In the process of engaging in physical exercises to build muscle mass, each athlete should have a basic understanding of how their muscle contractions are carried out during various kinds of loads. In this article, we consider the question of what modes of muscle work are.
What it is?
To better understand the static and dynamic modes of muscle work, which will be described later in the article, a few words should be said about the anatomy of muscle tissue. As you know, with it, a person performs a whole gamut of movements, from holding the body in equilibrium, and ending with jumping, performing rotational and other types of movements in the space of his own body and its parts.
The elementary unit of muscle tissue is muscle fiber, which is an elongated cell. Its anatomical name is myocyte. This cell is capable of either increasing or decreasing its length as a result of exposure to electrical impulses. The combination of a certain number of myocytes forms a specific muscle, for example, biceps, triceps and so on.
Muscle fibers are attached rigidly to the bones of the skeleton using tendons. As a result of contraction or stretching of the fibers, the bones move, the joint between which is called the joint. The specified movement is manifested in practice in the form of movement of the limbs of a person and other parts of his body. Obviously, stretching and contracting, the muscles perform some mechanical work against gravity, elasticity and other physical forces.
What muscle modes are there?
Under the mode of operation of muscle fibers, we understand the nature of the change in their external parameters (length and thickness) during physical exercises. These changes are due to the type of external load. The following four operating modes are distinguished:
- Myometric It is also called concentric.
- Plyometric or eccentric.
- Isometric.
- Auxotonic or combined.
Myometric mode
This mode of muscle work is characterized by a reduction in the length of muscle fibers. As a result, the so-called overcoming work is performed, that is, a person with the help of his own efforts overcomes external force influences.
Vivid examples of this mode are such simple actions as walking, when a person pushes off a solid surface and overcomes friction, or jumps aimed at overcoming gravity. If we talk about special physical exercises with extra weight, then the muscles of the chest, shoulders and triceps work when the athlete pushes the barbell from a prone position or standing. Pull-ups on the bar are carried out due to contractions of the biceps.
The described operating mode is quite gentle, therefore, its active use during training with weights for beginners favorably affects the process of muscle growth, minimizing the risks of various injuries, for example, muscle strain or tendons.
Plyometric mode
It is characterized by the performance of inferior work, during which an increase in the length of the muscle occurs, that is, its extension. The plyometric mode differs from the myometrical mode in that during stretching, any muscle experiences much greater tension. And receives a greater load than during its compression. This leads to the following two conclusions:
- Firstly, plyometric is the most effective muscle work regime for developing an athlete’s physical strength. The fact is that in the process of stretching under load, micro-ruptures of special sections of muscle fibers called sarcomeres occur. Their subsequent recovery increases the volume and physical strength of the muscles.
- Secondly. The plyometric mode is characterized by the fact that the muscles in its process are able to develop strength 1.5-2 times greater than during the myometrical one, which more fully trains human muscles.
Examples of exercises that use the muscles in the mode under consideration are landing after a jump, which results in shock absorption, lowering the bar or lowering the body on the bar. This effective muscle working regime for muscle building requires the slow performance of these exercises. The slower they will be realized by the athlete, the more tension he will achieve in them.
In view of the indicated features, the plyometric mode is the most traumatic, therefore it is recommended to practice it only for less trained athletes in the middle of their training programs. When performing complex exercises with large weights, it is also recommended to resort to the help of a partner.
Isometric mode
In the process of its implementation by different muscle groups, the length of the latter remains constant. That is, the musculature does not contract and does not stretch, but maintains a constant length of its fibers.
The isometric mode is characterized by slightly lower muscular loads than during the plyometric mode, while it is less sparing than the myometric mode.
An example of an isometric work of muscles is to keep the bar in a fixed position or to hold the weight upon completion of lifting the body on the bar.
Auxotonic mode
Since it is called combined, it is easy to guess that it combines several different modes. In particular, this is an alternation of myometric and plyometric (sometimes isometric is also included).
Any movements in athletics and weightlifting that occur during the full cycle of exercises require the work of muscles in a combined mode. Thanks to him, all the muscles of a person are trained uniformly and fully.