Remember going to the doctor's as a kid and having them whack your knee?
- You're sitting on the edge of their table dangling your feet.
- They have some whacky hammer, or maybe even use their fingers.
- And then smack your the area just below your knee cap and your leg kicks out (ideally)
They were testing a natural reaction- The Stretch Shortening Reflex
It's a # neurological phenomena
Which is real useful to have because it stops us from tearing something when we overstretch muscles / tendons.
BUTT!
It's also something cheaters use when they workout...
Okay "cheaters" is definitely a harsh term because most people don't realize.
The reason it's "cheating" is because it's essentially using your muscles + tendons as a rubber band.
You stretch the rubber band out and it snaps back on it's own.
People do this a lot when they squat.
They...
- Drop down to the bottom of a squat
- Quickly stretching out their elastic muscles / tendons
- Bounce back up
Instead of actually producing the force to stand back up- They (unknowingly) rely on this # neurological phenomena to make the squat easier.
Which can be great! (This reflex 100% has a time and place to use)
But in this scenario...
It robs people of true strength gains.
So- What to do about it?
Try a slight pause at the bottom position of exercises.
This will stop you from using any "elastic energy" and force you to use the strength of your muscles to finish the rep.
(Which is how you make strength gains)
So during your workout(s) this week...
- Pick a few different exercises
- Take a 1 second pause at the bottom position
- Repeat for every rep of the exercise
And have fun getting stronger!
