CONSTANT TENSION TRAINING

October 18, 2011

By Nick Tumminello, CPT Theres a good chance youve noticed a shift in your gym
lately. The sole power rack in the corner of your free-weight area, once dust-covered
and neglected, is in high demand. The few squat racks are being used for actual assto-grass squats rather than curls and shrugs. And the cushy seated machines with
selectorized plate stacks are slowly being pushed to the periphery. It seems basic
barbell training and compound lifts are all the rage these days and for good
reason, since no other training methods can pack on mass with the same efficiency
as the tried-and-true staples like the bench, squat and deadlift. Machine-based
movements, on the other hand, have come under fire because they tend to push
trainers into unnatural movement patterns and strength imbalances.
The big lifts are all well and good for anyone whose goals are strength and size, but the trend
toward compound movements negates the essential role that machines play in hypertrophy.
What the classic bodybuilders knew and what todays upstarts need to learn is that pushing
major weight while activating multiple muscle groups is only part of the equation, and machines
still play an essential role in bodybuilding by allowing a lifter to apply consistent tension to a
working muscle through a complete range of motion. At the bottom of a barbell curl, theres not
much tension on the muscle. Enter contrast training, which takes its inspiration from the time
under tension produced by machines and tweaks basic compound movements to make them just
as ideal for hypertrophy. In other words, you get the best of both worlds without sacrificing your
new found love for squats.

PARTIAL APPROACH
When most lifters talk about performing partials, theyre referring to the last portion of a rep.
Typical examples include the quarter squat and the rack deadlift or rack pull, where you perform
only the top third of the movement to lift heavier without working through an exercises common
sticking points. These types of partial-rep exercises are great if youre a powerlifter looking to
build strength and lockout ability in the major lifts, and theyre also useful if you need the ego
boost of moving weight you could never handle through the full range. But if your goal is to
maximize hypertrophy, youll need to focus on a different partial range.
To make significant gains in size, you need to emphasize the mid-range portion of every rep, as
thats where youll be recruiting the highest number of motor units while youre moving weight.
Simply put, more motor-unit recruitment means more productive workouts, which means
increased gains in size and strength.

WORK THE MIDDLE

Theres a fundamental concept in the science of muscle physiology called the length tension
relationship, which refers to how much force a muscle can generate relative to its length. As
numerous studies have shown, muscles exhibit the highest force output when working from
somewhere between fully elongated (stretched) and fully shortened (contracted). Simply put, for
every exercise you use to get bigger, stronger or faster, your muscles exert maximum force in the
middle range of a rep. Additionally, the more force you generate within this mid range, the more
motor units you recruit, which means youll be bringing more muscle into the game.
The practical application of all this increased muscle activity is the mid-range partial, which
takes the increased strength potential of the standard partial rep and moves it to the middle,
shifting the partials purpose to an emphasis on hypertrophy. Performing a mid-range partial rep
is as simple as it sounds. Throughout your entire set youll stay in the middle of the range. While
the mid-range specifics will vary for each exercise, the basic principle remains constant: Youll
never fully lock out the weight, nor will you ever go all the way to the bottom of a lift. Essentially,
youre eliminating both ends of the range of motion and concentrating just on the middle.
In addition to activating more motor units, mid-range partials offer another major benefit for bigtime muscle building: They force you to keep constant tension on your working muscles, as the
lack of locking out or full extension prevents them from resting at any point during your entire set.
This constant-tension method ensures that active muscles receive more time under tension,
which, like increased motor-unit recruitment, is a battle-tested and scientifically proven way to
gain muscle mass.
Keep in mind, however, that the mid-range partials used in constant-tension training arent
something you should be doing for every set. If you never force your muscles to work through a
full range of motion, you can expect losses in mobility, which is why the accompanying workout
calls for a few mid-range partial sets and a few full-range sets for many of the lifts.

RAGE WITH THE MACHINE

The beauty of the constant tension method is that it can be applied to virtually any exercise. That
said, youll find its most useful when applied to free-weight movements. Because of the nature of
machine-based exercises, theres no need to augment them to achieve constant tension. To
understand free-weight vs. machine biomechanics, lets use a biceps curl for example. During
any style of biceps curl, the point at which your biceps are maximally loaded is the point in the
range of motion in which your forearm is at a 90-degree angle with the load vector. If youre using
free weights, gravity is your load vector. So the point of maximal loading would be when your
elbow reaches 90 degrees of flexion or when your forearm is parallel to the floor.
If youre doing biceps curls using a cable column, the cable itself is the load vector, and the point
of maximal loading is when your forearm forms a 90-degree angle with the cable (which is
coming from an angle). The farther your elbow flexes (or extends) beyond that 90-degree angle,
the less stress youll place on your biceps. In other words, during a free-weight biceps curl, as

