The Contrast Method Part 1: Introduction to the Contrast Method

The contrast method, put simply is that the load of a given exercise changes at certain points or throughout the range of motion, as opposed to static or consistent resistance which would remain the same. The reasoning for why you would use the contrast method is fairly straight-forward, but when and how to apply it can be much more complicated. In this series of articles, I will explain the what, why, when and how of the contrast method and hopefully shine some light on how it can be used effectively to smash through plateaus!

First off, I should explain what "accomodation" means in the context of the contrast method. For every exercise, a strength curve exists. This refers to the difficulty by which a given load can be lifted through different parts of the ROM. At the beginning of an exercise, when the mechanical advantage of the joints is at its lowest and the muscles are stretched out and at their weakest, a given load would be much more difficult to move than near the end, Looking around a gym, it doesn't take long to notice the "quarter squatters" and "quarter benchers" loading on up to 150% of the weight they can actually take through a full range of motion, then only moving it a few inches. Obviously, this is not an effective way to build a strong, balanced body. However, static resistance taken through a full range of motion isn't necessarily perfect either, since the development of the entire movement is limited by how much can be handled in its weakest range. This poses the following potential issues:

1) The muscles responsible for finishing the lift can lag in development, since the weight that can be handled at the bottom isn't nearly so difficult once it passes the point where the mechanical advantage ticks over to positive contribution. This is why many raw powerlifters can actually find themselves weaker in the lockout of a bench press than in the initial drive off the chest, and must use board presses or rack lockouts to bring up their triceps.

2) Rate of Force Development, or RFD can suffer. RFD is extremely important not only in the success of maximal lifts but also in athletic carryover. To maximize neurological output in a lift, the lifter should be driving as explosively as possible against the resistance. Using static resistance, it's possible for a certain load to force the athlete to drive hard to get it moving, but then slow down once it has momentum and approaches lockout. This is inefficient, and will make strength progression slower and more difficult.

As with anything else in the strength world, there are many different ways to deal with these issues and not every athlete responds as well to the contrast method as others, but it gives intermediate to advanced athletes a tool which they can use to accomodate for this strength curve, by adding more resistance throughout the ROM. Two major tools can be used, bands and chains. The chains can be mounted either directly to the implement if the kinetic chain is short like in a floor press, or extended to start further away if it's longer like in a squat. There are commercially available chain extenders, but I like to use dog leashes. They're MUCH cheaper and do just as good a job. Bands must be anchored to the implement using band pegs, heavy dumbbells or whatever else you have available.

Using the example of a kettlebell press, it isn't uncommon for someone whose max press is 24KG to be able to push press 32KG, so their triceps are able to lock that weight out and the muscles of their shoulders and upper back are able to support it at the top. Push pressing heavier weight won't necessarily carry back over to the strict press, since the leg drive is too much of an unknown factor. However, adding an 8KG chain that is mostly coiled on the floor to start and is fully raised by lockout will allow the lifter to perform a strict press which maxes out both the weight they're able to drive out of the rack and the weight they're able to lock out, so all of the muscles involved in the lift from beginning to end are working to their potential. Also, the RFD will be improved since the lifter will be forced to drive explosively through the entire range of motion. If they slow down, they may fail to 'out-run' the resistance as it is added on. This will result in higher neurological efficiency and stronger lifts.

Hopefully this first part has helped you to understand the basic overall idea of the contrast method and why it can be an excellent tool for intermediate to advanced athletes. If you would like to know why I wouldn't typically recommend this method for beginners, how bands are VERY different than chains, and some ideas on how to program the contrast method, stay tuned for Part 2!

Supplement Spotlight: Agatsu Recover-Me

So a few weeks ago I received my Recover-Me in the mail. I wanted to wait to post anything about it until I'd been through a few different kinds of training with and without it to see if I noticed a difference and if so, how much.

I was fairly confident just based on the source. I've actually always been a fan of supplements since I tried Gaspari Superpump 250 for the first time - I think I was maybe 16. I've tried a lot of crap over the years and picked up a few products along the way that have been really helpful and trustworthy but supplements have consistently been a part of my routine. The thing is, Shawn is not that guy. When he says that he had to create supplements in order to feel like it was worth taking them, it isn't just marketing hype, it's reality. The same obsessive pursuit of greatness that lead to the success of Agatsu's educational courses and equipment is definitely evident in this supplement.

Essentially, Recover-Me is designed to, well, help with recovery. I think the biggest difference I've noticed is not the amount of soreness but in the manageability of what soreness I do experience. If you're truly pushing yourself then nothing is magically going to eradicate all the discomfort that goes with that, but there's pain that you just have to wait out and then there's pain that with stretching, mobility and foam rolling can actually be dealt with. I find that since starting to take Recover-Me, I'm not only less sore in general but pretty much all of the soreness I do experience has been the latter, that through work I can deal with.

