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1. HIT Basics

First, a definition is in order - what exactly is intensity? Intensity has been identified as the single most crucial factor to success in your training.

Intensity can be defined as the percent of your momentary ability to perform an exercise.

It has nothing to do with how much resistance you are using, nor what percent of your 1 repetition maximum is for a chosen exercise. It refers to the degree of difficulty that you experience during the exercise. The specific intensity required to produce optimal gains in strength is unknown at this point. However, if you are a healthy person and perform an exercise to the point of momentary muscular failure (100% intensity), you can be assured that you have attained a level of intensity that will stimulate growth and strength.

1.1 What is "HIT"?

The acronym "HIT" stands for High Intensity Training.

HIT in extremely basic form means organizing your workouts so that they are:

Hard - as hard as possible in good form.

Brief - 1-3 sets of a few basic exercises performed in an hour or less.

Infrequent - No more than three times per week, often times two, or even one.

Safe - HIT is intended to not only be the most productive protocol, but also the safest. One of the fundamental goals of strength training is to act as injury preventative.

In brief form that is the essence of HIT. There is nothing complex, or "magical". HIT has been used successfully for decades by many athletes, only it wasn't called "HIT".

It must be noted that High Intensity Training is not a set of principles etched in stone. It is a disciplined style of training which is based on the two universally known factors affecting muscular growth - overload and progression.

The reps should be done in a controlled fashion so tension is placed on the muscles. Some use a 2 second count for the concentric (lifting) phase while others use a 20 second count. The key is performing quality repetitions to a point of volitional fatigue.

One set IS productive, although some high intensity advocates sometimes choose to perform more than one set. Some people may require additional sets. As a general rule, with of course some exceptions, one set performed in a high intensity manner will provide all the stimulation you need.

Dr. Ken Leistner, had the following quote which is a good synopsis of what High Intensity Training is all about.

"High-intensity training is going all-out, not almost all out. It is taking one set to one's absolute limit, not almost to the limit. It is using whatever equipment that is available, not just a machine or group of machines. It is not the words of two or three men, but a commitment to work as hard as possible while in the gym without socializing, resting excessively between sets, or falling prey to the 'this isn't going to work so I'll copy the star' attitude".

When an exercise is performed in the described high intensity manner, one set usually gives your body optimum strength stimulation. Multiple sets of the same exercise are simply not necessary.

Dorian Yates' (1992,1993,1994, 1995 Mr. Olympia) trainer, Mike Mentzer, recommends the following:

"Train intensely, train briefly, and train infrequently - it's valid and will work for everyone."

Another quote from Mike Mentzer about the "copying the star" mindset:

" . . . it is a mistake to point to the 'apparent' success of a couple dozen top title winners as indubitable proof that a certain training approach is efficacious. If one were to look back through the course of their bodybuilding careers and calculate the hours, months and years of wasted effort resulting from their blind, nontheoretical volume approach, one would have to question whether their achievements could properly be termed successful at all." Mike Mentzer, IronMan Magazine, March 1994.

1.3 20 General Guidelines

There are many variations among HIT advocates, but there is one overriding commonality. They all espouse brief, hard work done infrequently.

When you're in the gym you want to focus your energies on only performing work that is productive, i.e., growth producing. In good form, you push yourself as far as you can go on every set. Now, by training this way you simply CANNOT do the marathon 2-3 hour workouts the "champs" say they do in the muscle mags.

HIT can be summed up in the following general guidelines. These guidelines - or ones very similar - have formed the basis of strength training programs for years:

1. Train with a high level of intensity

Intensity is defined as "a percentage of momentary ability". In other words, intensity relates to the degree of "inroad" or muscular fatigue, made into muscle at any given instant.

Research, going back almost 100 years now to studies done by German scientists, has conclusively shown that intensity is the single most important factor in obtaining results from strength training.

It has been shown that the harder that you train (intensity), the greater the adaptive response.

A high level of intensity is characterized by performing an exercise to the point of concentric (positive) muscular failure, i.e., you've exhausted your muscles to the extent that the weight cannot be moved for any more repetitions.

