Accommodating Resistance

[Guest guest]

Mike on wrote:

<I would like some input as to what should be looked at with regards to box

squatting and possible research. We recently completed research here with

accomodating resistance (using the bands) while squatting.>

*** Just in the interests of accuracy, bands do not offer " accommodating

resistance " , which in reality concerns a situation in which the effective

loading experienced by the muscles varies to accommodate to the

characteristic strength curves (and leverages) of a given joint or joint

system. Bands and chains offer a monotonic (single directioned) increase

in loading, which does not increase or decrease to accommodate to the torque

capabilities of a given joint. Isokinetic, cam and feedback controlled

systems offer various attempts to provide accommodating resistance, but bands

and chains do not and cannot.

Interestingly, one does not necessarily even need an external machine system

to train against " accommodating resistance " . What machine manufacturers in

particular often omit mentioning is that the body itself can act quite

naturally as an " accommodating force " or " accommodating torque " system,

especially if you train with a deliberate attempt to follow a CAT

(Compensatory Acceleration Training) approach. Thus, if you intentionally

try to accelerate during the concentric action phase, the force will increase

as one's leverage or mechanical efficiency improves. You will not be able to

accelerate like that through phases where your joint system is exhibiting

lower mechanical advantage or efficiency. The result? Accommodating force.

When you are carrying out your research project using bands, you will have to

be very careful to distinguish (or at least discuss the limitations) between

the effects of bands on their own and efforts of the lifter to apply a CAT

approach during the concentric and the eccentric action phases, since the

force plate recordings that you register will not be able to distinguish

between different causes of changes in force. This problem becomes

especially accentuated during the eccentric phase with heavy bands.

And, yes, even without bands, the same problem exists, so that it is

imperative that the lifter makes an all-out sustained effort to accelerate as

powerfully as possible throughout the lift (in which case you can assume that

the lifters produced force under very similar conditions). Nevertheless, it

would be interesting to compare results obtained under CAT conditions and

under conditions where the lifter makes just the bare minimum of effort to

complete the lift. Let me know if you ever manage to carry out this sort of

research.

Dr Mel C Siff

Denver, USA

Supertraining/