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12/11/11 Health and Exercise: Positions of Flexion by Steve Holman
1/13pjlusa-exercise.blogspot.com/2006/01/positions-of-flexion-by-steve-holman.html
M O N D A Y , J A N UA R Y 23 , 2006
Positions of Flexion by Steve Holman
This is really more than a post. This is the system which I have
integrated into every part of all of my exercise regimens. This
system, in part, has truly transformed me from a 160lb weakling into
the 250lb man I am today. I can't say enough about the Positions of
Flexion. Read it for yourself and incorporate it everywhere you can. -
PJ
Positions of Flexion can be a giant step in helping you reach your
muscular potential as quickly as possible. It’s a powerful muscle-
building protocol that’s packed as much as 20 pounds of muscle onto
bodybuilders’ frames in as little as 10 weeks. POF is a very logical and
straightforward way to train, one that’s based on muscle function
rather than convention, and it’s done near miraculous things for
bodybuilders throughout the world. True, as the creator of POF, I’m
biased, but I’ve seen it work and I believe it can make your dreams of
a more muscular, shredded physique a reality without wasted time
and effort, which is why I continue to sing its praises and explain its
basic concepts.
POF’s mass-building power is a direct result of its basic premise: You
should choose exercises that train each muscle through its entire
range of motion to trigger maximum fiber recruitment, as well as
other anabolic mechanisms, at every workout. That means faster,
more complete development from fewer sets. Once you grasp its
concepts, POF will change the way you train and gain forever.
Complete Stimulation, Full-Blown Pump
When the POF concepts and routines were first introduced in
IRONMAN magazine, many bodybuilders were taken by surprise when
they put them to the test, commenting that they thought their skin
might tear because the influx of blood was so extreme. That’s a
direct result of the inordinate muscle fiber recruitment that occurs
when you train a target muscle through a full range of motion with
specific exercises. POF protocol dictates that you use specific
exercises to train the entire length of the muscle from full stretch to
complete contraction. Before you can give it a test drive and send
your own gains skyward, however, you need to grasp POF’s underlying
concepts and principles—and that understanding starts with
uncovering the roots of POF.
Jousting With Genetics: The Origins of POF
POF was a direct result of a number of trainees’ frustrations in the
gym coupled with independent research at the University of Texas at
Austin. That research was fueled by the ultimate goal of remedying
some of the rampant in-the-gym frustration so many trainees were
experiencing. I, for one, was obsessed with research because I wasn’t
prepared to give up my bodybuilding dreams—lowly genetics or not,
About Me
Name:
Musings of a
Demented Mind
Location:
Kalamazoo,
Michigan, United States
View my complete profile
Previous Posts
Fitness Mythology
Comprehensive Beginning Weight
Training Program
The Training Quiz for Smartasses
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12/11/11 Health and Exercise: Positions of Flexion by Steve Holman
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even though mine were at the bottom of the hardgainer barrel.
When I first started training, I weighed less than 120 pounds. Bad
genetics? You bet. In fact, when my parents married in their early
20s, my mother weighed 95 pounds and my father weighed 115. Even
with my genetically challenged predisposition, however, I never lost
sight of the dream of stepping on a posing platform. I was obsessed
and determined to find a muscle-building solution.
At the huge state university research materials available were
plentiful, to say the least, and I was able to find some applicable
physiological truths that helped my progress— but only slightly. I was
determined to find a better way, so I continued to plow through
books, abstracts and studies on anything even remotely related to
muscle hypertrophy. My obsession fueled a relentless pursuit—and it
did eventually pay off. After pouring over hundreds of physiology and
biomechanics texts and abstracts, I came across a physiological
phenomenon that occurs when a muscle is stretched and then forced
to contract soon thereafter. That discovery had me incorporating
exercises with a high-stretch component for every bodypart, and I
made some decent gains as a direct result. Nevertheless, there was
still something missing, and I didn’t start packing on real size until
after I put the other parts of the puzzle into practice—properly
combining stretch exercises with those that involve synergy, or
muscle team work, and peak contraction. That combination
constituted full-range-of-motion training that could be applied to
every muscle group.
