Unfortunately I did not inherit or learn the art of efficiency very well. In fact my temperament is much more "work horse" than albatross. However, when you get older and you are working close to your physical and mental limitations - adapt or die so to speak!
Note to self: Learn efficiency and effectiveness.
Variation is key
The theme throughout these last 6 months of bodybuilding training has been VARIATION, so I was researching what I was going to do for my next training block. Variation doesn't have to mean dramatic changes to exercises but rather subtle manipulations to hand/foot positions in exercises and various training parameters such as; tempo, load, sets, reps, rest etc.
Interestingly, William Kraemer (a well known sports scientist - professor of Kinesiology) calculated how many possible ways there were to do a training program, when you consider order of muscles worked, particular exercises for each muscle group and the use of free weights or machines. The number of possible programs was 10 to the power 67. Each, although similar is in fact different. This
explains how magazines can constantly churn out new programs.
I have played around with rep ranges between 3-15+ but will usually vary sets to compensate, so total training volume is roughly similar. I have personally found, I get the greatest and longest lasting muscle mass gains from doing low rep (4-6), heavy load training. There are also discussions about high rep training for hypertrophy as some people have made good gains with this. (Some evidence suggest it may occur through metabolic pathways which lead to up-regulation and production of natural anabolic hormones and growth factors). My personal experience with this kind of high rep training was a really sad, non-satisfying muscular pump, kind of like when you blow up a punctured bike tire that you haven't actually fixed. Whether there is a gender difference or it's genetic, who knows.
Again, I must emphasise individualisation is key with programming because everybody is different. Genetics plays such a huge role in bodybuilding and that should not be underestimated. So at best, a good program provides instructions to take you to your genetic potential. The rest is mind set and nutrition! The use of drugs and dosages again is a factor to consider and a particular training program may well work very differently for an individual who is using a cycle of drugs compared to if he/she is not using.
History repeats itself
I was thinking back through my training history and when I was in good shape. It was probably when I was competing in Thai Boxing and was actually doing about 20 mins total of very high intensity pad work and sparring. This was only because I was banned by my very smart coach! from doing more. I used to do a 60 min run in the morning and then afternoon gym work was limited to about 6 * 3 min rounds of very hard pad work. No weight training. This was a tried and tested method that was found to work really well after discovering high volume training just made me overtrained, stale and ill. This is not a state you want to find yourself in; neither when you are faced with an opponent who wants to smash your face in or when you are lying underneath a heavy barbell.
Arthur Jones and HIT - High Intensity Training
As an extension of this idea of low volume, high intensity training, I researched HIT- high intensity training, popularised by Arthur Jones in the 1970s but now largely forgotten. Casey Viator, Sergio Oliva, Mike Mentzer, Boyer Coe and Tom Platz, amongst others were all advocates. Essentially it is a single set of a few exercises performed slowly (often using negatives), to momentary failure.
Arthur Jones was a real generalist with very varied interests from wildlife film making to flying planes; he invented the Nautilus and MedX equipment. I'm slowly getting though a periodical he wrote called the Nautilus Bulletin. Very interesting and well worth a read. I always like to read fitness in history; when you bear in mind it is a reflection of the era and the time it was written, it is very illuminative. Nautilus Bulletin
The Colorado Experiment and Casey Viator
Casey Viator ( I am a huge fan) won the Mr America aged 19 in 1971. He trained for 10 months before that competition under the guidance of Arthur Jones.
The Colorado experiment was an interesting case of nature vs nurture coming together. The experiment was conducted in May 1973 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was designed by Arthur Jones and supervised by Dr. Elliott Plese. The training was condensed to about 3 sessions a week lasting 33.6 minutes.
Results
Increase in bodyweight: 20.5kg
Loss of Body Fat: 8.1kg
Muscular Gain 28.7kg
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| The Colorado experiment protocol |
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| 28.6kg in 28 days (Casey Viator) |
There was a lot of criticism about this experiment and of course it is a n(1) on somebody who had tremendous genetics to support muscular growth. There is also the issue of "regression to the mean", where Viator went into the experiment with a deficit of muscle from atrophy after a car crash.
But still....numbers don't lie and this protocol has been replicated with successes and also failures I must also add (drop outs)! He contested that he was not using anabolic steroids.
The example of Arthur Jones and Casey Viator is a nice one. An example of good synergy. Jones brought the knowledge, and Viator brought the intensity. The two of them together created this tour de force. Casey could really train in a way most people would balk at; he also had great genetics! Arnold Schwarzenegger was an example of someone who couldn't tolerate the method. It didn't work for him. He didn't want to go to that "mental place" of intensity, so instead opted for the high volume route, which did work.
