Max Contraction Training : The Scientifically Proven Program for Building Muscle Mass in Minimum Time (Paperback)

by John Little (Author) "Bodybuilding, as it is presently practiced, is one of the most mindless, least healthy, and unscientific disciplines on the face of the earth..." (more)
Key Phrases: max contraction, full muscular contraction, muscle growth process, Max Straps, Mike Mentzer, Pec Deck (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The breakthrough new fitness program for readers who want big gains in little time

"I had one little miniworkout. I couldn't believe how short the workout was, and how good I felt afterward. . . . This technique is going to change your life." --Tony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within

Bodybuilding pioneer John Little smashes through conventional training approaches with his revolutionary workout program supported by science and based on 15 years of empirical research. The Max Contraction Training program maximizes muscle fiber stimulation in the shortest amount of time-- leading to faster workouts and more impressive gains. Little reveals:

• Groundbreaking techniques that MAXimize muscle fiber stimulation four times more efficient than conventional training
• Ideal exercise structuring in a workout routine
• Optimal time frames to train muscles for maximum growth
• False information put out by supplement companies

From the Back Cover

"I had one little mini workout. I couldn't believe how short the workout was and how good I felt afterward . . . This technique is going to change your life."

--Tony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within

Bodybuilding pioneer John Little revolutionized the sport with his seminal books Power Factor Training and Static Contraction Training, both of which offered scientifically based systems for maximizing muscle gain in a mere fraction of the time required by traditional weightlifting techniques. Now, dozens of scientific trials later, he again revolutionizes bodybuilding technology with Max Contraction Training.

Representing a quantum leap forward in fitness training, Max Contraction Training is the culmination of John Little's more than two decades of research and experimentation. It is the most efficient way ever devised for maximizing muscle fiber stimulation in the shortest period of time. Imagine a 10-second workout (yes, you read that right!) performed once a week that can stimulate up to 30 pounds of muscle growth! The Max Contraction system reveals why you do not need to spend hours a day and multiple days per week in the gym to have a muscular body.

With Max Contraction Training, beginners and advanced bodybuilders alike can get faster workouts and more impressive gains than they ever thought possible. In this book, you'll find:

• Breakthrough techniques that MAXimize muscle fiber stimulation, four times more efficient than conventional techniques
• Optimal time frames for training muscles for maximum growth--many taking as little as 10 seconds to complete
• Ideal exercise structuring for a total workout routine customized to your needs and lifestyle
• Valuable nutritional guidelines for promoting rapid muscle growth
• The truth behind all the hype put out by supplement companies and how and why many supplements do more harm than good

In addition, Little covers the stunning news that science has revealed as being the quickest way to stimulate pounds of muscle growth, the ideal structuring of exercises in a workout routine, the failure of conventional exercise methods, the optimal time frame to train your muscles for maximum growth--and much, much more.

John Little is the author of more than 30 books on bodybuilding, martial arts, history, and philosophy and the coauthor of Power Factor Training and Static Contraction Training.His articles on health and fitness have been published in such magazines as Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Men's Fitness, Ironman, Inside Kung Fu, and Blackbelt

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071423958
• ISBN-13: 978-0071423953
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and essential information with some big problems, January 26, 2004

By	mr_ska (London, England) - See all my reviews

Max Contraction Training is John Little's follow up to the last book he wrote with Peter Sisco, 'Static Contraction Training'. Max Contraction Training contains some really good information and acts as a logical and worthy extension of the principles of high intensity training. However, the book is far from perfect and there are a number of problematic areas which Little does not satisfactorily address.

The early chapters of the book cover the underlying principles of strength training, and make it clear that the book is aimed at drug free people who want to follow an efficient and effective method of strength training founded on real scientific principles and research rather than the typical 'gym lore' and nonsense that gets published in the muscle magazines.

Little points out that he had been working on developing the 'Max Contraction' system before he teamed up with Peter Sisco to produce the 'Power Factor' and 'Static Contraction' systems and that he considers 'Max Contraction' to be the ultimate conclusion of the high intensity principles that underlie all the systems he has been involved with, which does kind of make you wonder why he didn't just publish this at the beginning and not bother with the other two.
He also goes in for a fair amount of repetition in getting the point about the position of full contraction being the only one in which all of a muscle's fibres can be forced to contract, and after a while this becomes a big of a drag. This is combined with a few mixed messages about safety which can become a bit confusing after a while. However, once you have figured out exactly what he is getting at you will find that the points he is raising are valid and contribute a great deal to your overall understanding of the science behind strength training.

