An Introduction to Progressive Exercise

[RayK 0]

An Introduction to Progressive Exercise

There are principles that must be sought and understood in any field if one is going to make progress in understanding and applying those principles in a certain field. I have sought to find the proper principles within exercise and diet, based off of mans nature. These principles are based on objective reality and that is why they work. I have defined three principles in both exercise and diet and will discuss and relate them to each other. Let me state that there can be no dichotomy between them if you want to achieve the best within yourself.

In exercise the three principles are intensity, duration and frequency. The principal of these three is intensity, without it your growth would be limited or very blunted. Intensity is what sets the other two principles. The intensity has to be of the highest nature to cause the body to begin a homo-static adaptation. Because ones body is constantly trying to remain in equilibrium, low intensity actions will not be enough to stress the body to move forward. The laws of conservation can explain this best, anything that is within ones resources to do will not stimulate the body to produce more tissue, causing one to become less efficient. So the intensity must be of a high enough nature to get the body to sense that its resources are not enough and add new lean body tissue. One must realize that the workout is just the stimulate/catalyst for change the adaptation begins away from the workout.

The second principle is duration, when the intensity is of the highest nature you will not be able to withstand much of it. Every exercise session will be of the shortest possible time at the highest intensity to cause the largest positive adaptation. All of this will be done while using the smallest amount of our “adaptation energy” resources. Every exercise is chosen for this specific cause, create the largest systematic adaptation without causing negatives. The exercises are as follows: leg- press, pull-down, bench-press, lower-back machine or dead lifts and overhead- press. One only has to do these exercises one time, taken to full momentary muscular failure. Failure should happen between 40-60 seconds, for the most positive gains.

The third and last principle is frequency, which should be just once a week. Realize that you are creating a wound, which takes proper time to heal. If one had a laceration on their arm, which required stitches, you would not go to the doctor and have them removed the next day. Just because one can workout the next day does not mean it is the most productive time to do so. A human does not degenerate in one week’s time. If humans broke down that fast we would have never made it as a species and you and I would not be here.

Proper exercise then is a means to an end, not the means and the end. And, that end is to enhance your body so that you can enhance your life. Exercise is not a panacea, it will not answer all your physical woes, so use it within its nature, then get out and enjoy life, with your enhanced body.

The three principles of proper diet follow but that does not mean that they are any less important if one wants to achieve the best within oneself. I will list them as 1-3, but they all must be applied if you are going to achieve leanness.

The first principle is to eat a meal when one wakes up, and then every 3-5 hours after that. If one goes beyond 5 hours without eating the body will push out of the fed state of metabolism and into starvation. This will force the body to conserve fat and use glucose/glycogen primarily and then destroy ones own muscle mass to fuel ones self during starvation. Not until the body has destroyed most of its own muscle will it finally release an enzyme call hormone sensitive lipase to release and carry the fat cell to the liver to create ATP, to be used for energy. By this time though one has eaten away ones only legitimate source of enhancing ones metabolism, lean body tissue.

The second principle is to eat no more than 500 calories in one sitting. When the average person goes over 500/600 calories in one sitting the pancreas is spiked to release extra amounts of insulin. This regulates ones blood sugar level by storing the overflow of calories from any source (carbohydrate, protein or fat) in the fat cell. I have found a much better number to be around 300 calories max per meal, allowing one to eat every 3-5 hours comfortably.

The third principle is water, because the average human is 55-65% water. I would recommend drinking as much water as it takes to keep one hydrated throughout the day. Generally, ones urine is the best indicator, if it is clear, hydrated, if it is yellow or tinted yellow, dehydration. Two negatives happen without proper water intake. First, without proper water the body senses drought, drought brings famine and famine brings starvation. This causes the body to switch to starvation within the metabolism and conserve fat. The second negative deals with the liver and its function of metabolism of fat to ATP. Without proper water during the day the liver will shun the fat back to the fat cell and begin to help the kidneys perform their functions, which need water. Another secondary consequence of improper hydration is catabolism of muscle. The muscle cell is 72% water on average and the water will be drawn out of the muscle and used in other areas where needed.

To understand the totality of mans nature is to also know that we have evolutionized as omnivores. Which means one can eat almost anything and ones metabolism will turn it into what it needs at that time. So one can eat, drink and be merry within the three principles and still stay lean. As long as one realizes that the average female only requires around 1800 calories and a male around 2100 calories.

Both aspects of diet and exercise must be integrated if one is going to achieve the best within oneself. I have been applying these principles through my clients and upon myself for close to five years now. And, at thirty-six, six feet tall and 5.5% body fat I am in the best shape of my life while being accomplished through the above principles.

[Duke 0]

Proper exercise then is a means to an end, not the means and the end. And, that end is to enhance your body so that you can enhance your life.