As I browsed through a muscle magazine, I noticed that Arnold used a
similar approach for his biceps routine: dumbbell curls for synergy,
incline curls for stretch and concentration curls for peak contraction.
After I tried his program—with less sets, of course, because of my -
free status—I realized that there was something almost magical about
it. After I used his routine for a month, my gym buddies suddenly
started asking me to hit arm shots every time I trained because my
bi’s got more peaked each week. Then once they started using the
routine, they got similar results, so I knew it wasn’t a fluke. There
was something very powerful about that particular exercise
combination.
With the help of some physiologists at the university, I eventually put
together a complete training regimen for each bodypart, and with a
prototype version of a POF-based routine my bodyweight shot up to
200 pounds—an 80-pound gain from my starting weight; damn good
for a -free hardgainer—and I soon entered and won my first
bodybuilding contest.
You may be wondering if you can make similar, or perhaps even
better, gains. Absolutely, and the first thing you can do is make sure
you’re using a stretch-position movement for each muscle group, such
as stiff-legged lifts for your hamstrings, donkey calf raises for your
calves, pullovers for your lats and overhead extensions for your
triceps. [Note: A complete list of stretch-position exercises appears in
the “Stretch” section of this feature.]
Ah, but if you’re a serious, impatient, muscle-hungry bodybuilder, you
probably want the full-blown power of the POF method, not just one
little piece, right? Let’s analyze each position so you can put all of the
pieces into place and start building new muscle size with POF
immediately.
Dissecting POF With the Austrian Oak
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POF is a multi-angular bodybuilding protocol that trains a muscle in
the three positions that constitute full range of motion (ROM).
Understand that it’s not simply doing an exercise through its complete
stroke, although that’s important too. It takes two to three exercises
to work a muscle through its complete arc of flexion, or range of
motion, which consists of three positions: midrange, stretch and
contracted.
Arnold’s favorite biceps routine is a specific example of standard
POF. He often did dumbbell curls, incline dumbbell curls and
concentration curls, in that order, a routine that hits his biceps from
the three key positions, or angles, for complete ROM:
•Biceps midrange: upper arms in front of the torso. Dumbbell curls hit
the midrange position and train the biceps with synergy, or muscle
teamwork, from the front delts. When muscles work together, the
overload and fiber activation is much greater in most cases.
•Stretch: arms behind the torso. Incline dumbbell curls hit the stretch
position and activate the myotatic reflex due to inordinate biceps
elongation, and the muscle’s fiber stimulation is heightened.
•Contracted: arms up and away from the torso. Concentration curls
hit the contracted position with resistance at the point of maximum
contraction. Continuous tension in the fully contracted position
provides a potent fiber jolt after the heightened fiber activation
created by the previous stretch-position movement.
You can see why POF works, and why it creates a skin-stretching
pump in only a few sets. You totally stimulate the muscle fibers by
triggering the stretch reflex as part of a routine that trains each
bodypart through its complete range of motion, or arc of flexion.
Muscle physiology dictates that full ROM and the myotatic reflex will
combine to ignite an extreme hypertrophic adaptation, especially
after a compound, or midrange, exercise that overloads the target
muscle due to synergy, or help from other muscle groups. Let’s start
from the top, with the midrange position.
Midrange Position: Training the Mass of the Muscle Structures
The first exercise in a standard POF approach is a midrange
movement. These exercises are known as the mass-builders because
they train the majority of the target-muscle fibers with heavy weight,
so it makes sense to give them priority most of the time. Midrange
movements involve synergy, or muscle team work, which means that
a number of muscle structures work together, with the target muscle
as the prime mover. For example, the squat is a midrange exercise
for the quads, and the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and even calves
get in on the action to help the quads elevate heavy iron.
You can see why these exercises are at the core of every POF
bodypart routine—they build mass, plain and simple.
