The Hybrid Method, Using Variable Resistance in a 3-Dimensional Plane, By: Tony Reynolds, MS, CSCS, YCS II
Important Notice
Tony Reynolds, Progressive Sporting Systems Inc, and their associates
and affiliates are not affiliated with Anabolic Steroids in anyway and
do not promote or encourage the use of these drugs. His articles within this section of our site are published to offer a broad range of fitness and nutritional knowledge that will help you to achieve your health and fitness goals without the use of Anabolic Steroids.
Introduction
The use of strength training to augment athletic ability has been the standard for most competitive programs for many years now. There is no argument that an effective program must produce several types of strength that will effectively translate to an athlete’s playing environment. These strengths must be specific in the sense that they have a positive effect on performance, and decrease the athletes potential for injury. Unfortunately there is no golden program that will turn our athletes into super-warriors. It becomes the job of the coaching staff to educate themselves in order to weed out hyped up methods that have no sound physiological and biomechanical foundation. In doing so, they can connect the pieces together of a puzzle to reflect their needs, and the demands of the sport.
It becomes difficult to determine which methods have sound research to support them. The answer becomes clouded for the simple fact that they almost all have some sort of following that promotes them as the best. What we have to figure out is which ones are the best suited for the needs of our program.
This article is going to put a spot light on one specific method of training that I feel is superior to many other methods and I will give some sound reasoning behind my rational. I am going to discuss what I call the hybrid method, a method of combining free weights with variable resistance to better optimize the production of strength through the entire strength curve and to increase multiple forms of strength simultaneously.
Fundamentals of Training
To understand the principles behind hybrid training you must understand some fundamentals of training. There have been many discussions on whether it is better to train with machines or free weights. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so we will start by examining them and progress from there. First lets discuss machines. Machines are excellent for isolation training. The construction of most machines have them functioning about a single axis which creates a single plane of motion. These machines are usually designed to generate a uniaxial movement such as leg extension or flexion, which isolates the prime mover for that motion. This becomes priceless during initial stages of rehabilitation when muscular tension must be precisely manipulated, but loses appeal in training for dynamic multi-planner multi-joint movements. Rarely in athletics does force production happen in the state similar to that experienced in a machine, which creates some issues for potential carry over to sport.
Previously machines did have one distinctive advantage over free weights in that the advent of elliptical cams allowed for varied resistance throughout the range of motion. This made the application of force dynamic in the sense that it changed with the body’s’ ability to produce force at different angles without having to change the velocity of the movement. This was a huge development, yet it never did compensate for the loss of proprioception and kinesthetic development that multi-planner multi-joint movements can enhance. Furthermore the necessity for high levels of joint stabilization about 3 dimensions is not optimally addressed with machines. Manufactures design these cams around the average person. How many of us fit that description? My wife and I are both over 6 feet, they don’t fit our curves, and if we have kids, I am sure they are out of luck too. Finally the amount of variation caused by the cam is not really that great. Thus it does not really do what it was designed to do that effectively.
Even though the majority of the previously mentioned flaws are not an issue with the use of free weights such as barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, and body weight, there is still the issue of addressing the bodies changing ability to produce force. For example, when we do maximal strength testing using free weights, whether it is rep testing or 1 RM testing, we are truly getting what the athlete can do at their weakest point throughout a range of motion. Take the bench press for example. Most individuals posses the ability to press more weight through the upper third of the motion than they do during the bottom third. When we test them for strength we find the weakest link in the strength curve and we call this their bench max. We neglect the 99.9% of the curve that is stronger then that one weak point. Now we compose programs that target this weak point but submaximal stress strength production at vital ranges of motion. I don’t really feel that this is efficient training.
There are some different ways coaches address this problem. One popular way is to do partial movements with loads that are consistent with that range of motions force production. This is an effective method that I use, but once again, you are training the weak spot, it is just in a different range of motion. Another method is to alter the speed of the motion. You must generate different levels of force to move a given object at different speeds. For instance, if you wanted to jump 5 inches off the ground you would need to produce less force at a slower application than if you wanted to jump 15 inches off the ground. The body still weighs the same you just have to propel it higher and faster. The problem with this method is that at terminal ranges of motion the “self-preservation” mechanisms in the bodies joints kick in and cause the deceleration of the joint so it wont experience damage. We also have to deal with the momentum that we create with the acceleration. This momentum will carry the implement over a given distance, dependant on the variables within the situation. This will result in work be performed that we would truly like our muscles to perform. Although this method is key for dynamic training, we have lost the increase in muscular tension through the range of motion that we so dearly wanted.