Failure to reach a desirable level of intensity - or muscular fatigue - will result in little or no gains in functional strength or muscular size as low intensity workouts do very little or nothing in the way of stimulating muscle size/strength. Evidence for this "threshold" is suggested in the literature by the overload principle (Enoka, 1988; Fox and Mathews, 1981; Hochschuler, Cotler and Guyer, 1993; Jones, 1988; Wilmore 1982).

2. Follow the "double progression" technique in regards to repetitions and weight

For a muscle to increase in size and strength it must be forced to do progressively harder work.

Your muscles must be overloaded with a workload that is increased steadily and systematically throughout the course of your program. This is often referred to as progressive overload.

Therefore every time you work out you should attempt to increase either the weight you use or the repetitions you perform relative to your previous workout. This can be viewed as a "double progressive" technique (resistance and repetitions). Challenging your muscles in this manner will force them to adapt to the imposed demands (or stress).

Each time you attain the maximum number of repetitions, you should increase the resistance for your next workout. Progression need not be in dramatic leaps and bounds, although this can happen. The point to remember is that the weight must always be challenging. The resistance should be increased in an amount that you are comfortable with.

A sidebar on PROGRESSION:

There has often been the debate of whether to train for "size" or "strength". There is no difference in training methodology. Training for size leads to strength increases. Training for strength leads to size increases (although it does not necessarily follow the % increase in one attribute will be equal to the % increase in the other).

The following two quotes illustrate:

Arthur Jones is the creator of the Nautilus line of equipment, current owner of Med-X, and considered by many to be the "father" of HIT. Jones has stated that, with barbell curls as the example when it is possible for a trainee to curl 200 lbs in good form without body swing,

"then his arms will be as large as they need to be for any possible purpose connected with any sport just short of wrestling bears".

Dr. Ken Leistner:

"I am fond of telling doubting trainees that it's just a matter of always adding weight to the bar, adding another repetition, If you could get to the point where you're squatting 400 lbs for 20 reps, stiff-legged deadlifting 400 lbs for 15 reps, curling 200 for 10 reps, pressing 200 for 10 reps, doing 10 dips with 300 lbs around your waist, and chinning with 100 pounds, don't you think you would be big - I mean awfully big? And strong? Obviously!"

That sums up progression pretty well.

3. Perform 1 to 3 sets of each exercise

In order for a muscle to increase in size/strength it must be fatigued or overloaded in order for an adaptive response to occur. It really doesn't matter whether you fatigue your muscles in one set or several sets - as long as your muscles experience a certain level of exhaustion.

When performing multiple sets, the cumulative effect of each successive set makes deeper inroads into your muscle thereby creating muscular fatigue; when performing a single set to failure, the cumulative effect of each successive repetition makes deeper inroads into your muscle thereby creating muscular fatigue. Numerous research studies have shown that there are no significant differences when performing either one, two or three sets of an exercise, provided, of course, that one is done with an appropriate level of intensity (i.e. to the point of concentric muscular failure).

However, as there are always exceptions to the rule. But, as a general guideline the vast majority of people will never need more than 1-3 sets.

4. Reach concentric muscular failure within a prescribed number of repetitions

As stated above, research shows that our level of intensity is the most important factor in determining your results from strength training - the HARDER you train, the BETTER your response.

As muscle hypertrophy is an adaptive response by the body to stress, you should always strive to go as far as you can go on that "impossible" rep. Every centimeter matters. Your "impossible" rep should last between 10-15 seconds. One could even call this an "isometric rep".

Regarding the question of partials, i.e., performing as many partial positive reps as possible after the last complete repetition is performed, the general consensus is not to perform them. After performing the "isometric" rep, it's not likely you'll have any positive strength reserved for doing this anyway.

If concentric muscular failure occurs before you reach the lower level of the repetition range, the weight is too heavy and should be reduced for your next workout. If the upper level of the repetition range is exceeded before you experience muscular exhaustion, the weight is too light and should be increased for your next workout by five percent or less.

If you're just beginning an exercise program, or if you change the exercises in your routine, it may take several workouts before you find a challenging weight. Simply continue to make progressions in the resistance as needed.

Repetition ranges differ from bodypart to bodypart, and the recommendation schemes vary according to what source you refer to.

