The closest form of resemblance that VRT has with weight training is the concept of vasocongestion, commonly referred to as "the Pump."
The brilliance of VRT is pitting a flexor against an extensor, and thus creating a demanding relationship on the vascular network of the muscle group involved, much in the same way as the pump that is created in a weight training movement. The result is vasocongestion, the muscle-swelling 'pump.'
The level of vasocongestion is really a matter of controversy, for for the most part it is not measurable, but it is comparable to the feeling that is generated as a pump from weight training. And as Sigmund Freud said, the "greatest decisions are best left up to feelings." It is with that that I agree 100%.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Various Places for VRT Exercises
VRT is such an adaptable exercise that it can be done virtually anywhere, anytime, and in any place. Take for example waiting at a bus stop. One could do a standing VRT-style bench press, or VRT dumbbell curls, a VRT tricep press, a VRT military press, or VRT squats. Without moving from your spot. While no one is looking, of course.
The various places and situations where these could be performed is limitless; strolling through a supermarket, for instance, one could perform one-armed curls while pushing the cart with the other arm; stopping to look at the meat while doing squats; doing imaginary one-armed pull-ups while heading down the frozen pizza section; doing imaginary dead-lifts while opening the ice cream freezer door, and other various situations.
Really, just as the imagination allows you to do any one of various exercises, so too are the situations that one can do them in offer an endless number of times and places to do it in. No gym is needed. No special place is needed. It can be done throughout anyone's day.
Greg Mangan
VRT Man
The various places and situations where these could be performed is limitless; strolling through a supermarket, for instance, one could perform one-armed curls while pushing the cart with the other arm; stopping to look at the meat while doing squats; doing imaginary one-armed pull-ups while heading down the frozen pizza section; doing imaginary dead-lifts while opening the ice cream freezer door, and other various situations.
Really, just as the imagination allows you to do any one of various exercises, so too are the situations that one can do them in offer an endless number of times and places to do it in. No gym is needed. No special place is needed. It can be done throughout anyone's day.
Greg Mangan
VRT Man
Saturday, February 9, 2008
VRT System Keeps Joints Rejuvenated
The system of visualized resistance does a great deal to spare the synovial membranes of the human body. Those membranes are in every movable joint of the human body from the knuckle joints, toe joints, and elbows to the spinal column and neck.
The act of lifting weights, whether dumbbells, barbells, or the plates of a universal machine, compress the synovial membrane and can cause an early and arthritic deterioration of the membrane. Visualized Resistance Training [VRT] can create vasocongestion of the particular muscle group and create an increase in skeletomuscular size and strength, but completely spare the synovial membrane from the gravitational compression that will create "busted up weightlifter's syndrome".
Advocates of VRT never complain of joint problems the way that life-long advocates of weight training do. The spinal column especially does not show any problems related to disc compression [the name given the synovial membranes in the spinal column] or heniated ["slipped"] discs. The suggestion is to try VRT to avoid joint problems of any kind, yet increase strength, speed, and coordination.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
The act of lifting weights, whether dumbbells, barbells, or the plates of a universal machine, compress the synovial membrane and can cause an early and arthritic deterioration of the membrane. Visualized Resistance Training [VRT] can create vasocongestion of the particular muscle group and create an increase in skeletomuscular size and strength, but completely spare the synovial membrane from the gravitational compression that will create "busted up weightlifter's syndrome".
Advocates of VRT never complain of joint problems the way that life-long advocates of weight training do. The spinal column especially does not show any problems related to disc compression [the name given the synovial membranes in the spinal column] or heniated ["slipped"] discs. The suggestion is to try VRT to avoid joint problems of any kind, yet increase strength, speed, and coordination.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
Friday, January 25, 2008
VRT - The Importance of Focus
The element of focus has come up again and again in obtaining the most out of Visualized Resistance Training.
The idea of focusing on a specific immovable object or objects seems to magnify the effect of visualization. As with all goals, if for instance one has a specific desire to be a doctor, while in undergraduate pre-med training one must focus fully and completely on the idea of being a physician, and picture practicing medicine in a hospital or doctor's office. With that specific focus in mind, day in and day out, imagining it with full sensory acuity, the subconscious will take that person to that position which he or she has so desired. Focus will bring it about.
