I think maximal effort would win everytime, but I think speed work will improve motor unitrecruitment and RFD, as well as just teaching how to explode out of a lift, and I dont see how that wouldnt
carryover to the heavier stuff. Ill keep on training both, I dont believe in grinding out heavy loads all the
time.
Very nicely put you cant look at one method in isolation when its the combination of exercises,
techniques, and methods that you must examine. So ME plus DE (plus RE) has been shown to work very well
for thousands of powerlifters, especially equipped ones. However, would SIT (submaximal intensity
technique) work be be a suitable replacement for DE with many lifters, including raw ones? Great
conversation!
Andrew SerranoMarch 28, 2013 at 5:51 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 4:00 pm
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Andrew Serrano
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Yes! I absolutely think so. I compete raw so just to give you my take on it, when I do DE days, if I use bands at
all its usually a mini band for bench and and average band for deads and squats, so not much band
resistance at all and I use no more than say 70% of 1RM. So where as a geared lifter would normally use
bands to simulate the feel of the suit, where the lift gets heavier throughout the concentric ending up at 95%
of 1RM at the top, I use just enough band tension to get rid of upward momentum so I can start the next
eccentric quickly. And to your comment on SIT. I use this approach on my warm up sets. Example; if Imworking up to a 350 bench for the day I might have 3 warmup sets at 135. 1 set is done will be done with a
3311 tempo holding tension throughout the body during the pause. One set might be 3311 with the body
completely disengaged for the pause. Then one set with maybe a a slightly higher rep scheme with a 3030
tempo, then Id go into the working sets and I warm up that way whether its a DE or ME day. Just my take.
March 30, 2013 at 4:40 am
One thing you mentioned about DELs was it causes deceleration. The explaination I have received about
deceleration is basically it is a reex reaction designed to keep lifting heavy weights from pulling your arms
out of thier socketsI am sure there is a scientic term used to describe this phenomona I just cant recall the
name. Overcoming this relex reaction is a key to increasing power. If DELs facilitate this reex reaction
would not this be counter productive.
Not true Frost describes this very well in this article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20364875
Lets say youre a 450lb bencher using 255lbs for speed work. Youll explode off the bottom but at around
half-way through youll necessarily decelerate the lift so it comes to a halt. This is different than actively
decelerating a load with muscle force, for example a plyometric landing or catching a power clean. Therefore,
you end up strengthening the bottom ROM of the lift and building power in that range, but not producing a
training effect for the top portion of the lift. If you also did oor presses though, then this would
compensate for that.Interestingly, the study I mentioned in the article by Swinton showed that heavier deadlifts (I think the 80%
loads) were in fact accelerated through 85% of the ROM, so only the last 15% of the ROM was slowed down.
Lots of considerations!
DanielMarch 28, 2013 at 6:12 am
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 4:05 pm
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Rob PanarielloMarch 28, 2013 at 8:12 am
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Im sure someone has done an analysis like the following before, but Im not that familiar with the literature
and dont see what Im overlooking.
The way that Im looking at it, if:
*DE, either as: rate-of-force-development practice, improves the ability to generate maximal force quickly; or
as speed practice, improves the ability to apply force against moving objects.
*Theres a sticking point in the exercise that is, if the lift has an easy part followed by a hard part (on the
concentric). Or, to phrase it differently, if theres a particular kind of mismatch between the ability of the
muscles to apply force, and the force demanded by the exercise to maintain constant bar speed.
*The ability to move through the sticking point determines the ability to complete the lift.
*Kinetic energy exists.
Then there will be a slight benet from DET.
Using very rough numbers from Ryan Kennels video, his concentric takes maybe 3 seconds: a 0.25m off-the-
chest phase which takes a second, a 1 second sticking point, dened as the region where the bar speed
starts to drop again, which is maybe 0.1m long, and then the 1 second nish.
By energy analysis of the sticking point, he arrives with at least 0.25m/1s = 0.25m/s = 0.03 J/kg. Applied over
the length of the sticking point, this kinetic energy makes the sticking point 0.3 N easier (*2): by pushing
extra hard during the rst part of the exercise, he stored up energy in the barbell and thus made the second
part 3% easier.