Good article, Ray.

I have a question about this quote. Which end does this type of exercise work to achieve? Strength, muscle size, endurance, power, real world sporting ability, or a general feeling of health?

[Inspector 0]

Good article Ray. I think I may try to re-structure my meals along those lines to achieve better hypertrophic gains.

What is your opinion of John Little's Max Contraction exercise? By the looks of things, he shares your basic principles.

[RayK 0]

Bryan,

To answer you question one must first understand how to enhance all those things you mention. There is only one way exercise can enhance the human body and that is through the muscle-skeleton system. Every other system is a sub-system of the muscle and will respond in accordance with the demand on the muscle.

For an example, I am the strongest, most defined, carrying the largest amount of muscle and I train once a week. I can climb the mountains around Las Vegas without much demand on my body, and I almost never do this except when people come to visit. My medical highlights are BP 100/60, pulse 48, total cholesterol 140 and sugar level of 80. So general feeling of health is good.

How then does this work in sports? Train with weights to become the strongest you can be. Then use that new muscle and strength to enhance your sport, by practicing that sport. According to the SAID principle (Specific Adaptaions to Implied Demands) you will become more efficient at that which you practice.

So if you want to become the greatest sprinter, lift weights so that you can generate more force when running. Then practice running with the best form to enhance your running. If you want to become the greates quarterback, lift weights to become as strong as one can and then practice throwing the ball as much as possible to enhace your throwing.

So use what Progressive Exercise can give you and then transfer that into what it is you want to accomplish within sports, activities or just recreation. You will now have the physical capacity to achieve those goals, within your genetic capacity. An example of this capacity is that cardio-vascular endurance is 95.9% genetically given, so you either have the capacity to be a Lance Armstrong or you don't. But, with weight training and specific sport training you can push to your genetic potential.

Inspector,

I have read John LIttle's Max Contraction book, and although I don't use it, I do agree that they are similar. The reason we share some prinicples is that we had the same teacher, Mike Mentzer. Mike Mentzer had Ayn Rand and Objectivism as his Philosophical base, and thats how I was introduced to Ayn Rand.

The number one fundamental is intensity which has to be all out until one reaches failure. Failure is the sign to the body that it did not have enough resources to withstand the attack and the beginning of the growth process. Everthing else most follow behind this Princple of Princlples.

p.s. If this was not thorough enough please ask more questions.

[free spirit 0]

Ray,

Great article!!

It's so nice to have some objective, sound advice about this topic!! (Well, about any topic really...)

Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some advice, regarding the specifics of your article.

I'm 112lbs, 5'3". I'm naturally lean.

My goal is to increase my overall health, raise my energy level, and build a more muscular, more athletic body.

When doing high intensity weight training, how many reps and sets should one do? Should I rest in between? If so, how long?

How important is cardio excercise and stretching? Should I incorporate cardio in every workout?

You said that once a week is sufficient. Should I work my whole body once a week, or specific muscle groups each week? eg: 1 week: legs, 2nd week: shoulders and triceps... ect...

I used to go to the gym quite regularily, not so much anymore though. Will it be a shock to my body if I all of a sudden do these high intensity workouts?

How long should a workout session be?

Thank you Ray! ~ Carrie~

[RayK 0]

Carrie,

I will try and answer every question as thorough as I can. But, we are not speaking to each other directly, so if I leave you with further questions to ask, ask them. What I am going to explain is almost totally different than traditional ideas on exercise, so they will take time to integrate.

1. "My goal is to increase my overall health, raise my energy level, and build a more muscular, more athletic body."

Their are many factors that play in someones health, but to get to the most correct thought on health, you either have health or you do not. Their is no such thing as Super-Health.

Exercise does not raise someones energy level, it actually takes energy to exercise, metabolic energy and adaptative energy. If someone can diminish their fat and stress levels their overall energy will increase, because you will not be using energy to carry these stressors. Dr. Hans Selye talked about this in his book titled "The Stress of Life", where he coined the term "adaptative energy". This energy is different from metabolic energy in that every thing that one does, draws from this one pool of resources, mental, physical, emotional and even sexual demands. His theory is that one is born with a certain amount of this energy and the more demanding an activity or life the faster one draws on the account. The negative of this account is that there is no deposits just withdraws. So get what you can from exercise and choose your actions well, but realize that one has limits to the energy one can draw on for a day, week, month and a life.

Lean body tissue and muscle is regualated through our genes. There is a DNA enzyme called myostatin that regulates the total muscle one can gain on their body. The more myostatin one carries the less total body muscle. And by natures stressors and evolution, most of us have a large amount of this protein/enzyme.

This is not to say that one can not enhance ones muscle mass to their genetic potential, one can. But, there are genetic limits to what one can obtain, so get what you can from proper exercise and then get out of the gym.

