One of the analysts asked Sterling Sharpe, former NFL wide receiver-turned TV analyst, what that particular player might have done to develop such blinding speed.

Sterling’s simple, yet profound, reply: “He wakes up like that”.

Obviously, Mr. Sharpe clearly understands the role of genetics in athletic performance.

Sterling Sharpe (L) laughing as Brett Favre explains his text messaging technique for picking up women. 

Don’t do it Sterling.

Similarly, genetics also plays a role in the development of muscular size and strength.

Some people (who are usually trying to sell you something in a bodybuilding magazine) would have you believe that anybody can build a Super Hero type physique if they can just be motivated enough and perservere long enough.

While it’s true that anybody can get better, and everybody can get a lot bigger and stronger than they ever imagined, there are limits. And those limits are genetically imposed.

If an entire football team performs the exact same strength training program, why is it that the kicker weighs 170 and all the offensive linemen all weigh over 300?

Genetics. Genetics always wins.

So what are the individual genetic factors that affect muscular development? Here are some of the main ones:

-Bone structure: An individual with a small, frail bone structure simply will not be able to support the heavy musculature of someone like Casey Viator or Dorian Yates.

 This…..

Will never look like this

-Muscle length: The longer a muscle is from origin to insertion-that is, where it attaches to the tendon at the top and bottom-the more size potential it has.

Short Bicep 

Long Bicep 

Muscle fiber density: Muscles grow via hypertrophy, where each individual muscle fiber increases in thickness. Everything else being equal, somebody with fewer muscle fibers in their biceps than their training partner will not be able to develop their biceps to the same degree.

Motor unit recruitment: Some people have the genetically predetermined ability to neurologically recruit more muscle fibers for contraction during a given task. The people you see or hear about who are average size, yet can perform superhuman feats of strength, usually fall into this category.

Recovery ability: The capacity to recover from stress, and the speed with which a person can do that, are genetically based. That’s why some people can tolerate longer and more frequent weight training workouts than others and still make good progress.

Since limits to individual muscular potential do exist, and those limits are genetically based, there is nothing that can be done to alter them. However, don’t let this discourage you-remember that potential can only be acuurately assessed in retrospect; meaning simply, you’ll never know how good you can be unless you give it your best shot, and then look back on it later.

Also, attitude is a great tool for leveling the playing field. a person with the motivation and will to push to the limit in every workout will realize more of their full genetic potential than someone who is blessed with favorable genetics, but trains like a wimp.

And remember that the purpose of all goal achievement is to develop a sense of mastery-to gain satisfaction from the knowledge that you were able to take yourself from point A to point Z in a given endeavor.

So set a goal to be the best you that you can possibly be, and don’t worry too much about genetic limits. Train with maximum effort, balanced with the proper duration and frequency, enjoy the process, and see what happens.

As we used to say in the NFL: “Prepare-don’t compare”.

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1. What specifically are my desired results?

2. What specifically must I do in my training to achieve these results? 

Obviously, this is fundamental.  If you don’t get these two things figured out,  you risk wasting your time in the gym.

Stated even more fundamentally:  “You get what you train for.”

The problem is, many people are trying to train for one thing, but in reality they are training for something else.  The routine they are using is not specifically applicable to their training goal.

I emphasize the word specifically because, for example, a goal like “getting in shape” is not specific enough.  What do you mean by that?  Do you mean more muscular size and strength?   Increased metabolic conditioning?  Injury rehabilitation and/or prevention?  More cardiovascular endurance?  These are all very diiferent goals which will necessitate different training programs.

So, if you don’t know specifically what you want to achieve with your training, and you don’t know the specific training methods which will stimulate that particular physiological response, your training program will probably not be as effective and time-efficient as it should be.

Since this is the High Intensity Nation, you probably have an interest in increasing your muscular size and strength, so let’s
examine that one to illustrate specificity in training.   

A review of High Intensity Training principles reveals that in order to stimulate an increase in muscle growth and strength, training must be very high in intensity and low in duration and frequency. 

Yet walk into any gym in the world, and you will see guys trying to get bigger and stronger who are doing 12-20 sets per body part, training 2 hours a day, 6 days a week.  That type of program is low in intensity and high in duration and frequency-the opposite of what is required to achieve their stated goal.  These guys are trying to build muscle and increase strength on an endurance program.  That’s as bad as trying to train for a marathon by doing a power lifting program.

How many of us have misguidedly trained like that-diligently,slavishly, for weeks, months or even years-because that’s what we saw somebody else doing, and we didn’t understand the principles of actual exercise science.

