08-17-09 11:32 AM - Post#573270    

From DeLorme & Watkins, eds, PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE EXERCISE (1950)

On rep speed:

“The development and decadence of tension should be smooth and even with no rest pause at the height of the movement or its termination at the initial starting position. The load should be neither swung forward with a ballistic movement nor dropped under the influence of gravity.”

p. 11

On number of reps:

“The number of contractions per bout is arbitrarily set at ten. If fewer repetitive lifts were required, the resistance could be increased. Whether ten is the optimum number for rapid increase in strength has never been established in terms of criteria other than the empirical practice of weight-lifters. It is probable that the number closely approaches the optimum.”

p. 11

On duration of between-set rest:

“The length of the rest pause between bouts is important only in so far as it affects the total work which can be done in any single treatment period. Short rest pauses probably reduce the number of bouts which can be carried out and still lift the prescribed load ten times. What ever evidence exists tends to indicate that protracted exercise is not the prime requisite for the augmentation of strength. The power developed is important; that is, the amount of work done in unit time. Short-lived but intense exertion is the objective which should be kept constantly in mind.”

pp. 11-12

On warm-up/ramping up sets:

“The elevated temperature within the muscle is now thought to affect the viscous and elastic properties of the contractile tissue in a manner designed to augment the work done at the same production of energy by accelerating the chemical processes involved.”

p. 12

“By initial use of small muscle loads and increasing them after each set of 10 repetitions, the muscle is warmed up preparatory to exerting its maximum power for 10 repetitions.”

p. 24

“By doing 10 repetitions only with the 10-RM strength increases would be approximately the same as when three sets are performed. In fact, if it were not important to set the physiological stage preparatory to a maximum exertion, only one set of 10 repetitions would suffice. This has been demonstrated time and again in the clinic in the treatment of injuries in young athletes. . . . Incredible as it may seem, many athletes have developed great power and yet have never employed more than five repetitions in a single exercise. The amount of weight lifted seems to be the important factor in stimulating hypertrophy. Some investigators feel that it is the amount of work performed per unit of time that is responsible for strength. Observations to date, though not conclusive, indicate that it is the tension the muscle is driven to develop that, to a great degree, if not entirely, is responsible for stimulating hypertrophy and consequently strength.”

"The warm-up should not interfere with the performance of 10 repetitions with the 10-RM. In other words, if by doing 10 repetitions with the first weight (50 per cent of the 10-RM) and 10 with the second weight (75 per cent of the 10-RM) the patient is too tired to perform the 10 repetitions with the 10-RM, then only five repetitions should be performed in the first two sets, thus leaving the patient fresher for the 10 repetitions with the 10-RM. Another possibility is to omit the middle 10-repetition set (75 per cent of 10-RM), starting then with 10 repetitions with the 50 per cent of the 10-RM and going directly to 10 repetitions with the 10-RM."

“Frequently patients are unable to perform 10 repetitions with the 10-RM if this resistance is applied without preliminary exercise with lighter weights.”

p. 28

On training effect on muscle:

“Increase in strength is accompanied by a measurement increase in size attributable to hypertrophy of previously existent muscle fibers rather than hyperplasia. The amount of connective tissue also increases and the sarcolemma thickens. There is an increase in the number of capillaries and the content of muscle hemoglobin, phospho-creatine, and glycogen. The net effect of all these changes is a gain in endurance which is sometimes striking.”

p. 14

On optimum total reps:

“In the initial publications concerning progressive resistance exercise, 70 to 100 repetitions were advocated, the repetitions being performed in 7 to 10 sets with 10 repetitions per set. Further experience has shown that this figure is too high, and that in most cases a total of 20 to 30 repetitions is far more satisfactory. Fewer repetitions permit exercise with heavier muscle loads, thereby yielding greater and more rapid muscle hypertrophy.”

p. 24





Edited by Jack C on 08-17-09 12:07 PM. Reason for edit: reversed order of italicized words -- italics mine

08-25-09 11:02 AM - Post#574556    

Here and now in 2009 much of their material seems to have stood the test of time.

08-25-09 11:21 AM - Post#574562    

“In the initial publications concerning progressive resistance exercise, 70 to 100 repetitions were advocated, the repetitions being performed in 7 to 10 sets with 10 repetitions per set. Further experience has shown that this figure is too high, and that in most cases a total of 20 to 30 repetitions is far more satisfactory. Fewer repetitions permit exercise with heavier muscle loads, thereby yielding greater and more rapid muscle hypertrophy.”
Hmmm...3x8, 5x5, 3x10 come to mind. tried and true I guess.

What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach.

09-02-09 04:44 PM - Post#575996    

The reading of these two names brings back memories of when I was doing undergraduate and graduate research for physical education back in college. These names were the first ones I ever encountered who had actually done laboratory tests in progressive resistance exercise. It was their seminal work that paved the way and laid the groundwork for what we know today.

09-02-09 08:35 PM - Post#576038    

My dad worked out in California after leaving the Marine Corps in the mid 50's. The gym he frequented was also visited by George Eiferman (sp?) and his group of lifters. The 3x8-10 system was what my Pop used to build 18 3/4" arms and 50+" chest measurements well into his late 30s and early 40s. I have used different lifting schemes over the years and have surpassed him in strength levels only. Consequently, I have recently switched to a 3-4 set, higher rep scheme in order to shape the physique. Maybe the "old" guys didn't know what they were doing, but they sure set some standards that are still valid today and will continue to stand the test of time.

It's a good thing I'm in this for the long haul, 'cause it just might take longer than I thought!

09-04-09 12:13 PM - Post#576355    

3 x 8-12 and 3 x 15-20 (legs); double progression, are all most of us need.