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Royce
03-01-2009, 07:12 PM
Although I posted the following some time ago, lot’s of people have come and gone, so It think it might be time to revisit a protocol that I call Power Flexing with limited movement.
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Power flexing with limited movement.

In effort to evolve new applications for VRTs/ DVRs and related protocols, I have been experimenting with a variety of DVR modifications and sharing them with a few folks in my Qi Gong group, along with a couple of my PM correspondents.

One technique that we are discovering to be quite productive is a combination of power flexing and VRT/DVR based resistance.

Here’s the essence of the procedure, which can be modified for a wide range of exercises.

To illustrate the protocol, let’s focus on a VRT/DVR pull-up and plan on establishing three static points within the course of the movement. We start with our arms above our heads, which is position one. We will be combining movement with power flexing—that is, static holds.

In fact, the first part of the exercise will be a static hold. Hers’ how it goes:

In position one—hands above your head--create absolute maximum VRT/DVR tension—that is, so much tension that you simply can’t get your arms moving. Keep that tension for six seconds and then let up ever so slightly so that you can pull your arms down to the second position.

As soon as you reach the second position, relax you muscles, but hold the arm position. (Take a breath.) Now apply six seconds of maximum tension at the number two position. Let up ever so slightly, just enough to allow your arms to move slowly down to the position of a completed pull up. Relax your muscles again; then do a final six second flex.

A few comments:

Some people seem to have trouble creating maximum tension with VRTs/DVRs. They just don’t seem to be generating adequate resistance. Starting from a static position gives them time to more slowly increase the tension. And when they finally start to add movement, the mental feedback is ideal. The body “knows” what maximum tension feels like due to the feedback from the static hold and keeps high tension even when the arms start to move.

How many reps are necessary? Just do one rep! That’s right just do one rep. Now I know that a lot of you won’t be satisfied with that, so let’s figure on some leeway. If you are an advanced man and itching to turn on your “afterburners,” do three repetitions of each exercise.

This is an outstanding technique and I’m anxious to hear how some of the rest of you like this sort of exercise. Now I, obviously, intend to use this technique within the parameters of a HIT regimen. It’s just as obvious that some of you will want to do it with a volume approach. That’s all right, but let’s shares the results and compare notes.

DTB
03-02-2009, 08:32 AM
Royce, I had saw this before, good to be reminded !! Would you do all of the upper body on one day (2x week) and the lower body 1 x week ? Also, would one need to perform any Iso's with this routine? Curious to hear what your thoughts are. Thanks!

Royce
03-02-2009, 01:49 PM
Royce, I had saw this before, good to be reminded !! Would you do all of the upper body on one day (2x week) and the lower body 1 x week ? Also, would one need to perform any Iso's with this routine? Curious to hear what your thoughts are. Thanks!

Royce replies:

Over a period of time a number of points about this routine have became apparent. First of all, it helps people learn to flex properly. Make no mistake, some people do have trouble learning to flex their muscles when doing either Power Flexing or VRT/DVR exercises.

And this inability on the part of some people to flex properly has caused a cadre of people to wrongly assume that VRT/DVR resistance can’t supply heavy resistance. Simply stated, since they have failed, they assume everyone must fail.

There is, clearly, a lot of tactile feedback involved when performing Power Flexing With Limited Movement. When one is putting forth sufficient tension to block all movement of the limbs and then, ever so slightly, reduces the tension to permit slow movement to the next static hold position, a powerful feedback loop is put into effect. Over a relatively short period oftime, one will improve his ability to do both VRT/DVR exercises AND Power Flexing. We have a great deal of synergism involved here.

The static holds—Power Flexing-- are a kind of isometrics that feature antagonist/agonist muscle action. So they can certainly substitute for conventional isometrics—that is, where a person works against an immoveable object.

When properly done, Power Flexing With Limited movement compresses a huge amount of exercise into a compact routine.

What follows is a sample routine that combines Power Flexing With Limited Movement and standard VRT/DVR exercises:

Start with “bent over rows” utilizing Power Flexing With Limited Movement:
Do one repetition.

(This single rep will take approximately 40 to 60 seconds. You will hold in a static fashion for eight seconds at each position. And it will serve as the pattern for all of the rest of the Power Flexing With Limited Movement. Now follow the rows with the rest of the routine.)