Here’s how the principles of intensity, duration and frequency can be manipulated to achieve a specific training result:

-Increased muscular size and strength-train specifically for strength.  As Mike Mentzer used to say, “you can’t get bigger by getting weaker”.

• Maximum intensity
• Very brief
• Infrequent

 
-Metabolic Conditioning-the ability to sustain a high level of exertion continuously for an extended period of time.

• High Intensity (but not maximum)
• Brief, but higher duration relative to size and strength training
• Infrequent

 
-Injury Prevention/Rehab-training at-risk areas based on your sport or occupation, or recovering from a previous injury.

• Prioritize-perform exercise(s) first, or at strategic points in your routine to emphasize concentration and good form
• Sport/situation specific-i.e. neck training for contact sports, ankle training for basketball, rotator cuff exercises for throwing sports, etc.
• Lower intensity of effort initially, build up gradually

-Endurance only-mainly for endurance athletes, not necessary for general fitness.

• Low intensity
• High duration
• Higher frequency due to lower intensity, monitor for adequate recovery.

Of course your level of progress is the ultimate indicator of whether or not your training program is correct for the results you desire.  If you want increased strength, and you are not getting stronger on a very regular basis, something is very wrong with your program.  You need to change at least one of the three workout variables-intensity, duration or frequency-to correct the problem. 

Likewise for a lack of consistent, regular progress on an endurance or rehab program.  There’s a reason for everything in this world, including lack of training progress; and the number of possible reasons is not infinite.  The only way you will know if there’s a problem or not is by accurate record keeping.

Make sure you learn proper theory and methods from the experience of others by reading, listening to and studying the work of reliable sources to guide you in your training efforts-specifically, High Intensity Nation is a great place to start!

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I don’t know about you guys, but when I go browse in the sports and fitness section of the bookstore, I’m not looking for a 900 page philosophy novel. I want a little explanation of the theories and principles involved, and then I want something to DO.

And that’s exactly what Matt Brzycki and Fred Fornicola give you with their excellent how-to training book, “Dumbbell Training for Strength and Fitness”.

In the beginning of the book, you get the cooking lesson–the advantages and disadvantages of dumbbell training, safety considerations, and direct, to-the-point discussions on technique, intensity, exercise sequence and choices, scheduling, progression, and much, much more.

And then you get the recipes–and plenty of them. This section begins with a bodypart-by-bodypart breakdown of specific exercises for each muscle group, covering the entire body. Each exercise description is accompanied by pictures of the exercise being performed as a learning aid.

And the cool thing is, the only other equipment required for any of the exercises in the book are an adjustable bench, a swiss ball, a wall, and some kind of step. So if you thought you couldn’t get strong and fit because you didn’t have access to a bunch of fancy equipment, your excuse just went right out the window.

Like I said-you can do these workout anywhere

Once Matt and Fred are sure you know the principles involved and how to perform each individual exercise, they drop over 40 complete routines on you–and they brought reinforcements along. The first 29 workouts are provided by some of the top strength training experts in the country, and each one includes a list of specific performance points to make sure you get the most out of the workout.

As if that wasn’t enough, next you get a bunch of specialized workouts, including metabolic workouts, split routines, body part specialization workouts, and even a workout that only requires one dumbbell!

If I were you, I wouldn’t pick this one

And of course, we don’t want to skip dessert–the book concludes with some workout “finishers”, just in case for some weird reason you have any unused strength left when you get done with one of these routines. These finishers are great for adding a metabolic conditioning component to your workout, not to mention building mental toughness.

Dude doing a finisher

Dude after doing a finisher

At the very end is an anatomy chart, but trust me, you won’t need it–the day after performing one of these workouts, you’ll know the exact location of all 600 muscles in your body.

All in all, this book will be an awesome addition to your training library–especially for the ridiculously low price they’re charging for it right now. Believe it or not you can grab a copy right now for $10.50 plus shipping!

Click here to grab your copy for only $10.50 before Matt and Fred recover from their last workout and come to their senses

Check out these videos of Patty and I trying out a workout from the book:

Comments please!

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In the past few years, a fitness craze has been sweeping the industry-the operative word being “craze”.

They call it “Functional Training”.

I have witnessed this craze reach epidemic proportions in the fitness world, to the extent that many people equate this type of training with the field of personal training: in other words, so many trainers are training people this way, people think that so-called Functional Training is what personal training is, and that’s all it is; that they are one in the same.