The most important thing to remember here is that it the number of repetitions isn't the key factor - time is. One can perform a set of 10 reps in as low as 10-15 seconds, or a set of only 1 rep in 60 seconds.

The general recommendation is 8-12 repetitions But this can vary from individual to individual, and from bodypart to bodypart. In many cases people have been known to benefit from higher reps for their lower body (12-15), while lower reps for the upper body (6-8).

So how many seconds per repetition? The general guideline is a 6 second repetition consisting of a 2 second lifting (concentric) phase, followed by a 4 second lowering (eccentric) phase. The emphasis is placed on the lowering, or negative, as research has shown this to be the most productive part of the rep.

The lowering of the weight should also be emphasized because it makes the exercise more efficient: the same muscles that are used to raise the weight concentrically are also used to lower it eccentrically. The only difference is that when you raise a weight, your muscles are shortening against tension and when you lower a weight, your muscles are lengthening against tension. So, by emphasizing the lowering of the weight, each repetition becomes more efficient and each set becomes more productive. Because a muscle under tension lengthens as you lower it, lowering the weight in a controlled manner also ensures that the exercised muscle is being stretched properly and safely.

Thus in a 8-12 rep scheme with the above guidelines, each set should take you between 48-72 seconds until you reach concentric muscular failure.

However, there are methodologies that have been employed which have been used to find your "optimal" repetition, or more correctly again, timeframe for a set. Please see 3.2 for details.

5. Work to concentric (positive) muscular failure in each set

If you're just beginning an exercise program, or if you change the exercises in your routine, it may take several workouts before you find a challenging weight. You can't avoid that. Simply continue to make progressions in the resistance as needed.

6. Perform each repetition with proper form

This one I can't stress enough as it's such a common mistake, especially among young trainees.

A repetition should be performed by raising and lowering the weight in a deliberate, controlled manner. "Explosive" lifting is not only non-productive, but also dangerous.

This is one of the issues that is stressed most by HIT advocates. Anytime, anyone, be they Mr. Universe, or whomever, tells you to move a weight fast, in an "explosive" style just walk away.

That person is a fool.

Remember one thing - free advice is worth what you pay for it. And many times in this field advice that you pay for is worth about the same.

Sidebar on SAFETY

Here's an excerpt from a letter from Dan Riley, Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Washington Redskins, to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dated May 6, 1994. Incidentally, Riley is considered by other HIT strength coaches to be the best HIT strength coach to date. He's HIGHLY respected and because of his efforts and accomplishments, he's a role model for many coaches and has helped usher in the "next generation" of strength coaches:

"There are many philosophical approaches a conditioning coach can use to obtain the same results. We all have our 'way of getting it done.' However when one approach places the athlete in a more potentially dangerous training environment, I will always select the safest avenue available. I would strongly urge you to evaluate the literature and unbiased experts available in several areas. Areas of concern I have include practices in the area of nutrition and supplementation, explosive training, plyometrics, max rep training, speed acquisition, and skill transfer."

The general guideline time for a rep is as stated above, 6 seconds in length - two seconds up, four down. Two seconds may not seem like alot of time, but when you're lifting a weight it is. Try having you're training partner say "one-thousand, two-thousand" as you lift.

Many people are surprised that they actually lift the weight much faster than this.

Avoid explosive, ballistic movements at all costs. Lifting a weight "faster" does NOT make you more "explosive". No matter what type of training style you do, you simply cannot bypass the slow-twitch muscle fibers (Type I) and activate the fast-twitch (Type II) fibers. Muscle fibers are recruited in order of size according to the Size Principle Of Recruitment.

One can get mired in endless debates about the "exact" or "optimal" rep speed. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding this issue. Just how slow should a rep be? In truth, nobody knows the answer.

However the best general guideline is widely accepted to be the following:

Lift the weight under control and try to reduce the amount of momentum. If in doubt, move slower, never faster. Train with a partner who can reinforce proper form. It is easy to perform a rep "too fast", but rarely do you see a person performing a rep "too slow".

