1. They didn’t really want it.
2. They set an unattainable goal.
3. Their plan didn’t match their goals.

If you are from group one, please quit reading now. You’re wasting your time and mine. If, however, you are in group two or three, then keep reading.

There are a few points I will address over the course of this article that should help you to achieve the goals you set for yourself in the coming year.

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Set A Goal

Obviously you will need a goal. But for those without much of a brain I decided to talk about it anyway. First off, you must make sure your goal is attainable if you want to have even a chance of achieving it. It will take more than a year to go from Shamu to Sergio. Still, you should set the bar high, and set mini-goals along the way. This will help you stay motivated, and keep you from falling off the wagon when things get tough. An example would be if you want to add 80 lbs to your bench this year. Set a goal of 10 lbs more on the bar every month. Also, make sure you are specific about what you want. Losing weight is not a goal, it is an idea.

Staying Motivated

One of the biggest obstacles is staying motivated. This is where little incentives become even more necessary, like making a bet with a friend. Also, put little reminders around you at home, at work, in the car, everywhere you go. This may just be a piece of paper with your goal written down on it. You may find it helpful to put a picture or a quote that inspires you somewhere that you will constantly see it.

One problem some people have is that their normal friends may not be conducive to their goals. If you want to lose 30 lbs then it may not be smart to hang out with guys who get drunk every night. Surround yourself with people who will be conducive to your goals. It may be helpful to join a forum dedicated to your goals like the one here.

Make A Plan

You need to get a plan together, otherwise it would be like going somewhere new without directions. You don’t have to get complicated. The best plans are simple (remember the golden rule K.I.S.S.- keep it simple stupid). Also, if you are new to the game then don’t be afraid to ask for help. This is where it will also be helpful to join a forum that has people more experienced than yourself. One thing I have learned is that working out is not something you can read about. You must experience it to truly grasp an idea. Also make sure your plan fits your goal. It is pointless to train for a marathon if your goal is to gain muscle.

I hope you are now more comfortable with making a real New Year’s resolution. And if you have any questions feel free to email me.

EDT (Escalating Density Training) by Charles Stayley is a nice program and the heart of this routine. EDT is simple and has a nice progression scheme, using time, rep, and weight progression to allow you to become stronger and bigger without all the hassle of other programs. It uses a set time (called PR zones) where you attempt to get as many reps as possible with a weight (a PR zone is typically about 15 minutes, and you try to increase your reps by 10% in that time period before increasing the weights). My only problem with traditional EDT is that it forces you to use relatively light weights and more reps then I like.  In addition, 15 minutes just feels to long to be constantly trying to bench press, or whatever.

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The other style of training that went into this is Bulldozer training by my friend Steve Shaw. In this style you use a lot of heavy weights and typically train with singles, doubles, or triples and attempt to hit a certain amount of reps for the day. This style is basic, hard, and effective, the three hallmarks of a good routine.

Ok, so what is GPDT and how did I meld the above routines? The first thing to note is that you will be training only three times a week. PR zones are still going to be used, but they are only five minutes long. You will only be doing a max of three to four exercises per day, so these workouts will be short, get in get out type training. Also you will use a bulldozer type set/rep scheme, so you will either aim for 15 singles, 10 doubles (20 reps), or 10 triples (30 reps) for your exercises. When I say aim, I mean you may not hit those numbers, but when you do you up the weight next time.

Here are the weights you should use depending on your rep choice

• Singles – three rep max
• Doubles – five rep max
• Triples – six or seven rep max

And finally here is an example routine:

Day A
Bench press – Doubles
Deadlift – Singles
Weighted Sit ups – 3×10

Day B
Squats – Triples
Dips – Doubles
Chin ups – Singles

Alternate each day over three non-consecutive days per week, such as Monday, Wednesday, Friday. You can mix and match which method you use, along with the exercises to fit your goals, this is just a simple set up for a beginning to intermediate power lifter.

Feel free to make your own revisions, but remember to keep training fun. If you hate it, you wont do it.

I had the idea to interview one of the loudest guys on Internet forums, and self proclaimed asshole Jamie “Chaos And Pain” Lewis. It turns out that an interview is an exercise in futility. Jamie is like a bulldozer on steroids. So, what follows is more like a conversation and Jamie. Read on, as Jamie Lewis takes a sledge hammer to modern training protocols. Enjoy.