I’ve had it.

In this article, and I’m sure in many more ways to follow in the future, I’m going to define and explain what is meant by the term Functional Training, point out the flaws in both it’s theory and methodology, and give my opinion as to why I think it’s a joke.

As my reference point for the definition and explanation of Functional Training, I will use the apparently impartial source Wikipedia.

Wikipedia defines Functional Training as “a classification of exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life.”

Wait a minute-isn’t that the goal of any form of exercise? The function of skeletal muscles is to produce movement. Therefore, any exercise program that strengthens the muscles will improve the body’s ability to move during “the activities performed in daily life”, whatever they may happen to be. High Intensity Training, as well as many other forms of exercise, can and do result in stronger muscles. Functional Training advocates give the impression that if you train with machines or conventional strength training equipment you are going to end up weak and uncoordinated. It doesn’t work that way. Strong muscles produce strong movements, no matter what your “activities of daily life” might be.

Wikipedia: “Functional training has its origins in rehabilitation. Physical therapists developed exercises that mimicked what patients did at home or work in order to return to their lives or jobs after an injury or surgery. Thus if a patient’s job required repeatedly heavy lifting, rehabilitation would be targeted towards heavy lifting, if the patient were a parent of young children, it would be targeted towards moderate lifting and endurance, and if the patient were a marathon runner, training would be targeted towards re-building endurance.”

First of all, by definition, rehabilitation patients are not functioning at a normal level-if they were, they would not need rehabilitation. As both a Personal Trainer and a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, I can tell you first-hand that there is a BIG difference between rehab training to get back to a normal, functioning state, and trying to increase your levels of muscular size and strength beyond normal levels. For a person who is not injured or impaired to train with rehab techniques in order to get bigger and stronger constitutes context-switching and is ridiculous.

Furthermore, What if the marathon runner also has young children and works as a furniture mover? Does he do 3 different routines, or just one routine that is 3 times longer? I don’t know about you, but I don’t perform the exact same “activities of daily life” every single day. Does that mean I need to change my workout program every time I train, depending on what I’m going to do that day or the next day? Do I need to lift heavy weights the week I’m going to help my friend move, and lay around at the gym the week before my vacation in the Bahamas?

Wikipedia: “Functional training may lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in an individual’s performance in a sport. The benefits may arise from the use of training that emphasizes the body’s natural ability to move in three anatomical planes of motion. In comparison, though machines can often be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or injury.” (Italics mine)

The three planes of motion referred to here are the transverse (or horizontal) plane, the coronal (or frontal) plane, and the sagittal (or lateral) plane. These three planes of motion are not the exclusive domain of Functional Training; training the various muscle groups at different “angles” has been advocated since weight training was invented. For example, if somewhere in the course of your training program you perform a shoulder press or incline press (sagittal plane), a lateral raise (coronal plane), and a rear deltoid raise (transverse plane), all of which are included in the High Intensity Muscle Building program, you have trained your shoulders utilizing all three planes of movement.

I put the italics in the Wikipedia quote to point out the contradiction. On the one hand, Wikipedia is saying machines can often be safer to use, then they contradict themselves by saying that using machines may lead to injury. What they are probably trying to imply is that if you train on machines, you will be more prone to injury in your “activities of daily living” than if you perform Functional Training.

Here’s why that’s a bunch of crap: properly performed strength training, including High Intensity Training, strengthens the muscles by thickening the individual muscle fibers. This is called hypertrophy.

Hypertrophy is achieved by providing an intense stimulus to the muscle, forcing it to work at the limit of it’s existing capacity, causing it to respond by growing bigger and stronger to be able to successfully respond to such a stimulus in the future. Basically, muscle growth is an adaptation to overload. Just like getting a tan is an adaptation to exposure to intense ultraviolet sun light.

It doesn’t matter whether that overload comes in the form of High Intensity Training using fixed-movement machines, Functional Training using medicine balls and rubber bands, or going outside and lifting logs and rocks-if the stimulus is sufficient, your muscles will grow. Just like it doesn’t matter whether you go to the beach or lay in a tanning bed to get your sun tan.

Which can you break more easily-a pencil, a broom stick, or a baseball bat? The pencil. Why? Because it’s thinner.

Which is harder to injure-a thin muscle fiber, or a thick muscle fiber? (You answer this one).

How do you thicken your muscle fibers? I just told you the answer. Overload. (This is kind of like an open-book test).