Here’s a list of some of the best midrange movements for each
bodypart:
Quads: squats
Hamstrings: stiff-legged lifts (also a stretch movement)
Lats: wide-grip chins to the front
Midback: behind-the-neck pulldowns
Delts: dumbbell presses
Chest: bench presses
Biceps: barbell curls or close-grip undergrip pulldowns
Triceps: lying extensions or close-grip bench presses
Abdominals: kneeups
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Synergy allows you to cultivate tremendous power because muscles
work most efficiently as part of a team. POF midrange movements all
have synergy, and using those exercises alone for each bodypart can
build phenomenal muscle size and strength. You can get even better
results, though, when you follow your midrange exercises with
movements for the other two target-muscle positions, stretch and
contracted.
Stretch: Emergency Response to Revive Comatose Fibers
Stretch-position movements, the second exercise in standard POF
protocol, activate the myotatic reflex. Training the target bodypart at
its maximal point of elongation, for example incline curls for the
biceps or overhead extensions for the triceps, can force an emergency
response from the muscle and bring new muscle fibers into play. Here
is how the phenomenon is defined in the book e Power by Health For
Life:
The stretch reflex originates deep inside each muscle fiber with a
structure called the muscle spindle. The muscle spindle is a complex
construction of muscle protein, fluid and nervous system receptors.
Within this structure is a special type of muscle fiber that does not
have the contractile qualities normally associated with muscle. These
special fibers, called intrafusal fibers, are wrapped with nerve cells
that relay information from muscle to the central nervous system.
When a muscle is stretched quickly, the tension in the intrafusal
fibers stimulates these nerve cells, sending messages out to the
central nervous system at great speed. In response, the central
nervous system triggers a muscle reflex that generates a fast and
powerful contraction. This myotatic, or stretch, reflex is a protective
mechanism that provides an extra burst of strength to resist force
encountered suddenly. When the reflex is triggered, a very large
proportion of the muscle’s fibers suddenly contract.
When you use a stretch-position exercise, such as flyes for the chest
or pullovers for the lats, the target muscle reacts with an emergency
response, which can trigger more muscle fibers to fire. The reason an
emergency reaction occurs is that you’re training the muscle in a
somewhat vulnerable position—at a point of full elongation.
By activating more fast-twitch fibers in the target muscle, you
stimulate faster development. Stretch-position exercises may also
enlarge the fascia, or fiber encasements, so that fiber growth isn’t
constricted and they also may trigger more anabolic hormone release.
Stretch-position exercises are very important for optimal hypertrophic
stimulation.
Here’s a list of stretch-position exercises for each muscle group:
Quads: sissy squats
Hamstrings: stiff-legged lifts
Calves: donkey calf raises
Abs: cable crunches with low-back support
Chest: dumbbell flyes
Lats: pullovers
Midback: close-grip cable rows
Delts: incline one-arm laterals
Biceps: incline curls
Triceps: overhead extensions
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You’ll really feel these exercises in the target muscle, especially when
you do them after a big midrange movement. The pump and burn will
be unreal—and in some cases almost unbearable—but you’re not done
yet. To finish off the target muscle and complete the full-ROM chain,
you follow the stretch-position exercise with a contracted-position
movement for that final growth jolt.
Contracted: Peak Contraction for a Searing Growth Reaction
The last exercise in any standard POF bodypart routine is the
contracted-position movement, which trains the target bodypart at
the point of complete contraction with resistance—for example, leg
extensions for the front thighs. An exercise with resistance in the
completely contracted position is the best way to finish off a target
muscle after as many fibers as possible have been activated with the
midrange- and stretch-position movements.
Here’s a list of contracted-position exercises for each muscle group:
Quads: leg extensions
Hamstrings: leg curls
Calves: standing calf raises
Abs: full-range crunches
Chest: cable flyes or pec deck flyes
Lats: stiff-arm pulldowns or pullover machine
Midback: bent-arm bent-over rows
Delts: lateral raises
Biceps: concentration curls or double-biceps cable curls
Triceps: one-arm pushdowns or kickbacks
Okay, let’s put it all together so you can start using POF programs at
your very next workout.