Bench press with Power Flexing With Limited Movement:
Biceps curl with Power Flexing With Limited Movement: one repetition.

Triceps pushdown with Power Flexing With Limited Movement: one repetition.

Squat or dead lift with Power Flexing With Limited Movement: one repetition.

After you have completed the aforementioned Power Flexing With Limited Movement exercises, you will finish your workout with conventional VRT/DVR exercises:

VRT/DVR military press: one set of eight repetitions.

VRT/DVR pull downs: one set of eight repetitions.

VRT/DVR hammer curls: one set of eight repetitions.

VRT/DVR dead lift or squat: one set of eight repetitions.

Do this full body workout twice a week and on the off days either walk or do “High Stepping exercises.” The amount of walking or “high stepping” needed will vary from person to person and is to be determined by various factors.

If you are doing manual labor, you may not need any additional exercise at all. The same would hold true if you are a regular participant in a strenuous sport, such as basketball or boxing. Power Flexing With Limited Movement, in fact, nicely melds with the kind of endurance training associated with strenuous sports.

Incidentally, if you are doing either Yoga or Qi Gong, you may or may not need the
“high stepping” or walking. My present Qi Gong routine is quite strenuous and gives me all the endurance training that I need. It features a lot of sub maximal isometrics and VRT like resistance performed over a relatively long workout.

If you are just endeavoring to develop great size and strength, no walking or “High Stepping” will be required.

I should add that if you feel over taxed by this program, it is all right to turn it into a split routine and do the upper body one day the lower body on another day. That will work, too. The important thing is not to overstress your system.

Many years ago, back in the early seventies, I was doing a lot of Power Rack work with weights. And I followed a program that took only twenty minutes to perform. It was a program endorsed by Bob Hoffman of the York Barbell Company. Bill March, one of the premier lifters of that era, was, reportedly, a great fan of the routine. The best aspects of that program are replicated in the sample Power Flexing With Limited Movement routine that I have posted.

So I encourage you to give this program a try. It has worked for many others.

douglis
03-02-2009, 02:15 PM
Yes,Power Flexing With Limited Movement is an outstanding technique.
I was performing it for three months,with the difference that i was doing 3-4 of the described reps, and it was one of the toughest workouts i've ever tried.
Now i returned to a classic VRT workout to change things a little but for sure i will try it again in the future.

DTB
03-03-2009, 10:43 AM
Thanks Royce!!!

MikeNY
03-03-2009, 11:12 AM
Royce I see the connection between DVR/VRT and Powerflexing, I've been into Dynaflex a long time and see that DVR/VRT and Powerflexing travel the same path. Nice work Royce!

DTB
03-05-2009, 08:14 AM
Is there anyone who has followed this program in the past? Obviously not the routine Royce just posted, but the actual concept of Power Flexing with limited movement as Royce explained. Interested to know how you did. I have started the routine and will follow it exactly as prescribed for the next 3 months.

Royce
03-05-2009, 08:21 PM
Is there anyone who has followed this program in the past? Obviously not the routine Royce just posted, but the actual concept of Power Flexing with limited movement as Royce explained. Interested to know how you did. I have started the routine and will follow it exactly as prescribed for the next 3 months.

So far as I know, when it comes to the concept of Power Flexing With Limited Movement, I was the first to talk about it at forums hosted by JP’s company.

Common sense tells me that someone else at another time or place beat me to the punch.
But so far as this forum is concerned, I think that I’m the first to talk about the concept.

And I developed the protocol by extrapolating from my experience with weights and my old “power rack.”

A few years ago, a number of people here JP’s domain worked with my self-resistance version of Power Flexing With Limited Movement exercise. And they reported great success. For the last twenty minutes or so, I’ve been trying to find some of their posts concerning their experiences. I’ve been searching in my personal archives. But, so far, I haven’t found what I’m looking for.

I am not sure, but I believe that Gery, our European friend who used to provide readers here with a regular log of his HIT routine, tried the Power Flexing With Limited Movement routine and liked it a lot . Certainly, he was, by no means, the only one to adopt this training routine. But it has been long enough since I first posted about this method that I just can’t recall the names/”handles” of the other people who tried the program.

I do know that the routine has worked great for me. But the important thing is for folks to see how it works for them. Give it a try!