Strength Training - Dynamic Tension Part 2

No discussion about dynamic tension can be had without mentioning Charles Atlas. There is a large body of material out there on the ‘net so suffice it to say 1) Charles Atlas did NOT get his physique by following the program he sold 2) He did work with other individuals to develop and market this system based upon his success in body building. The reason why I mention him is that he popularized the notion that great physical results can be achieved in less than 15 minutes a day without any equipment.

The outstanding question, does dynamic tension work, is one that is somewhat difficult to analyze. There has been very little study on this notion of dynamic tension. The main reason being is that there is very little to distinguish the dynamic tension we speak of in this article versus more conventional training such as weights or resistance bands. Essentially, the muscle contracts against a resistance. The muscle itself should not be able to distinguish what is causing the resistance.

That being said, there are some distinguishing features of dynamic tension that can be used to our advantage. Since there is no real weight, the weaker muscles are no longer a limiting factor, nor is there a risk of injury of too heavy a weight. A very illustrative example is that of the barbell curl. When one curls a barbell, the weight is born by the legs as well and the back muscles are recruited to stabilize the body. These things do not occur when the dynamic tension version is performed. Here, the arm curls against the straightening motion of the other arm. Basically the bicep must resist the tricep of the other arm. Since there is no actual weight, there is no load put on the legs or strain on the back. One can do exercise comfortably sitting in a chair, even watching TV during the process. The challenge to overcome, as with any exercise, is ensuring proper technique.

The main problem with ensuring proper performance in dynamic tension is the load or resisting force (in weight training terms, the amount of weight). Since there is actual motion of the limbs, clearly, the force in the direction of the motion is greater than the opposing force. It does take some concentration to ensure that the load is sufficient to stimulate improvement in strength. If one gets distracted, it is possible to reduce the force on both sides to a point where the exercise no longer stimulates any gains. The resolution to this problem; is to remain motivated enough to provide sufficient force to make the exercises effective.

Looking at the second question, is dynamic tension effective as weight training? One must look at two aspects of the question. Is it as effective in a direct comparison and how well does each method fit into ones lifestyle.

In a direct comparison, dynamic tension should in fact be indistinguishable since the muscle itself can not tell the difference between a weight and any other kind of resistance. Dynamic tension may lack the total effect of weight training, in other words, exercise given to the supporting muscles. Invoking the SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands), we can conclude that certainly dynamic tension will not be effective as weight lifting, in helping us lift weight. If that is not our specific goal, it need not be a drawback. Moreover, this lack of effect on the supporting muscles, may actually enhance it‘s effectiveness as an isolation exercise (where the exercise is isolated to specific to muscles). This is because greater load can be put on the targeted muscle without having being limited by the strength of the supporting muscles. Similarly, this can also reduce the risk of injury from using too much weight. The ability to use a greater load allows for greater exercise effect in less time. Given this analysis, one may conclude that for strictly muscle conditioning results, dynamic tension CAN be as effective as and possibly more so than weight training.

On a larger scope, dynamic tension may be more advantageous due to its convenience and less risk of injury, time and equipment involved. It certainly is worth trying. Now that we have some grounding in the theory and history of dynamic tension, we can explore what dynamic tension exercises to perform.

Strength Training - Dynamic Tension - Part 1

(Dedicated to my friend Dom, who inspired this line of thinking) Over two decades ago, my good friend pondered, “It‘s a question, what‘s better just doing pushups and stuff at home or lifting weights at a gym. It must be the gym, or why would they have them?” This question has always stuck with me over the twenty-five years I have been studying and pursuing various forms of fitness.

Before studying the finer points of dynamic tension, we should examine what exactly we are trying to achieve by pursuing fitness at all, and what kind of fitness it is that is being pursued.