7. Use a full range of motion

Perform the rep at the greatest possible range of motion that safety allows - from a position of full stretch to a position of full muscular contraction and back to a position of full stretch. Exercising throughout a full range of motion will has been shown by studies (Project Total Conditioning, done at the U.S. Military Academy) to increase your flexibility which reduces your potential for injury which is one of the goals of HIT - injury prevention.

Using a full range of motion ensures that you are exercising your entire muscle - not just a portion of it - thereby making the movement more productive and thus greater growth stimulation. Studies have shown that full-range exercise is necessary for a full-range effect, i.e., performing an exercise through a limited range of motion, for e.g. the middle portion of a leg extension, will result in a strength increase largely in that range of movement. Studies with individuals who have used this style of training for an extensive period of time have found that they are weaker in the range of motion not worked, e.g., in leg extensions if done as stated above will result in noticeable weakness in the contracted position.

8. Train for no more than one hour per workout

If you are training with a high level of intensity, more than one hour is counterproductive as it increases the probability of overtraining due to a catabolic hormone called cortisol. Overtraining, next to injury, is your worst enemy. Avoid it like the plague. Symptoms of overtraining, and some tips on avoiding it are listed in I) v).

In addition, the faster you can complete your workout, given the same amount of sets performed, the better conditioning obtained.

9. Move quickly between sets

The transition time between each set varies with your level of conditioning. You should proceed from one exercise to the next as soon as you catch your breath or feel that you can produce a maximal level of effort. After an initial period of adjustment, you should be able to recover adequately within 1 to 3 minutes. Training with a minimal amount of recovery time between exercises will elicit a metabolic conditioning effect that cannot be approached by traditional multiple set programs, as was shown by the study at West Point.

10. Exercise the major muscle groups first

The emphasis of your exercises should be your major muscle groups (i.e. your hips, legs and upper torso). You should select any exercises that you prefer in order to train those bodyparts. It is recommended that lower body work be done first, as it is more taxing. This is not always the case, as a technique for bringing up a lagging bodypart is to work it first in your routine, but it is a general outline.

Exercises like the full squat, when properly performed until failure are the most difficult exercises there are, as any experienced lifter will tell you. That's what also makes them the most productive. Remember, make your exercises harder, not easier, and your results will be in proportion to effort exerted.

Since the major muscle groups store the highest levels of glycogen, we want to tap these fuel sources first to get the glucose flowing. A secondary reasoning is to raise the lactic acid level and therefore lower blood pH. By lowering muscle and blood pH we lessen the amount of work the remaining muscle groups must do to stimulate growth. The advantages of this are that less work means less glucose is utilized and the risk of tapping into our protein reserves (catabolism) is reduced.

It is especially important to avoid (unless you are using a specialized routine) exercising your arms before exercising your upper torso. Multiple joint (or compound) movements done for your upper body require the use of your arms to assist the movement. Your arms are the "weak link" in the exercise because they are smaller. So, if you fatigue your arms first, you will weaken an already weak link, thereby limiting the workload placed on the muscles of your upper torso.

Similarly, your quadriceps and hamstrings are the weak link when performing exercises for your hips and glutes. Thus *some* authorities recommend avoiding training these muscles, i.e., avoid leg extensions and hamstring curls, before performing a compound, multiple-joint exercise for your lower body, like the squat or leg press.

11. Do not split your routine - do not work your body on successive days

Many bodybuilders practice a split routine. The reasoning is that training their upper body on one day and lower body on the next day allows them additional time to work each muscle group "harder". HIT advocates fervently believe that this is NOT the case.

First, split routines lead you to believe that more exercise is better exercise. Remember HARDER exercise is better. And if you train harder you MUST train briefer, not longer. You cannot train hard for a long period of time. Thus, out of physiologic necessity, people who use a split routine have to reduce the intensity of their exercise which leads to less growth stimulation.

Second, split routines use up more of your valuable RECOVERY ABILITY. Recovery is the chemistry that is necessary inside your body for the adaptive response to occur. Thus split routines can lead to your worst enemy again - overtraining.

12. Get ample rest after each training session

Believe it or not, your muscles don't get stronger while you work out. Your muscles get stronger while you recover from your workout. After high intensity training your muscle tissue is broken down (although that's a very basic way of describing it) and the recovery process allows your muscle time to rebuild itself.

