Thanks for pointing that out. I was focused mainly on the general instructions earlier in the book about how to perform 30-10-30.
I’ll repeat my earlier critique: I’m having trouble reconciling the use of a pause with the use of a 1-2 cadence. What is the minimum time required for a deliberate pause to occur? 1/4 second, 1/2 second, 1 second? Human reaction time is on the order of 0.2 seconds, so anything less than a half second pause would probably not feel like a deliberate pause. Maybe 1 second is the more practical minimum. Does that time get subtracted from the concentric, eccentric, or both?
Traditionally, HIT protocols call for a brief pause at the top of any exercise that cannot be locked out. With a 2-4 cadence, an extra second of pause doesn’t make that much difference. With a faster tempo, it is potentially a bigger fraction of the total rep duration. 1-1-2 tempo won’t allow 10 reps in 30 seconds. A 1-1-1 would allow you to stay withing 30 seconds. But then you are no longer slowing down the eccentric. Important? I don’t know - I didn’t invent the protocol.
My take on Chapter 11 is this: He produced a summary of all the advice he accumulated over the years about how to execute exercises. The vast majority of that advice was developed using 6 second duration reps (or longer). Since he has traditionally recommended a brief pause and squeeze at the top on certain exercises, perhaps that got included in this summary without much thought as to the practical implications for a 1-2 cadence exercise?
Questions:
Is the pause and squeeze integral to the effectiveness of 30-10-30 method? Does it have a significant impact on how much blood and fluid get pumped into the muscle? If so, then why wouldn’t you build hard stops into something like the leg press, and include a contracted pause against the hard stop? Or stop short of full extension in a squat or leg press, and executed a paused contraction (flex) of the targeted muscles?
What was the original justification for including a contracted pause on some of these exercises? Is that original justification still considered sound, physiologically. Or is it now more of an historical artifact?
I suppose those are questions for Dr. Darden, as much as anyone?
Good points. Good questions. I wondered about the pauses with the 1 -2 rep tempo and staying within the 30 second parameter for the 10 reps as well. To pause and squeeze would add at least 1 second to each rep. Shorten the negatives to 25 seconds each? Does it make a difference?
Many of you have made some fine points. Perhaps the answer is that all the solutions, or answers, can lead to achieving nice results. Consistency certainly matters. But so does inconsistency.
There is no harm in doing so on compound pulling and simple exercises, when the equipment used provides meaningful resistance at the end point, and it helps ensure the repetition was completed under reasonable control.
Yes but does squeezing or contracting a rep hard in the contracted position of a rep actually helping dig a deeper inroad or is I just something to help you feel the muscle better and know when you’ve reached the contracted position?
Scott
Here’s a shot of my plate loading bi-tri machine. Notice how the curl bar and seat are not centered? You can hardly get your right leg through the space. There’s no other way to assemble it that I can see? Are all these machines made the same way or is something out of kilter with mine ? Plus I can hardly fit in between the pad and the seat back? The pad uncomfortably digs into my chest and I’m not that fat!
Scott
The seat post is welded off center so it’s a pain to get one leg in there and the curl bar is off center so your right arm is scrunched up against the right side with plenty of extra room on the left side! I just want to scream out “JONES”!!! like in Raiders of the Lost Ark!!!
Scott
Even if you could move the seat over the curl bar is off center as well? I just don’t get it? I need to see if other machines like this have the same problem ?
Scott
“JONES!!!” Hilarious! I will make sure to shout that whenever I reach failure on a Nautilus machine! (Or maybe “DARDEN!” is more suitable while not going to failure?)
Selling that Nautilus Next Gen 50 degree Chest/Shoulder already? Didn’t like it? Just curious what you didn’t like about it. See you got smaller roller pads.
There’s been a few things. It’s a really nice piece of equipment and I keep going back and forth about keeping it or not. Just a few things that lined up that made me list it. Like most home gyms, I get excited and buy something but then realize that I am running really tight on space once it gets in. I talked with Bill at IFR to see what he thought about a value on it and he thought it was worth than I was anticipating so I thought I’d list it. I already had the smaller pads and figured i’d include them. Again, keep going back and forth about selling or keeping.
Hey strengthmaster, over the years, I’ve used all of the nautilus pullover machines, except the power plus pullover, what state do you live in, I would like to try this machine, I currently have a next gen pullover that I recently bought, Its a good machine, I also have a next gen double chest,a nautilus xpload pulldown,and a 2nd gen behind neck machine, in a few weeks i will be getting a 1st gen rowing torso,a power plus 10 degree chest, an a Xpload vert. chest press, man I love these machines
