SCIENCE

CONSISTENT RESISTANCE

Although free weights are often considered to provide a constant resistance, this is true only at low exercise speeds and for exercises perpendicular to the ground. In fact, as indicated by the second law of motion, the force that is applied to move a mass is proportional to the mass of the weight that is being lifted multiplied by the acceleration. The more a mass is accelerated, the greater the force required to move the object.

Furthermore, once a mass is accelerated, it acquires a momentum (given by the mass times velocity) that allows it to move following an initial impulse. It follows that during the execution of fast movements, the weights cannot offer constant resistance throughout the entire range of motion, as after a first impulse they acquire a momentum that help their movement such as a pendulum.

LITE AIRSPEED uses compressed air as resistance (pneumatic resistance) and therefore provides resistance that includes minimal mass or inertia compared to free weights or classic weight cable machines, reducing the influence of momentum. Therefore, it is able to exert a real constant resistance during the entire range of motion.

DISCOVER AIRSPEED

In this support, the literature reports that for loads of 45-90% 1RM strength, power and muscle activity are greater during the last 10-20% of the concentric shift when exercising with pneumatic resistance versus weights (Frost, Cronin, & & Newton 2008); as well as the speed of movement (Peltonen, Häkkinen, & Avela, 2013). As a result, it has been shown that pneumatic resistance can be more effective than weights for improving power during athletic movements that require moving light loads, offering the opportunity to achieve more constant acceleration and higher speeds (Force = mass x acceleration ), (Frost, Bronson, Cronin, & Newton, 2016).

Furthermore, the use of pneumatic resistance allows an instantaneous passage of the load from concentric to eccentric, which, as for the elastic resistance, is less traumatic for the joints and stimulates adaptations in reflex-type responses, improving the electromechanical delay time. (Smith et al. 2019).

LITE AIRSPEED has been specially designed to allow high speed of movement with low inertia. Thanks to its unique characteristics, the rope can be pulled for over 28 meters, which means that the benefits offered by constant resistance can be applied for sprinting exercises, braking and changes of direction.

CONSULT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, D. M., Bronson, S., Cronin, J. B., & Newton, R. U. (2016). Changes in maximal strength, velocity, and power after 8 weeks of training with pneumatic or free weight resistance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 30(4), 934-944.

Frost, D. M., Cronin, J. B., & Newton, R. U. (2008). A comparison of the kinematics, kinetics and muscle activity between pneumatic and free weight resistance. European journal of applied physiology, 104(6), 937-956.

Peltonen, H., Häkkinen, K., & Avela, J. (2013). Neuromuscular responses to different resistance loading protocols using pneumatic and weight stack devices. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 23(1), 118-124.

Smith CM, Housh TJ, Hill EC, Keller JL, Anders JPV, Johnson GO et al (2019) Variable resistance training versus traditional weight training on the reflex pathway following four weeks of leg press training. Somatosens Mot Res [internet] 36(3):223–229