A highly intelligent man in Columbus Ohio by the name of Louie Simmons has discovered the answer to these problems. By a Adding heavy chains and/or thick elastic bands to the bar we can accommodate resistance and keep all the other positive attributes of training with free weights. This is a relatively new method of training and lacks scientific research, but all of the principles around it have been studied for other reasons and have proven to be useful. What makes the hybrid method so valuable? First, huge contrasts in weight can be utilized with this method. I will use the power squat to demonstrate my point. Lets say we load the bar with 300lbs of weight. While performing the movement the load is going to stay constant even though the muscular tension is not. Now we load 50 lbs in chain onto the bar. When we are standing erect the chain is slightly touching the ground to reduce swaying, so we truly have 40 lbs of chain suspended in the air. Our bar weight is now 340lbs (math class is good). As we start the eccentric phase, the chain is going to load onto the ground. As the bar lowers the chain piles on the ground, thus unloading the bar. Now we are in the hole and all but 10lbs of the chain is on the floor, the obvious bar weight is 310lbs. We start the eccentric portion of the lift and the chain starts to unload from the floor. The closer to erect we get the greater the bar weight. We have just experienced 40lbs of manipulation. We could add or remove chain to adjust the amount of manipulation experienced.
The same holds true for the heavy bands. As the bar lowers the bands retract releasing the tension and decreasing the bar weight. As the bar rises, the bands stretch adding weight to the bar. There are different intensities of bands so that manipulation can be adjusted.
There are a few differences between the bands and the chains, the first being the way they load and unload the bar. The chains change resistance linearly. Buy this I mean the ratio between displacement and load stays constant. For every displacement of X inches the weight changes Y. For the bands the ratio changes exponentially. For every displacement of X the change in Y increases or decreases in multiples. This will have a dramatic impact on the way the CNS reacts causing recruitment patterns to change between the two methods.
The second difference between the bands and chains is that the bands must be attached to the ground and to the bar. This means that they do not travel linearly with the bar. The line of pull is between the bar and the anchor, so careful attention must be paid to the location of the band attachment. Misalignment can cause improper distribution of force. The chains are only attached to the bar. This allows them to travel with the bar when it is moving. For instance, when you walk the bar out during the squat, the chains will move with the bar allowing them to hang directly under it.
Other theories regarding these methods exist, but have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The first theory suggests that after prolonged exposure to this training the huge manipulation in resistance can affect the way the CNS recruits loaded musculature. It has been hypothesized that over time these recruitment patterns become “engrained,” meaning that the nervous system will try to recreate similar patterns during non-dynamic loading. By definition this is similar to the fundamental principle underlying explosive strength, which it the ability to continually apply greater force over a brief period of time. This acclimatization coincides with Staley’s S.A.I.D. principle with states that (S)pecific (A)daption occurs to (I)mposed (D)emands, suggesting that an organism will adapt to the demands placed upon to be better prepared for it in the future.
The second theory involves the eccentric loading created by the bands. It has been suggested that the additional load created at the top by the bands could produce stored elastic energy that may not fully dissipate by the end of the eccentric motion. Keep in mind that at the bottom (end of eccentric motion) the load is significantly lighter due to the retraction of the bands. This extra energy may be used do increase reversal strength during certain exercises. This would have a huge impact on the face of strength training as we know it. The training of elastic strength could have a similar effect of that experienced during plyometrics.
There are some major concerns that must be addressed with these methods of training. Due to the intensification in mechanical work the tendency for over-training increases dramatically. This may result in injury and detraining if not addressed properly. Chain training is not as demanding as band train and can be tolerated for longer periods of time, but all accommodative resistance should be cycled with straight weight to insure recovery. Secondly, the larger loads experienced may be more than the core and stabilizer muscles are use to dealing with. This may result in spinal and joint injuries that could be detrimental to performance and longevity. The athlete must be properly prepared for this type of training by emphasizing core and stabilizer strength, especially in younger individuals such as high school students.
Application to Sport
Unilateral unstable movements dominate athletics, and thus must be developed through special exercises. These motions, in addition to countless bilateral exercises, can all be trained using the hybrid method. The following section is going to illustrate a few of the different ways that bands and chains can be used to augment training.
The 1 leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The RDL is an effective tool that can be used to develop unilateral strength in the posterior chain muscles. The band can be looped from the base foot to the neck, to a weight belt, or both. Not only does this increase tension at greater hip angles, it increases the proprioceptive and kinesthetic properties of the lift.
Medball and Physioball Pushups
The bands can be an excellent way to progress shoulder stability exercises such as the alternating medball pushup and the bilateral physioballs pushup. Once these exercises have been mastered using body weight resistance adding the bands can take it to the next level.
Standing abs
Throughout sport the pelvis must be stabilized in a standing posture. The load created by supporting the upper torso can change how the abdominal musculature functions. This creates a different environment than that normally trained by the traditional supine abdominal exercises. The bands can be used to train the core in a standing posture and can better prepare the athlete for more dynamic training. The following exercises are just a couple of examples of movements that can be done with the bands.
