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Sport VersaPulley
What Is VersaPulley?
VersaPulley is a high/low strength exercise pulley machine
that combines speed, power and functional mobility through
any range of motion with accommodating inertial resistance
at any speed, just like sports. The VersaPulley was designed
to enhance sport movement and athletic performance.
VersaPulley featurted
at
Institute of Human Performance
Jeff "The Snowman" Monson utilizing
the VersaPulley's explosive power resistance for single
leg take downs. Monson is UFC #1 contender and a
2-Time Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Champion.
The resistance used is based on patented MV²
technology. This technology provides responsive resistance
and a true stretch-shortening cycle for closed chain, multi-plane,
multi-joint exercises as well as isolation or open-chain routines.
MV² technology is a mechanism utilizing rotational inertia
and an infinitely variable cam (cone). One can perform a vast
array of exercises across the force-velocity spectrum ranging
from high force and low velocity to high velocity and low
force.
Marcus "Maximus" Aurelioff training
rotational
gut wrench pull at IHP.
Who
is using VersaPulley?
World-class athletes at Mark Verstegen's Athletes' Performance
Training Centers in Tempe, AZ and Carson, CA. Verstegen is
Director of Performance for the NFL Players' Association.
He and his staff work with top athletes competing at the highest
levels in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey,
and many other sports. Noted speaker and regular NSCA columnist
Juan Carlos Santana uses the VersaPulley with his athletes
and clients at the Institute of Human Performance in Boca
Raton, FL. Additionally, other top professionals such as Mark
Roozen in Fort Worth, TX are using the VersaPulley.
VersaPulley featured at NASM
Who is studying VersaPulley?
Dr. Mathew Rhea and colleagues at the Firefighter Research
Organization based out of Phoenix, AZ which collaborates with
top scientists at several universities will be examining the
VersaPulley as an occupational modality for firefighters.
This research is being done to help the International Fire
Chief's and International Firefighters' Association determine
which equipment companies make the most effective and economical
modalities to aid the lifesaving occupational tasks performed
by firefighters.
Dr. Julio Tous, a sport/exercise physiologist in Barcelona
Spain, recently received two mini Versa Pulleys. Tous teaches
at Ramon Llull University and is a performance specialist
with the FC Barcelona soccer team. Soccer is the world's most
popular sport. The FC Barcelona team competes in a stadium
that seats 100,000 spectators and is equivalent to major professional
sports franchises in the U.S. Dr. Tous will provide feedback
on the mini-VersaPulley.
Interested
in a portable
version of the VersaPulley?
Click HERE
What is MV² Technology?
MV² is a revolutionary gravity-free resistance system
using a rotational inertia mechanism with an infinitely variable
cam to store energy a trainee provides through the concentric
contraction and then releases the energy right back for the
trainee to dissipate during the eccentric contraction. Simply
put, the energy you put in comes right back to you when exercising
on the VersaPulley. The patented MV² technology of the
VersaPulley, being gravity-free, has possible applications
for astronauts in the NASA Space Program (3,4,6). Bone demineralization
and muscle atrophy are serious issues during space flight.
What is Responsive Resistance?
Responsive resistance "responds" to the force output
of the trainee throughout the range of motion (ROM). There
is no "sticking point" with the patented MV²
responsive resistance of the VersaPulley. With conventional
free weight and machine exercises, there are points in the
ROM where the resistance is "heavier" do to leverage
factors. For example, in a squat or bench press, on the raising
or concentric portion of the exercise there is a "sticking
point." Once the trainee gets through the "sticking
point," he or she must "slow down" when approaching
the end of the concentric contraction before lowering the
weight in the eccentric contraction. This "slowing down"
does not allow the trainee to accelerate all the way through
the movement. This does not mean exercises such as squats
or bench presses are bad. On the contrary, they can be quite
valuable. But, they do have limitations. The patented MV²
responsive resistance of the VersaPulley allows maximal acceleration
all the way through the movement automatically "responding"
to the force exerted by the trainee. Thus, the VersaPulley
is a great tool for maximal acceleration throughout the ROM.
What is a True Stretch-Shortening Cycle?
Muscles receive information from the brain or central nervous
system. This includes the length of each muscle at any point
and the tension needed for posture and stopping or starting
movement. There are serial elastic components of muscle which
also include tendons. Muscle spindles (proprioceptors) preset
muscle tension and provide sensory input related to rapid
muscle stretching which activates the stretch or myotatic
reflex. When a muscle(s) is stretched fast in a rapid eccentric
contraction, the concentric force output is greater after
the stretch (7). You can demonstrate this to yourself by bending
at the hips and knees as if to perform a vertical jump. Hold
the semi-squat position a few seconds and then jump. Now,
perform a regular vertical jump. You won't jump as high when
holding the semi-squat position before jumping. This is because
you have removed the stretch-shortening cycle from the movement.
The VersaPulley increases the explosiveness of movements by
developing the natural elastic stretch reflex component of
muscle and tendon. Just as important, and perhaps more important
for injury prevention, the VersaPulley's high eccentric loading
may improve the ability to reduce or dissipate force. Many
injuries such as ACL tears often occur during deceleration
(3,4,6,9,13,14,16,17).
Reduced Eccentric-Concentric
Coupling Time
Sports involve stopping, starting, and changing directions.
The VersaPulley may help reduce the time between stopping
or force reduction (eccentric muscle action) and starting
or force production (concentric muscle action).
Athletes need to be able stop quick and then turn and go in
a very short amount of time. You want to shrink the time it
takes from slamming on the brakes to stepping on the gas.
This is reducing the eccentric-concentric coupling time or
what's also known as the amortization phase. Think of a running
back taking a hand-off, having to slam on the brakes or stop
to avoid a tackler, and then putting his foot on the gas accelerating
in a cut in a different direction. Sports occur in a random
and chaotic environment and not a closed or fixed environment.
So, athletes need to prepare like they play on the field to
improve performance and reduce the likelihood of injury.
Maximum Rate of Force Development
Dr. Mike Stone, Head of Sports Physiology for the U.S. Olympic
Committee, and his colleagues have stated: " Strength
can be defined as the ability to produce force. As force is
a vector quantity, the display of strength will have a magnitude
and direction. Strength can also be associated with a rate
of force production"(15, p.739). Stone et al. go on to
cite Schmidtbleicher classifying exercises as explosive provided
a maximum rate of force development is attained and explain
that for many sports the ability to produce force rapidly
may be more important than maximum force production (15).
The VersaPulley allows one to explode all the way through
the movement at both high force-low velocity and high velocity-low
force. Thus, a maximum rate of force development can be achieved
on every repetition across a wide spectrum of force and velocity.
Another important consideration mentioned by Stone et al.
for transfer to sporting movements is mechanical and positional
specificity (15). The VersaPulley allows one to exercise in
positions closely replicating sporting movements. Thus, the
VersaPulley allows maximum rate of force development and a
high degree of mechanical specificity at the same time.
Force, Velocity, & Power
Mechanical work is the product of force x displacement. Mechanical
power is work/time or the product of force x velocity. Simply
stated, power in athletic movements is strength x speed. Some
sports and positions like football linemen require more force
while others like throwing a 5 oz. baseball require more velocity.
There appears to be a velocity specificity for transfer of
training (8,12,14,15,16,17). This seems especially true for
high-level or elite athletes (15). Thus, training for just
maximum strength (force) at low speeds will probably not optimize
high speed sports performance. The VersaPulley allows one
to train across a wide spectrum of force and velocity. Additionally,
the Versa Pulley is great for complex or contrast training
where heavier and lighter loads are alternated in sets (1,5,7.14,16).
Dr. John Cronin and colleagues state: "The force-velocity
relationship characterizes the dynamic capability of the neuromuscular
system to function under various loading conditions and, therefore,
has considerable significance in the performance of movement"
(8, p.148). It is apparent that the VersaPulley can be very
important in enhancing the performance of movement.
