Monday, February 08, 2021

Isochain Modified Promethean Mark II Planning

This is my modified version of the Promethean Mark II program from the Ultimate Isometrics Manual, which I am planning to follow for 8 weeks.

Modified Promethean Mark II
Day 1 - High-angle Deadlift, Medium-Angle Reverse Curl, High-angle Shoulder Press
Day 2 - High-Angle Zercher Squat, Medium-Angle Bent Row, Chest Press
Day 3 - Off

Today I tried out Isochain positions for the selected drills at the desired angles, and added color-coded tags to the chain to mark the positions. if the tags were not already there.  I also tested the Max readings in Feedback Mode because I had overlooked that the Max button works in Feedback mode so I wanted to make sure that it works for the 1-Rep Max testing sessions that I will be using to set the official 1-rep Max values for each of the 6 drills for Promethean Mark II.

The Day 1 exercises are mostly the same as in the manual, except for Reverse Curl, which I have substituted for Curl because of soreness in my inner elbow that is aggravated by Curl.  I'd been working at the high angle for Reverse Curl so it made sense to switch back to a medium angle.  I experimented with positioning the bar so that it is vertically above the base plate, versus positioning the bar a little further in front of me so that the elbows are in line with my torso, resulting in the chain being at an angle to the base plate instead of vertical.  I found that the Isochain measured a greater Reverse Curl force with the elbows in line with the torso, instead of the elbows behind for a vertical chain.  I went with high-angle Deadlift because it's the least stress to the lower back, and it engages the abs the most.  I chose high-angle Shoulder Press because it's more comfortable than medium-angle, and I'd been working so much with low-angle already.  

The Day 2 drill selection is also mostly the same as in the manual, with Zercher Squat substituted for Front Squat, based on the benefits described by Christian Thibideau.  The high angle seems to engage the abs the most. 

Maybe it wasn't smart to go for some max force readings on the very next day after a serious Isochain session.  But it was fun.



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