Likewise, the amount of focus one puts into the visualization of lifting heavy weights, lifting a car or an elephant, pushing a semi into the air, etc., will neuroligically push the muscle to its greatest flexion, and its most massive vasocongestion (pump), which forces the muscles to grow.
It is said that "we become what we think about", or "we attract what we think about." With practice on the increase of mental focus, visualized resistance can only become better for the individual.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
The idea of focusing on a specific immovable object or objects seems to magnify the effect of visualization. As with all goals, if for instance one has a specific desire to be a doctor, while in undergraduate pre-med training one must focus fully and completely on the idea of being a physician, and picture practicing medicine in a hospital or doctor's office. With that specific focus in mind, day in and day out, imagining it with full sensory acuity, the subconscious will take that person to that position which he or she has so desired. Focus will bring it about.
Likewise, the amount of focus one puts into the visualization of lifting heavy weights, lifting a car or an elephant, pushing a semi into the air, etc., will neuroligically push the muscle to its greatest flexion, and its most massive vasocongestion (pump), which forces the muscles to grow.
It is said that "we become what we think about", or "we attract what we think about." With practice on the increase of mental focus, visualized resistance can only become better for the individual.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
Saturday, January 19, 2008
VRT: Bi-directional or One Direction only?
Much controversy has come up with students of the VRT system doing the imaginary weight training in one direction, or in both directions...i.e., tension at the outset, and tension in coming back to the start of the movement.
In my original development of this course, I recommended that the movement most clearly be a facsimile of reality; in other words, the movement imitate a real lift, both in the vision, sound, touch, even smell (if that's possible). And that is tension in one direction. But John McSweeney's version, which John Peterson called the Miracle 7, recommended tension in both directions.
I leave this to the individual practicioner. I have done both. I think one direction is the most "megapumping", but one may find more comfort, vigor, and energy in practicing tension in both directions.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
In my original development of this course, I recommended that the movement most clearly be a facsimile of reality; in other words, the movement imitate a real lift, both in the vision, sound, touch, even smell (if that's possible). And that is tension in one direction. But John McSweeney's version, which John Peterson called the Miracle 7, recommended tension in both directions.
I leave this to the individual practicioner. I have done both. I think one direction is the most "megapumping", but one may find more comfort, vigor, and energy in practicing tension in both directions.
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Mastering VRT, or Visualized Resistance
Pierini first posted this in Transformetrics from his martial arts training, and this was also posted recently by John Peterson, whom I quote here:
"It’s about the “stages of development,” in self-mastery, and here’s how I identify them:
1) Unconsciously-incapable
2) Consciously-incapable
3) Consciously-capable
4) Unconsciously-capable
Let me illustrate what I mean by these four distinctions.
Let’s take a little boy whom we’ll call him Jimmy. When he’s only nine months of age, Jimmy’s mother takes him outside on a beautiful summer day, where he sees his eight-year-old brother Jerry get on his bicycle and head for the playground. At this point Jimmy doesn’t know what a bicycle is, let alone know how to ride one, so he is at stage 1) Unconsciously-incapable.
A few of years later, through watching his brother and other kids in the neighborhood, Jimmy has discovered what a bicycle is. But since he still does not know how to ride one he is now at stage 2) Consciously-incapable.
Two more years go by, and for his sixth birthday Jimmy receives a bicycle with training wheels. In time he starts to get the hang of it and before long the training wheels come off. At first he’s really shaky, but if he focuses on what he is doing he can ride the bike. He is now at stage 3) Consciously-capable.
After a few months of this, slowly improving at bike-riding, Jimmy decides that he is going to go visit his friend Andy, who lives two blocks away. So without even thinking about it, Jimmy hops on his bike and pedals over to Andy’s house. Now Jimmy is at stage 4) Unconsciously-capable. He doesn’t really have to consciously think about how to ride a bike. He just does it!
In getting up to speed with DVR/VRT, we all go through these same stages. Take Benny, one of our Forum members. When he first sees Slim “The Hammerman” Farman perform a leverage lift with a heavy sledge hammer, Benny is at stage 2, Consciously-incapable. He is conscious of what he sees Slim doing, but he is incapable at that point of duplicating Slim’s feat of strength.
Then after careful application, deep focus, and a great deal of sweat, Benny finally succeeds at performing what he saw Slim doing. He’s now at stage 3, Consciously-capable.
