In 1979 Manual Resistance was introduced at the National  Strength and Conditioning Convention. Weight training’s ability to enhance athletic performance had become accepted and coaches were beginning to be hired by major sports programs. Facilities everywhere were extremely limited or non-existent and the advent of manual training was a tremendous addition to all the missing parts of a program. 

Today manual resistance is still an important tool for anyone. All should be versed in how to train and teach the method.  Below are considerations and the original rules. The most important in learning the skill is pausing at the top of the movement with continual pressure and slowly, not suddenly begin the return to the starting position.

Important Manual Resistance Considerations:

• When training manually all athletes must understand the rules of performing each repetition properly.
• The athlete should not only be capable of performing an exercise but have the ability to teach, as well as administer the exercise to others. 
• Once an athlete understands how to execute manual resistance it demands the same effort and motivation as if trying to improve on a bench, squat, clean or any other strength training exercise.
• When training manually to progressively overload it requires a strength measurement to track progress.  Taking a circumference, body composition and other physiological variables allows the coach and athlete to monitor results.
• Remember when training the head and neck manually athletes should have clean hands especially during flu season.
• The rules of Manual Resistance must be reviewed regularly! 

Manual Outer Thigh

1). If you use Manual Resistance make sure you and your spotter know and understand the rules.

2). The Lifter begins each exercise with the goal of 6-8 reps. This requires pacing, in other words, the first repetition is not an all out effort. The effort must be increasing for every subsequent repetition.

2a). The Spotter should allow the lifter to perform each repetition at the same pace or speed of movement. This will require different amounts of pressure by the spotter during the rep (because of leverage). The lifter will feel as though the resistance is similar at all joint angles (the resistance will feel smooth).

3). The lowering phase of every repetition should be slower than the raising phase. A guide in learning manual resistance is raise the involved limbs up in 1-2 seconds or at a 1-2 count and lower them in 4-5 seconds or at a 4 or 5 count.

3a). The Spotter must make sure that they feel more force by the lifter during the lowering phase of each repetition.

4). The Lifter should continually contract their target musculature during the raising phase and the lowering phase of every repetition.

4a). The Spotter must give feedback to the lifter to ensure there is always a constant contraction on every repetition performed. The spotter should identify any relaxation or loss of force by the lifter during the movement.

5). The Lifter should pause with pressure against the spotter’s resistance at the top of every movement. Pausing with pressure and no relaxation is extremely difficult.

5a). The Spotter should insure the lifter is applying force at the top of the movement. The spotter must feel if the lifter is relaxing. The spotter must ease slowly into the lowering phase of the exercise. Slowly easing into the lowering phase or decent is extremely important.

6). The exercise is completed when the athlete reaches momentary muscular failure.

Pause at Top of Movement