Max Contraction Training : The Scientifically Proven Program for Building Muscle Mass in Minimum Time

Rating:
Summary: Stick to regular, full-range high intensity training.
Review: Although the principles of high intensity training are valid, and static contraction training can be highly effective, there are some errors in John Little's arguments in support of his max contraction training, most notably the incorrect assumption that the intensity with which a muscle can be contracted is position dependent. This is not true.

Several years ago I wrote the following in an article on static contraction training and other isometric training protocols, which explains the issue:

"Arthur Jones, the founder of Nautilus, has often stated that the only position in which one is capable of contracting and thus stimulating all of the fibers in a particular muscle is the position of full muscular contraction. This is incorrect for several reasons.

First, unless a person is a genetic freak possessing a neurological efficiency of 100%, they will never simultaneously contract all of the fibers in a given muscle regardless of position. It has been assumed that average neurological efficiency is between 20-30%. A maximal contraction does not mean every single fiber in a muscle is involved, it means that one has recruited all of the motor units or groups of muscle fibers one is capable of and they are firing at the highest possible rate.

Second, there is a difference between a motor unit firing, or attempting to contract, and actually being in the fully contracted position. Maximal fiber recruitment is not dependent upon maximal muscle shortening.

A motor unit, or group of muscle fibers sharing a common innervation, can be firing at an extremely high rate and producing force, without actually shortening, the same as you can apply a maximal amount of force to an extremely heavy object without actually moving it. A muscle can contract with the same amount of force in the mid-range of a movement as it can when completely shortened (possibly more due to interdigitation of myofibrils in this position), which would indicate that an equal percentage of motor units would be active in both positions. Due to leverage and other factors the muscular force output would be different in those two positions, but the actual force of muscular contraction and thus fiber recruitment would be the same, and that's what counts. There is nothing special about the position of full muscular contraction."

Static contraction training has tremendous potential value, especially to those who suffer from injuries or joint conditions which prevent them from performing certain exercises dynamically. It is also capable of stimulating meaningful strength and size gains. However, the position of full muscular contraction is not the ideal position to perform static contractions in many exercises where a significant lever advantage results in little meaningful muscular loading in that position.

If you are interested in reading about high intensity training I recommend John Little's book with Mike Mentzer, "High Intensity Training The Mike Mentzer Way", instead.

Rating:
Summary: How to make more money;
Review: Develop a system that has trainees supposedly lifting so much that traditional equipment can't even hold the weight! Now sell them a special machine, only available from an associated supplier. The fact of the matter is that 'normal' weight training will bring you to your genetic potential soon enough, with the most impressive gain at the beginning, so what's the impatience?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and essential information with some big problems
Review: Max Contraction Training is John Little's follow up to the last book he wrote with Peter Sisco, 'Static Contraction Training'. Max Contraction Training contains some really good information and acts as a logical and worthy extension of the principles of high intensity training. However, the book is far from perfect and there are a number of problematic areas which Little does not satisfactorily address.

The early chapters of the book cover the underlying principles of strength training, and make it clear that the book is aimed at drug free people who want to follow an efficient and effective method of strength training founded on real scientific principles and research rather than the typical 'gym lore' and nonsense that gets published in the muscle magazines.

Little points out that he had been working on developing the 'Max Contraction' system before he teamed up with Peter Sisco to produce the 'Power Factor' and 'Static Contraction' systems and that he considers 'Max Contraction' to be the ultimate conclusion of the high intensity principles that underlie all the systems he has been involved with, which does kind of make you wonder why he didn't just publish this at the beginning and not bother with the other two.
He also goes in for a fair amount of repetition in getting the point about the position of full contraction being the only one in which all of a muscle's fibres can be forced to contract, and after a while this becomes a big of a drag. This is combined with a few mixed messages about safety which can become a bit confusing after a while. However, once you have figured out exactly what he is getting at you will find that the points he is raising are valid and contribute a great deal to your overall understanding of the science behind strength training.

The later chapters are concerned with the practicalities of training acoording to the scientific principles he has laid out. He gives a sound and well rounded basic routine to follow which is based around 'isolation' exercises (e.g. Leg Extensions and Leg Curls) which allow for the individual muscle or muscle group to enter a position of full ('Max') contraction and so activate all the muscle's fibres and utilise the full strength of the muscle. He then goes on to show you 'Bodypart Specialization' routines (e.g. Arms, Shoulders, Back, Legs) which clearly do not follow the principles he has laid out in the first part of the book as they entail doing more sets per bodypart rather than increasing the intensity of exercise.

Safety is also an issue, people who train on their own will be pretty much limited to using the weights that they can move into the position of full/'max' contraction on their own from full (or near full) extension for many of the exercises which, logically, reduces the effectiveness. What will really stick in the craw of many readers though, is that in selecting particular exercises he is clearly trying to get you to buy his 'Max Straps' which will only be available from his website, and will not be cheap either!

So, the book is deeply flawed, but also has some essential information that will do you a lot of good. I recommend that you first buy Little and Sisco's 'Static Contraction Training' and then use this to round out the picture. Where 'Static Contraction Training' focuses on compound exercises, this aims at isolation exercises. The two books and systems are complementary rather than competitive, and with some thought and common sense you can easily combine the best of the two books into a routine for yourself that makes the most of the equipment you have available to you.