I’d like to thank Josh Naterman for taking time to expand his thoughts in a very articulate and knowledgeable manner, about the potential benefits of flywheel resistance training (FRT). Concepts around impulse, rubber based resistance training (RBRT) and traditional resistance training (TRT) such as cables were discussed.
I'm going to paraphrase his words as to what he saw as one of the main advantages of FRT as compared to RBRT and TRT. As explained flywheel technology stores and releases energy, via the winding out (concentric) and in (eccentric) of a tether attached to a flywheel. This shift between concentric and eccentric phases is near instantaneous and the involved musculature can experience a supramaximal eccentric force depending on what your movement strategy is. For Josh, the major advantages of FRT were in ROM-specific improvement of immediate eccentric rate of force development (RFD) which should carry over into rapid concentrics as well. Such a force-velocity profile really important for improving running, sprinting, jumping, changing direction etc. Certainly some of the meta-analyses on FRT would support such reasoning.