Last Saturday and Sunday, the Renaissance Exercise team, in conjunction with OVERLOAD Fitness successfully held its second annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Attendance ended up well exceeding the 50 person cap, attracting professionals from across the globe. The weekend centered on informative presentations, challenging inquisition, and hands-on experience.
The conference kicked off Saturday morning with a double-feature presentation from Ken Hutchins. Hutchins initially focused on distinctive, descriptive, and purposeful language and its necessity when discussing exercise. He then delved into a case study highlighting the rehabilitative possibilities of time static contractions (TSC).
Next, keynote speaker Dr. Doug McGuff was taken through a workout. His routine was comprised of time static leg press (iLP), time static pullover/pulldown (iPO/iPD), dynamic Overhead Press, and time static Compound Row (iCR). Dr. McGuff has detailed his workout and overall experience at the conference on www.bodybyscience.net.
Gus Diamantopoulos then provided an eloquent speech that put the RenEx philosophy into perspective with regards to other protocols, mainly focusing on the fact that adherence to the RenEx protocol can garner the same or better results in a fraction of the time as other high-intensity programs. Diamantopoulos then insisted that, due to the unique nature of the Renaissance Exercise, client education and understanding is of the utmost importance for client retention.
Diamantopoulos went on to explain where TSC fits into the puzzle and how it is used in conjunction with dynamic RenEx protocol. This was the perfect transition; Al Coleman then took center stage to present the evolution and practical applications of the TSC protocol. Coleman discussed and analyzed the visual feedback system in its current incarnation. He dissected several graphs and set parameters for poor, average, and exceptional performances. Perhaps the most important take away from his presentation is the study of TSC is constantly evolving and will continue to provide new insights.
Next up the audience got an unexpected surprise. OVERLOAD client, 48 year old Ray Dickerson dropped by to do a posing exhibition. He just so happened to be competing in a natural bodybuilding event right down the street. All were impressed with Dickerson’s transformation, he lost 54 pounds over the course of 5 months in preparing for this event.
Following the posing exhibition there was a question and answer session with the entire panel of presenters.
Dr. McGuff gave his keynote speech to conclude day one. His presentation centered on the idea of innovation. Dr. McGuff cited research studies supporting RenEx philosophy and challenged the medical community to be more critical of the entire exercise community. He also spoke to the increasing level of innovation and exploration taking place in the high intensity training community at large. He concluded that a competitive attitude has spawned tremendous advancement in other fields, and that as RenEx refines and strengthens our stance, others are encouraged to think outside of the box and innovate as well. The crowd left inspired and geared up to enjoy the rest of the evening at the hotel for dinner then drinks.
Day two kicked off with “Secrets of a Professional Natural Bodybuilder” workout demonstration. Joshua Trentine started with the iPullOver and went directly into the iPullDown, he moved as fast as possible to get over to, and situated in, the RenEx Overhead Press.
Followed by the never seen before and brand new RenEx Simple Row, then quickly into the RenEx iCompound Row, by this point in the workout you could see a marked visual difference as his muscles continued to pump.
The workout finished with a grueling set of dynamic RenEx Leg Press.
After catching his breath, Trentine gave a presentation titled, “Secrets of a Professional Bodybuilder.”
Even though most clients don’t aspire to be competitive bodybuilders, Trentine explained that this protocol can be successful for those who wish to compete in bodybuilding. He explained that training according to the RenEx philosophy, twice a week, while adhering to very strict nutritional guidelines, one could be competition ready. His presentation highlighted numerous success stories of bodybuilders he has trained in the last 5 years. Trentine discussed a wide variety of subjects relating to bodybuilding, but his ideas about “The rate limiting factor for muscular growth” and “The Key Stimulus” were definitely highlights of the presentation.
At the conclusion of the presentations, it was time for the attendees to try out the equipment.
While last years conference focused on unveiling the entire RenEx line of equipment, this year centered around the new time static machines. These machines included time static leg curl/leg extension (iLC/LE), the iPullover/PullDown( iPO/PD), and the iMulti, which is equipped for use with 16 different exercises.