(Editor’s Note: Discuss this article in the Forum. Also, Jamie mentioned post interview that he will be trying out for American Ninja Warrior.)

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Mike Gossett:  First off, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule of pillaging small villages to do this interview.

Jamie Lewis:  (Laughs) No worries, it’s too fucking cold out to do much pillaging.

MG: I know the feeling. For those reading this who don’t know, tell us a little about yourself.

Jamie Lewis:  I’m a wildly overeducated strength athlete from Philly.  I’ve bounced all over the place, but I wrestled in college, have competed off and on in raw, natural powerlifting competitions for the last 12 years, did a strongman a couple of years ago, and have been consistently appalled by just about everyone on Earth for the duration of my life (laughs).

I got my undergrad in history and East Asian studies from the University of Arizona, an MBA from University of South Carolina, and dropped out of a JD program at the University of San Diego, because I hate laws and lawyers. I’ve been lifting since my sophomore year in high school, and was weak as shit to start. I couldn’t bench 135, weighing 130 for a football strength test.

That’s an awesomely disjointed personal history.

MG:  Something like that. If I remember correctly you also won the raw worlds a few years back, right?

Jamie:  Oh, and I currently live in Birmingham and work for a software company.

Yeah, the WNPF worlds. It was pretty hilarious, because I was under the impression raw meant RAW, so I competed sans belt, wraps, etc.,
and the entire time, people talked shit about me not knowing what the fuck I was doing, and that bodybuilders shouldn’t try powerlifting because they’ll get killed at it.

They were somewhat disconcerted with the result, I think, and I was called for a “random” drug test the second I set down my final deadlift attempt.
The entire time, I was busy being offended by the fact that they had called me a bodybuilder. (laughs)

MG:  well to be honest you do look like one

Jamie:  Thanks.  I actually learned to take it as a compliment. I think bodybuilding comes with a set of negative stereotypes with which I’d rather not associate myself. I don’t own a Christian Audiger shirt, so I don’t think they’d allow me to compete in a bodybuilding show, anyway.

MG: (Laughs) To change subjects, you posted your workout philosophy on your blog a while back. Can you tell us a little more about that.

Jamie: (Laughs)  My philosophy is fairly simple – people need to man the fuck up.  I read a quote by the barbarian brothers years ago – “There’s no such thing as overtraining.  Just undereating and undersleeping.”  That always rang true with me, because I enjoy training, and always wanted to train more, rather than less.

People seem obsessed with efficiency lately, and while that’s a good thing in some respects, no one who actually enjoys doing something give’s a flying fuck about doing it efficiently – they do t in a manner that pleases them.
Mentzer and the HIT Jedi clearly hate training, and it shows. He was a fat crackhead and dropped dead at an early age, possibly due to an allergic reaction to the sweatsuits he wore in ever pic I’ve seen of him. And no one who’s a full on HIT Jedi amounts to shit.

Pile on top of that the fact that most people who do bodypart training are weak as kittens and look like hammered dogshit, and you’ve got the roots of my training philosophy. Additionally, I found that the most effective exercises don’t fit neatly into a bodypart program, and that realization caused me to abandon bodypart programs for full body routines.

Later, I realized that endlessly pumping away on shit was boring and mostly ineffective, and that the more ultra-heavy work I did, the leaner I was, and the stronger I was, and the better I felt. Thereafter, I kicked my reading into full gear and amassed a fair library on nutrition and training, and Chaos and pain was born.

My watershed moment, as I recall, was trying a back squat into overhead press (which later became my BTN push press), and realizing I couldn’t put that on a bodypart day without dropping the whole scheme. And I loved that movement, so I ditched the bodypart routine that day.

MG:  Wow, anything else you’d like to say, or anyone else you’d like to rip a new ass whole before we move on?

Jamie:  I think you know my feelings on Stuart McRobert, but I’d like to send out a hearty fuck you to Joe Weider, whom I will personally evicerate if I should ever see him.

He’s led millions of lifters astray for years, and the damage that he’s done to strength sports, and the gym industry in particular, is irreperable. I hope he gets cancer of the aids, bleeds out of his fucking eyes, and his offspring are covered in boils.