the dumbbell approaches either your shoulder in the top of the motion or your thighs in the
bottom, your biceps are receiving significantly less stimulation.
Machines for the most part, unlike free weights and cables, are neither gravity dependant nor
load-vector dependant. Because of their cam-based design, they provide constant tension to the
working muscle throughout the entire range of motion. So when you perform biceps curls on a
machine, youre working just as hard at the bottom position (elbows extended) as during the midrange and at the top position (elbows fully flexed).
The take-home message here is simple: If used properly, machines can be a powerful
weapon in your muscle-building arsenal. And despite the importance of compound
free-weight movements for increasing size and strength, anyone whose main goal is
muscle hypertrophy should absolutely include machines in his program.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Another component of the constant tension method is timing. With this protocol, youll find that
performing each set for a given amount of time is more effective than counting reps. Each of the
mid-range partial sets in the accompanying workout calls for lifting the load for a prescribed
number of seconds, for a focus on time under tension rather than total reps performed. Science
shows that this method, when done correctly, is actually as scientifically sound as counting reps.
When performing mid-range partials as timed sets, dont worry about your total number of reps or
rep speed these factors wont matter. All that counts with constant-tension training is that each
rep within a set remains within the middle range of the movement. Make this your priority and
maintain strict form on each exercise, and you can rest assured that your working muscles will
receive some serious stress regardless of how many actual reps you perform. Keep in mind,
however, that youll be performing prescribed rep counts (not seconds) for machine-based
moves in this workout, as machines already offer constant tension for reasons described above.

CONSTANT TENSION WORKOUT

Use this program for the next six weeks to combine the time-under-tension benefits of machinebased moves with the anabolic boost of compound barbell lifts. For all moves shown in bold,
check out the corresponding exercise description before performing them.
Day 1: Chest & Tri's

EXERCISE
SETS
Bench Press (mid-range)
3
Bench press (full range)
2
Incline Dumbbell Press (mid-range)**
3
Incline Dumbbell Press (full range)
2
Cable Crossover
4
EZ-Bar Skullcrusher (mid range)
2
EZ-Bar Skullcrusher (full range)
4

TIMING*/REPS
45 seconds
6-8
45 seconds
6-8
8-10
6-8
10-12

Triceps Pressdown

10-12

*WITHOUT COUNTING REPS, PERFORM THE MID-RANGE PARTIAL MOVEMENT FOR THE
PRESCRIBED TIME. REST ONE MINUTE BETWEEN SETS.
**FOR THE MID-RANGE REPS, LOWER THE WEIGHTS UNTIL YOUR ELBOWS REACH A
90-DEGREE ANGLE, AND NEVER LOCK OUT YOUR ARMS AT THE TOP.
Day 2: Legs

EXERCISE
SETS
Back Squat (mid range)**
3
Back Squat (full range)
2
Dumbbell Split Squat (mid range)
3
Dumbbell Split Squat (full range)
2
Bulgarian Split Squat (mid range)
3
Bulgarian Split Squat (full range)
2
Leg Extension
3
Lying Leg Curl
3
Standing Calf Raise
4

TIMING*/REPS
45 seconds
6-8
45 seconds
6-8
45 seconds
6-8
10-12
10-12
15

*WITHOUT COUNTING REPS, PERFORM THE MID-RANGE PARTIAL MOVEMENT

FOR THE PRESCRIBED TIME. REST ONE MINUTE BETWEEN SETS.
**FOR THE MID-RANGE REPS, DESCEND UNTIL YOUR THIGHS ARE PARALLEL
TO THE FLOOR, AND STOP A FEW INCHES SHORT OF LOCKOUT IN THE TOP
POSITION.
DAY 3: Back & Bis

EXERCISE
SETS
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown (mid range)
3
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown (full range)
2
Seated Cable Row (mid range)**
3
Seated Cable Row (full range)
2
Hammer Strength Row
4
Dumbbell Biceps Curl (mid range)
3
Dumbbell Biceps Curl (full range)
2
Machine Preacher Curl
4

TIMING*/REPS
45 seconds
6-8
45 seconds
6-8
8-10
45 seconds
6-8
10-12

*WITHOUT COUNTING REPS, PERFORM THE MID-RANGE PARTIAL MOVEMENT FOR THE
PRESCRIBED TIME. REST ONE MINUTE BETWEEN SETS.
**FOR THE MID-RANGE REPS, PULL THE CLOSE-GRIP HANDLE ALL THE WAY INTO YOUR
MIDSECTION DURING THE CONCENTRIC PORTION, BUT STOP A FEW INCHES SHORT OF
LOCKING OUT ON THE NEGATIVE.
DAY 4: Shoulders, Traps & Abs

EXERCISE
SETS
Seated Overhead Barbell Press (mid range)
3
Seated Overhead Barbell Press (full range)
2
Dumbbell Lateral Raise (mid range)**
3
Dumbbell Lateral Raise (full range)
2
Front Dumbbell Raise (mid range)**
3
Front Dumbbell Raise (full range)
2

TIMING*/REPS
45 seconds
6-8
45 seconds
8-10
45 seconds
8-10

Dumbbell Shrug
Weighted Swiss Ball Crunch
Swiss Ball Pike

4
5
5

12-15
12-15
12-15

*WITHOUT COUNTING REPS, PERFORM THE MID-RANGE PARTIAL MOVEMENT FOR THE
PRESCRIBED TIME. REST ONE MINUTE BETWEEN SETS.
**FOR THE MID-RANGE REPS, MAINTAIN AT LEAST 5 INCHES BETWEEN THE DUMBBELLS
AND YOUR THIGHS IN THE BOTTOM POSITION, BUT STILL GO SLIGHTLY ABOVE
PARALLEL IN THE TOP POSITION.
- See more at: http://www.musclemag.com/article/constant-tensiontraining#sthash.2zdcYTxQ.dpuf