The later chapters are concerned with the practicalities of training acoording to the scientific principles he has laid out. He gives a sound and well rounded basic routine to follow which is based around 'isolation' exercises (e.g. Leg Extensions and Leg Curls) which allow for the individual muscle or muscle group to enter a position of full ('Max') contraction and so activate all the muscle's fibres and utilise the full strength of the muscle. He then goes on to show you 'Bodypart Specialization' routines (e.g. Arms, Shoulders, Back, Legs) which clearly do not follow the principles he has laid out in the first part of the book as they entail doing more sets per bodypart rather than increasing the intensity of exercise.

Safety is also an issue, people who train on their own will be pretty much limited to using the weights that they can move into the position of full/'max' contraction on their own from full (or near full) extension for many of the exercises which, logically, reduces the effectiveness. What will really stick in the craw of many readers though, is that in selecting particular exercises he is clearly trying to get you to buy his 'Max Straps' which will only be available from his website, and will not be cheap either!

So, the book is deeply flawed, but also has some essential information that will do you a lot of good. I recommend that you first buy Little and Sisco's 'Static Contraction Training' and then use this to round out the picture. Where 'Static Contraction Training' focuses on compound exercises, this aims at isolation exercises. The two books and systems are complementary rather than competitive, and with some thought and common sense you can easily combine the best of the two books into a routine for yourself that makes the most of the equipment you have available to you.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Conceptually Great but the Devil's Flaws are Lurking, October 4, 2006

By	Earl A. Brown (Laguna Niguel, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My partner and I worked the routine religously for over one year. I have great documentation of every rep - how was the form, how many seconds was the hold and a message for the next workout to either increase poundage, time of hold or to hold steady for better form.
And yes, just as they claim, my strength on the static hold began to increase. As I say, it's well documented.
And the 1,000 pound mark finally arrived on the leg press, and 350 pounds on the trapezoid shoulder roll with the barbell...all the other routines had virtually doubled in the weight resistance area...
You'd think I was really building muscle wouldn't you? Well I wasn't.
And here's the flaw: The day I leg pressed the 1000 pounds I heard and felt a tear in my knee. Miniscus(sic)surgery in both knees occurred last week. I'm a mess, but mostly because I had to have rotator cuff surgery on July 6th.
You see what the authors fail to mention to anyone is that despite the muscles ability to statically hold heavier and heavier weights, there ain't nothin' going on to strengthen the tendons and cartilage and other "body parts secondary to the muscle." And they can give way as they did in my case.
In my opinion, we all have a limit to the endurance of those secondary parts that can be overwhelmed by the high weights lifted via static contraction.
I've sacrificed 3 of my 4 major joints to surgery caused by static contraction.
And lastly, when we shifted to regular lifting after dazzling the gym with our "big stacking the weights on show," we were weaklings. My static bench press had been 310# but my bench press was only 165#.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FOCUSES ON THE ESSENCE OF THE ISSUE, November 3, 2005

By	C. W. Lawson "OracleMagician" (SF East Bay, California: United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Little gets right down to the root cause of muscle growth: INTENSITY. A careful study of research on muscle growth confirms that it's not the movement your limbs perform; it's not repetitions--it's INTENSITY OF MUSCLE OVERLOAD.

Little homes right in on this critical point. His exercises are designed to maximize intensity on a specific muscle (rather than compound exercises.)

Much of Little's work is based on the classic, "Toward an understanding of health and physical education" by Arthur H Steinhaus. (This book is definitely worth getting as well.) This work shows the results of numerous experiments (by mostly German researchers) on both humans and animals.

Surprisingly, empirical results confirm that even brief, full contractions with maximum intensity can lead to maximum rate of muscle growth. Little is correct, therefore, when he suggests exercises of very short duration. Research confirms that indeed, just a few seconds at max intensity is sufficient to trigger a near-maximum rate of growth.

One suggestion for future editions: I didn't see very much about warm-up. It seems like this should be covered in detail, given that the suggested exercises will be at maximum intensity. Isn't that all the more reason for careful warm-up? To be fair, Little does suggest a SLOW contraction, which presumably would minimize the risk of injury.

Little also exposes the questionable claims of the myriads of supplements. The science of muscle growth is really not that complicated. If you study the scientific literature (not Muscle magazines) you'll quickly see the basis for Little's method. It's based on fact, not marketing biases.

Purchasing this book is a "no-brainer." If you're really serious about muscle growth, you would be wise to get it, as well as the Steinhaus classic.