Tension time is most important for bodybuilders?

[str8cubano]

Curently taking exercise phyisology, and my professor has been training athletes and powerlifters for years now. He mentioned that for size, the bodybuilder is more concenred with tension time than powerlifting. I usually rest a lot between sets as I have become accustomed to it. But the more time the muscle is under tension, the more muscle fibers we recuit and thus more likely to cause Hypotrophy. I always used to max out and it has worked for a while, but I have the mentality that I feel that If i can't lift heavy, I won't get big. I can care less about benching 300lbs if benching with less weight will produce better results.

In any cause, I want to have less rest inbetween sets. I usually rest 2-3 mintues inbetween sets, sometimes even 5 minutes when Getting extremly heavvy say in the low row or bench press. But I've found that due to lactic acid buildup (and cardiovascular reasons) its tough to rest 45 seconds inbetween sets, especially if I expect to lift heavier and more reps. What do you guys think from expereince? Better to rest less inbetween sets and lift less weight, or rest more and have more time to rest to lift heavier. Again, this is with the theory that powerlifters want to rest and lift heavy, but bodybuilders want maximum tension time..

 

[rick_hfh]

I met an old school bodybuilder that said TUT "Time under tension" was the key to building muscle. He was huge back in his day and was on the cover of magazines in the 70's. TUT is what he used to get huge. What I think your professor was describing was the amount of time with the muscle under the tension of the weight. Not the amount of rest between sets. I have experimented with both shorter rest periods, and length of sets. I do not think either gave greater results than regular lifting.

For the shorter rest periods, I went as low as 30 seconds for smaller groups. Also 45 sec-minute and a half for larger groups. The pumps were great but strength was down during sets. From what I have read, your muscles will recover as much as they are going to, in about 2-3 minutes from a set. So I figured that if I cut rest down it would push the muscles past usual exhaustion. I gave it a shot for about 2 months on basic lifts like, bench curls and shoulder presses. From my experience, it wasn't the answer I was looking for.

I also experimented with TUT abit also. After seeing pics of the guy in his prime I gave TUT a shot. From what I have read, and what I have been told that 45 sec - over a minute, was needed to casue hypertrophy. After my experience, I do not think that TUT was worth my time. Either way don't let my experience stop you from trying it. I have experimented with most tangibles. From what I have learned, diet is more important thing for growth.

 

[str8cubano]

I have experimented with most tangibles. From what I have learned, diet is more important thing for growth.

and steroids

 

[rick_hfh]

LOL, that doesn't hurt either. Even with aas you can't grow without enough food. It works great for Scott Steiner. Fukn Freak.

 

[Kouta]

LOL, that doesn't hurt either. Even with aas you can't grow without enough food. It works great for Scott Steiner. Fukn Freak.

for bodybuilders i would first worry about just getting stronger. You can do super slow exercises all day but if your as weak as piss they arn't going to be doing much.

First build a base by getting strong in the main exercises then if BB is your choice experiment with things like TUT later on. Most people find that by just getting stonger they reach there size goals anyway.

 

[Protobuilder]

Why not do both? Heavy weights, longer rests, for tension work. Followed by, or on a different day, lighter weights w/ shorter rests, for metabolic work.

 

[rick_hfh]

Time under tension has nothing to do with rest periods between sets. It is the time the muscle is under the load of the weight.

 

[silver_shadow]

let me quote someone here - scroll right down to know who it is.

"Everybody want to be a bodybuilder but don't nobody want to lift no heavy ass weights!"













































































-- ronnie coleman

 

[blut wump]

Anthrax Invasion had a good link on here but I've lost it.

Basically, the way that muscle fibres work is that as many will be recruited to perform the task that you demand of them as are needed. When you work high repetitions or deliberately go for TUT then what you are doing is causing muscle fibres to fail. As they fail, more will be recruited to do the job. Eventually, 'pump' and acid build-up kick in and cause you to stop before you do yourself harm.

When you lift a heavy weight. The same thing happens; as many fibres are recruited to perform the task as are necessary. The upside is that you aren't draining the CNS sending twitches of current to spent fibres. Lots of nerve bundles fire to lift the weight and many fibres are worked in that short, heavy set. There is evidence that low reps can be more effective for building muscle than high reps. The difficulty lies in learning how to exert yourself, pretty much in line with the Coleman quote.

Holding tension for a long while will result in increased blood flow and a resulting engorging of the muscle. This will result in swelling and pump. Majutsu posted once about experiments done on rats involving veinous occlusion that indicated there is some evidence that this swelling can lead to larger muscles but healing will take care of it given time.

 

[silver_shadow]

Anthrax Invasion had a good link on here but I've lost it.

Basically, the way that muscle fibres work is that as many will be recruited to perform the task that you demand of them as are needed. When you work high repetitions or deliberately go for TUT then what you are doing is causing muscle fibres to fail. As they fail, more will be recruited to do the job. Eventually, 'pump' and acid build-up kick in and cause you to stop before you do yourself harm.

When you lift a heavy weight. The same thing happens; as many fibres are recruited to perform the task as are necessary. The upside is that you aren't draining the CNS sending twitches of current to spent fibres. Lots of nerve bundles fire to lift the weight and many fibres are worked in that short, heavy set. There is evidence that low reps can be more effective for building muscle than high reps. The difficulty lies in learning how to exert yourself, pretty much in line with the Coleman quote.

Holding tension for a long while will result in increased blood flow and a resulting engorging of the muscle. This will result in swelling and pump. Majutsu posted once about experiments done on rats involving veinous occlusion that indicated there is some evidence that this swelling can lead to larger muscles but healing will take care of it given time.

speaking about how many fibres are recruited to perform a lift - WSB (or for that matter any PL routine with speed training) has dynamic effort training as a necessary part. in this you'd perform 9 sets of 2 of squats (at ~ 50-60% of 1RM) and 9 sets of 3 of flat bench (at ~ 50% of 1RM). you'd perform this with strict form and attempting to move the bar as fast as possible - that is attempt to move a sub maximal wt with maximal force. the point of doing that is to train the body to fire as many fibres as possible to lift any wt. hence, a novice lifter can lift quite a few sets of sub maximal wts whereas an advanced lifter will be busted much sooner. so when presented with a PR lift, the advanced lifter is in a position to be successful.