Moreover, Functional Training inherently compromises effective overload in 3 ways (probably more, but I could go on forever here, and I’m getting tired):

1. Momentum compromises overload. Utilizing the force of momentum to move a weight decreases efficient musclular loading and increases joint trauma. Both are bad.

2. Instability compromises overload. It’s pretty hard to direct 100% of your possible momentary effort to an exercise when you are trying not to roll off an ustable surface and split your head open. Come to think of it, splitting your head open would probably compromise overload also.

3. Lack of record keeping compromises overload. The essence of proper strength training is progressive overload-increasing weight, reps, or both, in succesive workouts as you get stronger. I have never, ever seen a “Functional” trainer write anything down, or noticed any attempt at systematic progression from one workout to the next. It all appears very whimsical.

In summary, I believe that “Functional Training” is misguided, ineffective and dangerous.

I suggest you build your body using High Intensity Training.

Trust me, it will “function” just fine.

Watch this video to see “Functional Training” at its finest

Comments?

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I remember one day in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weight room a few years ago watching Head Strength Coach Mark Asanovich training one of our offensive linemen. We had been made aware, by the athletic training staff, that this lineman had strained his right shoulder in the last game; he was cleared to lift, as long as nothing he did increased his shoulder pain.

While doing a trap exercise, the lineman grimaced as performed a repetition. He was obviously in pain. In between reps, Mark asked him if his shoulder was hurting; he admitted that it was.

Pro football players are trained to “play through pain”, and the great ones that I have met possess incredible mental toughness.

This lineman was no exception. He proceeded to attempt another rep, which brought the grimace back to his face.

“STOP!” Mark said. The player complied.

Then came the teachable moment-Mark told the player:

“Move on to the next exercise. This stuff is supposed to help you, not hurt you”.

There are times when all of us who work out hard, and are highly motivated to achieve great results, could benefit from that same teachable moment.

Sometimes the teachable moment is available only in retrospect, after something bad has already happened. A friend of mine recently told me about an NBA basketball player breaking his wrist after losing his balance while performing dumbbell bench presses on a swiss ball.

You may have also heard about the college football player who had a barbell crush his throat when he lost his grip on it while bench pressing. He underwent 7 hours of surgery, and fortunately is going to be okay.

Sometimes orthopedic problems resulting from poor training habits are long-term in nature, not becoming apparent until years later. Mike Mentzer told a friend of mine in 1993 that his lower back was “still f***ked up” from performing partial squats 1000 pounds 15 years earlier.

Weight training should not be a dangerous activity, if a few simple guidelines are followed, such as: controlled rep speed, proper focus without distraction, a safe training environment, and selecting orthopedically friendly exercises.

By orthopedically friendly, I mean exercises that do not put undo strain on your joints, bones or connective tissues.

A few orthopedically friendly choices I would recommend include: dumbbell or machine shoulder presses using a parallel grip, instead of behind-the-neck shoulder presses; close-grip, underhand pulldowns and chin-ups vs. the behind-the-neck variety; 1 arm dumbbell rows, cable rows or machine rows in place of bent-over barbell rows; and the controversial one-leg presses vs. squats.

I know squats are considered the “King of Exercises” by many people, and I don’t discount the fact that they are a productive exercise in terms of building lower body and overall size and strength-but they also put a tremendous amount of strain on your spine, not to mention your shoulders, knees and wrists. These affronts to your joints can be avoided, or at least minimized, by switching to a decent leg press machine.

I’m just saying, there’s no law that says you HAVE to squat, despite what some people would have you believe. You can get fantastic results on the leg press-the key is the level of intensity you use, not the modality.

Of course, if you don’t have access to a leg press machine, you can’t make that choice, so just make sure to use impeccable form, and keep the reps fairly high.

In the end, every individual needs to utilize the powers of reason and logic to make their own training decisions. Carefully consider your exercises choices-not only in terms of productivity, but also potential long-term adverse effects. Lots of things work-the key is a high level of intensity.

Don’t put yourself in harm’s way unnecessarily. Just like that Buccaneer lineman, you’ve got a lot of seasons left in your body. Strive for a long, productive, and healthy training career-when you get old like me, you’ll be glad you did.

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on exercise selection.

