Is all muscle training the same?

[C33]

I am doing isometric exercises ( Callanetics) and getting amazing results. I can say that I am sculpting my body 5 times faster than with regular muscle training with machines or hand weights. I have gain a lot of strengh and do it 6 days a week.

I have read this book that says you should do WEIGHT training to keep your muscle mass as you age, so I am confused. I can SEE and feel that I gained muscle with Callanetics. Are the muscles build differently or have different composition if built with resistance training ( weight) than with isometric exercises?

[Shamou]

In order to keep your muscle mass you must do some resistance training... it does not matter if it is isometric or isotonic... but you must get those muscles to work...

Also, there are two major types of training... you can train for power or for endurance... if you train to get stronger and bigger muscles... you use heavier loads and fewer repetitions... if you want endurance... you use lighter loads and more repetitions...

Any more questions... feel free to ask...

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[aaronmp2003]

Another reason for doing resistance exercises other than isometric type of movements is because you also want to build up the muscles and connective tissues through their normal ranges of motion.

The only way that muscles, tendons, and ligaments get stronger is to push them beyond their normal limits and also through their normal ranges of motion.

It may not always be necessary to actually use external weight, however. There are hundreds of bodyweight exercises that will help you get drastically stronger as well as maintaining strong and true ranges of motion at the same time.

[Steve Pavlina]

All resistance training is definitely not the same.

Lately I've been getting excellent results with partial rep training. This means lifting heavier weights in your strongest range of motion for each muscle group. Training this way requires special attention to safety as well as equipment like a Smith machine or Power Rack to limit your range of motion to just a few inches. The basic idea is that you're going for maximum overload to encourage maximum muscle fiber recruitment.

For example, on my leg press I was doing about 500 lbs (not counting sled weight) with full range exercises. But when I limit the range to just 3-5 inches for my leg press, I'm up to 680 pounds and getting stronger every workout.

Partial rep workouts are very tiring and require more recovery time, so you really have to watch out for overtraining. I find that I can't effectively work the same muscle group more than once a week when doing partial reps -- if I train twice a week, my muscles don't have enough time to fully recover and grow between workouts. But when I allow enough recovery time between workouts, I get noticeably stronger every single workout and am alway increasing the weights. With other types of training I never got stronger every workout.

I've noticed a definite increase in my muscle mass in the several weeks I've been doing partial rep training, especially in my arms. Erin has commented on it too.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina
For example, on my leg press I was doing about 500 lbs (not counting sled weight) with full range exercises. But when I limit the range to just 3-5 inches for my leg press, I'm up to 680 pounds and getting stronger every workout.

Very impressive Steve...

Also, I guess that partial rep training would also give you a better pump with increased vascularity... good tip... thank you...

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