Training for Life
Level 6 Valued Member
Thanks for taking the time to help, very insightful points. It’s very cool to hear about this stuff from people who’ve used it.These compensation patterns exist in all of us. Our body is clever and is trying to shift us out of a position of discomfort and increasing weakness. If we start to rely on compensations then eventually we get hurt.
I would say - we move (or in this case 'we don't move') until we can't and then we compensate. We compensate until we can't and then something goes wrong.
So providing that nothing hurts at the time or afterwards, then some compensation isn't necessarily bad. You could argue that we are simply calling other muscle groups in to assist (like ripples in a pond), which could lead to a far more systemic reaction and output.
Regarding which version of extremes to use. Your idea is a great one - use both.
When I have watched videos from the likes of Tommy John (who trained with Jay - I believe). He talks about either using short range burts (pulling hard into position), or long holds failing downwards. He has video of his 5 minute lunge (ouch). I think he used to have a 'records' wall when he had a facility and all the times seemed to be based on max length holds.
Also - in the video it said to maximally pull into position (lunge) by flexing the back leg glute to open the hip....this is understand and on-board with. It also said to pull the front foot back to flex the front leg hamstring and hip flexor....pulling the front leg back does indeed flex the hamstring, but it doesn't fire the hip flexor because there is no real force going through the hip (outside of the force already being produced to hold you in that position).
Richard
I read my previous message and realised it came off a bit wrong. I meant to say that a lot of material seems to point towards holding until failure like you described. In addition I’ve heard a bunch of people also emphasise the posture and maximal contraction, but still until failure. Only a few bits mention the sub-maximal type of scheme, although when I’ve used it, I’ve usually reached failure in the later sets anyway.