Each machine was manned with an instructor who detailed proper exercise performance and utilization of the visual feedback system.
The RenEx Team also demonstrated the Dynamic RenEx Leg Press, Static Leg Press, Trunk Extension and the unveiling of the RenEx Simple Row, also known as the posture machine.
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Well done says it all to me. First class in all respects. I had a great workout even with the rests. Shows me I can tighten up my own efforts at home. Will there be DVD’s available for the attendees?
Hey Russ,
Glad you enjoyed and it was a real pleasure having you down.
DVD’s will be sold to the attendees aT a significant discount, in case people want to share with their clients and what not.
Joshua
Incredible,is the word that comes to mind when describing the Renex TSC Knee extension machine.No matter how hard I contracted my quadrecepts the tourque keeped declining after 100 seconds at 450 foot pounds of force being applied.With Kens supervision I was able to inroad my quads in the most thorough & safe manner ever.Studio owners if your looking for a knee extension machine I recommend that you put this machine on your list “to take for a test drive”.I know that if I have a very successful season at Ultimate Fitness this winter;this is the machine that I will look very close at getting!
Bert,
We can see your quads poppin’ through your skin in the pics.
We also use that station for Hip ABD & ADD in addition to iLeg Ext and iLeg Curl and Ken’s special “knee lubrication exercise” …So efficient … a must have for any busy facility.
Joshua
Hi TeamRenEx.,
Man what have I missed a great oppertunity.Damnd cost of overseas flights. Anyway I appreciate the work you are doing since there is a lot to learn from the ongoing discussion now and in the future as a result of your events.I like to left feelings out of judgement and try to figure facts from the rest.That is why I decided not to comment on BBS site the last couple of days.
I have not been at the conference never tried the equipment so I can’t make any concrete judgement.But I will see what ideas I can implement in my own workouts and see what the results will be just as I have done till now.
Question: is the simple row also done TSC style? Do you allow ,because of shoulder issues the arms in a somewhat lower position or do you then just skip this exercise?What about the arms rotated internal as a position , or does that involve the delt.posterior to much?I actually do this movement every morning on the floor just as part of a extended wake up stretch(not stretching as used in the exercise field of course).
I’m up to perfect my reps again a bit more all for safety and efficiency because I have (I hope) many years ahead and I don’t want to sit and think around that time about how much weight I could “throw” many years ago and barely can move pain free now.Fortunately I made that decision a long time ago.
Keep up what you are doing.
ad
Hey Ad,
Thank you for the kind words…I’m glad you have been following along!
There are two subprotocols for the machine; one in shoulder External Rotation(which most everyone can use) and one in Internal Shoulder Rotation. There is a TSC option for both subprotocols as well. With those options we cover everyone…this may be the most important machine we’ve ever done.
Joshua
Joshua,
Thanks for the answer. I guess you see the exercise as the most important because of it strengthens the muscle greatly involved in posture.Looking around ,the youth is not only moving into diabetes2 but also very bad posture ,same for the many,many “desk criminals” workers(this is meant as a funny term ).Rounded shoulders ,leads also to head in front of the body,leads to lower back problems and many other issues or etc.
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EXACTLY Ad !
Josh,
Thanks for an awesome experience! I learned so much and enjoyed everything that was discussed at the conference. Being fortunate enough to have most of your new RenEx equipment, I hope that I was able to emphasize how amazing RenEx is to any attendee that I had the pleasure of meeting. I especially enjoyed your segment, because I have full intent on competing naturally. I was wondering if you could go over how you approach “peak week”.
Thanks
Jose,
You are welcome! thank you for coming all that way….good to see you and Michael.
I would be happy to do anything I can do to help you achieve this goal.
What I need from you is to gain mastery of the protocol. Most, if not all, of the answers required to optimize your physique are contained in your education , set-up, and instruction of clients. IE; Al Coleman has never competed , but knows more than just about any person I’ve ever met re: bodybuilding….Gus is very similar, it’s all there, you just have to look close.(both master instructors btw)…focus on process trumps focus on outcomes, especially over the long term.
