Peak contraction training

At the end of the concentric contraction during weight lifting, e.g at the top of a bicep curl, the muscle is in it’s shortest position.  Many bodybuilders and physiologists recommend you pause here and contract the working muscle as intensely as you possibly can.  Pro bodybuilder Garrett Downing swears by this and owes the success of his bicep peaks and tricep definition down to this.  I personally always include peak contraction training in my bicep and tricep workouts, I tense the bicep at the top of a bicep curl as if I was doing a bicep pose and at the end of a tricep press down I always hold it and tense it as if holding a tricep pose.  It is essential to do peak contractions with a heavy weight, with a light weight it doesn’t really work as you need the highest level of contraction hence activating the most muscle fibres and fatiguing the muscle group you are working out.

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