+ 2 Antagonistic Multi-Set Training Principle
Along with the overload principle, there is a scientific training principle that is complementary and very effective. It is called the Antagonistic Multi-Set Training Principle. Antagonistic muscles are muscles, or groups of muscles, whose contractions provide for movement in opposing directions.
Before getting into the application of this principle, let’s first take a moment to familiarize ourselves with the reasoning behind using this principle. There are a few processes at play that affect muscular contractions (see my previous post about “Contractile Failure and Lactic Acid). What it boils down to is extended rest, nervous relaxation, and lactic acid removal.
Extended Rest & Lactic Acid Removal
Removal of lactic acid from the muscle tissue cells between sets is the most effective method of ensuring that a minimal number of repetitions are los in following sets. Extending between set recovery periods is the most effective method in accomplishing this goal.
The cori cycle is a metabolic process that ultimately converts lactic acid that has been released into the blood back into energy by the liver. This energy can then be used by the working muscles. This does not change the fact that lactic acid inhibits contractions upon its production within the cell.
Training antagonistic muscle tissue back-to-back in the same workout offers one solution to this problem of optimizing lactic acid removal. Suppose you need 3 minutes between sets to allow for the performance of the same number of reps in the following set. What would happen if, after completing a set and waiting those 3 minutes, you went to a different movement for a totally different antagonistic muscle group? After completing this set, you waiting another 3 min, and once again returned to the original movement. The workout would last the same amount of time, only each muscle group would spend twice the amount of time (6 min) in recovery between sets, allowing for the greatest amount of lactic acid removal possible.
Now imagine moving directly from one exercise to the next “antagonistic” exercise without rest? If 3 minutes are required to perform each movement, the same amount of work would be performed in ½ the time, still allowing the muscles to recover adequately (3 min). If this is too demanding, there is no harm in resting briefly between sets, as the goal here is to ensure the same number of reps with each subsequent set.
Nervous Relaxation & Lactic Acid Removal
When nervous signals are transmitted to antagonistic muscles in an alternating fashion, resting muscle groups experience no residual impulses. This effect is only consistent with antagonistic muscle contractions. By ensuring that the muscle group(s) being trained together are antagonistic, as earlier mentioned, in effect there will be a forced relaxation in the resting muscle. In a sense, you are stretching the resting muscle group while the antagonistic group is performing contractions. This will allow for optimal collateral blood flow in the recovering muscle, lactic acid removal and conversion, and oxygen enrichment.
Since the cardiovascular system re-routes blood flow back and forth during antagonistic muscle functioning, the performance of a set for the second body part will actually draw interstitial fluid (along with the removed lactic acid) back into the vessels from the areas around the antagonistic muscle group.
Applicaton..
Taking all that into perspective, the goal is to ensure equal number of reps per set. Since lactic acid is a by-product of energy metabolism during contractions, the objective is to ensure removal of lactic acid. Since the muscles become impervious during contractions, we are faced with two options for removing it – stretching or resting. The methodology here is to incorporate both without sacrificing ample amounts of time in the gym. Knowing that our muscular system is arranged in opposing fashion (agonist/antagonist), and the fact that when one muscle contracts the opposing muscle (antagonist) relaxes, we arrive at this training principle. How you structure your routine is entirely up to you, but the following is a list of agonist/antagonist muscle groups (I will only focus on major muscle groups here):
• Chest (Pectoralis Major & Minor) / Back (Latisimus Dorsi)
• Rectus Abdominis / Spinal Erectors
• Oblique left / Oblique right
• Anterior Deltoid (front) / Posterior Deltoid (rear)
• Biceps / Triceps
• Forearm flexors (palm side) / Forearm extensors
• Quads (rectus femoris) / Hams (Biceps Femoris)
Remember, no matter what your fitness goals are, always strive to improve your performance. The faster you recover, the stronger you become. The stronger you become, the more you can push yourself. The more you can push yourself, the better your performance.
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really like your threads man, I took up the force feeding concept to put my macros to better use , not sure about this one though.
Anonthanks, man. the force feed concept is a great tool for kickstarting the repair process. this principle, however, is mostly designed to aide in achieving the same number reps per set by improving watse removal and blood flow, without sacrificing the duration.
i like to apply this to my arm day. i work out in the mornings before work, and hitting biceps alone leaves them super tight all day long. not that that's undesirable, but i wind up getting charley horses in them at times and overall just walking around looking like a robot for half the day. lol. this technique helps to stretch them during the workout and afterwards because both antagonistic muscle groups were worked (when one contracts the opposing forcefully relaxes) and both are tight and pulling on the bones making up the forearm. this subsequently renders both muscles in a somewhat relaxed state - more so than if they were worked on separate days.
