“Life is for those who truly live it, and time alone does not make a full life”. That’s the quote I selected to go with my picture in my high school yearbook. I have always believed that, and try my best to always live life to the fullest, to not miss anything.
Of course, as you become an adult some repetition is inevitable, but it’s amazing how much you can squeeze into your life if you really commit yourself to doing that.
My wife’s nephew, Tony, was that way. Student, son, film-maker, brother, boyfriend, snowboarder, friend, athlete, partier, traveler, adventurer-that guy stuffed more things into his life than most people could do in three lifetimes.
Unfortunately, Tony didn’t even get a chance to complete one lifetime. He died, tragically and unexpectedly, on July 11, 2009, at the age of 24.
Tony’s passing gave me, and all of his family and friends, a horrible, sobering reminder of just how fragile life is. It can be taken away from any one of us in an instant. None of us have any way of knowing how much time we have left on this earth.
That being the case, it is incumbent upon all of us to make the most of our lives. Take charge of your life and your future. Set challenging goals for yourself, and design your life around them.
Train your mind as well as your body. Get and keep yourself in great physical condition, so that a lack of fitness never holds you back.
Make your life a daring adventure, full of thrills, achievement and happiness.
Work hard on developing yourself to be the best you can be. Cultivate and nurture your relationships with the people who mean a lot to you.
Don’t miss anything. Don’t leave anything on the table. LIVE!
And don’t let any opportunity that comes your way pass you by.
In this month’s High Intensity Training Interview Of The Month, we’re talking to track and field coach, powerlifter, and editor of the popular High Intensity Training website Cyberpump.com–none other than Bill Piche.
That’s Bill on the left
The famous Cyberpump.com logo
Whoa-Is Bill lifting in his living room again?
Bill is an accomplished powerlifter who has deadlifted 600 pounds as a 198 pounder (read that again a few times, it’s pretty dang impressive). He’s also a renowned track and field coach, and for many years has been running the hugely popular training website Cyberpump.com. If you’ve never been to Cyberpump, you are seriously missing out–there is a flippin’ TON of useful, no-bull training info over there. In fact, Cyberpump was the very first website I ever visited when I got my first computer in 1998. I was not disappointed. Bill also has several awesome training products available, which he tells us about at the end of the interview.
Listen in as Bill talks about:
How a laundry job eventually led him to powerlifting
His early influences, and what he has done on the internet on their behalf
How Cyberpump.com got started, and how it evolved into the Cyberpump.com network of today
How to get a great workout with only bodyweight exercises
His thoughts on training progression (really good)
How visiting Cyberpump.com got me a job in the NFL
The role of the nervous system in training and recovery, and what “neuro-dumbness” means (you need to hear this)
And much, much more!
To hear the Bill Piche interview, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:
I just learned that Dwayne Wimmer, owner of Vertex Fitness in the greater Philadelphia, PA area, is looking for personal trainers who understand High Intensity Training principles. Dwayne is a great guy who has been involved in HIT training for a long time; I give him and his facility my highest recommendation. See Dwayne’s message below, and contact him at the e-mail address listed to apply.
Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio is an established personal training studio (opened 2001) and located in the heart of the Main Line in Bryn Mawr We are currently accepting resumes for HIT personal trainers. Candidates must be highly motivated, enthusiastic and prepared to be a major contributor to a service–oriented personal training studio. Applicants should be committed professionals who have the willingness to learn and the desire to achieve. Commission-based. Please send cover letters/ resumes to dwayne@vertexfit.com
Dwayne Wimmer
Owner
Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio
24 N. Merion Ave
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
610 525 6604 http://www.vertexfit.com/
The Hyper Intensity Training Program is the extra spark you need to re-ignite the growth stimulus and get you bigger and stronger than ever. In this program, you will learn how to effectively utilize advanced training methods that will exploit all 3 strength levels, maximizing your muscular development. You’ll learn all the plateau-busting tactics that make up the Hyper Intensity Training system, and I give you 14 sample workouts utilizing conventional gym equipment, free weight and bodyweight exercises, and high-tech machines, so you can utilize Hyper Intensity Training no matter where you train. The Hyper Intensity Training techniques can also be incorporated into any other workouts and training systems you may be using.
