The High Intensity Exercise Post
Lately a lot of people have been asking me for workout routines. Here is what I do on a weekly basis.
I lift weights at least once per week, sometimes two. My motivations are not centered on the popular belief of achieving as many reps as possible over a 3 set period. I lift using a method developed and popularized by Arthur Jones and has gained much popularity among weight lifters. It is called High Intensity Weight Training.
High Intensity Weight Training is exactly what it says. Lifting weights at a very high intensity.
How do I achieve such high intensity?
My lifts are slow and deliberate, 3-5 seconds up on a rep and 3-5 seconds down. This diminishes momentum and puts constant load on the muscle group that I am working.
When I lift I do not get angry or try to take my aggression out on the weights. That is how injuries occur. I use all of my energy to focus on the lifts that I am performing. I first heard of this concept from Anthony Johnson. He runs a great health blog called thedreamlounge.net.
I perform each rep deliberately and I push myself past the point of being uncomfortable, to the point of complete exhaustion. This results in extremely heavy breathing and working my muscles to complete failure. I only perform one set of each exercise and 6-8 exercises per session. The entire process only takes 20 minutes or so.
The main focus of lifting this way is to put the maximum amount of stress on a muscle. I do not care how many reps of a certain weight that I do. My only concern is working my muscles to complete failure. This forces my body to create muscle.
The first time I ever performed a High Intensity workout, I was sold. The "after set" burn felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was out of this world. After my first set of squats, which only had the bar (45 lbs, I know...weak) on my back, I could not even walk. My roommate PJ was there and can serve as my witness. The same went for all other exercises that I did.
* For the last 4 years I was a typical weight lifter. Performing 3 sets of each exercise until I was moderately uncomfortable or to a predetermined amount of repetitions. Performing High Intensity Weight Training has introduced me to a new level of muscle exhaustion.
When we go to the absolute point of failure we gain two very important benefits. First, we call into play small (fast twitch muscle fibers) to help perform the movement. Muscle fibers that would normally lay dormant if not called upon in an intense moment of need (when the muscle is failing).
Second, it is the single best way to monitor improvements and muscle gains. On a workout to workout basis, it is very easy to see rep and weight increases. Let's face it, some days we do not want to work out. This has an impact on the intensity of a workout. Lifting to failure forces us to push past those mental blocks (when we would normally quit) to ensure the maximum amount of work is being performed by a muscle.
My Workout
I have written down every workout I have done for the last 3 months. I write down the weight lifted, the amount of reps and the order in which I performed my exercises. The order that we perform exercises is extremely important. Obviously, the earlier in the workout the exercise is performed, the more energy the body has to give to that movement. The later the exercise, the more fatigued the body is which can result in decreases in reps and weight. Switch up the order to ensure you maximize total body gain.
Also, the lifts I perform encompass muscle groups, not single muscles themselves. This is much more efficient and to be honest, in the real world we use our muscle groups much more than single muscles. What everyday movement simulates a bicep curl?
As of right now I perform seven exercises.
1) Dumbbell Bench Press
- I use dumbbells for a couple of reasons. First I do not need a spotter, I can just let them drop when I am done with a set. Second, I believe that working our limbs individually is more beneficial* than using both limbs on a barbell.
*Forces the muscles to stabilize the weight independently which uses muscles we normally would not use with a barbell.
2) Barbell Over Head press (A barbell is just another name for a standard 45lbs bar)
- As I just wrote about how single limb lifting is more beneficial, I find that I am actually doing a lift that I could be doing with dumbbells! Anyway, this lift encompasses almost the entire shoulder and upper back area. I perform this lift with my legs split. Which has taken pressure off of my lower back.
3) Chin-ups
- These are one of the hardest exercises I do. I have not seen the gains that I was hoping for, so I am going to add weight (via a dip belt) hoping to create improvements. Always adjusting and evolving if something is not working.
4)Rear Leg Elevated Split Squats (RLESS)
- Of all the exercises I do, squatting is the most difficult. RLESS squats are one legged squats with a barbell resting on the back. The leg that I am not lifting is resting behind me on a bench. I set the support bars on the squat rack high, so when I get to failure I can set the weight down without injuring my back. Check out this video of how a Rear Leg Elevated Split Squat is performed here.