The bodybuliders today are either genetic freaks (and I do not mean this in a bad way), or are taking a lot of drugs. By natural selection we have evolutionized to the point where we are very efficient animals. Mans history is full of famine, feast, famine and a lot of famine. So animals that required a lot of food when there was not a lot to be found did not make it to this point, we have. So we are very economical with our resources and what you see as a positive, muscle growth, the body sees as a negative. To gain muscle actually makes one less efficient, this is one of the reasons it is so hard to gain muscle.

So to wrap up that question, your genetic make-up is already set, slim. Who cares, because you can not change it. Become as strong as you possibly can which will enhance your body and your functional-ability.

2. "When doing high intensity weight training, how many reps and sets should one do? Should I rest in between? If so, how long?"

I do not count reps I count what is called Time Under Load (TUL). As soon as my client puts force on the platform or arm of the machine I start my stop-watch. I genergally try and have them activate all their muscle fibers (slow-twitch and fast-twitch), and withing 40-70 seconds come to failure. When they reach failure/lack of movement, I have them push for another 5 seconds just to make sure they have reached failure.

One set to full failure is more than enough to stimulate growth and other systematic changes. Once one has stimulated growth and other systematic changes get out of your bodies way. The work out is the stimulate, once it has been applied one must let the other two factors happen, recouperation and growth. To come back before these other two factors have finished will only stop the growth process. One final thing to think about on this topic. You are creating a wound everytime you work-out. And, just like a cut on ones arm that has stitches, you would not get the stitches taken out the next day and expect it to be healed.

When working out move as fast between exercise as one can. The weights will have to be slightly lighter on the exercises that follow the first one, but your body can not tell the weight difference. All the body can sense is the demand put upon the body, and I have found that one can put a further demand on the body by not taking a break between exercises. Of course unless one is possitively needed. I do this with all my clients, even the extremely out of shape ones, with no negative effects. The body will just not let them go beyond what they can take.

3. "How important is cardio excercise and stretching? Should I incorporate cardio in every workout?"

Traditional cardio and stretching are a waste of time. The most efficient way to enhance your cardio pulmonary efficiency is through the window of the muscle. Push your muscles to an extreme limit, it will in turm tell all the sub-systems to follow. One cannot take the hart out and put it on the tread-mill, it is the muscle that is doing the work. The more demanding the work, the larger the response, within the limits I set above. Also flexibility is genetically tied. One either has the capacity to do a split or they do not. I can lock my legs out and bend over and touch the floor flat-handed. I have not done a single stretching activity since I was in the Marine Corps, 1998. If one wants to enhance ones flexibility, enhance your muscle-skeleton system. So to answer your last question. No, do not waste your time.

4. "You said that once a week is sufficient. Should I work my whole body once a week, or specific muscle groups each week? eg: 1 week: legs, 2nd week: shoulders and triceps... ect..."

This is a huge fallacy that most people think they need to do. Work your whole body/system at one time. When you attack your muscles you also attack your whole system. You draw on resources from your endocrine system, you attack your neurological system, ligaments, tendons, bones, cardio-pumonary. All these systems must recoup from the demand and negatives that your have applied.

I start all my clients with five exercises: 1) leg-press, 2) pull-down, 3) bench-press, 4) lower-back machine/dead-lift, 5) overhead-press.

These exercises when pushed to full failure, will be more than enough to wipe out anyone. Do not be afraid to keep increasing the weights as you get to 70 or more seconds.

5. "I used to go to the gym quite regularily, not so much anymore though. Will it be a shock to my body if I all of a sudden do these high intensity workouts?"

You will be sore at first, but I start all my clients out with this routine. The first session or two should be more about form and speed, than intensity. Speed of movement should be as slow as possible while still moving. I recommend 8-12 second positives and 8-12 second negatives per rep.

You will be trying to shock the body, but in a certain context. If this was done everyday it would kill you. Even after all these years of lifting at this intensity level I still get sore from my workouts.

I hope that is enough to begin, let me know.

[realitycheck44 0]

Mr. Ray,

How often should one lift weights (with the same muscle group)? Is everyday okay, or should you rest one, two, or three day(s) in between? I read somewhere that to create the most muscle, you should work out when your body has "overcompensated" for the previous work out. If you have not heard of this, I can expand later, I need to go right now.

Zak

[free spirit 0]

Ray,

Thank you so very much for your advice. I appreciate it a lot!

I understand that it takes energy to work out. But, whenever I work out, I feel healthier, more alive and alert. Why? Is it psychological?

When you do TUL, do you just lift the weight and hold it there for 40-70 seconds?

