Muscular Hypertrophy Through Isometrics

Throughout Block VII, a three-week block running from June 13-July 1, our primary objective was muscular hypertrophy through an increase in time under tension via longer eccentric tempos (i.e. 5 second negative) or higher number of sets and reps (i.e. 4×6, 3×10, 3×12, etc.).

In Block VIII, a second three-week block running from July 4-22, we will continue with this thought process of increasing time under tension for muscular hypertrophy adaptations via longer isometric holds, or paused reps with low to moderate intensity, while also continuing to increase the number of reps in accessory movements later in the session. Volume will remain steady throughout the block whereas load or intensity is expected to increase weakly. Although, our accessory movements will progress/regress appropriately within the upcoming block based on weaknesses observed by our coaches, our main movements will remain the same. This six-week phase with two hypertrophy sub-blocks will leads to an increase in the following physiological adaptations: cross-sectional area of muscle fibers, work capacity, motor unit behavior, strength, and overall muscle function.

REFERENCES

Grgic J and Schoenfeld BJ (2018) Are the Hypertrophic Adaptations to High and Low-Load Resistance Training Muscle Fiber Type Specific? Front. Physiol. 9:402. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00402

Hedayatpour, N., & Falla, D. (2015). Physiological and Neural Adaptations to Eccentric Exercise: Mechanisms and Considerations for Training. BioMed research international, 2015, 193741. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/193741

Oranchuk, D. J., Storey, A. G., Nelson, A. R., & Cronin, J. B. (2019). Isometric training and long‐term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(4), 484-503.