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Here’s the lineup of speakers:

• Jim Kielbaso, Director of Total Performance at Total Sports Complex, Wixom, MI
• Robert Taylor, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Loyola College, MD
• Rick Court, Director of Football Strength and Conditioning, University of Toledo
• Ron McKeefery, Asst. AD/Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of South Florida
• Mike Gittleson, former head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Michigan (and a H.I.T. legend!)
• Alan Stein, Strength and Conditioning Coach specializing in Elite Level Basketball
• Gordie Schaeffler, Head Hockey Trainer-Oakland Assistant Hockey Coach
• Nick Wilson, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of Detroit-Mercy

Whew! What a lineup! I am looking forward to seeing some old friends, meeting some new ones, and soaking up tons of training knowledge to share with the Nation.  Hopefully I will see some of you there!

Speaking of Strength and Conditioning-here’s a Classic Article Re-Post of an article I wrote that was originally published in the old Hammer Strength publication, The Hard Training Newsletter. In it I discuss the differences between strength training and skill training. I hope you enjoy it.

P.S. I’ll give you an update on how the clinic went once it’s over-hopefully I’ll be able to shoot a little video too

What Is IT?

by Dave Durell, MS, CCS, PTA

Many qualities, both physical and mental, go into the making of a successful athlete. Two of the most important physical qualities are strength and skill. Since all sports require physical movement, and skeletal muscles produce movement, it follows logically that increasing muscular strength will allow the athlete to more easily perform the movements required in his or her sport. Of course, the strongest athlete is not always the best athlete; a high degree of sport-specific skill is also required. It is generally accepted that resistance training will increase muscular strength. But what about skill? Will weight room activities specifically enhance certain sports skills? How can strength and skill be trained for most efficiently? Can they be combined or must they be trained for separately? What is the most effective way to maximally enhance both? What constitutes proper strength training and how, if at all, does that differ from proper skill training? This article will address, and attempt to provide some answers to these questions.

Strength is defined as “the ability of the musculoskeletal system to produce force” (1). In order to improve that ability most productively, training must involve uniform, efficient muscular loading.

Uniform – Resistance should be applied as equally as possible throughout a full range of motion. A controlled speed of movement should be utilized; the weight should be moved by muscular force alone, eliminating as much momentum as possible. Exercises which apply heavy resistance at one point and little or no resistance at another point in the range of motion are inferior in this regard. This can occur if strict form is forsaken or if an explosive style of lifting is employed.

Efficient – The training program should be designed to achieve the highest degree of stimulation in the shortest possible time. High Intensity Training, where each set is carried to a point of extreme muscular fatigue, satisfies this criterion. Training in this fashion will necessarily limit the duration of the workout, thus maximizing efficiency. In addition, it is important to maintain proper form to efficiently overload the target musculature.

Muscular Loading – This is the essence of strength training. A load of sufficient magnitude to stimulate a strength increase must be applied. The trainee should strive to work to the limit of his or her existing capacity on each set and regularly attempt the momentarily impossible. If you are capable of performing 10 reps with a certain weight in a certain exercise, but you always stop at 9 reps, and you never attempt an 11th rep, why would you ever get stronger?

To review, proper strength training means loading the target musculature uniformly throughout the range of motion while maintaining strict form with a high level of intensity.

An athletic skill is a movement or series of movements, which produces a specific athletic outcome. The key word in the previous sentence is “specific”. For any sports skill performed, a unique neuromuscular pathway is created which is specific for that skill alone. In order to most effectively reinforce that pattern, the skill must be practiced, as it will ultimately be executed in game situations. Thus, the practice of sports skills should be performed using the same equipment, on the same playing surface, in the same situation, as they will occur in the game, while still maintaining practicality and safety. Activities which merely resemble the specific sports skill require unique neuromuscular pathways of their own; therefore, the performance of such activities is not an efficient means of reinforcing the specific neuromuscular pattern required for the sports skill in question.

To review, proper skill training means practicing a movement, or series of movements, which produces a specific athletic outcome as it will be executed in game situations.

In light of the information presented above, it is apparent that certain weightroom activities currently in vogue do not fit within the parameters of either proper strength training or proper skill training. Such activities most commonly include movements that are performed in an explosive fashion using additional resistance; including, but not limited to, power cleans, Olympic lifts and various plyometric drills using medicine balls. These types of activities typically utilize the forces of acceleration and momentum to propel the resistance, negating the opportunity for uniform, efficient muscular loading. This fact disqualifies these activities as proper strength training. With regard to proper skill training, remember that the specific skill must be practiced exactly as it will be used in competition. Thus, the only athletes for whom these types of activities can be considered proper skill training are competitive weightlifters or competitive medicine ball throwers.

This brings us to the key questions to consider:

1) If it’s not proper strength training, and it’s not proper skill training – What Is It?

2) More importantly – Why Do It? 

