Re: Holding a Muscle Elongated Position - Hypertrophy

[Guest guest]

I do alot of work with Isometric holds in a stretch range position. They work

well for building size (if the time held is long enough) and strength (if the

weight held is heavy). For strength I use hold times of 0-9 secs and 9-25 secs,

and for hypertrophy I would use 9-25 secs, 25-40 secs, and/or 40-70 secs.

Exercises should be held in the worst biomechanical position, and the set would

terminate once the position cannot be held for desired time.

Steve Laubenberg CSCS CPT

Houston Texas

[Guest guest]

---

Hi !

I don't think it is the stretch that is causing the avian

hypertrophy/hyperplasia but the birds contracting the brest tissue

against the resistance for the elongated period of time that causes

the muscle growth. I always thought these studies would bring out the

ASPCA to the lab. Unlikely a human subjects review board would

approve this type of research in people.

Best wishes!

Dan Wathen, Youngstown (OH) State University, USA

In Supertraining , " carruthersjam "

<Carruthersjam@a...> wrote:

>

> I have recently been discussing loaded stretching with one of the NSCA

> members and they made the following comment:

>

> " Holding a muscle in an elongated position may also provoke some

> hypertrophy of the muscle fibers (see Goldspink). "

>

> Can any of the members add any additional information or provide the

> complete reference? The following may add to the discussion:

>

> Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy vs. Hyperplasia:Has the debate been settled?

> By: PhD

> http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/FiberType.htm

>

> <<<...More recently, I performed a study using the same stretch

model. In addition, I used a progressive overload scheme whereby the

bird was initally loaded with a weight equal to 10% of the its weight

followed by increments of 15%, 20%, 25%, and 35% of its weight (5).

Each weight increment was interspersed with a 2 day rest. The total

number of stretch days was 28. Using this approach produced the

greatest gains in muscle mass EVER recorded in an animal or human

model of tension-induced overload, up to a 334% increase in muscle

mass with up to a 90% increase in fiber number (5,8)! That is pretty

impressive training responsiveness for our feathered descendants of

dinosaurs.

>

> But you might ask yourself, what does hanging a weight on a bird

have to do with humans who lift weights? So who cares if birds can

increase muscle mass by over 300% and fiber number by 90%. Well,

you've got a good point. Certainly, nobody out there (that I know of),

hangs weights on their arms for 30 days straight or even 30 minutes

for that matter. Maybe you should try it and see what happens. This

could be a different albeit painful way to " train. " But actually the

physiologically interesting point is that if presented with an

appropriate stimulus, a muscle can produce more fibers! What is an

appropriate stimulus? I think it is one that involves subjecting

muscle fibers to high tension overload (enough to induce injury)

followed by a regenerative period....>>>

>

>

> Looking forward to comments

> Carruthers

> Wakefield, UK

>

[Guest guest]

>

> ---

> Hi !

>

> I don't think it is the stretch that is causing the avian

> hypertrophy/hyperplasia but the birds contracting the brest tissue

> against the resistance for the elongated period of time that causes

> the muscle growth. I always thought these studies would bring out

the

> ASPCA to the lab. Unlikely a human subjects review board would

> approve this type of research in people.

***Below is an additional study which is relevant to this discussion:

The Effects of Acute Passive Stretch on Muscle Protein Synthesis in

Humans

J. R. Fowles; J. Duncan MacDougall; Mark A. Tarnopolsky; D. G. Sale;

B. D. Roy; E. Yarasheski Full Article Table of Contents

for Vol. 25, Iss. 3. CJAP, 25(3), June 2000.

Abstract

We examined the effect of an isolated bout of maximal tolerated

passive stretch on fractional muscle protein synthetic rate in human

soleus muscle. Eight healthy males performed two separate trials with

the same leg: one session of passive stretch and one of intermittent

active isometric contraction at a force equivalent to that which

occurred during the passive stretch trial.