Since I've significantly ramped up my training as I prepare for the CBJJD worlds in Brazil, this has proven invaluable alongside diet, recovery work and hydration to help me get ready for the next training session. Get yours at:

http://www.agatsu.com/store/products/recover-me/

Slowly but Surely... Box Squats and Banded Leg Press July 6

Squats have been rough the last couple of months, and surprisingly not due to knee issues. Despite training camp and everything else my whole lower body has actually held together wonderfully. The trouble has been getting into position properly, as tightly under the bar as I should be for heavier lifts. I haven't had the same kind of shoulder mobility i'm used to. Last night though, I felt it again - that feeling of the bar being completely connected and nice and light out of the rack even with heavy weight.

Triples up to 315 w/o belt

Belt

335 x 3

Wraps

355 x 3, 365 x 5

365 x 5 wasn't in the plan but the plan is fluid right now. Honestly with how up and down everything has been injury-wise it would just be depressing trying to operate within the parameters of a program with set percentages. That'll have to wait till after Brazil, now when I lift it's about doing the best I can do that day. After the third rep at 365 I made a decision that heavier than this wasn't in the cards tonight, but I could squeeze out a couple more with this weight now that I had momentum. Felt really good as I'm fairly sure my best ever healthy set of 5 was around 375.

Leg Press - sets of 6 w/2 second pause at the bottom and 150lbs of band tension

90, 180, 270, 360, 450, 540

This felt good too. It had been a while since I'd done leg press in general but there's something about it with a pause and band tension that blows up my quads in a way nothing else does. I'm very glute and hamstring dominant when I box squat so it's a nice balance.

Why Get Certified?

Let me tell you a story about my first tattoo. It was around 2004 when I stepped into Bear's Skin Art on walk-in Saturday to have two kanji characters tattooed - "Good" and "Evil" on my upper back. I have two resounding memories from that day. One of them is Bear's stance on gun ownership - "An armed society is a polite society", he said - and the other was his reaction when I told him I wanted kanji done. As soon as I showed him the picture of the characters, he asked if I'd had it read by anyone other than the person that wrote it, and immediately added that if not, I should go and not bother coming back until I had. I'm a bit more liberal when it comes to gun control, but thankfully we saw eye to eye on the tattoos in foreign languages thing. I think as a society in general we all kind of cringe at the idea of the guy walking around with a tattoo that he thinks means "Heavenly Gates of Extreme Fighting Spirit" but actually translates to "Furnace. Women find me unsettling. Mayonnaise."

Why then would someone pay $80 an hour to train with someone who lists their credentials on their website as "Fitness Expert with 10 Years of Experience"?

"Fitness Expert", "Fitness Guru", "_______ years of training/experience/exposure" are all widely spread terms used to convey a sense that a person knows what they're doing, yet none of these terms in and of themselves mean anything at all. 10 years of experience could mean the person started walking on a treadmill ten years ago and decided they were good enough at it to tell their friends they were all doing it wrong, or it could mean they were heading up the strength and conditioning for the Miami Heat, or it could mean anything in between. If you're training with them then you're essentially gambling $80/h that it's at least closer to the latter than the former. Fortunately for me, I'm involved in martial arts as well so I get a double dose of this. I'm not sure there are enough legs on insects in the world to count the number of times someone has bravely strode onto a message board to say some variation of "belts don't matter bro, I'm not a black belt and I've tapped out lots of black belts". First of all, no he probably hasn't. Second of all, you know who you've never heard say belts don't matter in BJJ? Yeah, a black belt. The whole notion of belts (or certifications) not mattering at all is an entirely self-serving concept and it's often used by people who don't have accreditation simply to justify continuing to charge for their services without having to put time, energy or money into getting any.

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking and yes, you are absolutely correct. It is 100% possible for someone without a kettlebell certification to know what they're doing, just like it's possible that Tekken 5's unverified tattoo actually means what he thinks it does. It's also 100% possible that someone WITH a kettlebell certification could be a hack. Certifications aren't absolute like that. However, and here is what you should really take away from this whole article so I'm going to make it bigger and bold to ensure just that:

"Accreditation means that at one point in time, someone reputable other than the person themselves acknowledged that they had achieved a certain baseline of skill and understanding in a given field."

That's what it really boils down to. Accreditation is meant to establish a baseline. If you ask someone if they know what they're doing and they say yes but only they can verify it, then you can choose to believe them or choose not to but ultimately you just don't know. If at least, at some point, someone with a proven track record signed off on the fact that they know what they're doing, then you know that it's a safe bet they still do. Does that really seem like the craziest idea anyone ever had? Why would you fight against that?

Now what if I told you that as an added bonus to having your (possible) awesomeness verified officially, you could learn new things, open up new possibilities for your own training and form lifelong friendships? Wouldn't that be worth at least checking out the link below? I know I thought so when the website looked very different about ten years ago, and I have never, ever stopped being happy and thankful that I did.

http://www.agatsu.com/certifications/kettlebell-certification/