Dr Mel Siff Blog

It is often stated that a muscle lengthens, but all shortening and
lengthening takes place relative to some starting position. In functional
anatomy, the length of a contracting muscle is invariably measured relative
to its resting, unactivated length. During concentric action, the joint angle
decreases while the muscle contracts; during eccentric action, the joint
angle increases while the muscle contracts. During isometric action, the
joint angle remains the same, even though the muscle is contracting.

Isokinetic action does not take place under any natural daily life
conditions, but is the result of movement that is controlled by a special Read more…

Many Internet users are already aware of my concern about the inappropriate
or misleading use of biomechanical terms such as “force-couple”, which is
recognised in mechanics as something that is very different from a “couple”,
as we shall see later.

Recently I encountered the following Internet commentary on this same topic,
so it is apparent that the misuse of biomechanics terminology may be
escalating, simply because some folk are relying in good faith on textbooks Read more…

Since the topics of “Functional Training” and “Functional Rehabilitation”
have once again reared their heads in various conditioning circles, the
following discussion that a few of us shared about a year ago on another
group may be of interest here:

One Supertraining Contributor wrote

<< Gambetta is always making a big issue about how important it is to train
‘multi, or tri-planar’ movement (just pick up any copy of Training &
Conditioning that’s got an article by him)? I guess he teamed up with
physical therapist Gary Gray (pretty famous PT, I think) and put together a
‘revolutionary’ new training exercise designed to train this all important
quality – tri-planar movement. Gray presented it in a video at the recent
NSCA Conference in Kansas City. . .

The video was pretty long if I can remember as it illustrated a whole bunch
of variants of the ‘complex’ – some of which seemed pretty silly (i.e. like Read more…

The Principle of Progressive (Gradual) Overload has been part of training
methodology at least since the young Milo of Crotona was reputed to have
increased his strength by lifting a young bull that increased in weight as he
and Milo both grew older and heavier.

This simple principle means that you will gain strength if you gradually
increase the load with which you train. This sound all very well until we
analyse it in a little more depth. What this means is that you train with a
load that is your maximum for a few days or weeks, somehow that maximum will Read more…

Someone asked me to post information about Alexeyev’s training approach.
Well, here is an article by Ivanov, which was sent to me by someone whom I
cannot remember, otherwise I would gladly reference it corrrectly.
If anyone knows the original source of this information, please let me have
it, so that I can give credit where it is due.

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ALEXEYEV’S LIFTING TRAINING

When I asked Vasili the reasons for his constant victories, he thought a bit
and answered: “If I want something. I will definitely achieve it. No matter
what I have to sacrifice … The more complex the situation, the more Read more…