Static Contraction Training

Rating:
Summary: worth a look
Review: My sense is that SC can be very effective. My own experience is that my muscles don't feel so tight (short) and painful afterwards, and my workouts are faster. I also find it's easier and more pleasant to focus on a static hold compared to doing full range work (and trying to maintain proper form). And my joints feel better, oddly, perhaps because although the load on the muslces is higher, it's mostly in a "friendly" portion of my range of movement. Lastly, I enjoy the high intensity of it.

That said, my sense is that the equipment is more critical to success here than other methods. You'll need a power rack with "spotter arms" or the like, and/or a partner as spotter. I have experimented with using SC with stationary single-motion resistance machines, but (1) many machines can't supply the enormous weight you'll be holding, and (2) it can be difficult/impossible and risky to hurl yourself into initial position for the SC, unless the machine has elaborate range control (or, again, a spotter).



Rating:
Summary: Absoutly Amazing!! I have never seen gains so fast
Review: IN EIGHT WEEKS OF WORKING OUT WITH A STATIC TRAINING SYSTEM I HAVE HAD AN INCREASE IN STRENGTH OF 67%!

I would like to start out by saying that I came by Static Training more of a fluke. I am in my mid 40's and never been successful at working out at a gym. I just don't have the dedication, the drive and the time to workout four times per week. I am overweight but still not in bad shape health wise. I have tried fad diets galore tried to do the gym thing but it would all eventually fail. I realize now that most of this was due to not having set goals when working out and I can't stand wasting all that time in a gym. You really have to be committed to it and I'm not one of those people. I like most people when they go to a gym start out with a weight they are comfortable with and do your typical 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps for each exercise. I would rotate upper and lower body routines between days. I would rarely try to add more weight the following day after I worked out. My body just didn't seem to be able to handle it and therefore I would see any substantial gains and I would eventually quit. I bought a bow flex system for my home and thought that that would change things The problem with bow flex is the bow's just didn't seem to give me a consistent resistance through the range of motion. I started talking to a friend and told him I was looking for a new gym system to replace the bow flex. He referred me to Pete Cisco's precision training site as well as to explosivefitness.com.

Explosive fitness is the company that manufactures a Static Contractual training system and I think they are the only ones so far. At first I was very skeptical about it and thought there was no way that this method could work. But I was willing to give it a try. The equipment was expensive $3300 for the full setup and my wife thought I was crazy for paying that much for gym equipment that I would never use more than twice. I anxiously waited for the equipment to arrive and read all the books on Static Training and the theory behind it. Setup of the equipment wasn't all that difficult although the instructions were confusing at the best of times but with help from the company I got through it none the less.

I figured I would really give this a try and follow the formula religiously. The workouts consist of workout A and workout B which when starting out you do one then the other every three days. No big deal considering each workout consists of 5 exercises and you are only doing each exercise about 5-7 seconds. To be quite honest when I did the first workout I was a little disappointed. Even though I gave it my hardest for as long as I could hold it, it didn't feel like I had done very much and I thought for sure I was ripped off again. It was still too early to judge though mostly because I was use to working out and feeling some pain (like they say no pain no gain) Boy was I ever wrong. I did workout B three days later same thing. I did notice one strange thing was after I worked out I was unable to sleep that night after both workouts but still didn't feel like I had exerted my body. After 6 days I went and did workout A again and I couldn't believe the results I had. On those five exercises my gains increased between 15-35%. I have never experienced anything as exciting as that before. This made me very curious as to how workout B was going to work. Workout B consisted of a leg press and toe press as well as three upper body exercises. When I did my very first leg press I did 975 lbs and was very happy with that. 6 days later I did 1210 lbs another 6 days later I did 1421 lbs. On all the exercises I had been getting incredible gains I was completely blown away. I did notice that the stronger I was getting the more exertion my body was suddenly feeling. When I plateau I added another three days between workouts so now I was only working out once every 6 days. My last couple of leg presses has been over 1600 lbs and when I finished doing them I could hardly walk for 2 days. Remember I only do each exercise for 5-7 seconds. And believe me that's all I want to do after I'm finished. The stronger you get the more exertion there is on your body the more rest you need.