The answers to these questions will determine which activities should, or should not, be included in the training program.

Time is a limited resource; as such, it must be invested wisely. Don’t waste your’s by engaging in unproductive training methods. Use proper strength training to increase the ability to produce muscular force. Use proper skill training to perfect the movements used in competition. Avoid activities which don’t fit within the parameters of either category. Doing so will help the athlete most efficiently scale the heights and reach the peak of his or her athletic potential.

Leave a comment below to let me know what you think of this article.

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Essentially everybody is performing their exercises very quickly. They throw the weight up. They let it drop back down. Mindlessly flailing their limbs with no apparent focus or concentration, often talking to someone at the same time. They rattle the barbell plates. They let the weight stack slam together. Momentum is utilized to the fullest extent possible. There is no pausing at any point in the entire set. The only time all this high speed of movement stops is between exercises, when the average trainee rests for several minutes, often while socializing, re-setting their I-Pod, texting somebody, watching television or checking their cell phone. It almost seems like they can’t wait to get their set out of the way, so they can get to these other activities with minimal disruption.

Why do people train like that?

I think that one reason they do it is since they see virtually everybody else doing it, they assume it’s the right way to do it, and that the one guy in the gym not doing it (me) is some misguided weirdo who is doing it wrong. This is the way a lot of people make all of their decisions-they go along with the majority, avoiding the painful job of thinking critically for themselves.

Once the trainee starts utilizing this method, they discover that moving the weights faster allows them to lift more weight more easily. Although less effective from a strength and muscle building perspective, this method is more satisfying to the ego. Fast reps also produce less muscular discomfort than slow reps, and avoiding pain is desirable for most people.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is inferior results. Moving the weights quickly lowers the intensity of the activity; and intensity is the stimulus required to cause an increase in muscular size and strength. Thus, the higher the intensity is, the more effective the workout will be. To maximize the intensity of each repetition, the weight should be lifted and lowered slowly, under full muscular control, utilizing the force of muscular contraction alone without momentum.

Going slow is also safer. Increased speed of movement increases the risk of injury. If you have ever witnessed, or been in, a car accident, you already know this.

In addition, going slower makes the workout more time efficient. You put more tension on your muscles in each set, allowing you to place a greater workload on your muscles in one set than the fast lifters get in 3 or more sets.

What exactly do I mean by slow? Here’s how I described proper form in my e-book, “High Intensity Muscle Building“:

“The lifting of a weight (including the weight stack on a machine) should take 2 seconds to perform. The lowering of a weight should take 4 seconds to perform. You should pause in both the start and finish positions on each rep. Thus, every rep you do should take approximately 7-8 seconds to perform. Simply put: lift in 2 seconds; pause; lower in 4 seconds; pause; repeat.”

The goal of your strength training program should be to get the best possible results in the shortest possible time with the least possible amount of effort. Performing slow, controlled repetitions is fundamental to achieving that goal.

Keep it slow to grow,

Dave Durell, MS, CCS, PTA
Author of High Intensity Muscle Building

P.S. This article was originally published in the High Intensity Nation E-Newsletter. For a FREE issue, AND advanced training video AND special report, enter your name and e-mail address to the right or below. I hate spam as much as you do and will never share your e-mail address.

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I have just upgraded my High Intensity Muscle Building course to include 2 FREE MP3 downloads and 8 weeks of FREE e-mail coaching!

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e-newsletter.

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Here’s everything you get with the High Intensity Muscle Building program:

1. The 76 page training manual with printable forms and workout cards-your step-by-step, easy-to-follow road map that will show you the shortest, fastest and most direct way possible to achieve your training goals!

2. *NEW* The 2-part MP3 download going over every detail of the High Intensity Muscle Building program and training philosophy!

3. Unlimited access to the “Members Only” area of the High Intensity Training Video Vault-Live-action full-length training videos to teach and inspire you, and take all the guesswork out of how to perform the workouts correctly (very hard to do from pictures alone).

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6. *NEW* 8 weeks of personal e-mail coaching-Now you can have me as your personal coach, right by your side, no matter where you live-helping you every step of the way on your muscle building journey!

WHEW!

That’s a lot of stuff-and you get it all when you try my High Intensity Muscle Building program.

Click here to claim your copy right now!

Talk soon,

Dave

P.S. Try High Intensity Muscle Building risk-free for 60 days with our 100% money-back guarantee!

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The speakers included Mark, his assistant Aaron Komarek, Minnesota Vikings Strength Coach Steve Wetzel, and nutrition expert Dr. Ted Lambrinides, who at the time was the publisher of the Hammer Strength publication “The Hard Training Newsletter”.

