From Robert:

>>Both from reading and from experience I have noticed that certain bodyparts
pespond better to heavy weight/low reps light weight/higher reps for others.
 Hamstrings in particular on straightleg deadlifts, romanian dead lifts seem
to respond better to the heaveir training.  Any thoughts on this as well as
other body parts with a tendancy to respond to different stimuli would be
appreciated.<<

The best hamstring exercise is full squats, done to parallel with a slow descent, a pause at parallel, and a quick rise, but no bounce at the bottom.

The way muscles respond to different training is primarily a product of the muscle fiber composition.  Fast twitch fibers respond to higher speed and heavier training.  This is true also of intermediate (fast oxidative) muscles.  An advanced technique is to use negatives for these muscles.  Slow twitch fibers respond and are adapted to higher repetitions and lower weights.

In the calf the soleus is the slow twitch muscle and the gastrocnemius is the fast twitch muscle.  The gastrocs form the larger part of the muscle.  Hence, the calf responds to both heavy-low rep and lighter high-rep exercise, but in different parts.  

Deltoids are primarily fast twitch fibers, so I train them with negatives.  It is not wise to overload the shoulder joint with heavy weight, so faster moves and lighter weight seems a better way to train the FT fibers of the shoulder.  I see lots of cases of shoulder compression in body builders from heavy lateral raises, particularly when done on a machine that does not fit the individual.

These comments are a preview of some of the advanced techniques I have been researching and developint that go beyond hierarchical and alactic training.  They are forthcoming in the book.


---------------------------------------------
Arthur De Vany
Professor
Economics and Mathematical Behavioral Sciences
University of California
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
Tel: 949-824-5269
Fax: 949-824-3733