Here’s What You Get:
Training Manual
Instructional Videos
Live Action Training Videos
Workout Log Sheets
Special Bonus: ”Advanced Techniques Used In The NFL” Report
Special Bonus: 30 Days FREE Unlimited Access To “High Intensity University”
And if you order now, you also get another Special Bonus:
The “H.I.T. All-Stars Roundtable Volume I” MP3 Audio
The All-Stars:
Mike Bradley, Strength Coach, Florida State University; Drew Baye, Fitness Author and Trainer; Dave “D-Mass” Mastorakis, Champion Bodybuilder and Former Training Partner of Mike Mentzer; and Doug “The Sickness” Holland, Champion Powerlifter and Trainer.
What’s Inside:
Over 100 years of combined experience, all together for the first time ever! Listen in to the No-Holds-Barred discussion as the world’s foremost High Intensity Training experts talk about: Their interactions with Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones; The “tricks of the trade” they have used to make workouts more productive; How their training beliefs and habits have changed over the years; How they have dealt with people who scoffed at their training methods; And much, much more! Over 1 hour of unique content you won’t find anywhere else!
Wow. That’s all I can say about the “Hyper Jeopardy” entries that people submitted over the weekend.
All the entries were fantastic, and I really appreciate everyone’s participation. (If you haven’t read them, check out the top post on the right under “Recent Posts”).
But one entry really stood out to me above the others by the slightest margin. And so, after much careful analysis and deliberation–we have a winner!
And The Winner Is:
Anja Hartleb-Parson!
Anja’s Entry:
“As a young girl I was sickly and weak; that profoundly affected my experience of my body and mind, and what I believed was ultimately possible for me in life.
When I started weightlifting in my twenties, that view of myself slowly changed.
But it was not until I discovered and began HIT a few months ago that I realized the power I have over my physical betterment and fitness. I have made more progress in these last few months than in all the years I had been training before.
The greatest part of it has been learning how to push past my own mental limitations, such as fear of physical discomfort, and trusting that my body knows what it needs to develop and improve further. More than anything, HIT has been building my mind as well as my muscle–self-awareness, focus, clarity, patience, calm–and most of all, my appreciation for my own body, its beauty, resilience and strength.
I am not yet done though; indeed, maybe I have only just begun. What is possible for me in my journey toward my optimal self in body and mind by taking it to the next level with Dave’s Hyper Intensity Training Program?
I absolutely HAVE to find out. And so can you.”
Anja wins a FREE copy of the entire Hyper Intensity Training Program, PLUS all the bonuses, when the program is released on Wednesday!
Here’s what you get:
Training Manual
Instructional Videos
Live Action Training Videos
Workout Log Sheets
Special Bonus: ”Advanced Techniques Used In The NFL” Report
Special Bonus: 30 Days FREE Unlimited Access To “High Intensity University”
Special “Fast Action” Bonus: The “H.I.T. All-Stars Roundtable Volume I” MP3 Audio
Whew! That’s a lot of stuff.
Anja, check your e-mail on Wednesday, cuz you get yours FREE.
Everybody else–don’t worry, the program is going to be ridiculously affordable.
So check back Wednesday and grab your copy, and you’ll also get the FAST ACTION TAKERS ANTI-PROCRASTINATION BONUS:
“The H.I.T. All-Star Roundtable, Volume I” MP3 Download
The All-Stars:
Mike Bradley, Strength Coach, Florida State University; Drew Baye, Fitness Author and Trainer; Dave “D-Mass” Mastorakis, Champion Bodybuilder and Former Training Partner of Mike Mentzer; and Doug “The Sickness” Holland, Champion Powerlifter and Trainer.
What’s Inside:
Over 100 years of combined experience, all together for the first time ever! Listen in to the No-Holds-Barred discussion as the world’s foremost High Intensity Training experts talk about: Their interactions with Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones; The “tricks of the trade” they have used to make workouts more productive; How their training beliefs and habits have changed over the years; How they have dealt with people who scoffed at their training methods; And much, much more! Over 1 hour of unique content you won’t find anywhere else!
Thanks again to everybody who sent in entries–they were all fantastic!
Welcome to the New High Intensity Training Game Show–”Hyper Jeopardy”.
It’s pretty much just like regular Jeopardy on TV, except waaaaaay more intense. And, you don’t have to HIT your buzzer, or put everything in question form.
And you don’t have to answer a ton of questions in Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy–we go straight to Final Hyper Jeopardy-only one question to answer, for all the marbles.
Okay, so I guess it’s really not like regular Jeopardy at all–but it should still be fun.
AND–we have waaaaaay better prizes!
Today’s Grand Prize:
Your Own F-R-E-E Copy of The Hyper Intensity Training Program!