POF: Total Target-Muscle Stimulation for Extraordinary Mass Gains
The underlying concept of POF is simple: If you hit a muscle from a
number of angles, you stimulate more fibers, and if you use a stretch-
position exercise correctly as part of the full-ROM approach, you bring
even more of the muscle into play; however, if you understand POF,
you know the angles shouldn’t be random—they should complement
one another so together they complete the full-ROM chain.
For example, you saw that Arnold’s biceps routine trains the target
muscle as follows:
•upper arms slightly in front of the torso, with dumbbell curls
(midrange)
•upper arms back behind the torso, with incline curls (stretch)
•upper arm up and away from the torso with concentration curls
(contracted)
Each position can involve different fibers and different recruitment
patterns, which produce fuller development. It’s why advanced
bodybuilders do more than one exercise per bodypart—to develop as
many fibers as possible to extreme degrees. Keep in mind, however,
that a lot of advanced bodybuilders use the shotgun approach when it
comes to multiangular training, with no rhyme or reason to exercise
selection, which can lead to overlap, wasted effort and overtraining.
POF’s logical structure can help you avoid that pitfal. Top Full-range-
of-motion POF training works because it produces almost complete
target-muscle stimulation with the minimal amount of work necessary
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for the exercises that complete the full-ROM chain. If you’re still not
convinced multiangular training is necessary, consider the following
quote from Jaci VanHeest, renowned exercise physiologist at the U.S.
Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado:
Muscles contract when tiny levers on myosin, a muscle protein, fit
into grooves on actin, another protein, and push it forward exactly
like a ratchet wrench. But myosin can latch onto actin in any of
several positions, not all of them ideal. Only when the myosin heads
are in the right register can the muscle have the optimal tension. But
optimizing every actin-myosin pairing is less an achievable goal than
a Platonic ideal. (Newsweek, July 22, 1996: “How High? How Fast?”)
You need more than one exercise to optimize as many actin-myosin
pairings in the target muscle as possible, and full ROM training like
POF is the logical answer to that optimization. Here is another
example, with triceps as the target:
Midrange
Close-grip bench presses or lying extensions 2 x 7-10
Stretch
Overhead extensions 2 x 7-10
Contracted
One-arm pushdowns or kickbacks 2 x 7-10
You first work the midrange position with close-grip bench presses.
Remember, midrange equals synergy, in this case teamwork from
your front delts, pecs and lats. Next is the stretch position, which you
train with overhead extensions. That exercise forces maximum
elongation and triggers the myotatic reflex. You use kickbacks, a
contracted-position exercise, last in order to work the triceps at the
point of complete contraction with resistance. Note that it only takes
one to two sets of each exercise—four to six total sets per bodypart—
to train the target muscle completely and thoroughly. The low per-
bodypart set total means that more of your recovery ability is
available for ramping up recuperation and anabolic acceleration after
your workout, while overtraining is kept at bay.
If you want to give your delts the full-ROM treatment with POF, try
the following:
Midrange
Behind-the-neck presses 2 x 7-10
Stretch
Incline one-arm laterals 2 x 7-10
Contracted
Seated laterals 2 x 7-10
Notice that you train the lateral heads with synergy during behind-the-
neck presses—your delts work in conjunction with triceps and traps to
push the bar overhead—you work the medial head in the stretch
position with incline one-arm laterals—your arm moves down and
across your body—and you train the side head in its peak-contracted
position against resistance with lateral raises. Your delts have no
choice but to grow rounder and fuller with this type of multi-angular
full-ROM approach. With the above suggestions, you should be able to
grow faster and with fewer sets than with any training protocol you’ve
ever tried.
The chest is somewhat more complicated. Due to its fan shape you
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divide it into two sections, upper and lower/middle; however, you can
train two positions with one exercise.
For lower/middle chest flat bench presses train the target muscle with
other muscle groups (synergy in the midrange position). Cable
crossovers (or Nautilus flyes) train the pecs from full stretch to
complete contraction, with resistance in the contracted position.