You certainly have the genetics to pursue this and it might be good for business down there too.
Joshua
It was fantastic to experience the rear delt /upper back machine- it was a good sensation to my muscles to experience the variable resistance correct cam profiling,. I would love to get hold of one of this one in particular as it is rare that you can really hit this muscle group thoroughly with conventional equiptment. If I wanted to I could really ‘pump up’ the upper back with this machine in just a single set to failure. Unlike with dumbells, cables or rear delt flyes, that, when performed, cause you to prematurely fail in the weakest position, and prevent you from carrying on the set with a full range of motion.
Also for Josh: is it possible you could you give me the list of foods that you eat to help you with your muscle gains? I didnt get a chance to write it all down in the seminar. Just to give me a rough idea of what I can eat lol Thanks.
Bradly,
Out of all of the RenEx machines the Simple Row may be the only one that is absolutely required….there simply is no other way to get to that musculature and custom the R.O.M and timing to any user….man that sucker feels good.
Generic Shopping list:
Beef (I eat mine raw)
Raw milk
Raw Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Fruits (especially tropical, like pineapple, btw great with the beef)
fish (raw or cooked)
Oysters
occasional Ice Cream (homemade or Hagen Dazs)
Food concentrates:
Butter
Cream
Fruit juice
Coconut oil
Honey.
Joshua
Hey thanks for the reply Josh! Will consider eating the Raw Beef! Can I ask why it is unnecessary to take supplements and also why ypou disagreed with Richrd Cartrand in the semianr regarding the necessity of being in Ketosis>
Honest mistake, I’m sure, but I am not the one who suggested necessity of ketosis. 🙂
Hey Richard, yes sorry i didn’t mean to imply that you were a believer in it. You just brought it up in question to josh, to see what his opinion on it, I’ll be more carefull how I ask questions on here next time lol
No problem at all Bradley…. no offense of any type taken… I just don’t remember asking that question. All the best!
Hello RenEx Team
First of all, thanks for the generosity with RenEX research and your time. I can only say that I’m sorry I missed 2012 Ren Ex Conference. Keep up the “journey”!
My question is:
How do you refute the research that concludes that isometric exercise only effects the musculature at the joint angle in which the force is applied ?
I’m sure the research most likely did not follow the RenEx TSC protocol, but would be interested to hear your comments.
Be Well
Terry
Terry,
Thank you for the kind words!
Gus covered this at the conference, Ken and Al may have said some too. I don’t think I can do it justice in short form, it would likely require a entire blog. We may write this, but I think people will get the most out of listening to Gus on this subject. Maybe when I sit down to edit I can isolate some of this conversation to post.
Joshua
This is a question I have for Ken Hutchins.In your book (the renaissance of exercise) on page 285 concerning the lumbar MedX machine you are saying that blocking the pelvis in order to isolate the lumbar musculature is an erroneous reasoning.Arthur Jones on the other hand was vehemently saying that blocking it is an absolute requirement in order to access lumbar muscles.He also stated and proved that even people who exercised for years with Nautilus low-back machine were actually very weak in that area once put on the MedX Lumbar machine.
1: Is it or not necessary to block the pelvis?
2:Why were the subjects who trained for so long on nautilus low-back machine so weak once put on the MedX?
3:Which machine is good for lower back and do lower back machines access lumbar musculature?
4:What went wrong with Arthur concerning his MedX lumbar machine? thanks
Nathan,
All of your questions are answered here:
http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/game-changer/
Joshua
In that blog post is this section:
“Fortunately, Ken Hutchins has already tackled the contradictions relating to the topic of so-called hyperextension in his seminal article on the subject. In it, he artfully dispels much of the hysteria associated with fears over hyperextension by highlighting many of the inconsistencies surrounding the term, both in technical context as well as in emotional interpretation.”
Is that seminal article available online?