One kind of fitness is strength, the ability to create force. And by force, we mean brute force; with real emphasis on brute. When men/boys say they want to be strong, they mean strong like the weight lifter or the boxer, not strong like the ballet dancer. Often the pursuit of this strength often gets side tracked into an entirely different pursuit, bodybuilding. This sports goal is not mainly to be strong but to look strong. I am not disputing whether bodybuilders are strong, clearly they are. What I am asserting is the best body builder may not be the strongest one. Very different from the weightlifter, to whom the lifter, who lifts the greatest weight in specified lifts, gets the medal. So what of the boxer/fighter? His goal is not to achieve the greatest strength either. His goal is to knock his opponent out without getting knocked out himself. In other words, it is meaningless to him to be able to deliver the most powerful punch if his opponent knocks him out first, with a weaker punch. Their different goals can be observed in the way they train.

A boxer runs for endurance, strength trains for strength, and spars for skill; the skill to land a punch and the skill to avoid getting hit. The weightlifter also strength trains AND practices his skill; his skill being able to lift heavy weights in very specific lifts. Note, the way he gets strong is in fact very different from the way he practices his sport. He lifts weights in order to get stronger so he can lift more weight in the specific lifts.

Why does he not just constantly practice those specific lifts? Simply because those lifts may not be best suited for improvements in strength; they may not address weaknesses in areas specific to the athlete. An athlete may be weaker in the legs and another in the back. But more to the point, the reason why we focus on the weightlifter in our study of strength is that is his specific goal. Very few successful weightlifters can substitute lifting skill for strength; the reason being is that his competition also has both of these in abundance.

Now let us examine the boxer. Why? First, let us ask ourselves, what is strong enough. Most of us can not manage the strength of either a reasonably competent boxer or weightlifter. So the boxer is an example where strength is important to him, certainly more important to him than our strength is to us. BUT his main distinction is that he needs to get strong quickly to save time and energy for other training. THIS is of interest to us.

Why does the body builder interest us less? His training is geared to pursue size. He gains strength as a byproduct. This is unlike both the boxer and weightlifter who train for strength; in the case of the weightlifter as an end in and of itself; and in the case of the boxer as a means to an end.

Now look at the training of a boxer/fighter/wrestler. Most of their strength training consists of body weight exercises. Yes, they also lift weights but it tends to be not extremely heavy and of a higher repetition range than required for pure strength gains.

Studying the weightlifter was a near epiphany for me. We have known absolutely, how to gain strength for decades if not centuries. Our society and I, personally, have wasted so much time in diversions from this goal. Weightlifters spend hours in a gym getting strong. The reason is because of the number of sets they do and the amount of rest they get between sets. Since the goal of the weightlifter is the pure ability to deliver force, the SAID principle is invoked. The SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) basically means that you will get better at what you practice. If you train to deliver a sustained effort, you will be able to deliver a sustained effort. The weightlifter lifts heavy weights for few repetitions. Why? His sport will demand he lift a weight with form. If his form his perfect, he will not be required to hold the lift for very long. He will NOT be asked to lift the weight thirty times, nor will anyone be punching him while he is doing it.

So how does he train? He lifts a heavy weight for very few repetitions. He rests. He rests for a long time, sometimes up to 3 minutes. Why? Because his goal is to deliver maximum force. If he does not get adequate rest, his strength is actually diminished. Yes, there is a training effect to be had by getting less rest but this is actually more conducive to building size. There is also a training effect from doing more repetitions per set with lighter weight, but this is for endurance. But our weightlifter is not bodybuilding, boxing or running marathons. His single minded goal is to gain strength.

Where does that leave him? In his pursuit of strength, he must perform many sets of few repetitions with heavy weight and long rest periods between the sets. Many sets, long rest periods, with heavy weights translates to LONG HOURS spent in a GYM.

Where does that leave us? If we follow the boxer, we can do bodyweight exercises. With the weight lifter, we require LONG HOURS in the GYM. Now our claim is that we do not have long hours to train, and certainly not the time to spend it in a gym. This is where Dynamic Tension claims to challenge the assumptions of long hours and the need for a gym.