Notice that the lower/middle chest takes only two precise exercises to
hit the full arc of flexion. You can get the same two-for-one effect
when you train the upper portion: Use incline presses for the
midrange position and incline cable flyes for the stretch and
contracted positions. Now you have a tremendously effective POF pec-
building routine.
Middle/lower-pec section
Midrange
Bench presses 2 x 7-10
Stretch and contracted
Cable crossovers 2 x 7-10
Upper-pec section
Midrange
Incline bench presses 2 x 7-10
Stretch and contracted
Incline cable flyes 2 x 7-10
You have to realize that you need more than one exercise to optimize
as many actin-myosin pairings in the target muscle as possible, and
you want to choose the movements that together take the target
muscle through its full range of motion. That means working from full
stretch to complete contraction, plus training the muscle with
synergy. To accomplish that it may take two or three movements,
depending on the exercises you choose. Let’s look at one last
example. Here are POF quad and hamstring routines with a bit more
explanation than the other programs, just in case you haven’t quite
got the full-POF picture yet:
Midrange position
Squats (synergy from glutes and lower back)
Do 2 light warmup sets first), then 2-3 x 8-12
Stretch position
Sissy squats or Feet-forward Smith machine squats
Quick twitch out of the bottom, when hamstrings touch your calves 2
x 10
Contracted position
Leg extensions
Hold for a count at the top to emphasize peak contraction 1-2 x 8-12
Hamstrings, on the other hand, only require two exercises for full-
range training to fully optimize the actin-myosin pairings and
stimulate inordinate growth. As you saw with chest, sometimes one
exercise will cover two of the Positions of Flexion. In the following
program, it’s the stiff-legged lift:
Midrange and stretch positions
Stiff-legged lifts (synergy from glutes and lower back, plus full stretch
at the bottom of each rep)
Do 2 light warmup sets, then 2-3 x 8-10
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Contracted position
Leg curls
Hold for a count at the top to emphasize peak contraction 2 x 8-12
You can develop your own POF routines for other bodyparts by taking
an exercise from each of the lists in the sections above and doing one
to three sets of each.
Positions of Flexion is undoubtedly one of the most logical, efficient
muscle-building methods out there. It’s helped a multitude of
bodybuilders push beyond their so-called genetic limitations, and it
can do the same for you. Try it in its standard forms or one of its
many hybrid protocols, such as Hypercontraction training or
Compound Aftershock. If you’ve never tried POF, be prepared for
some unusual soreness—and some exciting new muscle growth. You’ll
soon see why it’s becoming an integral part of so many successful
bodybuilders’ training arsenals the world over.
Editor’s note: Positions of Flexion was recently introduced to
European bodybuilders via Steve Homan’s features and columns in
Italy’s Olympians News magazine. Because of the overwhelming
response many of Holman’s books have been translated and printed in
other languages so bodybuilders all over the world can reap the mass-
building benefits of POF. If you’re interested in the definitive
Positions-of-Flexion training manual, get a copy of Critical Mass. It
contains an analysis of each bodypart with routines, as well as a
number of complete POF programs, from the Hardgainer POF Program
to the POF Power Pyramid. It’s $19.95 plus $4.90 shipping and
handling. To order with a credit card, call 1-800-447-0008, or go to
our online store. For more books containing information on POF, see
the end of the next section,
POF Overview.
Look Bigger, Broader and Leaner Instantly
Special T-shirt offer: The new POF T-shirt highlights your arms, chest
and shoulders, so you look more muscular immediately. The logo is
strategically positioned across the front to bring out the fullness of
your pecs and make your shoulders look broader. The cut is tight-
fitting so your bi’s and tri’s bulge from the sleeves, making your arms
look inches bigger. Plus the tough navy-blue material enhances the
taper of your waist, making it look smaller and tighter. And it’s cool
100% cotton. The lettering is white, with the P, O and F in bright
yellow so the letters “pop” off the dark-blue shirt. With this classy T,
you can dress it down for a workout or dress it up with a pair of jeans
or khakis. No matter how you choose to wear it, you’ll look great—and
your arms will look bigger than ever. It comes in Large and X-Large.