We can move on now. (Laughs)

MG:  Hold on I need to remember how to breathe first.

Jamie:  (Laughs)

MG:  Ok, here’s a question from steve at MAB.com…What are the most inane, retarded, fucked up, OCD beliefs that bodybuilders stick to, but should get rid of?

Jamie:  Well, obviously, the first thing is overtraining and rest days.
Bodybuilders have gotten it into their heads that they will shrivel up if they “overtrain”, in spite of the fact that there’s very little objective criteria for overtraining.

And their theory flies in the face of common sense – I mean, look at anyone who works with their hands, like carpenters or brick masons – their forearms are insane.

I think it’s just a salve to their psyches telling them it’s ok to be a fucking pussy. But masons in particular are typically drunk all day long, eat virtually nothing, and heave big ass blocks of stone all over for 10 hours a day.
They’re ripped, and their forearms and upper bodies are far more muscular than they have any right to be, given their diets.

According to the theory of overtraining, they should be withered usks of humans, populating the ICU of every hospital on earth, but they’re not.

Next, bodybuilders need to drop their belief in the 1-5 reps for strength, 6-12 for hypertrophy, and 12+ for endurance. It’s fucking preposterous.
Clinical evidence supports that, but the vast majority of those studies are conducted on machines, with detrained fuckers who’ve never lifted before.
Of COURSE they’re not going to get results from singles. They’re fucking weak, they’re on machines, and they generally suck.

Hypertrophy can be induced from singles, in my experience, from reducing rest periods to 60-90 seconds, maximum.  90-95% 1RM singles with those rest periods will induce hypertrophy because they recruit so many muscle fibers.

It’s almost like a rest-pause set, if you’re going by Weider principles.

I don’t have my notes in front of me, but a decent part of Science and Practice of Strength Training will corroborate this, as will just about every strength athlete on earth – it’s not as if Olmypic lifters are bereft of muscle. And they primarily stick to 1-3 reps per set.

Lastly, the belief that cardio is necessary for fat loss should be abandoned altogether. That and the idea that high reps burn fat. High reps are fucking stupid – they’re not metabolically intensive at all. I mean, how could a person think that lifting a paperweight a thousand times will be more beneficial to fat loss and metabolism than lifting the back end of their car a few times?
There’s only one guy of whom I can think offhand who succeeded with ultra-high reps for fat loss, and that’s Bobby Pandour – an old-school bodybuilder from the turn of the century.

But back to the cardio issue. I’m of the opinion that since higher testosterone levels lead to lower bodyfat, and because muscle is calorically expensive to maintain and increase, weightlifting is the best way to lean out. Thus, I recommend adding light weightlifting sessions as opposed to cardio for fat loss.

MG:  What about the farmer’s walk, and stuff like that?

Jamie:  That’s lifting. GPP that involves lifting things is great for fat loss. But I don’t really consider that to be cardio, as it still spurs hypertrophy.

MG:  True. But few things have left me gasping so hard for air.

Jamie: (Laughs) I had someone recently suggest to me that I need to look into my recommendation for low rest periods and it’s connection with oxygen-deprivation induced euphoria. (Laughs)

But it’s still anaerobic.

MG:  Very true. Switching topics again (laughs), what’s on your agenda as far as competitions and such?

Jamie:  Well, on the urging of Marc Bartley, I’m going to compete in a real powerlifting federation this year. And I’m going to try to total elite, raw. Which, as I understand it, has never been done. He seemed pretty confident I could pull it off though. Additionally, I’m going to do a local bodybuilding competition at the end of the year, in spite of my general dislike for the sport, simply to prove that repetition lifting and cardio are unnecessary.

Expect my posing routine to be non-stop most musculars to death metal, or me in a rhinestone studded pink banana hammock posing to Bye Bye Bye. I haven’t decided which yet. I’m going to post every training session and meal during those prep periods.

MG:  Sounds interesting, my vote is the pink banana hammock.

Jamie:  I figured as much. (Laughs) The worst part about bodybuilding is the posing routines to gospel, in my opinion. Makes the shows completely intolerable.

MG:  Dude you’re in the bible belt now. Gospel is almost on non-stop
non.