There are definitely individual variations in recovery ability. However, a period of about 48 to 72 hours is usually prescribed for recovery sufficiently from a strength workout. It is the feeling of some HIT advocates that muscle will begin to atrophy after 96 hours of high intensity exercise, although this is disputed by other authorities, who feel that the frequency of workouts can be decreased further. One strength training workout per week, is not unheard of, although this works best for those who have attained an advanced level of development relative to themselves, i.e., have increased their strength by 200-300% relative to their untrained strength.

It is generally said a period of at least 48 hours is also required to replenish your depleted carbohydrate stores. Therefore, it is suggested that you strength train 2 to 3 times per week on nonconsecutive days (e.g. Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

13. Take periodic layoffs

What is "Periodization"? Periodization is not a set routine, but a philosophy or method to vary the volume and intensity of training to optimize training adaptions by avoiding overtraining.

HIT is also a philosophy. HIT advocates frequently make mention to the importance to changing the exercises performed, order of exercises, frequency of training and the set/rep combinations. Thus to say that HIT is "one set of 8-12 repetitions" is simply erroneous.

HIT does advocate a form of "periodization". But it is not the 1RM-based, pre-planned workouts of the traditional theoretical models with the different "phases" of your "cycle". Not to say that these models don't "work".

They do. This is an important thing to understand - ANY training system that applies the techniques of overload and progression will "work". HIT advocates feel that there are some definite shortcomings to periodization models - too much time is spent training submaximally for one thing.

One of the objectives of using a "periodization" program is to "cycle the intensity" to prevent overtraining. The school of thought on HIT does not believe in this concept of "intensity cycling".

The real culprit of overtraining of overtraining is...overtraining, i.e., training too frequently.

To prevent overtraining the cure is rest, or a reduction in training. Train 2-3 times/week intensely (generally).

If one is training three times a week and does not feel recovered or one is not making progress, try training two times a week. I hope this answers the question of "when" do you go from being a "beginner" to an "intermediate". That's the best answer I can think of.

Train hard for 6-8 weeks and take a week off of strength training. A week away from training can help tremendously both physiologically and psychologically.

After a week off, gradually start on a new routine. A new routine could mean: staying with the same exercises, but changing the order; choosing new exercises. Variety is the spice of life. You can call this "cycling your workouts" or "periodization". It's the same thing.

Ten days off might be even better. Two weekends of rest can do tremendous things for your recovery ability, motivation, and future progress. A full 10 day layoff from training is recommended every six months.

This is probably one of the hardest things for a trainee to do, and another factor, IMO why people don't get the results they aspire for. It is EXTREMELY difficult IMO for many people to take layoffs from training. The fear is that "my muscles will atrophy" or something to that effect. That simply isn't the case.

Even if you do lose a little muscle, it is FAR EASIER to REGAIN muscle mass than to gain it the first time.

Sidebar on increasing "STRENGTH":

It is important to understand that progressive resistance exercise with single set training causes beneficial morphological (muscle) changes. If it is the goal of the trainee to improve his/her 1 REP MAX (1RM) on the squat or bench press, then ADDITIONAL SETS ARE REQUIRED to train the specific neural pathways for success in those lifts.

The majority of the strength training literature to date has NOT shown a conclusive difference between multiple set programs and single set programs relative to changes in LEAN BODY MASS.

Varied set/rep training systems produce increases in muscle mass and strength. Single set training also produces increases in muscle mass and strength. How one defines and utilizes STRENGTH will ultimately influence their training protocol.

This FAQ is NOT intended for those who are seeking to improve specifically their 1RM, i.e., competitive powerlifters. This FAQ is intended for those who are concerned with inducing changes in body composition - increases in muscle mass and maintenance or reduction in fat tissue.

14. As you get stronger decrease the frequency of workouts and/or amount of sets

Exercise physiologists have found that your strength increases disproportionately to your recovery ability.

Thus the stronger you get the LESS high intensity exercise you can tolerate. Some authorities, such as Dr. Ellington Darden, mention a "300/50%" ratio of strength to recovery ability potential. Thus - in theory - the average trainee has the potential to increase his untrained strength by a factor of 4, but his recovery ability will only increase by a factor of 1.5.

