Guest guest Posted January 2, 2003 Report Share Posted January 2, 2003 , This has been a topic I've argued over many, many times. If I remember right, 's work looked at specific compartments of motor units that appeared to be preferentially activated according to certain variables, such as joint angle, degree of rotation, etc. What I don't recall being mentioned was the level of tension used to determine this compartmentalization effect. To me, and this is just a hypothesis on my part, once the tension in the muscle gets high enough to cause hypertrophy, that effect would quickly vanish. It makes no sense to me that, considering how force is transmitted through the muscle and the surrounding connective tissue, the muscle could selectively recruit " parts " of itself for one activity and not an other, given equal requirement of force generation. Granted that's just logical extrapolation on my part based on what I've learned, but it seems pretty sound. However, you'll run across a large number of gym-folk that adhere to the muscle-shaping theory quite adamantly. This is where I've had the most problems debating; its extremely hard to argue with someone who swears that a preacher curl " hits the lower bicep " or that leg extensions " target the outer quads, " etc etc. I don't suppose these people are doing themselves a disservice by selecting a wider array of exercises, really, but where it really irks me is when a new lifter is given such advice, only to quit a month or so later because he has no peak in his bicep. If there is something to shaping, I don't think it'd be readily apparent anywhere outside of the most elite bodybuilders. man Birmingham, AL ----------- wrote: > What is the opinion of all of you on 'scientific' study on > muscle sculpting? > > I don't think you can alter your individual muscle's shape. I believe you > can make the muscle larger in area due to heavy exercise training but the > muscle does not change in shape. The shape of the individual muscle from > what I have studied is a genetic factor and that in some cases 'steroid' use can > change the shape of the muscle. > > I think many people get confused when they lose excess bodyfat and their > muscles become more visible. They think they have 'sculpt' the muscle but > I believe they have only exposed the muscle without the extra bodyfat, that > the individual muscle(s) has not changed...... * Don't forget to sign all letters with full name and city if you wish them to be published! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 2, 2003 Report Share Posted January 2, 2003 How does this apply to specific joint angles? I've read that if one trains a certain point or range in an exercise, the strength adaptions are limited mostly to that range. It seems that if a muscle gets stronger and hypertrophies, the strength would be felt through the whole range even if it was trained isometrically or with partials? Thank, Ron Sowers Post Falls Id USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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