Final answer:
Agonist reversal training involves sequentially contracting opposing muscle groups, like doing a bicep curl followed by a tricep extension. It aims to enhance muscular coordination and balance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Agonist reversal training is a technique used in resistance training exercises where one muscle group (the agonist) is contracted to perform an action, followed by the contraction of the opposite muscle group (the antagonist) to perform the reverse action. This type of training can improve muscular balance and coordination. For example, in the context of a leg workout, when you perform a leg extension, the quadriceps are the agonists and the hamstrings are the antagonists. Conversely, when you do a leg curl, the hamstrings become the agonists and the quadriceps the antagonists.
Here are two ways to perform agonist reversal training:
- Perform a strength exercise focusing on the agonist muscle group, such as a bicep curl. Immediately following this, perform an exercise that activates the opposing muscle group, the triceps, like a tricep extension.
- Use cable machines or resistance bands to engage the agonist muscle group in a concentric contraction, like pulling the handles towards you for a row, which works the back muscles. Then, instead of letting the weights or bands snap back, slowly perform an eccentric contraction with the opposing muscle group (the chest muscles in this example) to return to the starting position.