Day 33: POWER Leg Training
**I’m excluding all warm up sets**
Front Squats (ATG pulse reps): 325lbs x 6, 325lbs x 6, 325lbs x 6
Lying Leg Curls: 225lbs x 6, 225lbs x 6, 225lbs x 6
Walking Barbell Lunges: 185lbs x 16 paces, 185lbs x 16 paces, 185lbs x 16 paces
Hybrid Calf Training
Precor Elliptical: 35 minutes
Thoughts
Front squats using a pulsing ATG motion are very hard to do. During this training session I only came halfway up in the motion to keep a strong tension on the hamstring and gluteal muscles. I have found that performing these with a closed stance in this manner really hits the long and short heads of the bicep femoris pretty damn hard.
This may seem like a little contradiction to the use of front squats but nevertheless variations on the same exercise can ellicit contrasting modes of stimulation. Squats can be used to train hamstrings effectively.
Unfortunately, when I began a more serious approach to bodybuilding I never did deep squat variations. I was more concerned with how much weight I was pushing as opposed to properly developing my legs. As a result, my hamstring developed suffered greatly even though my ego didn’t. Now that I’m prepping to hit the stage in October I’m making great efforts to correct this lack of development. Hopefully, some of you younger guys/gals thinking of competing can learn from my mistake. Go deep or go home!
Discussion
I was planning on go a little further in explaining how maintain sarcolemmal integrity increases force production in myofibers. Call me lazy, but I decided to watch Memoirs of a Geisha lastnight instead of completing my self imposed reading assignment:
Allikian MJ, McNally EM. Processing and Assembly of the Dystrophin Glycoprotein Complex. Traffic. 2007 Jan 30
Allard B. Sarcolemmal ion channels in dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscle fibres. J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2006;27(5-7):367-73. Epub 2006 Jul 28.
Towler MC, Kaufman SJ, Brodsky FM. Membrane traffic in skeletal muscle.
Traffic. 2004 Mar;5(3):129-39.
This involved reading the aformentioned peer reviewed articles on sarcolemmal integrity with regards to dystrophin. I mentioned dystrophin briefly a few weeks ago claiming it did have a role enhanced sarcolemmal integrity by maintaning it’s connection with the cytoskeleton. There is some pretty compelling evidence supporting the theory that this has direct impact on contraction force.
Unfortunately for our purposes, there isn’t a lot of research involving trained athletes on this subject matter. Because of this we can look to pathologies involving dystrophin deficiency. This in turn points us to studies on studies of Duchenne muscular dystrophy which is a truly heartbreaking condition. From here we should be able see the power of maintaing sarcolemmal ingrity with dystrophin complexes by analyzing the effects of its impaired integrity.
Deserusan’s Essential Weight Training Selection
February 25, 2007 at 12:39 pm
"As a result, my hamstring developed suffered greatly even though my ego didn’t." This was great!