I notice that sometimes when I'm doing leg raises, my thighs will shake if I haven't gone in a while. Is this the "twitch" you were talking about? If not, how is one to look for it?( The slow twitch vs. the fast twitch)

Is there such a thing as building lean toned muscles ( like a swimmers) vs. chunky bulging muscles? (like a body builders')

How proven is Dr. Hans Seyle's theory of having a finite resource of energy?

So, one cannot increase one's flexibility? So your saying that it's kind of an innate thing?

This girl that used to train me and I used to see these stocky built guys walking around with very little or no movement. Kind of like a stiff neck. She said it was due to lack of stretching? If not, then what was this caused by?

How can one enhance their muscular- skeletal system?

The five exercises that you mentioned, are they recommended for beginners only? Or a more advanced level? I would say that I'm intermediate level. (Just not consistent)

"Speed of movement should be as slow as possible while still moving" What do you mean by this? I'm picturing the up, down movement of a rep, but very slow. (?) Also, what do you mean by 8-12 sec positives and 8-12 second negatives per rep?

Do you by any chance have a picture of someone who has used your program? (The results?)

What are your suggestions for ab work?

I am a hairstylist, are there any special exercises I should be doing? (We tend to get rounded shoulders).

I want to commend you on your knowledge of the human body in regards to your work. That is the hallmark of a person who takes their work seriously and has passion for it, awesome work!

Thanks! ~Carrie~

[Inspector 0]

Inspector,

I have read John LIttle's Max Contraction book, and although I don't use it, I do agree that they are similar.

←

I am well familiar with Mr. Mentzer's work and it makes perfect sense that you are also a student of his. (I pretty much figured!)

Anyway, I see that like Mr. Little, you are also using TUC, which is a good method. I was wondering specifically what you thought of his technique holding the weights in the maximally contracted position versus traditional raising and lowering? I've been trying it for a while and have seen gains, but I'm kind of working in a vacuum and can't really tell if my progress is "good" or just "fair."

[RayK 0]

Inspector,

I have found that the most important part of stimulation is the attack on the muscle's function, its movement. The muscles primary objective is to facilitate movement, when this movement is stopped, this is the point of highest stimulation. It can happen anywhere in the movement, close to flexion or contraction. The goal should be to lift heavier and heavier weights, lifting the same of any amount will not stimulate the body to increase its size or strength. The body will not expend a lot of resources to build new muscle when one can already function alright without it. We, as I stated earlier are very efficient and economical animals.

Carrie,

You will definitely feel better, within 5-15 minutes of working out the endocrine system releases endorphines into the body, which can cause the "runners high" that so many people state they feel. But, this does not mean it is always good for us. When I was in the Marine Corps, the Corps had us run 2.5 hours 5 days a week. My body hurt just to wake up every morning, but within 10 minutes of running I did not feel the pain (endorphines), but hours later I could not move without pain.

When lifting the weight you will keep moving until failure. The time is the minimum and maximum amout of time you want to stay with the same weight. The lower time of 40 seconds is the minimum, if you can not reach this time that lower the weight. Once you reach 70 seconds or more, raise the weight. If you reach 70 seconds do not stop your set, keep going until muscle failure.

The twitch I was referring to is the different types of muscle fibers, there are about 15 different types. But, we can group them into two main types, slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch muscle fibers are the weaker less energy consuming fibers and the first to get acivated during exercise. Fast twitch are the stronger more energy demanding muscle fibers. One will always activate the slow twitch first and then the fast twitch. The names slow and fast relate to how fast the muscles fatigue not speed of movement.

The twitching that you feel in you muslces is perfectly normal. I feel it everytime I workout. My clients shake uncontrollably during their workouts. It is a normal action when pushing the muscle to its limits.

If you had the capacity to gain large amounts of muscle like bodybuilders you would probably already be there. This is set into your genetic make-up and is unchangeable, at least at this point. The enzyme myostatin is the regualtor of total muscle mass, and at this point we can not get pass it. Although they have found out how to "knock out the gene that encodes myostatin" in cows and mice. This produced cows and mice with 2-3 times the amount of lean body tissue. These animals obviously do not exercise nor did they eat anymore food. The original reason they started the research was to find out how to get more meat on their cows in a restricted grazing area of Belgium. The results were amazing, and maybe someday man will be able to choose how much muscle he wants to carry. But, for now all that one can do is get as strong as possible so that your muscle will increase to ones potential.

Dr. Hans Selye's work and research lasted for more than 50 years. And, if he was not on tract people would be still living from centuries ago. Remember what I stated earlier about our genes. They have created us to be their vehicles to carry them on, by passing on our genes to our progeny. So the gene did not create us to go on forever just long enough to pass on our DNA.

The idea of lean versus bulky is a fallacy. One either has muscle tone (the actual word is tonus), or does not. To have tone though one must first have muscle underlying the skin, without this one could be skinny but not tone. A lot of times weightlifters carry a lot of fat or water, which makes them look bulky.

