Flywheel training

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A "thruster" exercise performed on a flywheel training device. KBox4 Thruster2 (cropped).jpg
A "thruster" exercise performed on a flywheel training device.

Flywheel training is a type of strength training where the resistance required for muscle activation is generated by the inertia of a flywheel instead of gravity from weights as in traditional weight training.

Contents

In contrast to weight training, flywheel training offers variable resistance throughout the range of motion, which facilitates isoinertial training and eccentric overload. Flywheel training is shown to lead to improvements of strength and power, hypertrophy, muscle activation, muscle length, and tendon stiffness. This in turn can improve athletic performance in speed, jump height, change of direction and resilience to injury. [1] [2]

History

An early scientific research paper on flywheel training was conducted by researchers Hansen and Lindhard at the University of Copenhagen in 1924 and looked at the maximum realizable work of the elbow flexors. [3] [4]

After that, flywheel resistance training was studied in space travelers exposed to microgravity environments to fight the effects of sarcopenia and bone mineral density loss, [5] [6] started at Karolinska Institute in the 1990s funded by NASA and ESA. Since then, flywheel training has been studied in different populations like youth [7] [8] [9] [10] and professional athletes, [11] [12] [13] as well as older adults. [14] [15] [16] [17]

Current evidence suggests that flywheel training-based training is superior to gravity-based training for increasing muscle strength, power, and hypertrophy. [18] [19] [20]

Flywheel training was commercialized in the 2010s by Exxentric and others, and has since gained wide-spread adoption in professional sports. [21]

Related Research Articles

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Exercise is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic skills, improve health, or simply for enjoyment. Many individuals choose to exercise outdoors where they can congregate in groups, socialize, and improve well-being as well as mental health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinesiology</span> Study of human body movement

Kinesiology is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health include biomechanics and orthopedics; strength and conditioning; sport psychology; motor control; skill acquisition and motor learning; methods of rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational therapy; and sport and exercise physiology. Studies of human and animal motion include measures from motion tracking systems, electrophysiology of muscle and brain activity, various methods for monitoring physiological function, and other behavioral and cognitive research techniques.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise. It is thought to be caused by eccentric (lengthening) exercise, which causes small-scale damage (microtrauma) to the muscle fibers. After such exercise, the muscle adapts rapidly to prevent muscle damage, and thereby soreness, if the exercise is repeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stretching</span> Form of physical exercise where a muscle is stretched to improve it

Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific muscle or tendon is deliberately expanded and flexed in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and achieve comfortable muscle tone. The result is a feeling of increased muscle control, flexibility, and range of motion. Stretching is also used therapeutically to alleviate cramps and to improve function in daily activities by increasing range of motion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarcoplasm</span> Cytoplasm of a muscle cell, including the sarcoplasmic reticulum

Sarcoplasm is the cytoplasm of a muscle cell. It is comparable to the cytoplasm of other cells, but it contains unusually large amounts of glycogen (a polymer of glucose), myoglobin, a red-colored protein necessary for binding oxygen molecules that diffuse into muscle fibers, and mitochondria. The calcium ion concentration in sarcoplasma is also a special element of the muscle fiber; it is the means by which muscle contractions take place and are regulated. The sarcoplasm plays a critical role in muscle contraction as an increase in Ca2+ concentration in the sarcoplasm begins the process of filament sliding. The decrease in Ca2+ in the sarcoplasm subsequently ceases filament sliding. The sarcoplasm also aids in pH and ion balance within muscle cells.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strength training</span> Performance of physical exercises designed to improve strength

Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, involves the performance of physical exercises that are designed to improve strength and endurance. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training techniques such as bodyweight exercises, isometrics, and plyometrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarcopenia</span> Muscle loss due to ageing or immobility

Sarcopenia is a type of muscle loss that occurs with aging and/or immobility. It is characterized by the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality, and strength. The rate of muscle loss is dependent on exercise level, co-morbidities, nutrition and other factors. The muscle loss is related to changes in muscle synthesis signalling pathways. It is distinct from cachexia, in which muscle is degraded through cytokine-mediated degradation, although the two conditions may co-exist. Sarcopenia is considered a component of frailty syndrome. Sarcopenia can lead to reduced quality of life, falls, fracture, and disability.

A negative repetition is the repetition of a technique in weight lifting in which the lifter performs the eccentric phase of a lift. Instead of pressing the weight up slowly, in proper form, a spotter generally aids in the concentric, or lifting, portion of the repetition while the lifter slowly performs the eccentric phase for 3–6 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myofilament</span> The two protein filaments of myofibrils in muscle cells

Myofilaments are the three protein filaments of myofibrils in muscle cells. The main proteins involved are myosin, actin, and titin. Myosin and actin are the contractile proteins and titin is an elastic protein. The myofilaments act together in muscle contraction, and in order of size are a thick one of mostly myosin, a thin one of mostly actin, and a very thin one of mostly titin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protein supplement</span>

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Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. EMS has received an increasing amount of attention in the last few years for many reasons: it can be utilized as a strength training tool for healthy subjects and athletes; it could be used as a rehabilitation and preventive tool for people who are partially or totally immobilized; it could be utilized as a testing tool for evaluating the neural and/or muscular function in vivo. EMS has been proven to be more beneficial before exercise and activity due to early muscle activation. Recent studies have found that electrostimulation has been proven to be ineffective during post exercise recovery and can even lead to an increase in Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

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Progressive overload is a method of strength training and hypertrophy training that advocates for the gradual increase of the stress placed upon the musculoskeletal and nervous system. The principle of progressive overload suggests that the continual increase in the total workload during training sessions will stimulate muscle growth and strength gain by muscle hypertrophy. This improvement in overall performance will, in turn, allow an athlete to keep increasing the intensity of their training sessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscle hypertrophy</span> Enlargement or overgrowth of a muscle organ

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Panagiota "Nota" Klentrou is a professor at Brock University known for her research on sport training in children. She is an elected fellow of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

References

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