Since all those guys are well known High Intensity Training advocates, I jumped all over the opportunity and signed up for the clinic immediately.

And by opportunity, I don’t mean just sitting there listening to the speakers.

I had recently written an article that I thought was pretty good, and I thought it would be really cool if I could get it published in the Hard Training Newsletter. Since the publisher, Ted Lambrinides, was going to be there, I set out on a mission to get him to check out my article.

The morning session of the clinic consisted of lectures by each speaker, after which we broke for lunch, followed by a hands-on training demonstration session in the afternoon. Awesome stuff.

After the morning session was over, I went into full stalker mode and waited for Ted outside the meeting room. Naturally, he was the last one out.

When he finally appeared, I approached him and went Watergate on him, handing him a manila envelope containing my article as if it was some secret document.

Lucky for me, he accepted it and said he would take a look at it. Mission accomplished.

A few months later, I was surprised and happy to receive a copy of Issue #6 of the Hard Training Newsletter-and there was my article, along with articles from Ken Leistner, Ted, Ken Mannie, and the one and only Dan Riley.

Things got even better for me at the clinic in the afternoon session. I happened to overhear somebody talking to Mark Asanovich about volunteering to help train the players during summer training camps. Ahhhh, a new mission….

I waited until every single attendee had left the clinic (so I would not be interrupted by a question-asker) and then approached Mark and asked him about the volunteering thing.

He told me they accept volunteers to supervise a portion of the player’s weight training workouts, and if I was interested I would have to submit a letter and resume for his review, and if I was accepted he would then contact me.

I composed the letter and printed the resume as soon as I got home.

I was accepted, and that experience led to me getting a job as a Strength and Conditioning Assistant with the Buccaneers in 2001-2002.

Below is a re-post of that article-I hope you enjoy it.

And take my advice: if you go to an educational event like a training clinic, don’t just sit there, listen, and quietly go home. Make sure you squeeze every last ounce of benefit out of the money you spent to go there. You never know where it might take you.

Just go easy on the stalking stuff.

Seize every opportunity,

Dave Durell, MS, CCS, PTA
Author of High Intensity Muscle Building

Effective Strength Training: Understanding the Intensity-Duration Relationship
By Dave Durell, MS, CCS, PTA

The optimal number of sets of resistance exercise required to produce maximum increase in strength remains a very controversial topic. In order for any strength training program to be considered effective, obviously that program would have to produce an increase in strength. If two different systems both produced an equal increase in strength, then other criteria must be utilized to determine which is truly the most effective. These additional criteria would be the amount of time invested to achieve the desired result, as well as the amount of effort expended.

Thus, the most effective system of strength training (or anything else) would be the one which produced the greatest possible results with the lease possible amount of effort in the shortest possible time. The purpose of this article is to compare single set training to multiple set training to determine which training protocol comes closest to being the previously mentioned most effective system.

Multiple set training is defined as performing more than one set of a certain resistance exercise, typically 2 to 5 sets. Usually a 1 to 2 minute rest period is taken between sets. Traditionally, multiple set systems have been considered a requirement to stimulate maximum strength gains (1). While multiple set training has produced unquestionably good results in a multitude of trainees over the years, this system contains one inherent flaw: it attempts to defy the principles of logic, reason, and human physiology by disregarding the incontrovertible relationship between intensity and duration.

Intensity is defined as the percentage of possible momentary effort being exerted (2). Duration is the amount of time over which such efforts are conducted. To paraphrase, intensity is how hard it is, while duration is how long it takes. There is universal agreement that intensity is the single specific stimulus required to generate increased muscular strength. The critical, yet often ignored, factor involved in strength training programs is that intensity and duration are inversely proportional. This means that as the intensity of effort increases, the amount of time that such an effort can be sustained will proportionately decrease. These are incontrovertible facts not subject to debate which can be readily observed in everyday life. It is literally impossible for a human being to sustain 100% intensity for prolonged periods of time.

Consider, for example, the activity of running, something almost all of us have had experience with since we were children. Picture yourself sprinting at top speed for a distance for 50 yards. Now imagine yourself running a distance of one mile. Can you run the mile at the same all-out pace you used in sprinting the 50 yards? Of course not. Why? Because intensity and duration are inversely proportional. Since you drastically increased the duration of your run, the intensity had to decrease, whether you wanted it to or not.