When I first started this kind of lifting I could honestly do 45lbs for 8 reps with both legs (a traditional squat). I am now up to 75lbs/5reps per individual leg! Converted to a traditional squat that is 150 pounds. A 105 pound increase in 3 months. Not bad.
When I am done doing a set of one-legged squats (and even when I did normal squats) I cannot walk. My muscles become so fatigued that even standing up is difficult.
5) A back exercise
- It has taken me a while to find a back exercise that is beneficial for me. I started doing a bent over row, which I hated because it put a lot of pressure on my lower back. I then moved to a seated cable row. I did that for a while, but I did not see the gains that I wanted. Now I am performing a Yates Row. Which is like a bent over row, just standing up straight.
6) Calf raises
- These are very difficult. Focus on keeping your balance, then add weight.
7) Bicep Curls
- Reluctantly I have added these to my work out. I know that they serve no outside purpose, but I want to see if I can build some bigger biceps. For the ladies of course!
After a few days of rest, I do a sprint interval workout. I alternate two different sprint workouts.
Wind Sprints
My sprint workout consists of a 20 second as-fast-as-I-can-go sprint, followed by 40 seconds of rest. This is repeated 6 times. (Yesterday I did 7!). This workout only takes 6-8 minutes to complete. It is brutal, trust me.
Sprints on the stationary bike
This workout is also a lung burner. I pick a resistance on the bike that I can maintain for 30 seconds. I then pedal as fast as I can for 30 seconds. A minute of rest follows. I repeat this 8-10 times. Takes 12-14 minutes and is the definition of a work out.
Drew Baye once said that if you are having trouble with the intensity of a workout, picture a person standing next to you with a gun pointed at your head threatening to shoot you if you do not perform another rep!
I have fallen in love with High Intensity Weight Training. Not because of the burn, but because I only work out for over an hour............ per WEEK!! I am increasing my muscle mass, improving my cardiovascular system and freeing up tons of time in my life to do things that I want to do.
Give it a shot! And if you want more information on high intensity training visit Drew Baye's High Intensity Weight Training Blog at baye.com, and Anthony Johnson's fitness blog www.thedreamlounge.net. They both go into much more detail and know tons more than I do!
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Why Weight Lifting Kicks Ass
It is common knowledge that weight training helps build muscle. Many people do not understand that weight training does much more than that. I am going to explain the benefits of weight training in this article. We will also dive into why weight lifting causes the creation of muscle and tackle some other common myths regarding weight training.
Read time: 6 minutes
Why is weight lifting a better than "cardio" and all other fad-forms of exercise?
When a weight is lifted and rep is completed, the muscle that is being worked is demanding the blood pump more oxygen to it so that it has the energy to carry out the movement being forced upon it. This oxygen comes via blood from the heart. The lungs then supply the blood with oxygen, which is taken to the muscles.
This chain of events is also the same process that occurs within any other form of exercise. We tend to forget that we can actually increase our heart rate and breathe heavily while lifting weights.
We are often told that in order to improve our heart and lungs we have to run, bike, swim or any form of exercise for an extended period of time. We think that "cardio" consists of taking our lungs and heart out of our bodies and working them out on a treadmill or stationary bike.
This is completely untrue. Weight lifting guru and Nautilus Weight Machine inventor Arthur Jones once said that any amount of cardiovascular benefits that result from running, can be matched and exceeded by proper weight training methods. The cardiovascular system and skeletal muscle system are linked. They work together, never apart.
Not only can the cardiovascular benefits be matched by weight training, the results of weight lifting (muscle gain) far outweigh the minimal gains (if we can call them that) we receive form "cardio" exercise.
When muscle is created, it does not go away very easily. Unlike the cardiovascular improvements seen in running and biking, which diminish after a few weeks of inactivity. Muscle stays in our bodies for a much longer period of time.
This leads me into the topic of how our bodies build muscle.
Weight lifting is a stress put on the body. Depending on the intensity of this stress, the body then reacts to it by building muscle and improving oxygen distribution. Our bodies do not create muscle by lifting weights. The act of lifting a weight is simply a form of stress being delivered to a certain muscle or muscle group.
