Fri, Oct-12-07, 05:10
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muscle bound
Posts: 3,535
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Plan: Lyle's PSMF
Stats: 226/150/135
BF:46/20/sliced
Progress: 84%
Location: near Budapest, Hungary
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Quote:
Originally Posted by galatia
Why? I've seen kickbacks laughed at, although I never understood why....but this is the first time for pushdowns. I know dips cause some people shoulder problems, so they should carry a warning.
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Deb, a few months ago, there was a great thread about developing shoulders over at another board (EP), and one of the well-respected smart guys said this:
Quote:
Think tension in the context of muscle length. Exercises which expose muscles to tension at greater muscle lengths (i.e. positions of stretch) are, in theory, the most conducive to hypertrophy.
The opposite is also true. Why do triceps kickbacks suck so much for growth? Because the greatest tension is almost entirely at the point of peak contraction, and almost entirely absent at longer muscle lengths.
Muscle tension generated in positions of stretch has a tendency to shift strain towards the contractile structures in muscle and away from the passive structures. Hypertrophy is, fundamentally, an adaptation to strain of the contractile machinery of muscle tissue.
Easy examples (of good exercises):
RDL's for hamstrings. Dips for triceps. Incline curls for biceps. Closer grip chins/pullups/pulldowns for lats (contrary to bro wisdom, the lats are NOT more stretched with a wide grip).
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http://www.extreme-physique.com/for...25&postcount=43
I hadn't thought about pushdowns, since I don't have the equipment to do them, but I think they would fit in here, too, as the greatest point of tension also being at peak contraction. Although using a cable for these would allow for more constant tension, so I dunno. I don't usually hear people bashing tri pushdowns, but kickbacks yeah.
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