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Grease the Groove

brachii Posts: 79 Joined: 2007/02/26	2007/02/27, 07:05 PM Im not sure if this is the appropriate forum to be asking this question but what is "Grease the Groove" i've heard this turn before somewhere and im wondering what does this term mean? -------------- \"I\'m not concerned with body building; I\'m just trying to make people normal human beings\" - Joseph Pilates brachii
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/02/28, 10:56 AM Its a high frequency routine used to bring up specialty lifts (as in one or two at a time). Submaximal weights are used, sets are never done to failure, and are done often, as in 2-3 times a day. I have heard it to be a successful program, and think it would be great for a beginner, but I tried to use it to get my technique down for a powerlifting meet and the frequent deadlifting, even submaximal, made me weak. hindsight is 20/20 though I guess... -------------- Gravity hates you. Enter the Darkside.
	2007/02/28, 11:18 AM often used for push ups/pull ups/etc.... volume approach....works for some...doesnt for others.... does not work for me....but may work for you...so give it a shot if you're curious and have never tried it...
brachii Posts: 79 Joined: 2007/02/26	2007/02/28, 07:24 PM Alright, i think i'll atleast give it a shot and see where it goings. Thanks guys -------------- \"I\'m not concerned with body building; I\'m just trying to make people normal human beings\" - Joseph Pilates brachii
Tinnuk Posts: 291 Joined: 2005/12/19	2007/03/26, 10:24 AM "Greasing the Groove" refers to making neural pathways more efficient therefore increasing the amount of potential muscle accessed. The high frequency program wrestler mentioned is one way of doing it, but technically high intensity work is another way as well.
Tinnuk Posts: 291 Joined: 2005/12/19	2007/03/26, 10:28 AM The only difference is that the high intensity work gives you less practice so to speak but it greases the groove more effectively per amount of volume. I'd mix it up, as each have their own advantages. Lots of luck.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/03/26, 11:18 AM Neural efficiency refers to the speed at which impulses are set. If you think of a muscle contraction as a series of contractions, rather than a steady state, you can see how sending more singnals to a motor unit results in the recruitment of more muscle cells as a whole. Strength is a measure of how many of these impulses are sent to your muscles, with tetanus (yes, same as the disease) being the summation of these impulses. High intensity work gets motor neurons used to firing at higher rates, which increases neural efficiency AFTER a skill has been learned. Pavel Tsatsouline likes to use the term "grease the groove" interchangeable with increasing neural efficiency, however he is the only person I've heard of using that term. He also advocates higher frequency, low intensity work as a way to do this. If he means to say that this is the most efficient way of increasing neural efficiency, then his thinking needs to be evaluated. Sorry if this came off as a rant or as a bit technical, but this is as best I can explain it. -------------- Gravity hates you. Enter the Darkside.
Tinnuk Posts: 291 Joined: 2005/12/19	2007/03/28, 07:21 PM So the speed at which impulses are set would dertermine how many of these mini contractions occur in a major contraction?
Tinnuk Posts: 291 Joined: 2005/12/19	2007/03/28, 07:27 PM I havn't thoroughly read Naked Warrior, where I think it mentions this, yet, but I think he meant that lower intensity, higher frequency helps one become more skillful with an exercise so that neural efficency is improved more readily. But on that note, is it even possible to increase neural efficiency with low intensity, high frequency work?
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/03/29, 12:36 AM It is, but it is far from the most efficient way. Most of the gains from high frequency, low intensity work, comes in the form of technique gains. A lot of olympic lifting programs (where technique is paramount) base off of this. -------------- Gravity hates you. Enter the Darkside.