Something occurred to me when Googling around for the best exercises for Armwrestlers. Let’s say you want to simulate (not train for!) the AW in the gym - best way is to lie flat on your back, elbows pointed out, dumbells at head level, and bring the bells over to hip level. Possibly not great for the RC either, and the ACTUAL training methods for Armwrestlers are wrist/forearm work, but that’s an aside. I’m just using the movement as an example.
The other trouble with that movement is that you cannot simulate the opponenents micro-variations in fatigue that he would experience. You could try doing the same using a pulley, but not oiling it so that the load is uneven during the movement (I found this on my own lat tower).
So you could could train in an almost frictionless manner with dumbells/pulley, but when faced with an opponent used to fluctuations in his strength vs an opponents, not to mention actual hands-on experience (pun not quite intended but not far!), the undertaking would have a very unfamiliar feel to it.
My question here is, is there a term other than friction, for those micro-variations within a force that you would not find when a weight is simply being pushed through air, or that are minimised when you oil the pulley cable?
Train the internal rotators/the weak link? If the wrist is the weak link, training it will make you stronger. But the prime movers are still the internal rotators. Dunno how much does subscapularis strength affect AW performance, but I know a big bench can make you dominate.
Viscous dampers or elastics? not sure what you are asking. A human is a pretty complex system. You could probably recreate whatever force curve you want with micro-controllers and electronics. but why.
I had one of these and would use it from time to time and wondered what the hell it was even good for…maybe, just maybe it would somehow be of some small benefit in getting barely warmed up for arm-wrestling.
A guy I work with arm wrestles quite a bit. Along with the usual stuff you’d expect, curls, forearms, etc. H really emphasizes Lats and grip. There’s a lot more technique than just pressing sideways against the other guys arm. Welding your arm in place with the lats is a big part of it. How you try to bend the other guys wrist, weather you top roll or hook, is another part of it.
Also some guys like to pull your hand towards them which puts you at a mechanical disadvantage. He does a lot of narrow grip pull ups and other rowing motions.
With all that, the biggest thing he recommends is just being overall strong and getting out and arm wrestling with some guys who know what they’re doing. From what he says it’s a small community and they’re always happy to help new guys.
