Help make my workout more efficient

July 27, 2021 8:50 AM

Hi there. I am looking for a breakdown of resistance training exercises by MVC (maximum voluntary contraction), similar to what is in the tables at the end of the linked article. Is there one single article or website that does this? Thanks in advance for any suggestions! The article.
posted by mukade to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

I'm not sure what your goal is; I don't think this kind of ultraprecise data will add anything to what is already generally known. 1) For efficient total body strength training, do compound exercises. Here's one popular routine that uses only five exercises. 2) If you're trying to target specific muscles, the standard exercises are well known: bench press for chest, squats for legs, rows and pullups for upper back, etc. There's plenty of debate over the details, but in general, the details don't matter.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:22 AM on July 27, 2021 [3 favorites]

I don't think you'll find the kind of data in the linked article consolidated in one place, even if it exists - I'd be surprised if similar studies have been done on every body part. I'd also be wary of over-interpreting data from a study that had 16 homogeneous participants.

As Mr-Know-it-some said, the most time-efficient way to work out is to a smaller number of compound movements rather than a larger number of isolation movements. Exrx.net is a really good resource and includes workout templates and a directory of muscles and their associated exercises.
posted by aussie_powerlifter at 9:53 PM on July 27, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: EMG is the important search term here. Bret Contreras conducted several EMG studies of muscle activation which he published at T-Nation -- you can find them linked here.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:54 AM on July 28, 2021 [1 favorite]