The Hyper Intensity Training Program is the extra spark you need to re-ignite the growth stimulus and get you bigger and stronger than ever. In this program, you will learn how to effectively utilize advanced training methods that will exploit all 3 strength levels, maximizing your muscular development. You’ll learn all the plateau-busting tactics that make up the Hyper Intensity Training system, and I give you 14 sample workouts utilizing conventional gym equipment, free weight and bodyweight exercises, and high-tech machines, so you can utilize Hyper Intensity Training no matter where you train. The Hyper Intensity Training techniques can also be incorporated into any other workouts and training systems you may be using.
Here’s What You Get:
Training Manual
Instructional Videos
Live Action Training Videos
Workout Log Sheets
Special Bonus: ”Advanced Techniques Used In The NFL” Report
Special Bonus: 30 Days FREE Unlimited Access To “High Intensity University”
Special “Fast Action” Bonus: The “H.I.T. All-Stars Roundtable Volume I” MP3 Audio
Whew! That’s a lot of stuff.
And on Monday, I’m going to pick one lucky winner, who will get all that stuff for FREE when the product is released next Wednesday.
(Don’t worry, even if you don’t win, the program is going to be ridiculously affordable).
To win, all you have to do is give the best answer to the following question:
Today’s Hyper Jeopardy Question:
“In 250 words or less, explain why the Hyper Intensity Training Program is exactly what you need to take your training to the next level.”
Our panel of esteemed judges will carefully review each entry for sincerity, honesty and enthusiasm, and announce the lucky winner on Monday.
Actually, there is no “panel”–I’m the only judge, but I’ll still do all that stuff.
Ground Rules–break these and you’re disqualified:
-No financial sob-stories–your reason can’t be “I need to win it because I can’t afford it”. It has to be about training. And trust me, you’ll be able to afford it even if you don’t win.
-Don’t go over 250 words.
-You must post your entry here, on this page, below, in the comments section. Private e-mails, or entries on the “Contact” page, don’t count.
Good luck everybody–let’s have some fun with this! (Who knows, maybe I’ll pick more than one winner….)
Post Your Entry Below Under “Leave A Comment”, then click “Submit Comment”
Obviously, something happens during a weight training workout that produces increased muscular size and strength-it doesn’t happen by magic. And since we now know that we can either train hard, or we can train long, but we can’t do both at once, it has to be one or the other. Either intensity of effort, or duration of effort, is the crucial variable in a workout responsible for stimulating an increase in muscular size and strength. So which one of the 2 variables, intensity or duration, is responsible for the muscle growth we desire?
Time’s up-let me help you out a little.
If it were duration, aerobics instructors and marathon runners would have Mr. Universe caliber physiques.
If it were duration, the best way to get really big and strong would be to lift weights literally all day long. And there are people around who do have all day to workout. But nobody does this, because on some level they realize there’s a limit to how much intensity the body can withstand. I’m sure you realize how ridiculous it would be to see somebody in the gym working out all day, from the time the gym opened in the morning until the time it closed that night.
So it’s not duration.
Intensity is the crucial variable in a workout responsible for building muscle.
And if the intensity of your workouts is high, the duration of your workouts will, by default, be brief. That’s the trademark of a productive workout-brief and intense.
So what exactly does intense mean?
Recall that the definition of intensity is the percentage of possible momentary muscular effort being exerted. The higher the percentage, the better the muscle building results, with the ultimate goal being to exert 100% of your momentary ability.
Your goal with every set that you do is to reach a point where the muscle cannot possibly perform any more work at that moment. Doing so insures that you have crossed every possible muscle growth threshold, and given proper time and resources to recover, the muscle will be forced to become bigger and stronger.
Intensity means going all out. It’s not just working hard; it’s putting forth a maximum effort. It means performing rep after rep (with good form) until you can’t do any more-and then attempting one more anyway.
This is what is known as training to failure. In order to get the most out of your training, you must regularly attempt the momentarily impossible.
Training to failure, with brief workouts performed infrequently (1-2 workouts/week), will yield excellent results for a majority of trainees for quite a long time. However, at some point a plateau will be reached.
Even though you are lifting heavy weights until you can’t lift them anymore, you are keeping your workouts brief, and you are providing enough rest days between workouts for full recovery, the time will come when that won’t be enough to stimulate more size and strength.
The reason is that even though you are taking each set to a point of failure, where you can’t possibly lift the weight any more, the truth is there is still a lot of strength left in that muscle. And in order to continue making gains, you have to tap into that unused strength.
The way to do that is to incorporate techniques that will exhaust these remaining strength levels—and that’s what Hyper Intensity Training is all about.