I have seen professional BB's do splits without hesitation. It all comes down to where your muscle-tendon unit ties in to your bones. If one has good tie ins in their joints they will have a larger capacity for flexibility. Yoga and Pilates claim to enhance flexibility, but studies are showing that it is not enhancement but weaking of the tendons and ligaments in the joint area that allows them to get into the weird postitions that they obtain. If one wants to have the functional- bility later in life I would not recommend these activities.

TJo enhance your muscle-skeleton system one must attack it through the only window of opportunity that we have, the muscle. One cannot take the bone and bend it until we think it has been stimulated to increase its density, we would probably end up braking it. But, if you apply force to the muscle and the tendon is attached to the bone and the muscle, then it just follows that the bone will also be stimulated. In a study done at Texas A&M University, through weight training alone in post-menopausal women, it showed a 1% bone mineral density increase per month. This is better that Fosamax or Miacacin.

I have myself and many clients as examples of how well it works. I for one am going to be 37 this year and at almost 6ft I weigh in at around 165 pounds at 5.5% bodyfat. My waist is 28 inches and I can leg-press over 500 pounds in the slow form that I mentioned already.

You will get ab work in everyone of the exercises that I mentioned already. I have not done a singel sit-up in over 4 years and my abs are the hardest and leanest they have ever been.

The five exercises are where all my clients begin, from there you will actually reduce your total to 3, the first three. This usually happens within 3-4 months, the demand just gets to high to make any further prgress with five. I myself after five years of becoming much more precise in what it takes to stimulate muscle have reduced my workout to 2 exercises, leg-press and pull-down.

I have clients as old as 82 and as young as 13 doing this workout and they are all enhancing their bodies, their function and their minds.

Realitychech44,

You should work your body out once a week within the principles that I stated earlier. Then get out of the gym and let your body grow. You are creating a wound everytime that you workout and your body needs time to heal and grow. To come back to the workout before you have given the body a chance to finish the other 2 items, will only stop the growth process with the new stimulate. Exercise has a cause/effect relationship, stimulate the cause, heal and grow the effect. The stimulant must proceed the growth, but if not given the porper time the growth will be blunted or non-existent.

[Bryan 0]

Ray,

First off I want to thank you for posting all this information. I haven't been to the gym since October, primarily due to boredom and stagnation in my workouts, and I've been looking for a new exercise program.

I have a couple of questions though. You say that the only exercises are leg-press, pull-down, bench-press, lower-back machine or dead lifts and overhead- press By pull-down do you mean lateral-pull-down (click)? And by lower back machine do mean this (click)?

Do these exercises ever change? If so, how long would one do these exercises before changing to slightly different exercises for each muscle group?

In a previous reply to Carrie you said that traditional cardio and stretching are a waste of time. Can I really get all my cardio and stretching done simply through this type of weight-lifting? What about warm-up cardio and stretching before starting to lift weights?

[RayK 0]

Bryan,

First question, they are the correct machines and exercises.

Second, there really is no physical need to change exercises, the muscle either contracts with movement of it does not. An example would be to try and contract your upper chest without contracting your lower chest, it can't be done. Your muscles can not percieve what exercises you are doing. The primary goal is to get as strong as you can through an increase in the weight, this is what causes muscle growth, not variation of exercise.

Your neurological system works so efficiently that within 1-2 seconds of doing an activity your brain recognizes the activitiy, if it has been done before, and puts forth the resources to do that activity. This is why one can go without riding a bike for years, and within a few seconds be riding like they never stopped. This is of course as long as one did or does not have a neurological problem. If one agrees to the variation theory and according to our own neurological system, we would have to continously change exercises everytime one works out.

At some point in the future you will actually be so strong enough that you will be able to stimulate growth with the first three exercises alone. When the intensity gets high enough to reduce to three exercises, the growth really begins.

I have had people make amazing progress with just three exercises right from the beginning. One client, for example, had terrible genetic potential, at 6ft he weighed 135 pounds. He did not make very good progress on the original five exercises so I quickly reduced him to three, within a short amount of time he raised his strength and weight. His weight when he left Progressive Exercise was 168 pounds, not bad compared to where he started. Another item, was before he came to me he was working out five days a week two hours a day.

There really is no need to do traditional carido and stretching. When I was in the Marines my blood pressure was average, 120/65, and as a Marine I ran five days a week for 2 1/2 hours. Also, my pulse rate was around 65. Know these two signs of "health markers" are BP 100/60 and pulse rate of 48. I have not run in over seven years nor stretched.

The primary reason for such incorrect exercsie theories, I think is because of an improperly chosen metaphysics. This leads to an improper understanding of the nature of man and what can be expected from exercise.

I know that these ideas might be hard to understand, mostly because of years of incorrect ideas.

