All fans of power sports know the name Alexander Zass or Iron Samson. Learn the secrets of Iron Samson's tendon training technique. A mountain of muscles does not mean great physical strength yet. Strength indicators can increase significantly only with a comprehensive training of ligaments, muscles and tendons. This was proved by Iron Samson back in 1924. With a short stature and weighing only 70 kilograms, this man worked as a strongman in a circus. Despite his outward weakness, Zass easily tore the chains and bent horseshoes. Today you will learn the secrets of Zass tendon exercises in bodybuilding.
Strong tendons - strong muscles according to Zass
Many bodybuilders are unable to use the full strength of their muscles. This is due to the fact that their tendons are underdeveloped. Muscle tissue expands through movement, but other methods are required to strengthen the tendons. The best option for training them is to try to move a stationary object. It could be, say, a wall.
The system for increasing strength indicators was developed by Iron Samson. With a very nondescript appearance, he plunged the audience into shock, performing his numbers. Such training has been used since time immemorial, but Zass managed to collect a large amount of information and brought it together into a single training system. For some time this technique was forgotten, but in the sixties of the last century, American athletes "discovered" it again. Tendon exercises Zass in bodybuilding are called static or isometric. This is how tendon training began to be used again. However, in most cases these were separate exercises, while Alexander Zass created a whole training system.
Myths about the Zass system
For some unknown reason, experts often try to find flaws in the Zass system. It should be admitted that these are mostly far-fetched and unjustified assumptions. So, say, there is information that Sass tendon exercises in bodybuilding pose a danger to the cardiovascular system of an unprepared person, or they try to provide evidence of the greater effectiveness of dynamic training. Probably everyone understands that such statements are completely unsupported.
The modern history of the development of isometric training deserves a separate discussion. In the sixties, special static training frames were created and launched by Bob Hoffman. As a publicity stunt for his products, he cited the example of Billy March and Louis Riquet, who managed to achieve great progress in power all-around in six months. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that the above athletes were using doping, which undermined people's confidence in isometric exercises.
However, scientists became interested in this technique and used sports equipment created by Hoffman in their research. The results were impressive. Of the 175 athletes who took part in the study, each of them increased their strength by 5% during the week. This revived interest in isometric exercises again. It's time to explain some of the points that arise when discussing the training methodology:
- The Zass system is based on exercises with chains, but also work with lifting weights is present in it. Bodybuilding is slowly approaching this technique, while many athletes have a desire to improve it.
- For the full development of the strength indicators of the tendons, the use of isometry alone will not be enough. Tendon development should take place in several directions. Thus, there are many types of exercises in the Zass technique.
- There is a certain danger when performing isometric movements associated with incorrect breathing and violation of the recovery regime. However, this is typical of almost all sports.
Many experts are sure that the Zass tendon exercises in bodybuilding are analogous to Anokhin's technique, which is not true. Of course, some of the exercises from this system can be very useful for training tendons, but in general, Anokhin's technique is aimed at developing muscles.
It should be noted that the training method using chains is still used today. This is not surprising, since it can be used to strengthen the tendons and ligaments, while developing their strength indicators. The system is also used by women, which allows them to effectively fight overweight. In addition to chains for isometric training, you can use a variety of equipment, for example, cabinets, doorways, walls, metal bars, etc. It is necessary to try to move walls, unbend metal bars, raise doorways, etc. There is no reliable information about the frequency of the exercises, however, there were no negative aspects during their implementation.
Rules for performing isometric exercises for Zass
- Remember that you are training your body. When working with chains, it is important to create a dense wave of the body, after which the chain will be broken.
- When performing tendon exercises Zass in bodybuilding, breathing should be calm and even.
- A wave of force must take possession of your body, and it must be pressed into the applied force. This strengthens the connection between joints, muscles and tendons.
- It is necessary to strive to create a good power wave, the entry should be smooth, and the increase in force occurs without jerks. The way out should be the same.
- The pause between exercises is 30 to 60 seconds. If you are going to make a more powerful effort, then the rest time can be increased by a few minutes.
- If you feel discomfort, rapid heart rate, you need to stop exercising and calm down. After resuming training, you should not start with maximum effort.
- A full-fledged training is carried out no more than two times a week, and its duration should be no more than an hour. Every day you should do 5-8 exercises, doing three approaches. The voltage in the first should be 60% of the maximum, in the second - 90%, and in the final - 75%.
You can visually familiarize yourself with the technique of performing eight exercises for training tendons according to Zass in this video:
