Sunday, May 30, 2010

BML (Beginning Movement Load) Training


In 1994, there was a  book published in Japan entitled "New Training Revolution". At the time, I skimmed the contents but was not impressed enough to look any further. It was not until over a decade later that I had another chance to revisit the ideas of that book and, thankfully, a friend in Japan who, at one time, was a national level full-contact karate fighter, told me about Beginning Movement Load Training.

My friend took me to a gym in Osaka where Koyama Yasushi's training philosophy was/is carried out by a team of trainers in a small room filled with machines. The training session began and ended with a PNF stretches, the actual workout consisted of moving from machine to machine doing high-rep partial range of motion exercises at a fairly rapid tempo. Exercises included (among others) chest press, dip machine, lat pulldown, pullovers, leg adductor, leg press (for hamstrings), leg abductor, leg press with a frog stance, side bends, and leg abductor from a splits position. Range of motion would generally oscillate around the sticking point of the exercise. Tempo of reps was quick with an initial push (or pull), relaxing once the sticking point was passed.

The general idea behind "BML" training (and theory) is that, as in many sports applications, strength training should consist of movements where resistance is greatest at the beginning of the concentric (effort) phase, accelerated through to completion, and then relaxed through the eccentric or past the release phase.

I don't know if Ichiro Suzuki is still using this method of strength training, but he was for at least a few seasons and some of the exercises I mention above are shown in the video below:












7 comments:

Boris T said...

I have a difficult time getting my head around a machine only workout. It sounds a little like the bodybuilding HIT principle.

Anonymous said...
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Boris said...

Well, yeah - Arthur Jones used a lot of machines, but not only the machines from what I've read. BML is a theory and the use of machines is really simply a modality within the theory.

It's nothing like training to failure - everything I've experienced, is stopped far short of failure. But, honestly, I'm not qualified to give much more than this very skeletal intro and first impressions on BML.

ppk Fukuoka said...

Hi! This is Satoshi from Japan.
(now live in Paris France)
Of course still Ichiro Suzuki is using these machines.
I'd like to show you latest BeMoLo training machines which Ichiro has.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAuNqYtOQOU&feature=related

Also please find this movie.
Koji Itoh he is sprinter for 100m how has Asian record 10"00. He is also Mr.Yasushi Koyama's client.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoY1QSG_48w&playnext_from=TL&videos=SDmLhLKOOFI

Boris said...

Thank you for the links Satoshi!

deadly said...

Doesnt this concept sound like exactly what occurs with normal barbell lifts?

A bench press for example is hardest at the bottom and easier at the top. The eccentric, is realtively relaxed in comparison to the concentric.

The quick lifts are more even throughout the movement as greater force can be applied as the bar accelerates.

People add bands & chains to barbell "slow lifts" to make them more like quick lifts, so the lockout is more challenging just like a quick lift can be.

This Japanese training modality, seems to have a strange grounding. Surely barbell movements have been doing all of this much better for the past century?

"strength training should consist of movements where resistance is greatest at the beginning of the concentric (effort) phase, accelerated through to completion, and then relaxed through the eccentric or past the release phase."

Boris said...

Deadly,
No, the execution is very different from how most people perform barbell lifts. Loads are generally very light.
Watch the video that Satoshi linked above:
Ichiro Video