My understanding of the MedX position is that (a) low back pain is often associated with weak, undertrained lumbar extensor muscles, and (b) that to ensure that these get properly isolated and activated during an extension movement, you have to restrain the pelvis (otherwise, other muscles do most of the work). So the MedX machine, with pelvic restraint specifically targets just the lumbar extensors.
Your literature suggests that you believe it is better to exercise all the muscles involved in trunk extension collectively. But I don’t see much in your write up that addresses the question of whether or not this approach adequately activates and loads the lumbar muscles, particularly in people who have weakness in this area. MedX proponents would argue it is possible to have weak lumbar muscles and still be able to generate a considerable force in trunk extension via hips, glutes, and hamstrings.
Have you addressed this particular point of contention?
Yes, in a few places.
Check this article:
http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/game-changer/
more later
Thanks Josh,
Your RenX Trunk Extension machine addresses all 4 components(hips,pelvis,lumbar spine and thoracic spine). How many components does the Nautilus Low-back machine address?What are the major shortcomings of Nautilus low-back machine?That’s the only low-back machine in my gym. thanks
Nathan,
The nautilus low back machine was a critical first step in the evolution of meaningful exercise for the spine.
Ken’s protocol and retrofit made this machine a much safer and more effective device. The MedX Lumbar was the next major advance in the history of the lower back machine. With the advent of the variable counterweight and a complex restraint system, lower back exercise became much more specific to the lumbar spine.
The Renex machine is a product of intense study of not only human anatomy and biomechanics but also of thousands of client sessions. It is what we believe to be the most appropriate instrument with which to administer treatment.
Short comings include; Cam, friction,body position, adjust-ability and ability to complete a complex innate movement synergy pattern.
Joshua
My thanks to:
Written by: Travis Weigand & Jessie Zielinski
for writing this report.
Joshua
I have recently purchased a Medx Lumbar and was formulating the same questions posted by Nathan. I would add an additional question.
What is the recommendation for implementing the Renex protocol when using the Medx lumbar?
Dennis,
The MedX Medical lumbar is very effective with 10/10….R.O.M must be adjusted. Arthur’s ideas on full R.O.M– unnecessary and risky to flex the spine like that…we cover it in this article:
http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/game-changer/
@ Josh
How many dcegrees flexion 50 or 55° ?
48 max
Josh:
I”ve got to ask: Why aren’t veggies on the list of generic foods?
Be Well
Terry
Hi Terry,
We are not ruminants.
Veggie juices could be used for medicinal purposes.
Joshua
Hey Josh glad you said that about the vegetables; me and a training buddy have always said that they’re no good for you! And believe it or not during the Victoria era, vegetables were considered poisonous and inedible due to tits dramatic, almost instant effect on our bowels! Another question for you Josh!- do you you eat raw eggs?? because the raw albumen is absolutely disgusting!!LOL also regarding vegetables- they’re recommended by most Paleo dietitons- but the ridiculous amount of veggies I’ve eaten in the past the only words I can say is vegetables are not only bad for you in the short term, but will probably prevent you from assimilating nutrients that you ave eaten along with it!! This morning I eat a large tomato with some raw cheese and the flavor of the food combined was extremely off putting; almost like a gaseous taste in my mouth when eating them together! It probably had that bad flavor for a reason, because the indigestible cellulose prevented the absorption of the nutrients in the body! possibly?
Bradly,
Don’t get me started 🙂 , there is much I could say about this subject.
Joshua
LOL okay Iwont. But are raw eggs still easier on the digestive system than cooked ? I’ve heard a lot of stories saying that cooked eggs can be much more easily assimlated than raw?
Craig,
I have to check this might be in our Level II manual that we haven’t released yet.
Joshua
Where has drew baye been?
Sounds like the conference went very well! I’ve been trying to find some ways to do TSC’s in my home. I think some of the selectorized equipment at the YMCA here allows the user to lock the movement arm at various points. I’ve been thinking about how you guys said doing a static contraction without an outside source of resistance can lead to bracing and outroading. Is this due to the progressive, temporary weakening of strength? Is there more to this?