The implication is that, because he could develop force quickly, he could push harder than necessary during
the rst part, storing up energy, and thus enabling him to move more weight. Just a little bit, like the
difference between 1075# and 1045#
Of course, if ROFD cant be trained (dont tell the people doing powercleans!) or if youd be better off using
the volume for MET rather than DET, then it would be best not to use DET, but thats an entirely different
argument than what youve laid out in your post.(*1: A while ago, everyone was talking about an analysis of the lateral raise where higher rep speed was
shown to increase maximum force development. I suppose the torque curve of the muscle is very poorly
matched to the torque curve of the exercise)
(*2: Or, by momentum analysis, he arrives with at least 0.25m/1s = 0.25m/s = 2.5% of the momentum
(9.8m/s) required during the 1 second long sticking point. 3% != 2.5% because I rounded like a bandit and did
all the math mentally)
Excellent points, especially about blasting through the sticky point and that the sticking point determines
the success of the lift, but it assumes that 1) the speed work improves the ability to produce force at greater
loads, and that 2) if it shifts torque/force/power production to be of more rapid nature, that this doesnt
impair performance when grinding a load out.
By the way, ROFD can very well be trained, theres plenty of evidence of this in the literature, so whoever said
BretMarch 28, 2013 at 7:06 pm
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this is wrong.
See here: http://jap.physiology.org/content/93/4/1318.full.pdf+html
Here: http://www.mendeley.com/catalog/early-late-rate-force-development-differential-adaptive-responses-
resistance-training/
And here (it can even happen with slow-speed training): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18642358
Anyway, I tend to agree with you that DE training can improve RFD even with heavier loads, but Im not sure
what the best loads are (30% loads are where max power and RFD are produced, and from practicalexperience this is way too light for optimal training, so is 80% better, or is 50% plus accommodating
resistance best, etc.).
Hi Bret,
First, just let me say, I really like your work. Youre denitely one of my go-to guys for weight training info,
and your T-Nation articles in particular are awesome. Keep up the great work.
Reading this, I had a question. The chart you posted at the bottom suggest that max effort lifts (which I
guess would correspond to 1-3 reps) maximize hypertrophy. Could you point me to the research on this?
This would seem to go against the conventional lifting wisdom, which of course suggests that training in very
low rep ranges is great for max strength, but does relatively little for hypertrophy. (And of course,
bodybuilders dont do much max effort work.) Id be curious to hear your overall thoughts on this. Thanks!
Ugh, thats not what I intended it to mean. What I meant was that out of the 3 methods on the chart,
maximal effort would be the best for hypertrophy. Not that the 1-3 rep range is better than medium or
higher rep ranges for hypertrophy. My buddy Brad Schoenfeld will actually be looking at this topic for his
PhD, so well know more about this down the road. I would say that medium rep ranges are best for
hypertrophy (6-8) if I had to choose, but some experts feel that 1-5 are best and other experts feel that high
reps (10-20) are best. Time will tell. Thanks for requesting clarication, I should have explained that better in
the article.
EctoJoshMarch 29, 2013 at 10:03 am
BretMarch 29, 2013 at 12:43 pm
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Hey Bret,
Vlad Padinauly 24, 2013 at 7:40 pm
http://bretcontreras.com/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18642358http://www.mendeley.com/catalog/early-late-rate-force-development-differential-adaptive-responses-resistance-training/http://jap.physiology.org/content/93/4/1318.full.pdf+html8/12/2019 Articol Bret Contreras Acceleraie compensatorie
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(Id love to see some studies done involving these concepts changes) This enables them to actually train
different elements of the strength curve in the same lift. If youve ever hit ten doubles with 85% on the bar as
explosively as possible with 60secs or less between sets it sure aint light! Band tension also creates faster
eccentrics, which lead to a faster concentric. Volume and Intensity are key here too as Maxing out more than
2 days per week for those guys has proven too much. As well as the previous benets this allows lifters to get
more volume and technique work in without burning them out. There seems to be a lot of conicting
information about the Westside approach but it boils down to this simply (from Louie himself):
If you have a strong lifter, improve their RFD. If you have a fast lifter improve their Absolute Strength. Simple
but spot on.
I followed WS program for years. All my special exercises went up, and that was all. The claim is that WS can
be utilized even as s raw lifter. No it cant, not without major tweaking, but then thats not a WS product
anymore. Todays world of geared lifting is a joke! What are YOU actually lifting???? Take away the Goodyear
radial retread quadra-ply 200+ lb carryover shirts and (everything else) and youre not left with much, are
ya :). Josh Bryant and Others have already shown whats available for people who ACTUALLY want to do the
lifting.
AJ Droyd
February 20, 2014 at 11:51 pm
http://ancestralmomentum.com/2014/04/paleo-fx-and-too-strong-for-your-own-good/http://fromwhitebeltto.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/powerlifting-and-jiu-jitsu/http://complementarytraining.net/?p=12282http://www.thegameoffitness.com/west-of-westside/