Isokinetics, Excentrics and Hypertrophy

[Scott Stevenson]

Hey Scott,

- i come from a high frequency training background, my first structered program was HST, HST912. Over the years i experimentad a lot and always came back to my 2-3/week frequency.
- the machines are from Egym (Germany)
- in the first 3 months of using them i trained mostly 3times a week FullBody (long sessions) mostly Egym and cycled between excentric overloaded and isometric. it is hard to tell how much output i gained here, because the first weeks i grooved into the new machines, but for 2 months i could add weight every week! didnt experienced that in years with lifts like latpulldown or benchpress.
- then i integrated standard lifting back: i tried to use machines/setups which where as close to the Egym-machines as possible. I planned 3 workouts to get back into about 10RM reprange, and it took me a long time because of soreness. The shocking thing that i couldnt transfer the gains to this normal lifting, especially around the stretched Position and the joints i felt week.
- after unterstanding what is the main difference between normal lifting und egym i went into testing mode: all combinations around concentric/excentric/stretched position. This took a long time cause i wanted to flatten the repeated bout effect for good results. All this last months i kept on the isokinetic training, because it has litlle interference due to little muscle damage. The last weeks i tried to replicate the adaptive character of the isokinetics on normal-machines, where i can start very heavy (3-5RM) and change weight fast so i can get out 8-10reps (ok, other topic)

Where i need help is this:
In that gym mostly old people, some athletes on rehab and people which are short on time are training on Egym. There is no advanced and ambitious lifter who trains that way. Its the same on the Internet, i could only find people who testet isokinetic machines, but people who trained on them for hypertrophy over a long time? If understood the trainers correctly, the Egym-Company itself say they see the best results are on the isokinetic mode, which i can buy from an effetive-Reps-Model, but there is something missing.
There is so much to test/discuss what are the up and downsides (not only hypertrophy, f.e. joints and tendons as well), how to integrate that, is it worth?
I am looking for experience and theoretical knowledge.

Stefan

OK, so I presume your goal is hypertrophy?   

Where you eating enough to make gains?...

If you were progressing with the Egym, why did you decide to go back to normal lifting?.. 

Is there someplace where the Egym folks state that the isokinetic modes gives best 'results" and what doest that mean?   Where are the data?  (Strength, hypertrophy?)

A standard (PT / research grade) isokinetic machine truly control angular velocity and can force an eccentric (at a given speed) that allows of maximal voluntary effort. How does work on those machines?...

-S