|
In weight training, there is a variety of
exercises that one can choose from to sculpt the body of
your dreams. Results in bodybuilding or body sculpting
are generally measured in body composition changes;
increased muscle mass or tone, depending on the goal,
along with decreases in body fat. The speed at which
such changes are acquired depends on the training
protocol used, the nutrition plan followed and the
amount of rest (good night sleep) that the trainee gets.
In order for a training protocol to work
at peak efficiency, not only must it be periodized or
cycled but it also must include exercises that give you
the most stimulation in the minimum amount of time.
Different exercises provide different
levels of stimulation. Exercises like the leg
extensions, while excellent for sculpting the lower part
of the quadriceps, produce less of a stimulating effect
than an exercise like the squat. The efficacy of an
exercise really depends on the exercise's ability to
involve the maximum amount of muscle fibers and also on
its ability to provide a neuromuscular stimulation (NMS).
Neuromuscular stimulation is of crucial
importance as it is the nervous system that ultimately
sends a signal to the brain requesting to start the
muscle growth process. Having said that, how do we
determine what the stimulation factor of each exercise
is? Such will be the topic of the next section.
The NMS Classes
In order to rate what the NMS of each
exercise is, I borrowed the Class rating system used for
classifying the speed of DSL systems (technology used to
achieve high speed connections to the Internet through
your phone line) and tailored it to fit my purpose. In
this system a Class 1 technology has lower speeds than a
Class 2 technology.
Therefore, in our exercise rating system
composed of four classes, a Class 1 exercise yields the
lowest NMS (this class is composed of variable
resistance machine type of exercises) while a Class 4
exercise yields the highest NMS and is therefore the
hardest but most stimulating one. In each class we may
also have subclasses such as Class 1a and Class 1b. A
Class 1a exercise will yield less NMS than a Class 1b.
Class 1a
Class 1a exercises are composed of
isolation (one joint) exercises performed in variable
resistance machines (such as Nautilus) where the whole
movement of the exercise is controlled. These type of
exercises provide the least amount of stimulation as
stabilizer muscles do not need to get involved since the
machine takes care of the stabilization process. An
example of such an exercise would be the machine curl.
Class 1b
Class 1b exercises are compound
(multi-joint) movements performed in a variable
resistance machine. An example of such movement would be
the incline bench press performed in a Hammer Strength
machine. Since the movement is a compound one, more
muscles get involved and therefore the neuromuscular
stimulation is higher than that offered by a machine
curl for instance. However, the fact that the machine
takes care of the stabilization issues limits the growth
offered by the exercise.
Class 2a
Class 2a exercises are composed of
isolation (one joint) exercises performed with
non-variable resistance machines. An example of such
exercise would be the leg extension exercise performed
in one of those leg extensions attachments that come
with the benches that are sold for home gyms. These
attachments lack the pulleys and the cams that would
make the exercise a variable resistance exercise.
Therefore, the muscles need to get more involved in the
movement, something that as a result provides better
stimulation.
Class 2b
Class 2b exercises are composed of basic
(multi-joint) exercises performed with non-variable
resistance machines. An example of such would be the
bench press unit that is attached to the Universal type
of machines or a leg press machine that contains no
pulleys or cams that would make the exercise easier.
Since there are no pulleys or cams to make the exercise
easier as you lift the weight, the NMS is higher.
Class 3a
Class 3a exercises are isolation (one
joint) exercises performed with free weights. An example
of such exercise would be a concentration curl performed
with a dumbbell. It is still not very clear whether a
multi joint exercise performed on a machine offers the
same amount or better NMS than the one offered by a free
weight isolation exercise. However, for the purposes of
this discussion, we will assume that the free weight
isolation exercise provides more stimulation as
stabilizer muscles come into play (especially if you do
the exercise standing up).
Class 3b
Class 3b exercises, as you probably
guessed by now, are multi jointed basic exercises
performed with barbell free weights.
Class 3c
Class 3c exercises are multi jointed
basic exercises performed with dumbbell free weights.
The barbell exercises provide less NMS as the movement
is more restrained as opposed to dumbbells where the
weights can go in all types of directions unless all of
your stabilizer muscles jump in and constrain the
movement. Because of this, dumbbells provide the highest
NMS in this category.
Class 4
Finally, Class 4 exercises, the king of
exercises, are free weight exercises where your body
moves through space. In other words, any exercise where
your torso is the one moving, such as squats, deadlifts,
pull-ups, close grip chins, pushups, lunges, and dips,
will provide the most stimulation possible and
therefore, the fastest results. Haven't you seen at the
gym how many people do great amounts of weights in a
pulldown machine but have trouble doing pull-ups?
The reason for this is that in order for
you to perform these type of exercises you need to be
capable of not only carrying the added resistance but
also involving your bodyweight as well. Therefore, many
muscles are called into play in order to perform this
feat. If you look at it, by performing dips, chinups,
squats and deadlifts you are really hitting every single
muscle in your body! These exercises not only give you
fast results, but they also create functional strength;
in other words strength that can be used for your daily
activities.
If you are great at performing pull-ups
and you go to perform a pulldown you'll see how easy the
task of performing a pulldown is. As a matter of fact,
depending on your pull-up strength, you might be able to
lift the whole stack in most pulldown machines. However,
the reverse in not true. While you may be very good at
performing pulldowns you may not be able to perform many
pull-ups as the strength gained in the pulldown exercise
is not as transferable as the one gained in a pull-up.
Again, the reason for this phenomenon is NMS.
Conclusion
Now that you know what exercises are the
ones that give you the most bang for your buck, then my
recommendations are the following:
If you follow very low volume routines
(3-7 sets per bodyparts), please choose only exercises
in the Class 3b, 3c and 4 region.
If you follow a medium volume type of
routine (8-13 sets per bodypart), stick mostly to Class
3b, 3c and 4 type of exercises but for those bodyparts
where you perform 12 or 13 sets, you may want to
incorporate 2 or 3 sets at either the beginning or at
the end of the workout from one of the lower classes.
This is especially true for legs in which a leg
extension movement at the beginning of the workout is a
great tool for pre-exhausting the quads or at the end of
the workout serves as a great finishing movement.
For high volume routines (14-20 sets per
bodypart) you can get away with having 1/3 of your
routine composed of lower class (Classes 3a and below)
exercises.
Remember, convincing your body to grow and develop
muscle is not an easy task. However it becomes an
impossible one if you choose exercises that do not
provide a significant NMS effect. Therefore, always
choose exercises from the higher classes in order to
show your body that you mean business.
Hugo Rivera
|
