Another Trick

Factual Questions
1

The “lifting a person with index fingers” thread reminded me of this trick, which I imagine many of you have seen.

You have one person standing, trying as hard as he can to raise his arms straight out from either side (as if trying to make a “cross”). Another person keeps his arms down by pushing them back toward the sides of the person. Do this for about 1/2 a minute to a minute. Stop, the standing person relaxes, and his arms just float away from his sides with no effort.

I’ve seen a couple of variations involving the fingers (like trying to open a clinched fist while it’s being held shut, then relax, and your hand opens).

What causes this? Is there some kind of “residual” signal to the muscle leftover from all the tension, or what?

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2

I have a feeling this is a simple physiological response from the muscles. Im not exactly versed on the terminology, but doesnt lactic acid come into play here? The cross position is whats called an isometric exercise which does “work out” the muscles much as a bench-press might or any other “moving” activity…