Send check or money order for $14.95 plus $4.90 shipping and
handling to Homebody Productions, P.O. Box 2800, Ventura, CA 93002
and your shirt will be rushed via priority mail. Don't forget to include
your size.
POF OVERVIEW
Positions of Flexion (POF) is a mass-training protocol based on
maximum fiber activation through synergy, the myotatic reflex, peak
contraction and full range of motion. It's designed to train each
muscle thoroughly and completely for total development in the
shortest time possible. Once you understand the POF protocol, your
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training—and the gains you get from it—will change forever.
Key POF Terms
Midrange position = Synergy.
Training the target muscle as part of a team of muscle structures. For
example, you train your chest with synergy from your shoulders and
triceps when you do bench presses; you train your quads with help
from your glutes and lower back when you squat. Synergy allows you to
cultivate tremendous power because muscles work most efficiently as
part of a team. POF midrange movements all have synergy.
Examples of midrange-position exercises include: squats (quads),
stiff-legged lifts (hamstrings: also a stretch movement), front
pulldowns (lats), behind-the-neck pulldowns (midback), dumbbell
presses (delts), bench presses (chest), barbell curls or close-grip
undergrip pulldowns (biceps), lying extensions or close-grip bench
presses (triceps), kneeups (abdominals).
Stretch position = Myotatic Reflex.
Training the target bodypart at its maximal point of elongation, for
example overhead extensions for the triceps, can force what's known
as the myotatic reflex. Here is how this phenomenon is defined in the
book e Power by Health For Life:
"The stretch reflex originates deep inside each muscle fiber with a
structure called the muscle spindle. The muscle spindle is a complex
construction of muscle protein, fluid and nervous system receptors.
Within this structure is a special type of muscle fiber that does not
have the contractile qualities normally associated with muscle. These
special fibers, called intrafusal fibers, are wrapped with nerve cells
that relay information from muscle to the central nervous system.
When a muscle is stretched quickly, the tension in the intrafusal
fibers stimulates these nerve cells, sending messages out to the
central nervous system at great speed. In response, the central
nervous system triggers a muscle reflex that generates a fast and
powerful contraction. This myotatic, or stretch, reflex is a protective
mechanism that provides an extra burst of strength to resist force
encountered suddenly. When the reflex is triggered, a very large
proportion of the muscle's fibers suddenly contract."
If stretch-position exercises are performed correctly, they have the
potential to activate more fibers in the target muscle, which can
translate into faster development. They can also stretch the fascia, or
fiber encasements, so that fiber growth isn't constricted, which can
speed hypertrophy and trigger anabolic-hormone production and
receptor activity.
Examples of stretch-position exercises include sissy squats (quads),
stiff-legged lifts (hamstrings; also a midrange movement), donkey
calf raises (calves), pullovers (lats), close-grip cable rows (midback),
incline one-arm lateral raises (delts), dumbbell flyes (chest), incline
dumbbell curls (biceps), overhead extensions (triceps), full-range
crunches (abdominals; also contracted exercise).
Contracted position = Peak Contraction.
Training the target bodypart at the point of complete contraction with
resistance. Example: leg extensions for the frontal thighs. This is the
best way to finish off a target muscle after as many fibers as possible
have been activated with the midrange- and stretch-position
movements.
Examples of contracted-position exercises include: leg extensions
(quads), leg curls (hamstrings), standing calf raises (calves), stiff-
arm pulldowns or pullover machine (lats), Bent-arm bent-over rows
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(midback), lateral raises (delts), cable flyes or pec deck (chest),
concentration curls or double-biceps cable curls (biceps), one-arm
pushdowns or kickbacks (triceps), full-range crunches (abdominals).
Example POF Programs
For example, overhead extensions train triceps in the full-stretch
position. Kickbacks work the triceps at complete contraction. All that's
left is the midrange position, which you train with close-grip bench
presses and synergy from your front delts. Standard POF order would
be close-grip bench presses, two to three sets, overhead extensions,
two to three sets, and kickbacks, two to three sets. That's a very
effective POF triceps routine that hits the target through its full range
of motion.