The GENERAL recommendations for number of sets/workout are as follows:

Beginning level: 16-20 sets

Intermediate level: 12-15 sets

Advanced level: 8-12 sets

Of course you may require more or most likely can benefit from less, but this is a good general outline.

As for frequency of training general recommendations are as follows:

Beginning level: 3 times/week (full body)

Intermediate: 2 times/week (full body)

Advanced: 1 time/5 days or twice every ten days (full body)

As the general rule of thumb for aerobic conditioning, is training 2-3 times/week, if you are at the intermediate to advanced level perform some form of aerobic exercise one other day/week.

Training three times a week is the general recommendation given for increasing cardiovascular endurance. If your strength training sessions are performed in a manner such that your heart rate is maintained at the target level for your age (by keeping the rest between sets as short as possible; 1-3 minutes is recommended), then your strength training sessions "count" as part of your aerobic conditioning.

If your strength has increased to the level where you are training less than 3 times/week, additional aerobic exercise can be done for conditioning purposes.

15. Use high intensity techniques sparingly

Too many people make the mistake of using advanced techniques like those mentioned below too often, which quickly leads to overtraining. Another reason why people IMO "fail" using HIT.

Use these techniques to bring up a lagging bodypart, and use them infrequently. The following are some of the advanced high intensity techniques. Descriptions are provided later in this FAQ:

Breakdowns.

Super-slow reps.

Pre-exhaustion.

Negatives.

1 1/4 reps.

The above techniques should as I said before be used infrequently. Do not perform them every workout as many bodybuilders do. It's very easy to overtrain using these techniques. Use them for specific bodyparts that are lagging behind the rest of your body. This is so important to remember. You should train to positive failure on all your sets. But going beyond positive failure is extremely taxing on the body. So use these techniques sparingly, or you'll end up overtrained.

For descriptions of these techniques see the section in Advanced HIT, section 1.

16. Perform a Proper Warmup and Cool down

Warming up is a safeguard against injury. The change to higher temperature also augments speed of movement and power potential.

Almost any sequence of light calisthenic movements can be used as a general warm-up preceding a high intensity training session. Suggested movements include head rotation, side bend, trunk twist, bodweight-only squat, and stationary cycling. Doing each movement for a minute or so will be sufficient. Specific warming up for each bodypart occurs during the first few repetitions of your set. Thus, a "warm-up set" is usually not deemed to be necessary.

Cooling down after your workout is also important. This prevents blood from pooling in your exercised muscles. After your last exercise, cool down by walking around the workout area, getting a drink of water, and doing some easy movements, like moving your arms in slow circles. Continue these easy movements for four or five minutes or until your breathing has returned to normal and your heart rate has slowed.

17. Keep Accurate Training Records

Training records are a way to measure your progress.. It is important that you keep an up-to-date, written record of each exercise that you perform during every workout. In the organization of your workout chart, you will need to make not of the following factors: date, exercises, order of exercises, seat position (if applicable), resistance, repetitions, sets, overall training time, and any other specifics such as bodyweight, time of day, outside temperature, and aches and pains that may affect your performance.

As you review your progress from month to month, the accuracy of these training records will prove to be invaluable in providing you with problem-solving information.

The strength of a muscle is the best measure of progress. This is best measured, not by seeing how much you can lift ONCE (referred to frequently as your "1RM" - one repetition maximum), but by seeing how much you can lift for your prescribed number of repetitions, e.g., 10 reps, in good form. Why shouldn't you peform maximum single repetitions as a measure of strength? In short, because they are DANGEROUS.

Attempting a 1RM with heavy weights can place an inordinate amount of stress on the muscles, bones and connective tissues. An injury occurs when the stress exceeds the tensile strength of the structural components. Additionally, a 1RM attempt tends to increase blood pressure beyond that which is normally encountered when using submaximal weights.

Another concern is that a 1RM lift is a highly specialized skill that requires a great deal of technique.

Now there is another way to predict your 1RM max - from reps to failure, using what has been called the "Brzycki Formula" (created by Matt Brzycki).