Click here
to see training exercises as performed on the VersaPulley.
Functional Sport-Specific Training
Dr. Jeff Ives et al. made the statement: "Lack of association
between strength or power and successful performance in high-level
athletes is partly because strength and power tests, although
generally similar to the methods to train for strength and
power, are often not specific to the conditions and movement
patterns seen in the sporting environment" (10, p.178).
The VersaPulley provides a host of multi-plane, multi-joint
movements with acceleration-deceleration profiles similar
to sporting and everyday activities.
Rotational/Diagonal Training
Free weights and conventional resistance machines provide
basically up and down movement in a fixed plane. Old-fashioned
cables and plates result in a "flying weight" when
trying to perform multi-plane rotational/diagonal movements
with acceleration. The VersaPulley allows for a multitude
of rotationa/diagonal movements with acceleration and deceleration
loading. Observe sporting activities such as planting and
cutting, throwing, or hitting a ball. Almost all sports involve
rotational and diagonal movement. Everyday activities such
as lifting groceries out of a car also require movement in
multiple planes. Acclaimed speaker, writer, NSCA columnist,
and VersaPulley user J.C. Santana has coined the term non-vertical
vectors or N2V for short (14). Santana states: " When
the body moves, every body segment creates a momentum vector.
In many cases, the movement is rotational, thus creating angular
momentum. Most movements in life and sport are a combination
of both linear momentum and angular momentum. Regardless of
the combination of movements throughout the body, running
(and other functional movements) deals with horizontal forces,
especially when decelerating. Since many functional activities
have a horizontal component, it would be advantageous to load
this component in order to enhance one's ability to neutralize
and overcome it" (14, p.28). Santana shows an example
in his training manual of how the VersaPulley is used in situations
such as a third baseman fielding a ball, planting, and throwing
(14, p.29).
Daily Functional Activities
Daily activity involves at least some level of strength and
balance. This is important as we age to avoid falls. A recent
study found that conventional variable resistance machine
strength training was not effective for improving balance
and may have even made it worse in older men (2). The results
of this study are probably due to the fact that conventional
variable resistance machines provide isolation. Sitting in
the machines takes away input from higher brain centers and
stabilizing muscles involved in balance. The VersaPulley requires
proprioceptive input to enhance balance and stabilization.
Additionally, the VersaPulley may well be a valuable modality
to help prevent osteoporosis (6). Another benefit of the VersaPulley
is a high metabolic cost with large muscle-mass, multi-joint
exercises (3,14,16).
Closed-Chain Kinetic Exercise
This functional form of exercise performed on the VersaPulley
can increase joint stability and the neuromuscular involvement
required in sports and everyday activities. The more integrated
and related the movement, the more likelihood for improving
performance and preventing injury.
Progressive Exercise
VersaPulley offers unsurpassed versatility to replicate simple
to complex movements. It gives you a tool to involve more
planes, joints, stable to unstable environments, high to low
force, high to low velocity, movements all functionally matched
to the capability of the user.
Future Directions
Erudite researcher and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research Dr. William Kraemer stated: "For
over a century, the use of science has been set against a
backdrop of anecdotal observations of the lifting sports,
and many concepts derived from these observations have been
proven correct. However, as we have moved away from the specific
sports of bodybuilding, power lifting, and weightlifting into
the broader world of athletic performance and its diverse
physical demands, other training combinations have been needed"
(11, p.48-49). Dr. Kraemer continues in his concluding paragraph:
"Exercise prescription will be an ongoing process as
new information challenges or modifies our paradigms and approaches"
(11, p.49). It can't be said any better! We welcome the scientific
community to investigate the VersaPulley and other resistance
modalities. Science should be a search for the truth. We would
like to see scientific studies that compare the efficacy of
different equipment modalities to enhance functional movement
performance.
Click here
to see training exercises as performed on the VersaPulley.