This era of bodybuilding really fascinates me. Of course, like all sport, knowledge evolves but so does drug use. Bodybuilding today is more chemical than it was 50 years ago, it doesn't make it better or worse but it is different and I think training today reflects that. Effective training is finding that balance between stimulus and recovery. If recovery is better (drugs!), you can use more stimulus and hence high volume training can work very well. I think it is also worth to note that the different categories in bodybuilding are very different. Training for Fitness category (both male and female) is very different to bodybuilding category. In the latter, the degree of muscularity and leanness in competitive physiques is extreme and is virtually unobtainable without steroids. Bodybuilding is an aesthetic sport, so what is deemed desirable is a reflection of the time too. What judges want to see today was different to 10, 20, 50 years ago. The sport, the categories and perceptions of what constitutes a good physique, evolve and change.
HIT Basics
HIT relies on a single set of a few exercises but performed to absolute failure - so a real balls out, gut wrenching effort -that is the key to it's success and use. It relies on that intensity, and not everyone can go there. Arthur Jones believed that most bodybuilders at the time, were over trained from high volume programs, and what they lacked was rest and intensity. What comes with high intensity, is the requirement for adequate rest, so training was spaced out at least 72 hours apart. Interestingly, the same rationale and inclusion of a good proportion of intensity is used to explain the reason for the success of Kenyan marathon training programs. The intensity is what lacks in British marathon training, but the double edged sword of intensity is the need for recovery. Not easy when you also have to factor in high mileage for building an aerobic capacity.
The training concept is interesting. There are various variants of training and specialising for different body parts but essentially the basics are: Intensity, Progression, Form, Duration, Frequency and Order.
- Do each repetition slowly - as an approximation, 4secs concentric 4 sec eccentric, with no rest between. Tempo can vary from slow to super slow (30s for each portion)
- Perform 8-12 repetitions per set. Time under tension is therefore about 60-90seconds per exercise
- You need to reach momentary muscular failure for maximum intensity
- Limit a routine to 12 exercises or fewer
- Train for 3 nonconsecutive days or less per week
- Order of training - largest muscles first and smallest last
- Utilise both single joint and multiple joint movements
- Initiate specialized routines for only 2 consecutive weeks. Wait for 3 months before specialising on the same body part
- Optimize recoverability; train less as you get stronger
- Take a 9 day layoff after each 6 months of steady training.
Curiosity killed the Cat
So in the name of curiosity and experimentation, I decided to trial this.
And yes....no surprises it's really tough. It most definitely requires someone to spot you, as you're going to failure (with good form).
My workout:
1 set of 4 exercises with 3 mins rest between each exercise. Tempo - 4secs for each portion of the lift.
Squat, bench press, dumbbell pullover, bicep curl.
The challenge to the neuromuscular system is immense as you are getting more muscle recruitment. (All or nothing principle of muscle recruitment). Time under tension is high but weight would be dropped roughly by about 20% compared to a set at a faster tempo.
Above is the description and now let me try and explain the emotion, which I shall sum up with the below diagram
Of course, the translation would be simply "unprintable" but you get the idea. There were "F" and "C" bombs thrown left, right and centre. I was amazed at the muscular shaking that happens from the central nervous system input. This also caused me to then drop a 10kg weight plate on my foot from shoulder height. Excellent.
The next day, unbelievable DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) which I'm still suffering 60 hours later. So, I can conclude considering I did a total of 360 seconds of exercise - I'm fairly impressed by the level of discomfort induced. There is nothing dignified about the experience but we''ll see what the effects are after 2 weeks. I plan on doing 3 sessions of HIT (5-8 exercises) a week, combined with 6 cardio sessions early morning (45-60mins). 1 day of complete rest.
I like this concept of the minimum effective dose. At the moment, I'm on a calorie restrictive diet, working and studying an MSc, so I don't have huge reserves of energy or time for the gym. I have to be very efficient and make sure the little that I do, does count i.e efficiency and effectiveness! My goal is preservation (not building) of muscle and losing body fat, so in theory this method may just work!
I think again, this just confirms that there is no good or bad program (within reasonable logical limits!) but efficacy depends upon many factors including, genetics, recoverability, drug use and mentality. Bring on gene therapy - then I can just stay in bed for a year and eat Rolo's.
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