Contrast Platform
Load a barbell to 50% of your one-rep deadlift maximum and lift it as quickly as possible. How quickly did it move? If you tried hard and are free of injuries, it should be moving very fast. Now, load a barbell to 150% of your deadlift maximum and attempt to lift it as quickly as possible. Strain hard for 2-5 seconds. How quickly did it move? If it is truly 50% above your maximum, it did not move at all. For the duration of your attempt, you were locked in an isometric struggle against the barbell.
Which attempt led to greater force production?
If you’ve been training for a while, I’m sure you know that the isometric attempt led to greater force production. The faster the barbell moves while the lifter is exerting force against it, the less total force there is being produced. The slower the barbell moves while the lifter is exerting force against it, the more total force there is being produced. When it doesn’t move at all, maximal force is produced. Have you ever noticed that under laboratory conditions, maximum strength is usually measured isometrically? This is because the immovable object allows the subject to strain maximally without time restraints.
Light Weights and Low Force
It takes time for our bodies to produce force. When lifting light weights quickly, there is simply too little time to produce large amounts of force. That is why there is not a single strength athlete on the planet that trains exclusively with light weights. Heavier weights give us more time to strain and more force ends up being directed into the barbell because of it.
Isometrics
Isometrics are a time-tested method to develop strength specific to the trained joint angle. While locked under isometric, immovable conditions, the athlete strains maximally for 2-6 seconds. By introducing this method, the trained position becomes stronger due to the magnitude of force as well as extra time spent in the weak position. This results in an increase in strength at the trained and presumably weakest joint angle (as well as slightly above and below) and lifts throughout the entire ROM increase because of it.
Bringing it all together
In The Science and Practice of Strength Training, Zatsiorsky’s description of Quick Release Technique is, “A subject develops force under isometric conditions with a body segment mechanically locked into position; the lock is then trigger released, permitting the performance of a movement.”
While locked under isometric conditions, the athlete is simply ramping up to maximum force and then when released, exerting this force into a submaximal barbell. This allows the athlete to lift a barbell with more force than otherwise possible.
With Quick Release Technique, the amount of force the lifter applies to the barbell is dictated by the force they’re capable of producing and not limited by the time allowed for force development before the completion of the lift.
You have to be able to recover!
If you attempted to simulate a similar stimulus as Quick Release Technique with a barbell alone, you would have to lift the heaviest weight possible. That also means that after one attempt, you would probably not be able to duplicate the lift. Even if you came in with extreme intensity and lifted your very best for 3-5 attempts, you would certainly be able to do no more that week. You would also likely not be able to do any additional heavy work the next week either from the extreme fatigue.
With Quick Release Technique, you strain maximally in the weakest position, and then when released, the barbell is accelerated to lockout with high force production, but no grinding. This allows for multiple attempts that are much easier to recover from. In a 6-8 week period, if you accumulate 7-10 reps per week using this technique, you have performed 42-80 maximal starts. With a barbell alone, you would be hard-pressed to perform 2-6 truly maximal starts in this same time period. What technique will allow you to accumulate more quality, properly directed work?
The accumulation of appropriate work
Success in training is the result of accumulating appropriate work. The more work you can accumulate and recover from, the stronger you become.
Quick Release Technique allows you to accumulate more maximal starts, more time under maximal load from your weakest position, and more overall high-force, powerful lifts during your training. This is a recipe to be very strong.
With training questions, please feel free to call or email us at any time. We will be happy to help you to ensure you are utilizing our tools in the best way possible.