Take the chest as another example. Cable crossovers (or Nautilus
flyes) train the pecs' from full stretch to complete contraction, with
resistance in the contracted position. Begin your chest workout with
flat bench presses to train the pecs with other muscle groups (synergy
in the midrange position), follow bench presses with sets of cable
crossovers and you have a great POF pec-building routine.
To understand why this multi-exercise, full-range-of-motion focus
produces almost complete target-muscle stimulation, you must first
understand how muscles contract.Here's a quote from Jaci VanHeest,
renowned exercise physiologist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, Colorado that helps explain this phenomenon:
"Muscles contract when tiny levers on myosin, a muscle protein, fit
into grooves on actin, another protein, and push it forward exactly
like a ratchet wrench. But myosin can latch onto actin in any of
several positions, not all of them ideal. Only when the myosin heads
are in the right register can the muscle have the optimal tension. But
optimizing every actin-myosin pairing is less an achievable goal than
a Platonic ideal." (Newsweek, July 22, 1996: "How High? How Fast?")
Obviously, you need more than one exercise to optimize as many
actin-myosin pairings in the target muscle as possible, and full ROM
training like POF is the logical answer to this optimization.
Standard POF and Its Variations
There is a logical exercise order that you should use when training
with POF. During a standard POF routine you first train the target
muscle with the help of other muscle groups in the midrange position.
This muscle teamwork allows you to get the majority of the muscle
fibers. Next you train the target at its full-stretch position to activate
the myotatic reflex and reserve muscle fibers. Last, you train the
target in the contracted position to finish it off with peak contraction
to squeeze the last bit of effort from the fibers. This complete range-
of-motion-training approach allows you to get the fullest development
possible.
Variations include Compound Aftershock, which is using the stretch
position movement as the first exercise in a superset with a midrange
movement. For example, pullovers prior to pulldowns. This has the
potential to pre-exhaust the muscle and may activate reserve fibers
prior to the big midrange, or teamwork, movement. Isolation
Aftershock is using the stretch-position movement as part of a
superset with the contracted-position exercise to get a similar fiber-
activation effect. For example, doing overhead triceps extensions
supersetted with kickbacks. Supersetting is an important step up the
12/11/11 Health and Exercise: Positions of Flexion by Steve Holman
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ladder of intensity. In fact, new research states the muscle burn
lowers the pH of the , which in turn stimulates more growth hormone
release, and supersets are key for achieving muscle burn.
Hypercontraction Training is an advanced POF method that places the
stretch-position movement first in a bodypart routine, to not only
warm up the target muscle, but also to put it in a state of emergency
from the very first rep, and that means heightened fiber activation.
POF Fundamentals and More Routines
The fundamental concept of POF is correct exercise choice. You want
to choose the movements that together take the target muscle
through its full range of motion-from full stretch to complete
contraction, plus you want to work the muscle with synergy. That may
take two or three movements, depending on the exercises you
choose. Here's a sample quad routine:
Midrange position: squats (synergy from glutes and lower back; do 2
light warmup sets first), 2-3 x 7-9
Stretch position: sissy squats (quick twitch out of the bottom, but no
bouncing), 2 x 10
Contracted position: leg extensions (hold for a count at the top to
emphasize peak contraction), 1-2 x 7-9
Hamstrings, on the other hand, only require two exercises for full-
range training to take place:
Midrange and stretch position: stiff-legged lifts
(synergy from glutes and lower back; do 2 light warmup sets first), 2-
3 x 7-9
Contracted position: leg curls (hold for a count at the top to
emphasize peak contraction), 1-2 x 7-9
You can develop your own POF routines for other bodyparts by taking
an exercise from each of the example sections above and doing the
same set-rep scheme as the quad routine. For complete POF routines
and variations, as well as more complete descriptions on how and why
this mass-building protocol is so effective, see the following books
and videos (Click on the title for a review):
Train, Eat, Grow: POF Manual: Complete POF bodybuilding manual
with four four-week training phases centered around the amazing
Positions-of-Flexion muscle-training approach. ($19.95)
Home Gym Handbook: Has a chapter on POF training in a home gym
setting with a complete routine ($9.95)
Mass-Training Tactics: 2 Standard POF routines; 2 POF Pre-
exhaustion routines plus 16 other complete programs (Free as a
download to subscribers.)
