The amazing effects of power factor training have actually been confirmed by many bodybuilders.
Principle of power factor training method
The theoretical basis of the power factor training method is well known: overload and super recovery.
Another indispensable factor in promoting muscle growth is the amount of exercise completed by the muscles per unit time. That is to say, it is achieved by increasing the weight (power factor) lifted by the muscles per unit time. Therefore, the exact meaning of "load" is: excessive recovery is the result of increased practice intensity (increased practice volume per unit time), and has little to do with the total practice volume.
Many of the latest studies have proven that peak load is an essential condition for muscle growth. We can naturally draw the following conclusion: there must be a training method that can make the muscles get the strongest load from training and thus achieve the fastest growth. This is where Power Factor Training was born.
The following explains the principle of power factor training method based on the principle of half-range movement practice.
Take the bench press as an example. The smallest range of bench press strength is the few inches when you start to push the barbell from the chest, and the highest strength is the few inches when the bench press is almost completed. An athlete who can bench press a maximum weight of 200 pounds under traditional training methods can actually bench press a maximum barbell of 365 pounds. Traditional training methods, performing full-range exercises with a full range of motion, only mobilize part of the muscle fibers to push up the 200-pound weight. Once he began to only perform bench press exercises in a small range with a maximum weight of 365 pounds in the maximum strength range, which can mobilize as many muscle fibers as possible to participate in the force, his strength and muscle size increased rapidly. Without calculating the power factor, we cannot accurately reflect a large increase in training intensity numerically.
Leaving aside academic research, from a common sense point of view, in terms of powerPracticing to failure in the largest range is much more intense than practicing to failure in the smallest range. The more weight you use, the more muscle fibers involved in the effort, and the more work your muscles do. Furthermore, the recovery time from such high-intensity training also needs to be longer. The reason is simple, heavier exercises combined with higher intensity will inevitably cause deeper muscle fatigue.
Special training methods can produce special training effects. This is the most basic cause-and-effect relationship between training and muscle growth. When you perform movement exercises in the maximum strength range, the effect of muscle growth is very obvious. This is directly proportional to the load placed on the muscles during training. On the contrary, if you perform exercises with a full range of motion, the training effect is divided into two parts; muscle mass and strength; and flexibility. As a result, the rate of muscle growth is significantly slower. It should be clear that a sufficient range of motion is not a necessary condition for overloading the muscles. Overload is the only factor that promotes muscle growth.
Basic concepts of power factor training method: time and power factor
The weight used for exercise is a very important factor in the muscle fiber participation in the exertion process. Another equally important factor is the time used for exercise. The time mentioned here is not the time used for a single group of exercises, but the time used for all exercises of a certain muscle group and the time used for the entire training session. Because this is where the power factor comes into play.
If the efficiency of muscle work is the only factor affecting muscle growth, then it is important to learn how to calculate the workload of the muscles for each exercise and each training session. This way you can use precise numbers to compare the load, muscle workload, and overall training effectiveness of each training session.
You must learn to calculate your own power factor. The calculation is simple, but very important, because it determines whether you can grow chunks. Divide the total weight used during training by the training time to get your training power factor.
A good way to test the effectiveness of training
Until now, the only way bodybuilders have evaluated training is by "feel." All other things being equal (rest, nutrition, etc.), if you lift a little more weight or feel particularly tired and well-congested after a training session, you will feel that this training session was more rewarding than before. But this is a rough, subjective estimate after all, rather than an accurate reflection of mathematics. Once you check your power factor, you'll know immediately if you're lifting more weight in a certain amount of time than you did the last time you trained. Measuring power factor is the most effective way to measure your progress. By calculating the power factor, various bodybuilding theories and training methods can be unveiled; how much work is done by the muscles? Is this training method long? How much can it grow? How fast? More meaningfully, all Factors that promote or hinder muscle growth can now be quantified. You can accurately and objectively measure and compare the effects of training more or less, training with lighter or heavier weights.As a result, see what impact the length of training sessions and the number of rest days between training sessions have on you. This rapid and accurate assessment can be invaluable during bodybuilding, weight training, and any other form of strength training.
The secret of power factor training to promote muscle growth
The power factor training method requires the body to provide a large amount of energy to the muscles in a short period of time. Energy in muscles is stored in the form of glycogen, and the amount of glycogen stored determines the muscle's ability to contract. When the glycogen in the muscles is depleted, muscle contraction stops. However, precisely because the glycogen in the muscles is used up, the body can be forced to increase the muscle's ability to store glycogen to achieve the purpose of "super compensation."
Bodybuilders can increase the glycogen storage capacity of their muscles to twice that of ordinary people. With more glycogen, your ability to train for longer periods of time at higher intensities (necessary for stimulating muscle growth) increases. At the same time, increased glycogen storage in muscles can also promote increased muscle size. This is also the reason why bodybuilders can further increase the size of their bones and muscles by ingesting a large amount of carbohydrates before competition.
Another reason why power factor training can promote the increase of muscle circumference is that it promotes more blood flow into the muscles of the trained area and generates more capillaries. In addition, it increases the natural secretion of growth-promoting hormones, which is another important reason for promoting muscle growth.
Development Trend
Whenever an innovation creates a radical change, it is considered revolutionary. That's what power factor training is all about. It successfully applies precise mathematical calculations to the field of bodybuilding and shows that training within the maximum range of strength is extremely effective. It provides a new, exciting and highly effective alternative to traditional training methods. I believe that future bodybuilders and all athletes engaged in strength training will widely adopt this training method.