[abanger 0]

If your goal is to gain muscle, then you should follow HST:

http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html

All (or at least most) of the research used to formulate HST can be found here:

http://www.hypertrophy-research.com

Compare Haycock's scientific (inductive) approach w/ Mentzer's (& his ilk) rationalistic approach & you'll see why HIT (& the like) are wrong & HST is right.

[RayK 0]

To anyone that wants to, I ask that you go and check out the web-site abanger has listed. I will not be harmed by people searching down the truth.

I have been trying to induce exercise information now for almost 23 years. I have tried almost every exercise program that can be imagined. I have kept notes, recorded after thoughts on exercises, diet, supplements, time of day, days of the week and more than I care to list.

What I have found is that there are many things beyond our control. An example of this is the DNA enzyme called myostatin. This enzyme has been shown to regulate the total lean body tissue that an individual can carry. So after trying workout sessions from 1-7 days a week and every option in between, I started to research further into my genetic make-up. Myostatin is just one of the things that I have found. Also, the study showed that most humans carry large portions of myostatin, so no amount of training will ever make you large. Can anyone imagen what it is like to try and obtain an irrational goal, and how it attacks your self-esteem because you never get any closer to it.

Another example is cardio-respiratory efficiency is 95.9% genetically given. So you are either born with the capacity to compete at the upper-limits of runners or you never will. This does not mean one should not try, just that it is going to be limited. I noticed while being in the Marine Corps that no matter how much some of my troops ran, some almost everyday, that their overall time varied very little. They would push to the point of getting sick every-time they ran and still no long-term change. I needed to know why this was happening. So I looked at reality and thought that there must be a reason, and there was, the one already mentioned. So I integrated it into my total knowledge and adjusted my self and my now more rational goals.

In another study done by Dr. J. Antonio and W. J. Gonyea done in 1993 showed the largest ever muscle increase in an animal (quail) or human, 334%! This from one set done to full failure. I also induced what I saw in reality and made the appropriate changes.

Another thing that I have observed is the improvements in my clients. Increases in overall strength and muscle mass, lowering of total cholesterol, increase of their HDL, bone mineral density increases, blood pressure reductions. Some older clients could barely walk when they came to me now they can hike mountains. A young male client that was working out 5 days a week for 1-2 hours a day weighed 135 pounds, now he weighs 168 pounds, he was 21 when he originally started.

So I advise you all to go out and search for the truth. I have already been down that road and do not care to go back to where I have already been, I intend on progressing.

[Harald 0]

RayK,

your paper and comments are absolutely fascinating! It's almost too good to be true! But it makes sense everything you say, and I can't nail down what might be "wrong" with your ideas. I for one shall try out your method (I've not worked out properly for over 1 1/2 years), beginning next week, and monitor the effects (I simply cannot afford not to).

I have a few questions, though, that I hope you can answer:

1. What about warming up before exercise, to avoid injury? What do you recommend?

2. From what you say I gather that a full work-out at a gym will not take more than ca. 7 mins.(ca 70 seconds per excercise X 5 excercises)? Is this all??? What am I missing here?

3. Do you recommend taking protein-shakes (or other foods) immediately after exercise?

Best regards,

Harald

[dcyphyr 0]

hi,

carrie told me how great this was and I had to check it out. Seems great, could you tell me what your eating habits are? I doubt you eat mac-n-cheese every night!I like that you realize the motives of genes to that extent!! We might not agree on monogomy but I'm thinking you might have this down pat.

LFNO

ryan gregory

[ThePaulThomas 0]

I'm glad to see the subject of High Intensity Training (HIT) being spread to the Objectivist community. However, with all due respect, I found a lot of the information to be somewhat disorganized and not especially well written. I'm also surprised by the lack of references and/or acknowledgement of where all of this information is coming from (aside from Mike Mentzer reference). I think it will be much easier for people to grasp the basic ideas of High Intensity Training (and the history of their evolution) if they start by tracking down a copy of the 1990 edition of The Nautilus Book by Ellington Darden, PhD or his latest book, "The NEW High Intensity Training".

Darden was the head of research at Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries throughout the 1970's and 1980's. Everything he wrote about HIT came directly from Arthur Jones, the man that also taught Mike Mentzer everything Mentzer ever knew about HIT. Another VERY important figure that was associated with Jones and Nautilus in the 70's and 80's is a man named Ken Hutchins. He is the innovator of the HIT principles that have come to be known as "Superslow" exercise (Superslow). Unfortunately, Hutchins' book, the "Superslow Technical Manual" is no longer for sale to the public, as he's had to take certain measures to protect his trademark and intellectual properties. At any rate, If you want to read more interesting articles on the subject then check out Darden's website: http://www.drdarden.com/ and Dr. Doug McGuff's site: http://www.ultimate-exercise.com/ If you have specific questions about rehabilitation issues you should check out Gary Lindahl: http://garylindahl-pt.com/

Steer clear of Fred Hahn's book "Slow Burn". He's an ex-member of the Superslow Exercise guild that has more or less ripped off Hutchin's ideas and doesn't seem to be interested in giving credit where credit is due. There's at least one place here in the SF bay area that's promoting the "Slow Burn" method while infringing on Hutchin's trademarks (as far as I can tell).