Donnie,
Yes,basically…..the body is going increase the burden to the surrounding musculature and decrease it from the intended musculature…different neural patterns as you fatigue rather than connecting more and more to the target musculature as we fatigue and get deeper into the set.
Hey Josh,
Any chance you could post a picture of someone using the Simple Row? I can’t get my head around what this machine is based on the verbal descriptions. I asked the same question over on BBS but I can never get out of moderation over there.
Thanks (and congratulations on the event – it kills me that I had to miss it for a wedding)
Thanks for the response to my question about static contractions, Joshua. When it comes to dynamic contractions, is the progressive, temporary weakening not an issue because the trainee’s effort increases? Or should I say effort must increase to keep the dynamic contraction going? Hope this makes sense.
I have been using timed static contraction as my dominant training mode for the last 15 or 16 years, inspired by the writings of Sysco and Little, and then Little’s solo writings. As an aging man with several arthritic joints derived from an overactive and sometimes reckless life, I was convinced this was the way to go after only a few workouts. Fast strength gains, dramatic metabolic response (extremely heavy breathing), and reduced muscle soreness compared to isotonic training, were other convincing factors.
Naturally I was very interested to learn about your experience with static contraction. Your practice of using it as a pre-exhaustion for an isotonic set which necesarilly had to be of much lower resistance was especially intriguing; so I gave it a try, first with lat pulldown(elbow straps, handles and straps, and then the bar itself), and then pec-deck. The muscle “pump” was extraordinary. Nine days later (two days ago) I repeated the pec-deck, plus five lb.(210lb. on cybex machine,vs. 205) for plus 10 seconds (2 min. 30 seconds, vs. 2:20). I was very pleased. For the lats I used seated cable row instead of lat pulldown, and gained 10 seconds (1:30 vs. 1:20)using my previous rowing poundage(100 lb.). I was so stoked that I did the remaining three exercises of the workout in this fashion: max contraction for roughly 60-120 seconds, static failure, reduce the weight about 50% and continue with super-slow reps to positive failure. It was one of those rare workouts where every exercise showed significant progress. Thanks for the new ideas.
By the way, I am 69 years old, have been lifting for 55 years, H.I.T. for 41 years and still lead an active and somewhat reckless life as a comedian and juggler.
Robert,
You are welcome!
41 years of High Intensity Exercise…..awesome man!
Joshua
Thank for that Josh appreciate it! On a side note, I just discovered a website called ‘The Primal Parent’ and has an article titled ‘Four Years Eating Raw Meat’. Amazing ! The woman who wrote it says that she even eat rotten meat and had no side effects. Shes very impressive and brave to experiment on herself! well worth a look at for anyone interested 🙂
Bradly,
I’m aware of many of these stories.
Joshua
I seem to have light bulbs turn on the more I read the information and comments on this site and some others. At first I didn’t understand why you guys would not advocate a static contraction against an imposed load. Now I think I get it.
There was a lengthy comment by Gus on “The Future of Exercise” article, explaining how static contractions against an imposed load can turn into “weightlifting”. He goes into alot of detail and more in this comment that really made me think. Al and Joshua have both made comments regarding this that made me think as well.
Somewhere on here Al was talking about how TSCs can further reveil the respites in dynamic contractions. Another gentleman I communicated with on another website some time ago brought the idea of less effort being exerted during negative contractions. I don’t remember for sure if this is what Al was saying here specifically.
Just wanted to say again I really appreciate the information and conversations that take place on this site.
Donnie,
You are welcome, thanks for taking the time to write.
Joshua
Regrading my last comment. I meant to say that a gentleman on another website brought the idea of less effort being exerted during negative contractions to my attention.
Josh
I asked this on Body By Science but realized a few on this site might want to know the answer.
On the Ventral Press and Overhead press do you use the end stops (brief pause … no squeeze) so that people do full range of motion at the upper turn-around? I find without it people will just shorten their upper turn-arounds.