Our bodies make muscle in the days after we lift weights. If our bodies could talk about how we build muscle, it would go something like this:
I do a set of barbell leg squats until I am no longer able to do a full rep. My body says "Holy $hit that was extremely difficult, I better build more muscle in my legs so the next time that same amount of stress is put on my legs, I wont fail." The body then uses protein and many other processes to create muscle fiber.
However, muscle is extremely metabolically expensive for the body to create. Meaning that it takes a lot of energy to not only create muscle, but to sustain it as well.
Think about how easy it is to gain fat? And how hard it is to increase muscle strength (create more muscle)?
The amount of calories that a pound of muscle burns verse the amount of calories a pound of fat burns is not universally accepted. The most recent figure I have seen are that a pound of muscle burns 6 calories per day (not doing movement of any kind). A pound of fat burns roughly 2 calories per day. This may not seem like a lot, but that is 3X the calories. That muscle demands to fed, so the body must come up with extra energy. This comes as either dietary food, or the body literally eats itself.
When we perform "cardio" work outs, the supposed benefits that we obtain are not long lasting, minimal in terms of burning calories, and detrimental in terms of muscle and joint health.
Weight training in general is not performed constantly for long stretches of time (like running), it is quick sets and recovery periods. Our knee joints and ankle joints are therefore not exposed to constant stress, as they are in typical "cardio" exercises.
Also, it is widely known that "cardio" exercise increases appetite. In my experience, weight lifting has subdued my hunger, (If I lift when I'm hungry) and has kept it away for at least an hour afterward.
Now to debunk some common myths associated with weight lifting.
Lifting weights on a regular basis.
When an intense stress is put on a muscle, our bodies do not immediately respond by creating muscle tissue. This process happens over a period of time. And varies greatly from person to person. The days after a work out are the days that are vital to muscle production. If we lift weights in excess of what our bodies can handle, then it is the equivalent of digging a hole and putting the dirt back in. We make no gains.
The act of lifting weights does not build or create muscle. The days after weights are lifted (stress put on the body) are when muscle is created.
However, this rest must be warranted from an intense workout. Intensity and rest are the keys to building muscle.
*When using the word intensity, I am referring to how hard the muscle is worked.
Intensity = Stress. The more intense a workout is, the higher the stress and the more our bodies will be obligated to adapt to that stress.
A great way to determine if a work out is intense enough is by noticing improvements from workout to workout. If you do not see gains in either reps, or weight on a workout to workout basis, then your workouts are not intense enough, or you have not given yourself enough time to rest.
The best source that I have found online for no nonsense weight lifting advice is Drew Baye's High Intensity Weight Lifting blog. He has a very simplistic, and clear approach to gaining muscle that we can all relate to. Click on the link to visit his site, I highly recommend it.
"I work my back and biceps on Monday, legs on Wednesday, and shoulders and chest on Friday..."
I have heard this from countless gym rats, who spend the majority of their days in the weight room.
The most efficient workouts are the ones that are intense and encompass the entire the body. Intense, complete body workouts jack up our cardiovascular system, build muscle, and send our metabolism into a frenzy.
Think about it. If our calves, quads, chest, shoulders, biceps and back are all demanding oxygen, then our bodies will have to work extra hard to accommodate the stress we are putting on all those muscle groups.
Let's remember these simple weight training rules:
1) When lifting, the intensity of a workout is the key to the success of a workout. The duration is pointless. When I lift, I train for no longer than 20-25 minutes. However, it is 25 minutes of panting like like Chris Farley walking up a flight of stairs.
2) Resting is key to muscle growth.
3) Rest (again, it is that important). I know that it is hard to comprehend because we have been programmed to believe that we should always be moving. Resting allows our bodies to create the maximal amount of muscle needed, depending on the intensity of a workout. Resting also allows our bodies the time it needs to fully recover from a work out.
-I lift once, sometimes twice, every seven days. I also throw in a day of sprints in between weight lifting workouts.
4) Write your workouts down (I write mine down on a note card) and make sure that you are improving on a workout to workout basis. If you're not, then your doing something wrong.
I will go into the specifics of my workout regimen in my next post. Which will be up in a few days.
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