[ThePaulThomas 0]

Not until the body has destroyed most of its own muscle will it finally release an enzyme call hormone sensitive lipase to release and carry the fat cell to the liver to create ATP, to be used for energy.

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"Destroyed most of it's own muscle"?!?! How on earth did you arrive at that conclusion? You're claiming that the human body cannot burn body fat for fuel until it has "destroyed MOST of it's own muscle"? Please tell me that was a major typo...

[RayK 0]

There are many answers here and I will try and answer them all.

Harald

1) I do not recommend nor do I think one needs to do a specific warm-up. I have not done a specific warm-up of any sort in more than ten years. I have never been hurt while lifting weights. I have only had one client get hurt and it was not from a lack of warm-up, he shifted his foot placement while leg-pressing 450 pounds. This made his lower back sore for a few day, but nothing more

2) My clients are in and out in about 15-20 minutes, that includes the recuperation period after the workout. It is the intensity of the workout, not the duration.

3. I recommend taking 2 1/2 hours before your workout and then eating within 20 minutes to an hour after your workout.

Ryan

1) I try and mostly do eat every three hours. I do not go beyond 5 hours as this seems to be a catalyst for over-eating. Basically I eat anything I want in accordance to three fundamentals that apply. But, I try and eat around 60% carbs, 20% protein and 20% fat. For a basic example I will use lunch; Two slices of bread, 2-3 ounces of meat, 1 slice of cheese, (if it is a lean meat, I but mayonnaise on the bread), then a large banana.

Paul Thomas

1) I have read almost every book, article, paper and journal by Arthur Jones, Ellington Darden, Ken Hutchins, Mike Mentzer, M. Doug McGuff and many other HIT theorist. I have also read a lot of Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jones, Niles Eldredge, Gregor Mendel. I have also read thousands of articles on diet, metabolism and research studies of all sorts. All this and more gave me the basic foundation, but I had to integrate it, I had to understand it, I had to apply it through myself and my clients.

Even though Thomas Jefferson owed a philosophical debt to Locke, he wrote the Declaration of Independence all in his own words without any outside reference. I have done the same, and if you were to ever meet me in my office or over the phone, I would give those men their due. But I am the owner, creator and motivater of all that happens at and in Progressive Exercise. My knowledge has come a long way since originally reading Ellington Darden's "Nautilus Book" and Ken Hutchins "SuperSlow Technical Manual" (yea I own a copy). I do not speak for those men I speak for myself. I am not "SuperSlow" certified because I like to come to my own conclusions and then move forward on my own. I have made it for over five years now on my own and intend on continuing to do the same.

Thank you for the criticism on my writing skills and I have taken note to become a better writer.

On your final statement. In the Fed State the body will burn calories from all sources. But, in Starvation State, according to "Metabolism at a Glance" by J.G. Salway, the body catabolizes its own protein to fuel the body and brain. Also in the Starvation State the body releases the enzyme hormone sensitive lipase which carries fat to the liver to transfer it into useable energy.

[abanger 0]

Note these key epistemological errors that HIT commits & Bryan Haycock observes:

"- HIT is based on a philosophy of stress.

- HST is based on the physiology of muscle cells.

- HIT came from the imagination of Mr. Jones.

- HST came from the research of dozens of independent researchers."

Just as you cannot formulate an ethical code w/o 1st understanding man's nature, so you cannot formulate hypertrophic (muscle gaining) principles w/o 1st understanding the nature of muscles.

[ThePaulThomas 0]

Paul Thomas

1)  I have read almost every book, article, paper and journal by Arthur Jones, Ellington Darden, Ken Hutchins, Mike Mentzer, M. Doug McGuff and many other HIT theorist.  I have also read a lot of Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jones, Niles Eldredge, Gregor Mendel.  I have also read thousands of articles on diet, metabolism and research studies of all sorts.  All this and more gave me the basic foundation, but I had to integrate it, I had to understand it, I had to apply it through myself and my clients. 

Even though Thomas Jefferson owed a philosophical debt to Locke, he wrote the Declaration of Independence all in his own words without any outside reference.  I have done the same, and if you were to ever meet me in my office or over the phone, I would give those men their due.  But I am the owner, creator and motivater of all that happens at and in Progressive Exercise.  My knowledge has come a long way since originally reading Ellington Darden's "Nautilus Book" and Ken Hutchins "SuperSlow Technical Manual" (yea I own a copy).  I do not speak for those men I speak for myself.  I am not "SuperSlow" certified because I like to come to my own conclusions and then move forward on my own.  I have made it for over five years now on my own and intend on continuing to do the same.