Thanks
John
John,
The end stop during dynamic pressing movements is used as a means to standardize the rep range. We don’t have them pause there, but rather continue through it to sustain a non-stop continuous loop.
This isn’t something I want to go into deeply here, but with future technology this may be the ideal way to perform all dynamic exercise.
Al
John,
The end stop during dynamic pressing movements is used as a means to standardize the rep range. We don’t have them pause there, but rather continue through it to sustain a non-stop continuous loop.
This isn’t something I want to go into deeply here, but with future technology this may be the ideal way to perform all dynamic exercise.
Al
Thanks Al
Regarding TUL … I know you count reps now … where are you coming in on compound pressing and pulling movements and on the leg press. I wondering what effective the squeeze technique has on TUL for the compound pulling exercises.
Thanks
John
John,
It adds about 3 to 5 seconds per rep …or 25 -25 seconds, sometimes more, to the set.
Joshua
Josh
I thought it would shorten the set overall … even though the squeeze technique requires more time to perform. I thought the squeeze technique would fatigue you sooner making the overall set shorter even though there was added time to each rep while employing the squeeze technique.
John
Thanks
John
John,
It can lengthen the duration of the rep or the set depending upon the scenario.
I’ve seen instances where it extends the duration of the set IF the subject was holding back in prior workouts with a given load. At times there seems to be something about the squeeze technique that amplifies the rate of rate coding and thus extends the set. Usually when this happens the load was too light. Once this is corrected in following workouts it tends to shorten the set with a given load because it also tends to even out any fluctuation in the remainder of the rep.
Al
I posted this at Body By Science and was wondering if anyone had an opinion on this?
I was wondering if any one had a comment on this. I notice something very different when I reach failure on the 5th rep (TUL 1:30), after completing 4 reps, compared to when i real failure on the 7th rep (TUL 2:10), after completing 6 reps.
What I notice is that when going shorter when I reach failure it’s like hitting a wall. It’s hard to do the through inroading technique compared to when i go longer where I can grind out a few more inches of movement and do the thorough inroad technique easily. Is the shorter on to failure due more to the amount of load where the longer one is due more from fatigue (inroading)? I’ve done this a few times and always have noticed the same thing.
John,
I can’t be 100% sure what causes this(no one is, ignore someone who says otherwise), but my guess is that it has more to do with loading fluctuations than it does with load. Of course load may be indirectly influence this, but our experiences with TSC have shown that a relatively low level of force can cause one to run into the wall you mentioned IF the level of force fluctuation is low.
My guess is that for whatever reason, the load you are using that is causing the shorter set has less fluctuation in force and degrees per second. And yes; in a set with low levels of fluctuation, the thorough inroad technique seems to be rendered near impossible.
Hope that helps.
Al Said …
“My guess is that for whatever reason, the load you are using that is causing the shorter set has less fluctuation in force and degrees per second. And yes; in a set with low levels of fluctuation, the thorough inroad technique seems to be rendered near impossible.”
Al
This make a lot of sense …. I’m good at keeping the tension steady through out the set which explains what could be happening.
Thanks Al and Josh too
Josh,
Could you point to some readings/recipes on this type diet? I like raw and dont believe vegans but this almost looks like it skews towards keto. Domyouminclude any grains/carbs you didnt mention, or is that for cheat days (and do you even have those)?
yes….heat a protein and what happens? heat most anything and what happens?
DANATURES! But what boggles me is that some people think that people who are lactose intolerant are because their ancestors eat too musch dairy, gluten intolerence is the result of our parents eating too much grain based products. and diabetes is the result of over consumption of carbohydrates. Apart from the gluten you seem to violate all of these ideas! So is there any scientific explanation for this?
Yes, those assumptions are inaccurate….I won’t comment on the gluten.
But the lactose and carbohydrate suggestions are ridiculous .
Yes, I believe these views can be substantiated.
John,
I was only comparing to the same rep count…Apples and apples….
Yes, Squeeze technique will reduce the load and reps performed.