The following is the formula:

Predicted 1RM= Weight Lifted/(1.0278 - .0278X)

where X= the number of reps performed.

This formula is based on noted near linear relationship between the number of reps to failure and the percentage of maximum load. It appears as if the relationship is not quite linear beyond about 10 reps. Therefore, this formula is only valid for predicting a 1RM when the number of reps to failure is less than 10. If the reps exceed about 10, then the test becomes less accurate. So if what you have determined as your "optimal" rep scheme based on section III) i) is greater than 10, than this test becomes less accurate.

18. Get a good Training Partner

A good training partner will help you immensely. You can then push each other one at a time through hard workouts. Once you've trained together for a length of time, you will know each other well enough to organize productive training sessions. Having a training partner will allow you to go to failure without fear of "dropping the weight" on exercises such as the bench press.

A good partner will also monitor your form and give you feedback. A partner will also be useful when you need assistance in using advanced techniques such as negatives, breakdowns, manuals etc., mentioned later in this FAQ.

19. Do not try to "mimic" a sports skill in the weightroom

Strength training should be GENERAL and requires HEAVY RESISTANCE

Skill training should be SPECIFIC and requires NO ADDED RESISTANCE.

Do not try to mimic a certain sports skill in the weight room in an attempt to improve performance in that particular sport. A common example is the use of power cleans. Power cleans have been touted by some parties as being specific to an incredibly wide range of skills from the breast stroke to the golf swing to the shot put. It's absolutely impossible for one movement to be identical to such a broad group of differing skills. The PRINCIPLE OF SPECIFICITY states that an activity must be specific to an intended skill in order for maximal improvement - or carryover - to occur. Specific means exact or identical, not similar or just like. So, performing power cleans may be just like driving towards the basket, but the truth is that power cleans will only help you get better at doing power cleans and lunges will only help you get better at doing lunges.

There is NO exercise done in the weight room - with barbells or machines - that will expedite the learning of sports skills. Skill training and conditioning is SPECIFIC to a sport, but strength training is GENERAL.

Strength training, as well as most other conditioning movements, should differ from skill practice as much as possible in content, meaning, form, method of execution, and environment.

If you want to perform better at a certain sport for example like basketball, EMPHASIZE those muscles involved in basketball, specifically the buttocks, thighs, calves, back, shoulders, arms, and lower back, in your training.

To improve the skill component simply keep PRACTISING the skill, such as shooting the basketball, or doing layups.

20. Avoid Orthopaedically Unsound Movements

Scientific, athletic and rehabilitative professionals have questioned certain exercises and drills - such as power cleans, snatches and plyometrics - in terms of being safe for years. The potential for injury from most of the movements practised by competitive weightlifters is positively enormous. When performing such exercises, the muscoskeletal system is exposed to repetitive trauma and extreme biomechanical loading.

The sport of weightlifting carries a certain degree of risk. Competitive weightlifters accept those risks as being part of the sport. However, athletes who aren't competitive weightlifters shouldn't have to assume such an unreasonable risk of injury. Therefore, for reasons of safety, movements done by competitive weightlifters should only be performed by competitive weightlifters, and only because it relates to their sport.

1.4 What are some Sample HIT Workouts?

Don't be misled by the brevity or simplicity of a program that calls for one set of an exercise done with a high level of intensity. An exercise performed with a high level of intensity can be very productive and effective. In fact, Michigan State Strength Coach Ken Mannie has stated that HIT is "the most productive, most efficient and without a doubt, the most demanding form of strength training known to man [and woman]."

A sample HIT routine for the beginner to intermediate level:

Squat/Leg press

Leg extension

Leg curl

Pullover (preferably a machine version such as Nautilus.)

Overhead Press

Bent-over Row

Bench Press

Biceps Curl

Triceps Extension

Regular Chin-up

Parallel Dip

Calf Raise

Abdominal Crunches

Note the above are done for only ONE SET each.