A few months later, a friend stops by and asks, “Benny, can you really do a leverage lift with a 12-pound sledge hammer?” And without even thinking about it, Benny grabs the hammer and lifts it without batting an eye. Yes Benny is at stage 4, Unconsciously-capable. He can do it anytime, without even having to think about “how” it’s done.
So what does this have to do with DVR/VRT, Isometric Contraction, and Transformetrics? Simply this: There is a natural learning curve for all of us, and it just takes a little time to get to stage 4—but we all get there!
Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to do it all perfectly right off the bat. In time, with focus and application, you will know exactly how an intense contraction feels. Then it won’t be long and you will know exactly what 35 percent, 50 percent, 80 percent, or any other level of contraction feels like. What’s more, you won’t even have to think about it because you will intuitively know where you are in the process."
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
"It’s about the “stages of development,” in self-mastery, and here’s how I identify them:
1) Unconsciously-incapable
2) Consciously-incapable
3) Consciously-capable
4) Unconsciously-capable
Let me illustrate what I mean by these four distinctions.
Let’s take a little boy whom we’ll call him Jimmy. When he’s only nine months of age, Jimmy’s mother takes him outside on a beautiful summer day, where he sees his eight-year-old brother Jerry get on his bicycle and head for the playground. At this point Jimmy doesn’t know what a bicycle is, let alone know how to ride one, so he is at stage 1) Unconsciously-incapable.
A few of years later, through watching his brother and other kids in the neighborhood, Jimmy has discovered what a bicycle is. But since he still does not know how to ride one he is now at stage 2) Consciously-incapable.
Two more years go by, and for his sixth birthday Jimmy receives a bicycle with training wheels. In time he starts to get the hang of it and before long the training wheels come off. At first he’s really shaky, but if he focuses on what he is doing he can ride the bike. He is now at stage 3) Consciously-capable.
After a few months of this, slowly improving at bike-riding, Jimmy decides that he is going to go visit his friend Andy, who lives two blocks away. So without even thinking about it, Jimmy hops on his bike and pedals over to Andy’s house. Now Jimmy is at stage 4) Unconsciously-capable. He doesn’t really have to consciously think about how to ride a bike. He just does it!
In getting up to speed with DVR/VRT, we all go through these same stages. Take Benny, one of our Forum members. When he first sees Slim “The Hammerman” Farman perform a leverage lift with a heavy sledge hammer, Benny is at stage 2, Consciously-incapable. He is conscious of what he sees Slim doing, but he is incapable at that point of duplicating Slim’s feat of strength.
Then after careful application, deep focus, and a great deal of sweat, Benny finally succeeds at performing what he saw Slim doing. He’s now at stage 3, Consciously-capable.
A few months later, a friend stops by and asks, “Benny, can you really do a leverage lift with a 12-pound sledge hammer?” And without even thinking about it, Benny grabs the hammer and lifts it without batting an eye. Yes Benny is at stage 4, Unconsciously-capable. He can do it anytime, without even having to think about “how” it’s done.
So what does this have to do with DVR/VRT, Isometric Contraction, and Transformetrics? Simply this: There is a natural learning curve for all of us, and it just takes a little time to get to stage 4—but we all get there!
Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to do it all perfectly right off the bat. In time, with focus and application, you will know exactly how an intense contraction feels. Then it won’t be long and you will know exactly what 35 percent, 50 percent, 80 percent, or any other level of contraction feels like. What’s more, you won’t even have to think about it because you will intuitively know where you are in the process."
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Meaning of VRT - Visualized Resistance Training
Some more wise words from Gordon Anderson, regarding visualization:
"Visualization unlocks the creative force lying dormant in all of us and it leads through pathways to the unlimited potential of our subconscious mind. The same principle works with negative as well as positive visualizations. People tend to project the negative events of their past into their future and that becomes their self fulfilling prophesy and they continue to get what they expect and visualize even if that isn't what they want."
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
"Visualization unlocks the creative force lying dormant in all of us and it leads through pathways to the unlimited potential of our subconscious mind. The same principle works with negative as well as positive visualizations. People tend to project the negative events of their past into their future and that becomes their self fulfilling prophesy and they continue to get what they expect and visualize even if that isn't what they want."
Greg Mangan
"VRT Man"
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