Once the facts regarding the intensity-duration relationship are clearly established, it becomes possible to manipulate these variables to produce the desired training result. Since intensity is the factor responsible for stimulating strength gains, and duration is inversely proportional to intensity, an ideal strength training program would combine the highest possible intensity with the lowest possible duration. One set per exercise, performed until no further volitional movement is possible, satisfies these requirements.

Have any studies been performed comparing multiple set to single set training? One study performed at the University of Florida (3) consisted of 25 subjects performing 1 set of lumbar extension exercise 1 day/week for 10 weeks. Strength increases ranged from 42% to 102%. A second study performed at the University of Florida (4) utilized a total of 110 subjects who performed either 1 or 2 sets of lumbar extension exercise 1 day/week for 12 weeks. The results showed significant and similar improvements for both groups as compared with controls. The researchers concluded that performing more than one set was unnecessary for increasing strength in the muscles of the lumbar spinal area.

Another interesting study was performed by Gold’s Gym of Bristol, CT and ESPN cable television network (5). This study compared the effects of a 3-set, 2-set, and 1-set upper extremity resistance training program on 61 subjects. Results showed an average overall strength increase of 16.42% in the 3 set group, 23.54% in the 2-set group, and 26.95% in the 1-set group.

How do these results compare with other similar studies? A review by Fleck and Kramer (1) showed that the average increase in strength for most studies using isometric or isotonic testing and training of a variety of different muscle groups was between 20% and 30%. Thus from a theoretical as well as practical standpoint, it appears that single-set training systems produce comparable or superior strength gains in less time and with less total effort than typical multiple-set training systems.

How can this information be utilized by the individual wishing to make his own training program as effective as possible? The following guidelines are offered:

1. Make each repetition as intense as possible by maintaining strict form. This includes controlling the repetition speed, taking care to move the weight by muscular force alone without momentum. No quick starts, bouncing or heaving. Lift the weight smoothly, pause at the end position, and lower slowly under full control.

2. Make each set as intense as possible by continuing that set until no further volitional movement is possible, that is, to muscular failure. Continue performing strict repetitions until you are stopped in your tracks during the repetition despite your greatest effort. Remember, if you complete a repetition, no matter how hard it was, you must attempt another one! Make sure, however, you have the proper safety measures in place first, i.e. racks to catch the weight in a safe position and a competent spotter.

3. Make each workout as intense as possible by performing only one set per exercise in the fashion described above. Remember, intensity and duration are inversely proportional; if you do extra sets , the intensity of your workout will decrease, reducing its effectiveness. In addition, keep your workouts as brief as possible by limiting the total number of exercises performed to one, or at the most two, per muscle group.

I hope this article has provided a clearer understanding of the intensity-duration relationship as it applies to effective strength training. Such an understanding, properly applied, is the cornerstone of an effective strength training program.
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REFERENCES
1. Fleck, SJ; and Kramer, WJ: Designing Resistance Training Programs. Human Kinetic Books; Champaign, IL 1987.
2. Mentzer, Mike: Heavy Duty. Self Published, 1992.
3. Pollock, ML; Leggett, SH; Graves, JE, et al: “Effect of Resistance Training on Lumbar Extension Strength”. Am J Sports Med 1989; 17: 624-629.
4. Hochschuler, SH; Guyer, RD; and Cotler, HB (ed): Rehabilitation of the Spine. Mosby-Year Books, Inc., 1993.
5. Sansone, J; and Fitts, B: ESPN/Golds Gym Fitness Study. Unpublished Study, 1993.

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Grip strength can be a limiting factor when performing any pulling exercise where you are holding a bar or machine handles, such as deadlifts, pulldowns, rows, shrugs, etc.

If your grip gives out too soon, you will not fully stimulate the target muscles. A little specialized grip strengthening can help solve that problem.

Superior grip strength is also a big advantage in many sports, such as football, wrestling, judo, baseball and lacrosse. Many occupations also require good grip strength, such as carpentry and construction. In addition to being able to hold on to things better, it may also reduce the risk or severity of wrist and hand injuries.

Here’s a video showing a simple, cost-effective tool you can use to develop killer grip strength. This thing is called a “wrist roller”, and it’s easy to make and simple to use, but if you do it right it will have your forearms screaming for mercy very quickly.

Try it out as described in the video–if you can complete the workout shown with full control, add 2 1/2 pounds on your next workout.

When you can use 20 pounds or more, you will have yourself some “killer grip strength”–and anything or anybody you grab will not be getting away from you!

Questions or comments? Post them below–

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