the danger with too much statics is that ...

[enginterzi]

.... if you are not flexible then you are very breakable i mean once you have very strong locks then it is very possible you to get injured once you receive a pressure which is more than your static lock can handle.

[Chris Gangi]

So....are you saying don't do static holds?

[Will Sarty]

good point...but not necessarily preventable....

[enginterzi]

no i am not saying "do not do statics hold".i just say that too much of statics,which means that basing your training only on statics will surely cause injuries anytime you are applied pressure which is more than what your angle can handle.i did not write any suggestions yet,neither wrote that it is not preventable.but yes it is not preventable if you do "TOO MUCH" statics.

[Chris Gangi]

Gotcha.......

[Will Sarty]

i like full range movemnts anyways..

[Chris Gangi]

I like static holds but only on a few exercises......Table curls and Hammer curls

[enginterzi]

just to clear one thing,i meant injury during armwrestling not during training.because during training we go as far as we wish,but during the competetion we never know how much pressure will be applied on our locked angles.supporting static trainings with dynamics is one of the best way to avoid injuries caused by statics.with full motion dynamics the arm will be trained in different angles and this will make it strong even when it gets out of it's static lock angle.dynamics are supporting locked joints with pumped muscle strength.right now i am 5,5 months away from my main goal which is Europeans and my training looks 80%dynamics and 20%statics,in following months statics will increase and near to the my main goal it will be about 60% statics supported by 40% dynamics.

[Will Sarty]

great way of looking at it...

[Bob Brown]

Ok....Here is a training tip.

Go find the book "Performance Rock Climbing" and read it.

It will go into great detail on what Engin is talking about and what every armwrestler should know.

[enginterzi]

thanks Bob,

i hope it is translated correctly into Turkish and i will be able to find and read it.but IMO armwrestling is not comparable with "ANY" other sport,but basic trainings and reactions of our body,are of course almost the same.

[Bob Brown]

I dont know if you can find it in Turkish.

I found this book when I was Rock climbing. It does not teach you how to climb BUT it teaches you how to TRAIN for climbing. IMO Rock Climbing and Armwrestling are a lot alike because they both are static strength sports.

[enginterzi]

i do not know much about climbing but is that not dynamic when you are climbing?yes you feel static once you stop at a point but while climbing up,is that not dynamic movement?also the static angles are changing in every movements as far as i see unlike usual 90 degree angle of armwrestling,am i not correct?

[Guy Lasorsa]

Rock climbing is good exercise and some of the techniques they teach is how to do a one arm pull up, by holding a towel or belt around the bar with opposite hand. You grab belt about 1 foot below for support and try to pull up with other arm..
I believe that statics are good, but they tighten the muscles the most, same with 1/2 reps ( which was always my favorite) and full length will longate the muscles the most.

Very Important is to stretch after every pull and set with weights. Put arm in tube or band to stretch out away from Body. Or flat hand on wall for forearm . or arm straight in back of you a little and palms to front against something a pole is best stretching shoulder.
You build reflex action for your muscles after contraction and longates muscles. and helps recover faster also. Only do it easy and focus on your muscles to relax into a stretch, never force.

I was going to write more about this when i have the time in the other forum on Training tips I started over there.

[enginterzi]

i really can not say anything to be the fact since these are my experiences&opinions.i take armwrestling as a static angle sport,but there are other top athletes they may find dynamics better for their armwrestling strategies.i always started to train with heavy dynamics with low reps and ended with static trainings.i thought this would be better to get my arms used to for strong reaction.i only did very little warm up with very light weights to save my power to the main training.i have never done streching except for a few months in the beginning of year 2000.it did not affect my arms in positive ways about performance but it was good for their health.

years later i am full of injuries in my elbows,i think it maybe because of too much statics,or the way i armwrestle (side hits),or because of not starting to lift with good warm up,or because of not doing any streching,or because of pulling up to 7-8 classes in the same events,or pulling at the toughest tournaments such as WAF and EAF for 15 years or because of all these.

i am not an expert about streching but with the experiences that i have now,if i could go back in time i would start lifting with 2-3 sets of full motion in pyramidal system (which i currently started to do) to provide a healthy range of motion, then half motions,and then static training (for it is necassary for my style).

i would also stretch without applying much pressure,i mean it can be done without using a wall or our other hand,only as to relax the joints and muscles.i think full motion light weight trainings and training pushing muscles help our joints a lot.

i have never pulled for warm up before a tourney,i may be wrong but this is how i feel it to be right.i do not use any weights or rubber bands,i dont hold anyone's hand either.i just do short rowing movements without tighting my elbow so much.a little bit wrist curling again without holding anything and with 5-10% tightness to just to warm it up.and then little bit of arm curling without pressure and shoulder warm up a little (if the place is cold its necessary because once the shoulder pains then it is very hard to armwrestle).i like my arm&hand to save their hunger for the competetion.i think that the rehabilitation for any injury should have been done during the training session.i recently do my last training with dynamic half motion bicep and pull ups to help recovery for healthy range of motion.i use about 60% of my maximal to protect my joints while pumping blood in my muscles.i do this last training 7-8 days before the competetion.i do not do any kind of statics,or maximal dynamics or anything that can apply pressure on my joints(at the last training before the event).i also do not train wrist,rotator,hammer any other smaller muscle groups when it is about 12 days near to tournament.bicep and back recover themselves easily esspecially if i train them with only 60% percent of their maximals.these resting days can be different for other people depending on age,their training types and health of their arms.one of the best warm up before the competetion without losing any hunger or strength is keeping the area warm for hours.walking without getting tired also makes me feel good for the blood circulation.

at the end i can say that strecthing may help to the armwrestlers whose strategy is not based on statics but dynamics (JMO).strecthing is good for the health of your arms and also to avoid the injury.but strecthing may not be very good if you have static based armwrestling and training.if you have static armwrestling way then do strecthing without touching anywhere by letting the part of your body to do it by itself but without damaging the tightness of your tendons.i believe in shaping my arms,i can not drink water from my right hand because it does not supinate enough to hold water in my palm.so i try to say that too much strecthing would loose these static built arms.from other side we see the best ever armwrestler having his arm moving into every direction possible,which means a very dynamic forearm.it is a confussing subject,but i suggest every one to find a way which is best for themselves.there are many options,not only black and white.


these may not be right for everyone,these are my experiences and i just wanted to share.