Hannya said:
Wouldn't excercising properly and doing the full range of motion prevent the muscle from doing this? Also would you recommend mixing bodybuilding type lifts with explosive type lifts?
Unless you go in and actually physically CUT a muscles fibres....it will NOT shorten. Muscle "
shortening" is done through damage (cutting, like w/ a scalple) or through acute atrophy (
Degeneration: the
OPPOSITE of building strength and size/density).
The thing is there's two elements to keeping our bodies Truly flexible: There's the range of motion that your limbs can be forced to move to, this is what I refer to as "positional flexibility". Then there is "Dynamic flexibility" which is the range of motion that your muscular strength can reach through volutary action (not velocity or force from an outside source). Positional flexibility is good, it's important, but the greatest good we can achieve is through working toward dynamic strength....and the only way to aquire it is through working to build strength through the greatest range of motion possible....
Weight Training.
PROPER weight training, wether toward the end of Bodybuilding OR Power-lifting.....or whatever, will always include the use of our limbs FULL range of motion. Improper training is Never, ever, advisable; when doing anything.
The thought that weight training....at Any extent...will produce "Shortened" muscles or a restrictive range of motion is an absolute myth. Again: Why would Olympic trainers and the trainers of professional athletes rely SO MUCH on weight training if it did anything like this? These people's livelihood, their career and their reputations DEPEND on them using the BEST methods and staying totally up to date on the best of research in the field of exercise physiology...
IF Matt Furry's methods were as good as the
M.A. fad's exponents would have us believe, then he would be FILTHY rich and his videos wouldn't be shot in his living room with his buddies.
PLEASE Don't get me wrong, they are good.... but they don't present ANYTHING that anyone with a smattering of college level physical education doesn't already know & understand fully. Infact, his information on exercise is pretty rudimentary. Useable, good, effective....but
it's just one more approach amongst other very useable approaches. Many in the field of exercise physiology that have investigated Furry's presentation feel that his methods are lacking. ME? I've seen it before, but I like the way he brings it all together and think it's worth looking into. That's why I've obtained the material.
I DO 110% agree with the assertion that the most important thing we can do, as martial artists, is to NEVER relent in our pursuit of excellence w/in our technical expression of our arts!!! That is KEY. But the forms of exercise we use to support and elevate our abilities is important too. Knowledge and skill is CRUCIAL, but the physical qualities that we can put into play is also very important.
PROPER weight training, according to the many professional's who job it is to find the best means of elevating human physical performance, can not be beat in regards to building muscular strength, explosiveness (Known in the field as "Speed-Strength"), effective range of motion and durability.
It Cannot and will not 'shorten' or "tighten" a muscle group. Increase it's ability to contract Fully? Absolutely, and then some. But in order to truly exert force in a direction you must be able to control and relax the opposing muscles opposite the contracting muscles (known as the eccentric contraction)...this leads to better muscular control and the ability to better RELAX a muscle group. This too adds to flexibility and elasticity, as well as speed through reduced 'muscular drag' or opposing tension!
(Weight training is also excellent for strengthening bones!!)
Your Brother
John