My best explanation of how this equipment works is that it takes you straight to straining your muscles. They say the first 10 reps in a typical workout do nothing for muscle gain it's the last 2 straining reps that stimulate growth. If that is true this system does it the best. If you looking for an aerobic exercise by a treadmill this product isn't for you. If you looking to grow muscles and get strong fast then by all means don't waste another dollar on a gym pass (you will hardly use) or some piece of BS gym equipment you can buy off TV that will wind up in your next garage sale!

I am now 9 days between my workouts and I look forward to each one mostly out of curiosity to see how much strength I have gained from the last workout. As far as weight loss goes I haven't lost any weight but I haven't changed my eating habits either but still my clothes are fitting looser my body feels tighter and definitely feels alot and I mean alot stronger. They say that after the age of 25 that you loose on average a pound of muscle per year which attributes to weight gain and slower metabolism. I have found a way to gain that back quickly and effectively. I don't expect to get a body like Arnold out of this I'm too lazy for that but have finally found a workout system that I can use for the rest of my life that really works. I feel like I have discovered the Fountain of Youth

I am now training 8 people on the equipment and all of them are having similar experiences including my wife!! Pete's book Train Smart really is what it is all about. Do yourself a favor don't waste any more time or let your life waste away!! GET ON THIS PROGRAM!


Rating:
Summary: Greatest workout ever !!!
Review: Best workout ever!!!Most people who wrote reviews DON'T or WON'T recognize the pro bodybuilders use steroids to grow muscles, and routines are an afterthought.
Use this program and you'll get in great shape. Unless you use steroids, you will not look like a pro bodybuilder.Most people don't want to look like a pro anyway.
Best workout ever !!!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Book But...
Review: 1/Static Contraction recommends holding heavy weights in the strongest position to reach the most fiber, BUT the strongest position is a function of LEVERAGE, not muscle, and how much muscle worked is a function of how hard one works,(how close to failure one comes with a heavy enough weight to keep the time short, ie , less than one minute), in any given position or ranges, SO: working in the WEAKEST position is actually MORE effective, as it involves weights that can be handled more safely, that won't overly stress tendons and ligaments, and leave room for improvement with real-world equipment. 2/In spite of some claims, MOST people will NOT have a full-range effect. Some do, true, but MOST DON'T. This is reason to recommend the NAUTILUS CAM , which alters the resistance throughout a rep to even out leverage advantages and disadvantages. The only thing wrong with cams is that they aren't always perfect, but they CAN be.
3/As far as building tissue, I've seen SCT trainess who've made incredible poundage gains, with distinctly NON-muscular bodies. Don't believe the talk about those who are 'stuck in traditionalism': BELIEVE THIS: If Mr. Olympia could improve by replacing his current regime with SCT, he'd do it. There are NO top physiques built on this system. Powerlifters shore up their weak links by working in limited ranges, but only as special training, NOT as a replacement. Extremely short sets work mostly on the central nervous system, not tissue. Beginners will gain, adolescents will gain, those with transference genetics will get full-range strength, BUT , most of us will improve at the -exercise itself-, in the range practiced, ONLY. 4/Building strength in the full range is most important, not just for strength itself but for the safety from injury that it promotes,(falsely attributed to stretching). Trainees must ask themselves :"What qualities am I training for?" 5/Most of us would be better off with the METABOLIC CONDITIONING gained via few days off, higher reps, lighter weights, and full-body movements. Traditional workouts address this to a certain extent, SCT not at all. NOTE: Sisco is promoting a special machine to use for static contractions, which adds to the problems of the system: With very heavy weights, you know that you put in enough starting effort to immediately move the weight, and that you sustained the effort, or the weight would clank to its support. With the isometric machine and its meter,(dynamometer?),the resistance is -after the effort-, and will give no feedback incentive for the same quality of effort that weight will. Taking your time easing into a subjectively judged full effort, measured or not, with no way to measure how long the full effort was held is -not- static contraction, even if the most famous promoter of the system says it is; it's just old fashioned isometrics with a gimmick to add thousands to the price. If you like this idea anyway, a makeshift version can be just as effective for a -lot- less money: High-test webbing,or material of your choice, with loops or handles for the hands and feet, and a dynamometer in the middle.