Give them a vote if you find it helpful.Permalinki also further understand the second part of your thesis, your explaining that by engaging another muscle group after that 3 minute break you are allowing the antagonistic group of muscle being contracted to cause blood flow to the "pumped" group first worked so to speak and cause residual lactic acid removal; while i understand your approach and have even experienced this as i am sure many have (working a second muscle group overtime reduces intial muscle groups pump)i feel this approach to be best for those doing cardio or athletic type training where different muscle twitch fibers are implemented, im sure that to our core our genetic structure determins the amount lactic acid produced at a given time and i am contending androgenic compounds may reduce lactic acid as i have noticed an increase in endurance during heavy and extreneous activity. But id like to point out once again that as a bodybuilder personally my goal is to exhaust and deplete the muscle as much as possible to cause broad expansion of fascial tissue and of course post macros and vital nutrition. I am looking for a blunt resolve in reducing lactic acid without impacting my routine, i understand you told me this isnt possible if so i am contempt because my regiment is working, but if their is a way i will find it; if you cross any further information please keep me in the loop, thanks bro.
Anonyou are correct that this will add some cardiorespiratory factors. This is considered an advanced technique and should not be performed by the beginner. Furthermore, I would recommend taking a brief resting period between heavy sets.
the concept here is to incorporate both rest and stretching without compromising duration. this allows for the release of cellular waste by-products as well as the uptake of nutrient rich blood.
unfortunately for all of us, it is impossible to reduce lactic acid build up when applying the overload principle. lactic acid is simply a by-product of energy metabolism within the muscles' cells. it occurs when glycolysis rate surpasses the mitochondrias' ability to take up and utilize pyruvate molecules for creatine synthesis (ATP is actually the next step). if it were possible to reduce this occurance, it would hinder your progression because you would essentially need to slow down energy production.
speaking of stretching i have started to incorporate stretching literally between the set i have seen faster growth from this technique for example lets say im doing pulley tricep pulldowns on a bar after a certain amount of reps i bend forward allowing the tricep to naturally stretch as the elbow bends back i feel this further increases hyperplasia than would otherwise be minimized by just doing a normal reps per set. i understand where your coming from though i may have to put this to a rest and let my genetics take the wheel but knowledge is power no harm in researching right haha. anyway i have a question for you Dossier i hear way to much that creatine is broken down by ascorbic acid in your opinion or research is this a true or false statement? i take a considerable amount of Ascorbic acid and Grapefruit juice to reduce intestinal enzym CYP3A4 to slow down the metabolic breakdown of drugs i understand this reduction can last hours, and ascorbic acid can linger and its in plenty of drinks today.
AnonHere's an alternative. When I do back and biceps, my biceps get really tight, even tho I stretch them between sets. The tend to stay that way for several hours in my case. Ever tried to shave your face after blasting bis? It ain't easy. Lol. This is where I incorporate this principle. By throwing some tris in the mix, I have increased the stretching benefits thru nervous innervation and forced relaxation. Makes a huge difference for me in terms of mobility and recovery between sets.
To answer your question, I honestly do not know. It has been a minute since I've studied micronutrients and their roles. I do not recall vitamin c playing a role in this. I know that it aids in boosting immune function by safeguarding against free radicals, but I don't recall a role in metabolism. Typically, it is your b vitamins that function as co-enzymes for cellular function. I will double check my books though.
i have read the first part of your article, this is my articulation and reasoning please correct me if im wrong or tip me how i can improve: your basically stating work one muscle group wait three minutes work a totally different muscle group allowing 6 minutes of total recovery for the first muscle group therefore wasting no real time yet doing more and removing more lactic acid, while i do understand this is beneficial for lactic acid removal as a bodybuilder this is not my best approach for fascia expansion, while i am on a quest to further reduction in lactic acid to further extend my ability for fascia expansion i find it to be a fork in the road; taking such a long break, my mentality is hitting the muscle group again and again until complete exhaustion for a considerable or predetermined amount of sets while only resting 30seconds while i do understand that because of the lactic acid buildup i will lose repping power i will flood the muscle with ATP byproduct as stated in your last post creating a tissue expansion therefore stretching the fascia therefore serving the purpose of bodybuilding.
This seems like it would be more help for someone working on sports performance or strength rather than gaining size through hypertrophy. Also by giving the opposite muscle group work it will help give you a spring board effect and let you lift more weight. I might through this in sometime for a change.
Anongive it a try. you might be surprised what loads and numbers you reach. start with a smaller muscle group and see how you like it - say the arms?
I like your thought process on this, it can also apply to supersets and/or also staggered sets.
Anonabsolutely! it can be applied for heavy, moderate, or lighter loads. IMO, i would say that, when going heavy, to still rest a bit in between. Heavy sets like this without enough rest (cardiovascularly) will have you worn out before you know it. Gotta find your limits, no doubt
in the context of your very well written article!
when dealing with chest, I would say focus on back movements that facilitate scapular retraction. Lats are involved with shoulder movement that is not typically antagonist in nature to the shoulder movement found with most chest exercises.. mid-traps, rhomboids, posterior delts, etc. can retract and lower the shoulder girdle and would be imo more conducive to the context of your post. this is classic corrective exercise technique and two other antagonist muscle groups would be hip flexors (psoas, TFL, etc.) / glutes
Anongood job at identifying the antagonists!