In the accompanying video, you’ll see Michael “Big Mike” Potts, former NCAA Wrestling National Champion, demonstrating what I’m talking about. (You’ll know why I call him Big Mike as soon as you start watching–the dude is a freakin’ giant.) He performs a set of pulldowns with a maximum effort, going all-out (I guarantee he gets 1 more rep than you think he’s going to get). Then he takes a few seconds rest, followed by a “static hold” rep to tap into his unused static and negative strength levels.
That is what 100 percent intensity looks like–transcending positive failure, and moving into the Hyper Intensity Training zone.
(Note: The full-length video of Big Mike’s entire workout is part of the Hyper Intensity Training program, which will be available next week. Friday I’m going to be offering a fun way for somebody to get the program FREE, so check back here Friday.)
In case you don’t know who Mike Mentzer was, he was a professional bodybuilder who won the Mr. Universe contest with a perfect score, and also placed 2nd in the Mr. Olympia contest.
Later on he became a trainer, and he also authored many books about training, in addition to writing for several bodybuilding magazines.
Mike was one of the most vocal proponents of High Intensity Training, which he learned from the man himself, Arthur Jones. Mike dedicated his life to studying, refining, and teaching the theory of High Intensity Training.
I keep saying he “was” all these things because sadly, Mike passed away 10 years ago today. That’s why today is Mike Mentzer day.
I was one of those lucky enough to see Mike in contest condition, guest posing 5 weeks before the 1980 Mr. Olympia. When he started posing, I almost passed out. All of the top Mr. Olympia contestants were there guest posing, and none of them came close to displaying a physique like his. I had never seen anything like it, and still haven’t.
The next day, I attended a seminar held by Mike and fellow pro bodybuilder Danny Padilla. I remember it like it was yesterday. Mike was one of those guys who had a way of explaining things that just made them perfectly clear, and perfectly logical.
I have been unwaveringly committed to High Intensity Training ever since.
Sixteen years later, I was very fortunate to get to meet Mike, have him train me, and converse with him in person and by phone. It was an experience I will always relish as one of the most positive of my life.
Now I’m doing everything I can do to keep the ball rolling and make sure Mike’s legacy lives on. That’s why I created High Intensity Nation.com.
My latest attempt to do this is my new program, “Hyper Intensity Training-Advanced Plateau Busting Tactics To Get You Bigger And Stronger Than Ever”, which will be released in a few days. The program is all about adding some High Intensity “tricks of the trade” to your workouts to make them more productive.
And two of the many techniques in the program were personally taught to me by Mike Mentzer.
Mike Mentzer not only taught me how to train, but also how to think, and apply the lessons learned in training to the rest of my life: to analyze situations with logic and reason, make a plan first, apply the plan with 100% intensity, and reflect and adapt until the goal is ultimately achieved.
He also encouraged and inspired me with my writing, which led to the many training articles I have had published, and most recently to my Special Report, “5 Ways To Smash Through Training Plateaus, Pile On New Muscle And Get Freaky Strong” (Click HERE if you didn’t get your free copy yet).
He is missed, but the lessons live on.
Rest in peace Mike,
Dave Durell, MS, PTA, Master HIT Trainer
P.S. My new program, Hyper Intensity Training, will be out very soon (after we film a few more workout videos). I’ll let you know when it’s available.
It’s my new Special Report on Advanced Training- “5 Ways To Smash Through Training Plateaus, Pile On New Muscle And Get Freaky Strong”.
And as a Thank You for all your support, I want to give it to you FREE.
If you’ve been training for a while, and reached a point where your progress has slowed way down-or worse yet, stopped all together-then this report is for YOU.
You’ll also enjoy this report if you are just looking for some cool advanced techniques to add to your workout, to jazz up your motivation a little.
On March 31st, 2003, a doctor told me I had prostate cancer. I was 44 years old.
That’s not good.
On June 4th, 2003, a different doctor performed surgery on me to remove the cancerous gland.
That is good.
Today, June 4th, 2011, is the 8th anniversary of that surgery, and the doctor tells me cancer is still undetectable in my body.
That’s very good.
I have proclaimed June 4th “Carpe Diem Day”. I celebrate it every year, and invite you to celebrate it with me.
Carpe Diem is Latin for “seize the day”. Being diagnosed with a terminal disease, and subsequently getting it taken care of and receiving a second chance at life, gives one a new perspective on how very precious each moment of life is.
I believe that every person’s highest moral purpose is the achievement of their own happiness. Whatever you need to do to achieve yours, I encourage you to “seize the day” and do something today to move you one step closer to it.
As my fellow cancer survivor Lance Armstrong would say-every second counts!
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