Jamie:  Yeah, it’s fairly horrific. I’ve got a sticker in my car window that read “I don’t worship satan, but I really like the guy.” in one week, I’ve gotten two notes under my wiper that read “I’m praying for you” or somesuch nonsense. (Laughs)

MG:  (Laughs) Why not just put a big pentagram on there?

Jamie:  Eh, too goth. (Laughs)

MG:  Okay (laughs), let’s  say a beginner was brave/stupid enough to ask you to train them, what would you have them do, and what tips would you give them?

Jamie:  How raw a beginner?

MG:  Fresh out the womb.

Jamie:  Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever trained a raw beginner. I would have them train front squats, standing overhead presses, and deadlifts three times a week, and then pullups, dips, and abs two other days a week. I’d keep the volume fairly low, especially at first, and have them focus on learning the movements.

After about a month, we’d take the training wheels off and start loading them up, but keep the routine the same.

MG:  Ok, any nutrition tips?

Jamie:  What, you’re not going to express horror at the fact that my program is bereft of the bench press?

MG:  No, the dips and shoulder presses would take care of them for a long time.

Jamie:  Look at you. I’m proud of you. I have an ongoing argument with a friend over my hatred of incline bp, which he thinks is essential. Meanwhile, his upper chest looks like shit, and his shoulders hurt. I’ve got a decent upper chest, and no shoulder pain, and he just won’t accept the fact that the log press is far better for upper chest development than incline bp, and better for your entire shoulder girdle.

I guess he just likes laying down when he should be lifting.

MG:  Well, any shoulder pressing will hit the upper chest to some degree not to mention the dips.

Jamie:  Exactly. So, onto your question. Nutrition tips.

I think everyone should read a couple books – Neanderthin, by Ray Audette, and the Metabolic Man, by William Wolcott. I know they’re not going to read the second, because it’s a meta-analysis of metabolic typing diets, but the first is a must read. Though I’m not a hard and fast Paleo guy, it’s a good guideline to which one might stick.

If you’re eating lean meats, veggies, nuts and seeds, there’s no possibility that you’ll be anything but lean and muscular. From that basis, you can tinker with your diet to find out what works for greater hypertrophy, but that’s a perfect basis.

Next, I think that keto dieting is essential to getting ultra lean, even if it’s simply short keto runs. Right now, I’m ascribing to a diet wherein I keto diet Monday-Thursday, moderate carb with high protein and low fat Friday, and then a 3 hour cheat window Friday night, moderate carbs, high protein, low fat on Saturday, and then same as Friday on Sunday. Cycling my macro nutrients that way helps me lean out and build muscle simultaneously.
Warren Willey is a big proponent of those cheat windows, and I swear by them – refeeds really will get you leaner.

Incidentally, I don’t give any nutrition advice to women. So my recommendation on carb cycling is just for guys. Especially refeeds.

MG:  Why wont you deal with women?

Jamie:  Women have a psychological attachment to food. Meaning no disrespect to women (for once in my life), I think they need a psychologist more than a nutritionist for dieting. Because I have no idea how to break that emotional attachment, and it alternately amuses and horrifies me,
the refeeds derail their diets every fucking time. Thus, they’re either dieting, or they’re eating like shit. There’s no in between. I can’t be bothered to deal with that. (Laughs)

MG:  (Laughs) Also I’ve seen your chicken wing keto runs. I have to ask – what does your blood work look like?

Jamie:  That’s a good question. I’ve been to the doctor twice in the last 10 years, and have not had a physical since I was an undergrad. I never get sick, so I haven’t seen the need. I did have my anti-oxidents tested during a keto run a couple years ago, and they were off the chart. I can only attribute that to Animal Pak. But blood lipids and cholesterol are not typically negatively impacted by keto dieting. There’s plenty of empirical evidence to support that. And saturated fat is positively correlated with testosterone, so I’m all about it.

MG:  Another question I meant to ask about C&P training. What is your progression scheme?

Jamie:  I progress whenever I can, as much as I can. There’s no scheme, because there are too many variables for one to accurately calculate a proper progression scheme, or to predict when such progression might occur.

People aren’t machines, and nothing in nature follows linear progression.
If macro-evolution isn’t incrementally progressive, I cannot imagine why I personally could shrug off the nature of life and progress that way. The idea of incremental progression is counter-intuitive, and I believe limits progress far more than it stimulates it. Have you ever followed an incremental progression scheme?