Compound Aftershock (new revised and updated edition): More
advanced variations of POF, including Compound Aftershock, Isolation
Aftershock and Double-Impact training, plus nutrition and
supplementation info and schedules (Free as a download to
subscribers.)
10-Week Size Surge: step-by-step two-phase training approach, POF
in the second phase, with complete diet, training tips and
explanations. A weight-gain manual. ($9.95)
12/11/11 Health and Exercise: Positions of Flexion by Steve Holman
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posted by Musings of a Demented Mind @ 12:26 PM
Fat to Muscle 2: routine is a five-day POF routine, training each
bodypart directly once per week and indirectly once per week. Diets
included along with fat-burning tips. ($9.95)
Hypercontraction Training video: advanced stretch-position-first POF
protocol; includes Double-Impact training. One hour. ($24.95)
Critical Mass video series: "Critical Arms," "Critical Chest & Delts" and
"Critical Legs & Back." Basic POF bodypart routines with live-action
demos and explanations.
Granite Abs video: The POF approach to a ripped, etched midsection.
Five POF programs designed around the science of abdominal-muscle
function, plus diet tips and schedules. ($19.95)
Underground Mass-Boosting Methods: Unique and controversial ways
to trigger new gains, including Negative Overload, Double Impact,
Power Partials and R-P-M Training. These are advanced techniques
applied to the POF protocol, so trainees need a bit more experience
under their belts before they dive in. There are a lot of great plateau-
busting tactics here. (Free as a download to subscribers.)
POF Training Tips
Use standard POF-exercise order most of the time. The standard
order for the three positions is midrange, stretch and contracted. The
midrange-position movement works the bulk of the target muscle with
the help of synergist, or helping, muscles and warms up the target
area for the more concentrated work to come in the next two
positions. After the midrange exercise comes the stretch position,
where you take advantage of the prestretch phenomenon. With a
slight twitch at the bottom of any stretch-position exercise you can
involve more muscle fibers and cause a more powerful contraction in
the target muscle. Last is the contracted position, where the target
muscle is flexed with opposing resistance—in other words, resistance
doesn’t fall off at the top of the movement. These exercises give the
target muscle an intense peak contraction after you’ve sufficiently
warmed it up and worked it in the other two positions.
Do at least one light warmup set with 50 percent of your work weight
for every midrange movement. Doing a second set with 75 percent
may be even more beneficial for some exercises. Fight the urge to
add sets. If you’re training to at least positive failure, two sets is
plenty of work for any position, or angle, in most cases. A good rule
of thumb is to never do more than 25 sets at any one workout—and
less is preferable. Keep your form strict—two seconds up and two
seconds down, the goal being to keep tension on the target muscle for
30 to 60 seconds—and rest one to 1 1/2 minutes between sets. You
can rest slightly longer between sets of exercises that put a higher
demand on your cardiovascular system, such as squats and rows.
Always use a phase-training approach: four to six weeks of taking all
sets other than warmups to at least positive failure, followed by two
weeks of lower-intensity work, in which you stop all sets two reps
short of failure. (See IRONMAN’s Home Gym Handbook for a complete
discussion of phase training.) You can order any of the above books or
videos online at www.home-gym.com.
4 comments
12/11/11 Health and Exercise: Positions of Flexion by Steve Holman
13/13pjlusa-exercise.blogspot.com/2006/01/positions-of-flexion-by-steve-holman.html
4 Comments:
At 12:54 PM, beast2k said...
I have worn out 2 copies of Critical Mass in the years I have been
following Mr. Holmans PoF . It is not BS it works as advertised.
Thanks to Steve Holman for puting this out and for all the effort you
put in. -Chris Wyman
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