Another routine, suggested by Dr. Ken Leistner:

Full Squats - 15-20 reps

Pullovers - 10 reps

Standing Overhead Presses - 10 reps

Chins - 10 reps

Dips - 12 reps

Barbell Curls - 10 reps

Shrugs - 15 reps

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - 15 reps

How many sets of each exercise in this routine? One. Two. Certainly never more than three, and if you are working properly according to Leistner, one set of most of these exercises should be more than enough for anyone.

The following routine is very brief, but extremely productive when executed properly. This routine consists of two training days/week and slightly different exercises on each day:

Day One Day Two

------------ -------

1. Deadlift (with a Trap Bar if available) 1. Squat

2. Leg Press 2. Bench Press

3. Overhead Press 3. Rowing (Dumbbell or Machine)

4. Shrug 4. Dumbbell Overhead Press

5. Close Grip Pulldown to the Chest 5. Triceps Pressdown

Both days also include the following exercises:

6. Standing Calf Raise

7. Reverse Curls (with a Thick Bar if you can find one)

8. Abdominal Crunches

Remember only one set. This routine is very low volume, but the intensity of the program is so high that little else can be done productively. You don't perform any negatives, 1 1/4s etc. The squat and deadlift are performed with as heavy as weight possible for a relatively high amount of reps - 12-20. You push yourself as hard as you can, maintaining good form all the time to failure. If done properly this is an extremely productive program. Stuart McRobert also describes the high-rep "breathing" squat, which you simply cannot perform more than one set of (and trust me there's no way you would want to). It's tough to describe this type of training, one has to see it to believe it.

Incidentally, this is almost identical to the routine Dr. Ken Leistner has put his trainees like Greg Roman on. Greg Roman is a 5'8", 235 lb noseguard for John Carroll University. In the article I have he is performing Trap Bar Deadlifts with 445 lbs - for over 20 reps. As far as rep speed goes for high repetition work that Leistner recommends, it is a 1-2 second raising, and a 1-2 second lowering. Thus a 20 rep squat would most likely be within the period of time where the anaerobic component of the energy cycle is greatest.

This is just an example. The important point is that it is a full body workout, brief, and centered around the major growth producing exercises like the full squat, chin, dip, bench, etc. That's a pretty routine for just about anybody. Of course you can substitute other exercises in, but try and keep the "big" exercises in there. You might want to alternate the full squat with the deadlift which is another very productive exercise.

There are also routines to emphasize a lagging bodypart. But these should not be performed until you have built a solid foundation first and advanced to the intermediate level. If done properly (i.e., to failure and in good form) this is one of the most growth producing workouts you can ever do for your arms.

Try one workout and see what happens:

One-repetition chin-up (30 seconds up, 30 seconds down) immediately followed by:

Biceps Curl

One-repetition dip (30 up, 30 down) immediately followed by

Triceps extensions

Leg press

Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Calf Raise

Lateral Raise with dumbbells

Press behind Neck

Bent-over Row

Bench Press

Ab Crunch

Try this routine for ONLY three to six consecutive workouts. Or you could try it once a week for 3-6 weeks in a row.

The point is that with the general guidelines outlined above YOU can design your own routines tailor made with what you have available and what your needs are.

1.5 What Equipment Should I Use?

Sure, Hammer, MedX, and the Nautilus machines are great, and if you have them available to you they are highly recommended by many strength coaches (especially, the low-friction Nautilus machines, and the Hammer line, if you want to perform Super Slow).

But, the equipment you have available doesn't really matter. You can gain size/strength with any equipment, machines or free weights as long as you progressively increase the resistance. For example Greg Roman used to train in an unheated shed with a dirt floor next to his house which contained a barbell, a pair of squat racks, and some dip and chin bars.

1.6 What is "Overtraining" and How to Avoid It?

Overtraining is the trainee's number one "enemy" next to training injuries. Overtraining results from an imbalance between the amount of stress applied to your body, and your ability to adapt to it. Overtraining results in losses in size and strength and actually also increases the probability of illness.

Here is a list of some of the symptoms of overtraining:

Decreased muscle size and strength

Longer-than-average recovery time after a workout

Elevated waking pulse rate

Elevated morning blood pressure

Increased joint and muscle aches

Headaches

Hand tremors

Tiredness

Listlessness

Insomnia

Loss or decrease in appetite

Injury

Illness

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