By Brian D. Johnston Copyright ©2005 by BODYworx TM All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form Published by BODYworx Publishing 5 Abigail Court Sudbury, ON Canada ISBN 0-9732409-9-7 Care has been taken to confirm the accuracy of information presented in this manual. The author, editors, and the publisher, however, cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in this manual, and make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to its contents. The information in this manual is intended only for healthy men and women. People with health problems should not follow the suggestions without a physician's approval. Before beginning any exercise or dietary program, always consult with your doctor. Table of Contents Preface i CHAPTER 1: History and Philosophy of High Intensity Training 1 High Intensity Strength Training – A Brief History 2 Gems From History 3 The King has Arrived – Arthur Jones 6 The Off-spring of HIT 11 Negative Perspectives of High Intensity Training 12 High Intensity versus High Volume 15 Physiological Effects of HIT and HVT 18 Erroneous Perceptions About HIT 20 Why High Volume Training? 29 CHAPTER 2: Fundamentals of High Intensity Training 33 Overview 33 Basic Principles of Exercise 35 General Exercise Rules 39 Stress Physiology and The General Adaptation Syndrome 39 Relating GAS to Exercise 41 Local Adaptation Syndrome 41 General Adaptation Syndrome 41 Exercise and GAS (charts) 43 Hormonal Secretions 45 Exercise Stress Guidelines 48 Exercise Principle Relationships 49 Principle of Intensity 50 The Aerobic Industry and Intensity 51 Borg’s Perceived Exertion Scales 52 Aerobic and Anaerobic Activities’ Relationship to Intensity 53 The Nature of Intensity 55 Those Who Should Not Exercise to Muscular Fatigue 57 Importance of Sub-fatigue Exercise 59 Determining Appropriate Intensity 60 A HIT Warning About Too Little Exercise 61 Consolidation Training and Disuse Atrophy 61 Exercise Tolerance 65 CHAPTER 3: Quality of Movement and Proper Breathing 67 Repetition Velocity, Time and Cadence 67 Discovering Appropriate Cadences 68 Accuracy in Tracking Repetition Cadence 69 Movement Velocity 70 I.A.R.T. Research: Rapidity of Movement Study 73 Proper Breathing 84 Breathing Technique & Squat Example 85 CHAPTER 4: Program Prescriptions and Physique Transformations 87 Developing a HIT Program 88 Beginner’s Routine 88 Pre-Exhaustion 94 General Comments and Direction 95 Split Routines 96 Body Part Specialization 98 Physique Transformation 101 The Contest Mindset 103 Demands of Contest Competitors 104 CHAPTER 5: Increasing Exercise Demands with Set Variables 107 Descending Set 108 Forced Repetitions 108 Isometrics 109 Assisted Isometrics 109 Self-contained Isometrics 109 Negative Repetitions 110 Supplemental Negative Repetitions 110 Pure Negative Training 110 Forced Negative Repetitions 110 Alternating Uni-lateral Negative Repetitions 111 One-repetition Method 113 1¼ Method 113 Overloads 114 Forced Overloads 114 Maximum Overloads 114 Partial Repetitions 115 Bottom Range Repetitions 115 Top Range Repetitions 115 Pre-Exhaustion 115 Static (+Negative) 116 Stutter Repetitions 116 Twenty-one Method 117 CHAPTER 6: High Intensity Training Case Studies 119 DeLand High School 119 The Colorado Experiment 120 The West Point Study 125 Overview 125 Background 125 Results 127 Strength Training 127 Neck Strengthening 134 Cardiovascular Fitness 136 Flexibility 137 Body Composition 139 Concurrent Studies 139 Summary 141 Competitive Bodybuilders 142 Fitness Enthusiasts 145 Sports Teams and HIT 153 Lack of Evidence to Support Multiple Sets and HVT 165 Strength Training Methods and the Work of Arthur Jones 177 The ACSM Challenge 196 Preface Anyone who is serious about exercise is well aware of the concept of “High Intensity Training,” whether practiced or not. Although this methodology of exercise application has been around for about a century, it gained its greatest popularity and clarity because of Arthur Jones’ promotion and writings, in the early 1970s. The history of this training direction is explored within this book, but suffice it to say that it has experienced a backlash since Jones’ time for political reasons, more so than reasons of science or rationality. As a result, the few arguments that exist continue to remain vague, and are made public infrequently since anyone with an iota of intelligence can see past the arguments for what they are – naive and groundless self-serving dribble. “More champs train differently,” and “it is hard on the body to train like that” is about as good as it gets. Consequently, it is best to keep high intensity training under wraps, as suggested by the lighthearted graphic at the front of this book, “Top Secret.” After all, since high intensity training