This force was ~40% of maximum voluntary contraction force and

produced volitional fatigue in ~27 min. Intermittent passive stretch,

for the same duration, elicited a 6.1¡ increase in joint angle (P

< .0005) with silent electromyography. Fractional protein synthetic

rate from experimental and control soleus in each trial was assessed

from biopsy samples over the period 10Ð22 hr postexercise by the

incorporation rate of L-[1-13C] leucine into muscle. ((5 mins hold

with x amount of rest for 30mins)

Protein synthesis was elevated in the soleus of the exercised leg

following the active contraction trial by 49% (P < .05) but not

following the passive stretch trial. Results indicate that a single

bout of maximal passive stretch does not significantly elevate

fractional muscle protein synthetic rate in humans and thus suggests

that muscle stretch per se is not the stimulus for the muscle

hypertrophy that occurs with resistance training.

----------

Duncan MacDougall has also stated that joints are designed in humans

so that a large amount of muscle stretch cannot take place with the

exception of may be the ankle joint. Relevant to the above study he

also mentioned that when you are stretching a muscle it is producing

tension (Swis conference, 2002).

Comments?

Carruthers

Wakefield, UK

[Guest guest]

---

Hi !

My guess is that the MVF of the birds was considerably greater than

40% as was seen in the human study. Results may differ between muscle

groups as well.

Best wishes!

Dan Wathen, Youngstown (OH) State University, USA

In Supertraining , " carruthersjam " <Carruthersjam@a...>

wrote:

>

>

> >

> > ---

> > Hi !

> >

> > I don't think it is the stretch that is causing the avian

> > hypertrophy/hyperplasia but the birds contracting the brest tissue

> > against the resistance for the elongated period of time that causes

> > the muscle growth. I always thought these studies would bring out

> the

> > ASPCA to the lab. Unlikely a human subjects review board would

> > approve this type of research in people.

>

> ***Below is an additional study which is relevant to this discussion:

>

> The Effects of Acute Passive Stretch on Muscle Protein Synthesis in

> Humans

>

> J. R. Fowles; J. Duncan MacDougall; Mark A. Tarnopolsky; D. G. Sale;

> B. D. Roy; E. Yarasheski Full Article Table of Contents

> for Vol. 25, Iss. 3. CJAP, 25(3), June 2000.

>

> Abstract

> We examined the effect of an isolated bout of maximal tolerated

> passive stretch on fractional muscle protein synthetic rate in human

> soleus muscle. Eight healthy males performed two separate trials with

> the same leg: one session of passive stretch and one of intermittent

> active isometric contraction at a force equivalent to that which

> occurred during the passive stretch trial.

>

> This force was ~40% of maximum voluntary contraction force and

> produced volitional fatigue in ~27 min. Intermittent passive stretch,

> for the same duration, elicited a 6.1¡ increase in joint angle (P

> < .0005) with silent electromyography. Fractional protein synthetic

> rate from experimental and control soleus in each trial was assessed

> from biopsy samples over the period 10Ð22 hr postexercise by the

> incorporation rate of L-[1-13C] leucine into muscle. ((5 mins hold

> with x amount of rest for 30mins)

>

> Protein synthesis was elevated in the soleus of the exercised leg

> following the active contraction trial by 49% (P < .05) but not

> following the passive stretch trial. Results indicate that a single

> bout of maximal passive stretch does not significantly elevate

> fractional muscle protein synthetic rate in humans and thus suggests

> that muscle stretch per se is not the stimulus for the muscle

> hypertrophy that occurs with resistance training.

>

> ----------

>

> Duncan MacDougall has also stated that joints are designed in humans

> so that a large amount of muscle stretch cannot take place with the

> exception of may be the ankle joint. Relevant to the above study he

> also mentioned that when you are stretching a muscle it is producing

> tension (Swis conference, 2002).

>

> Comments?

> Carruthers

> Wakefield, UK

>