MG:  No not really, go for broke every time is my motto.

Jamie:  (Laughs) Nice.

MG:  Except for DE days.

Jamie:  Ah. I fail at DE (dynamic effort) days altogether, and they always become max days.

MG:  I have to fight the urge.

Jamie:  But I know other people who agree – there are days on those programs wherein they KNOW they could add 15 or 20 lbs to the bar, but only add 5 like the program says. And then later can’t hit the weights the program tells them to. So they miss the opportunity for a potential PR for nothing.

It’s depressing. The only time I use machines is on deload days, by the way – just so I CANNOT max. (Laughs)

MG: (Laughs) Well, then since you have ripped bodybuilders apart, why don’t you take a swing at powerlifters.

Jamie:  Ok. My problem with them is threefold:

1) most of them think, in the face of a shitload of evidence, that they have to be fat to be strong. And that fat somehow shields them from injury. That’s absurd. Fat is pretty much bereft of capillaries, so they’re getting shitty nutrient and bloodflow to their joints when they’re fat. Which would leave them MORE, not LESS, prone to injury.

2) The gear is fucking retarded. Spud’s a great guy, and I respect the shit out of him. But when a guy uses gear, you’re ALWAYS going to wonder how much of his epic squat was the suit. I mean, fuck, if you want to see how much you can lift using a forklift, do that. Otherwise, get out there and fucking lift raw.
I just dislike the questions that the gear raises. It is tempting to see what kind of numbers I could put up in a suit, but that’s also fucking irritating. But it’s like an evil fucking siren song calling me to gear, which also pisses me off.

3) Most of them suck at anything that’s not one of the big three, because they never train it. I remember reading an interview where one of Louie’s guys, I think it was Brian Schwab, but if not it was some other 165-er, who lamented the fact that HE COULDN’T DO A PULLUP. WHAT THE FUCK? If you weigh 165 lbs and cannot do a pullup, you should fucking kill yourself immediately in whichever manner speeds your dispatch best.

MG:  Ok, anything to say about strongmen?

Jamie:  Matt Kroczalesky is the obvious exception to the above. No problems with strongmen. I love their debates about which is the “true” strongman style. WSM vs whatever the one at the Arnold is. If I didn’t have tiny little t-rex arms and weigh 185, I’d be all over competing in strongman.
But no one gives a rat’s ass about lightweight strongman, and I fucking blow at stones.

I can lap the 308, and after that, it’s fucking curtains for me, because I can’t get my arms around the fucking thing.

MG:  How about Olympic lifters?

Jamie:  I wish the US could put together a decent team. It’s nothing but sloth that keeps us out of it. Americans are fucking lazy, and are afraid of overtraining. So with the best fucking food, medicine, and training facilities on earth, we suck shit at Olympic lifting. That’s unacceptable. There should be no sport in which we don’t dominate.

MG:  What about chess?

Jamie:  Not a sport. And I prefer quadrago. It’s 3 dimensional Connect Four, and it fucking rules. Frankly, I prefer to read than play chess though. I’ll play it if it’s that or watch tv, but that’s about the only reason I’d do it – faced with reality tv or chess, chess wins. As do bleach enemas.

MG:  Okay, any swings to take at sports training?

Jamie:  I haven’t spent all that much time with it, honestly. I think that anything that involves a stability ball should be stopped, stat, and the trainer should be summarily executed. Frankly, 99% of the trainers on earth deserve liquidation.

MG:  Cash for clunkers?

Jamie:  And every sport is different, so they’d necessarily require different preparation, but heavy strength training should be a cornerstone of each.
Are you asking me what I think of the cash for clunkers program?

MG:  No, joking about the liquidation of trainers.

Jamie:  Ah. (Laughs) While the ovens are hot from the trainers, though, we might as well stuff in every single politician in the country. Though
if someone bombs congress, I will go down and roast marshmellows with that fire. Which is pretty much how I feel about planet fitness as well.

Fitness by definition is your ability to perform a task. If I ask if someone is fit to drive, I don’t care if he can run a six minute mile. Yet I see people constantly talk about fitness training. It’s as meaningless of a term as I have ever heard. Let’s get one thing clear – fitness has nothing to do functional training crap. Fitness has everything to do with a goal. If I want to do 20 pull ups, then I need to be fit enough to do them.