is alive and well, and exists among at least half the NFL teams alone, it is best to ignore than to ridicule, since the latter merely exposes the frailty of the popular ‘high volume’ methods implemented by genetic anomalies on drugs, and also gives more exposure and credence to high intensity philosophy since even bad press becomes good press and awareness. Moreover, it is usual for strength training and bodybuilding fitness enthusiasts eventually to discover and embrace brief, intense exercise methods. Those who abandon HIT, in the hopes to discover the ‘unknown of body transformation’ eventually return. And those who encounter HIT cannot believe how much time they wasted beforehand. This is true since HIT works and because the less intense, higher volume activities supported by fitness magazines cannot deliver what was promised; particularly in regard to the disproportionate cost-benefit of magazine programs and if the trainee is not one of those genetic anomalies on drugs. Those familiar with high intensity training may not find anything new within these pages, although I hope a few morsels will be discovered. Rather, the purpose of this book is to pull together historical facts, general knowledge, and the most effective applications of high intensity training. Experienced HIT enthusiasts, particularly fitness professionals also may find this book a good education resource or tool for clients or for conducting lectures, particularly when compared to the so-called ‘high intensity’ learning resources offered through certification organizations that neither endorse nor believe in this exercise direction. Apparently they include single edition books in their repertoire for commercial and financial reasons. www.ExerciseCertification.com Chapter 1 History and Philosophy of High- Intensity Training The concept of ‘high intensity training’ (HIT) has an extensive and somewhat negative history, which is ironic since it initially was promoted as follows: 1. Use proper form 2. Train as hard as possible 3. Allow enough time between sessions to recover, so that growth/strength can increase. Certainly such advice would be expected in any exercise program that desires optimum results. However, since this direction in exercise happened to coincide with the promotion of Nautilus machines and denounced the use of protein supplements, the industry (i.e., the muscle magazines that promoted otherwise) was up in arms. Discussed in a later chapter will be the positive outcomes of proper high intensity training, but at this point it is important to look at the history of high-intensity exercise, as well as discuss why this training method is looked down upon by much of the industry, and even some of the dogmatic biases of HIT-supporters. HIT History and Philosophy 1 www.ExerciseCertification.com High Intensity Strength Training – A Brief History* The pure objective of exercise is the scientific study of physiological change. In twofold, we first must prevent the change characterized as a loss of function (negative) and do whatever possible to promote it an increase in function (positive). How the progress of change occurs is open to debate, but such change is undeniable. Those not being satisfied with what they have will strive for continued improvement. They will try anything suggested from the so-called experts, without actively pursuing the pure understanding of the rationale of cause and effect. Their choices, of course, will go in the direction of doing much more exercise than is required. This direction has always been the most popular and vastly proposed way to do it, or "Just Do It." However, in spite of this, intelligent observations suggest that muscular growth is induced from a measurably intense to an extremely highly intense training stimulus to the muscular structures. Such a program requires a brief bout of an eventual advanced level of exercise, and that being contrary to the trendy belief of just doing more sets or cycles. Follow the logic in this legendary statement: "I think it is most important to discover as quickly as possible in your physical culture career not how much exercise is necessary, but how little," Harry Paschall, circa 1950. One will be much closer to the truth by following such rationale. Arthur Jones founder of the Original Nautilus Sports Medical Industries and the MedX Corporation, often repeats this manifesto to this very day; a statement that has taken its fair share of indiscriminate criticism. Matching the brevity with intensity factor is a brilliant theory that virtually falls into the face of the many so-called experts’ opinions. This theory generally is referred to as the High Intensity approach to skeletal muscular training. Unfortunately, like many true innovations, it mostly