Thank you for the criticism on my writing skills and I have taken note to become a better writer.

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I understand what you are saying about Jefferson being influenced by Locke, but also then coming up with his own ideas. But when you then claim, "I have done the same" (with regard to exercise) I can't help raise an eyebrow. I did not see one single point about exercise in your post that I had not already read from Jones, Darden, Hutchins, Mentzer, or McGuff. And given the rather poor presentation of their material I thought it would be better to simply point people to the original sources of the information you were merely repeating. If I want to point someone in the direction of Objectivism I typically start by recommending books by Ayn Rand. I would not simply string together a bunch of information from her books and then claim the-philosophy-of-Paul-Thomas as my own or that I've intellectually surpassed her. If your understanding of the fundamental requirements of exercise has lead you to discover anything not already long ago published in the books I've mentioned then I would love to know about it.

Also, you still have not provided an explanation for your outrageous claim that, "Not until the body has destroyed most of its own muscle will it finally release an enzyme call hormone sensitive lipase to release and carry the fat cell to the liver to create ATP, to be used for energy." That is simply absurd. If that were true then a human being would be dead or nearly so long before they could ever be in ketosis. Again, where is the evidence that the body would destroy "most of it's own muscle" as you've described? "Most" implies a majority. Of course starvation will lead to the loss of muscle, but the human body will not destroy "most" of it's muscle before allowing fat to be used for fuel. Perhaps my own copy of Metabolism At A Glance is outdated but I don't see anything about ketosis being preceded by severe wasting of "most" of the body's muscle tissue.

[RayK 0]

Paul,

First off if you look at the title, it says "An Introdcution to Progressive Exercise" not a "Treaties of Progressive Exercise". I would think in the one I wrote, I am not going to go as indepth as with the latter, you are free to disagree.

I wrote it to give to my clients, to help them get an understanding of what they are going to be doing. Most of them do not want to read the books I have read, that is why they pay me! If you have not figured it out yet, these ideas are different compared to the norm. When I meet a new client, I have a limited amount of time to get these ideas across, I do not have the time to tell them, "I learned this from Arhtur Jones, I learned this from Hans Selye, I learned this from Ken Huthchins." I have to deal with them on a reality basis, most do not care to learn what I have learned, just the final product. The ones that stay around long enough, will hear me mention these people often. But I don't stop just to point them out.

I also do have new ideas that I am implementing, but that takes more to explain than just an introduction. I also have integrated all my knowledge, of working with people and what it takes to motivate them to get their best. This is from Dr. Edwin Locke's work primarily. Yes, I quote him at my office also. But, I am the one that had to integrate it ALL.

I am always in pursuit of how to make my product better and more efficient. This is my business and it is I that have to pick and choose what is best, not Ken Hutchins, or Edwin Locke, of Ellington Darden. So although their work was helpful for a good foundation, my mind has long ago sought an even deeper understanding and integration and then implementation. This is what has lead me to evlolution, genetics, economy, business and many more aspects.

On your point about starvation. I challenge you to cut your calories to starvation and then continue it until you do not have the strength to walk. Then come back and tell me weather or not you think you do not eat away a good amount of your own muscle. Yes, maybe most was an improper word. But if you think that when you are starving that you do not eat your own muscle you should think again. I have many examples through my own business. One such example was a client who's doctor put him on a 700 calorie a day diet. He lost close to fifty pounds in two months, but his fat compostition was higher than when he began his diet. Finally, I do not have my "MAAG" here at my house, but the body will eat away its own protein storage to keep your glucose level constant, during steady state activity, and starvation. If you don't agree, just give it a shot and let me know your outcome.

Finally, I wrote this introduction to have that benevolent feeling of helping another Objectivist. But you and some others are proving my judgement to have been wrong.

[Stephen Speicher 0]

Finally, I wrote this introduction to have that benevolent feeling of helping another Objectivist.  But you and some others are proving my judgement to have been wrong.

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I hope you will reconsider this conclusion. Though some have been critical of your views others here have applauded them. Please do not lose sight of the positive.

[Elizabeth 0]

I have to agree with Stephen here, Ray.

It doesn't matter if another person has a different opinion about what works for them. You've worked your program, you've helped other individuals at your gym and your motivation is clear in your essay!

[Thales 0]

Finally, I wrote this introduction to have that benevolent feeling of helping another Objectivist.  But you and some others are proving my judgement to have been wrong.

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Ray, this has been one of my favorite threads on the group, and I definitely appreciate what you have to offer.