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This carries me to my next topic – functional training. Jesus, this means nothing. It’s about carryover. If I have a job stocking shelves, then Turkish get-ups don’t mean crap. On the other hand, I need to be able to overhead press a certain weight frequently to perform my job, that is carryover. Same goes for sports training. If I’m a lineman for a football team, I need to be able to move a lot of weight and generate a lot of force with my legs, back, shoulder, and chest …not curl 100 lbs. So please, get off of some idiot’s jock and get back to training.

Yes I know I sound angry, and that is because I am. I’m tired of every tiny little runt telling me I’m not being functional. I don’t care. When will we get back to men being men. My guess is when the gyms start melting down all the nice little chrome machines to make more plates and barbells.

If this has offended you, I’m sorry. I don’t care. I’d rather offend 100 people if it helps one person, then to go with the flow. So shut up and go squat, bench, deadlift – you get the idea. If you need any more of a reason to do this, go look at guys like Reg Park. Do you think they trained to be “functional”? Hell no. They trained to be big. And they were better at life for it.

Opinions regarding HIT are often wildly unfounded, both on the sides for and against. I’ve heard them all, from HIT being responsible for Mike Mentzer’s untimely death, to the idea that anyone who trains in a fashion other than hit will surely go to hell.

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Though I’m a HIT advocate, I have also trained and discussed many other programs with the people who follow them night and day, and having tried many of them. I feel I have a more well rounded view on training than most of my peers. I’m not going to try and blow smoke up you’re a**, but I will give you the truth as I see it.

The human race is one that finds comfort in the familiar and reject the new, no matter how exciting it may be, and that has caused progress to be slowed. Just think about how much further we would be in science had the dark ages never occurred. And in much the same order, training rarely has any advances, it simply repackages the old ideas. Granted, every now and then someone comes along and notices the obvious answers we need, and so we make small advances as apposed to leaps and bounds.

Now I am not here attempting to sell you on the idea that multiple set training is uneffective, because that could not be further from the truth. Anything will work for awhile, and then it is time to move on. Now then, here are the governing principals of HIT.

Principles of HIT

1. A work set must be taken to concentric failure, meaning carry the set to the point where no more reps are possible.
2. Intensity must never be sacrificed for volume. Find the point between maximum intensity and your recovery abilities.
3. Do just enough to elicit a growth response, and then stop, so that you place minimal demands on recovery while allowing for the maximum in hypertrophy.
4. Every workout should be progressive. Always strive for one more rep or more poundage on the bar.
5. Base your routines around the exercises which are most effective, and leave out those which are not.
6. Use the principal of indirect effect, meaning that when one muscle group is exposed to a growth stimulus the whole body will grow as well, but at a diminished rate. The highest growth being in the areas that are closest to the worked muscle.
7. KISS, keep it simple stupid.

That’s really it. By following these rules you can make some truly effective routines that will take minimal time, and produce some good gains. Also, if you’re strapped for time, then this may just be the most effective choice. I mean honestly, why waste time performing 3 sets of an exercise when you can do one and get similar, or even better results.

Now the best proof is results. So why should I keep talking if I can just show you a few routines that can be used to build muscle and save time.

THE TIME SAVER

HIT Routine 1

Squat – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
Bench press – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
BB row – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
Military press – 1×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

HIT Routine 2 (squat to death 1)

A1. Breathing Squat*- 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×20 (80% 1rm)
A2. DB pullovers – 1×15-20 (50% 1rm)

HIT Routine 3 (squat to death 2)

A1. Breathing Squat – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×20 (80 1rm)
A2. DB pullovers – 1×15-20(50% 1rm)

B1. Bench press – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
B2. BB row – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
B3. Military press – 2×8-10 (warm ups), 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

* breathing squats are performed with your 10 rep max. Every time you do a full rep, come up to the top and take a deep breath, as the set carries on increase the breaths between reps.