"VersaPulley is the most versatile and most practical
technology ever developed. It gives us the ability to provide
our athletes with closed chain, multi-plane, multi-joint exercises
with progressive force and range of motion......the VersaPulley
allows coaches to prescribe a wide variety of training activities
to meet performance goals by being able to manipulate all
planes of motion, at various loads from 4 to 400 pounds and
at speeds limited only by the athlete's power capability."
Mark Verstegen MS, C.S.C.S.
Explosive Power Movements Critical Deceleration Sport Specific
Training Multi-Plane Power MovementsVersaPulley provides smooth,
non-traumic, "response" resistance. Lateral speed
lunging targets hips and enhances cutting ability.The ultimate
high-low pulley speed and strength machine; perform 100's
of power driven strength routines."The VersaPulley offers
whole new dimension to functional training. The ability to
use its compliant speeds and forces, at any range of motion,
makes it the ideal piece for my facility and more importantly--my
athletes."
For pricing please call
1.800.237.2271
Selected References
1. Baker, D. Acute effect of alternating heavy
and light resistances on power output during upper body complex
power training. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17: 493-497, 2003.
2. Bellew, J.W., Yates, J.W., and D.R. Gater.
The initial effects of low-volume strength training on balance
in untrained older men and women. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17:
121-128, 2003.
3. Caruso, J.F. and D.A. Hernandez. Net caloric
cost of a 3 set flywheel ergometer resistance exercise paradigm.
J. Strength Cond. Res. 16: 567-572, 2002.
4. Caruso, J.F., Hernandez, D.A., Saito, K.,
Cho, M., and N.M. Nelson. Inclusion of eccentric actions on
net caloric cost resulting from isoinertial resistance exercise.
J. Strength Cond. Res. 17: 549-555, 2003.
5. Chiu, L.Z.F., Fry, A.C., Weiss, L.W., Schilling,
B.K., Brown, L.E., and S.L. Smith. Postactivation potentiation
response in athletic and recreationally trained individuals.
J. Strength Cond. Res. 17: 671-677, 2003.
6. Chiu, L.Z.F. and G. Salem. Research proposal
submitted to Heart Rate, Inc. for investigation of the VersaPulley
at the University of Southern California. Nov., 2003.
7. Chu, D.A. Jumping into plyometrics. Champaign,
IL: Human Kinetics, 1998.
8. Cronin, J.B., McNair, P.J., and R.N. Marshall.
Force-velocity analysis of strength-training techniques and
load: Implications for training strategy and research. J.
Strength Cond. Res. 17: 148-155, 2003.
9. Gambetta, V. Bettering the odds. Training
& Conditioning. July/August, 20-26, 2003.
10. Ives, J.C. and G.A. Shelley. Psychophysics
in functional strength and power training: Review and implementation
framework. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17: 177-186, 2003.
11. Kraemer, W.J. The use of science in exercise
prescription development. Strength Cond. J. 26(1), 48-49,
2004.
12. McBride, J.M., McBride, T.T., Davie, A.,
and R.U. Newton. The effect of heavy-vs light-load jump squats
on the development of strength, power, and speed. J. Strength
Cond. Res. 16: 75-82, 2002.
13. Pettineo, S.J., Jestes, K., and M. Lehr.
Female ACL injury prevention with a functional integration
exercise model. Strength Cond. J. 26(1), 28-33, 2004.
14. Santana, J.C. The essence of band and pulley
training companion guide. Optimum Performance Systems. Boca
Raton, FL 2002.
15. Stone, M.H., Sanborn, K., O'Bryant, H.S.,
Hartman, M., Stone, M.E., Proulx, C., Ward, B., and J. Hruby.
Maximum-power-performance relationships in colligate throwers,
J. Strength Cond. Res. 17: 739-745, 2003.
16. Verstegen, M. Rotary training. Presentation
at the 2003 NSCA Sport Specific Conference: Jan. 9-10, 2003.
New Orleans, LA.
17. Weatherly, J. and C. Schinck. Concepts for
baseball conditioning. Strength and Cond. 18(2), 32-39, 1996.
Patent
Number's
6,283,899 B1
6,929,587 B2
6,689,024 B2
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