THE SPLITS

Routine 1 (2 day split)

A

Incline Bench press – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

A1. DB fly- 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
A2. Incline Bench Press- 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
Military press – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

B1. Lateral raise – 1×8-12 (80% 1rm)
B2. Military press – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

C1. Skull crushers – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)
C2. Dips – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)

B

Squats – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

A1. Leg extension – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
A2. Squats – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)

BB rows – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

B1. Pull overs – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)
B2. BB row – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

C1. Barbell Curls – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
C2. Chin ups – 1×8-12(80-85%)

Routine 2 (3day split)

A

Deadlift – 2×8-10 (warm up), 1×8-10 (80-85% 1rm)

BB rows – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

B1. Pull overs – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)
B2. BB row – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

C1. Barbell Curls – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
C2. Chin ups – 1×8-12(80-85%)

B

Incline Bench press – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

A1. DB fly – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
A2. Incline Bench Press – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

Military press – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

B1. Lateral raise – 1×8-12 (80% 1rm)
B2. Military press – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)

C1. Skull crushers – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)
C2. Dips – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)

C

Squats – 2×8-10 (warm- ups)

A1. Leg press – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)
A2. Leg extension – 1×8-12 (80-85% 1rm)
A3. Squats – 1×8-12(80-85% 1rm)

There you go. 5 different workouts to meet varying needs, as well as the knowledge to make your own in case you have a need that I didn’t cover. I promise though if you give your all to any of these routines along with enough calories to meet your needs then you will grow, especially if you have been on a higher volume.

Arthur Jones

Back in the early 20th century, two brothers named Joe and Ben Weider, were the bringers of the fire that would set the world ablaze and give way to bodybuilding’s rise from a sideshow act to a respected sport. With Ben starting what would become the dominating force in bodybuilding competition, the IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding), and Joe making bodybuilding a viable business, they essentially became the godfathers of the modern sport. And no one in their right mind would challenge the dominance of these brothers. That is, until Arthur Jones made his first appearance.

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I have heard Jones called many things, such as a saint or god, but in all reality he was a businessman. No more, no less. Jones found his niche in bodybuilding. He had found a business that had been monopolized by two men, but they had missed something that would make the business much more lucrative.

The Weiders had focused on a relatively small group of people that were willing to spend massive amounts of time in pursuit of an ideal in much the same way that a Buddhist monk pursues enlightenment. But Jones realized that by creating a workout that would take less than an hour, he could bring the masses into the fitness lifestyle and make a great deal more money than focusing on the same small group that the Weiders had focused on.

And so it was that Jones set out on his journey to produce a routine that would hold merit, and produce results in a much reduced time frame when compared to the order of the day. But he also needed to be radical in order to draw attention to the line of machines he was looking to sell and so it was that HIT was born. Let’s face it, a workout that took around 30 minutes, 3 times a week would be much more appealing to the general public than the 4 hour workout, 6 times a week recommended by the Weider brothers.

Now that Jones had the idea he needed 2 more things. One – he would have to find the face of Nautilus and HIT, and two – he needed a set of principles similar to what Joe Weider had produced years before.

He found his face in Casey Viator. Arthur trained him up to his Mr. America win where he made history as the youngest man to ever win the title at an astonishing 19. But by far Jones’ biggest name was Mike Mentzer. Mentzer was the first man to win the show with a perfect score.

These two men would lead the charge that would forever change bodybuilding. But the principals weren’t so simple. Ssure Jones could make a list, but that wasn’t his style. So instead, he wrote a few articles called the Nautilus bulletins, and though it wasn’t as simple to understand as the list from Weider, it allowed Jones to make a much more lasting impression on his readers.

The only problem with HIT was the fact that it that it had a tendency to attract radical thinkers, and turned into a cult of sorts. Today we know these people as jedis, because they hold such a die hard view on their training it would inevitably scare off more people than it would convert. Jones brought the fire that held the potential to revolutionize bodybuilding and fitness, yet due to his eccentricities and unwavering views, he would not be able to make hit anymore than a passing fad…

HIT the next generation and Heavy Duty

Dr. Ellington Darden was Jones’ right hand man for more than 20 years, and would be the one to carry the torch his mentor had passed on. He slowly made refinements to the principals and focused less on the advertising power than on the purity of HIT. Through the years, Dr. Darden would rise to become one of the most well known and best selling authors of fitness books in the world. But none the less, Darden’s high reverence for his mentor would cause him to become nearly blind in the progress of hit for many years. Darden still refuses to admit to the fact that certain principals are basically unneeded.

While Darden focused on the progress of the original ideas of Jones, another one of Jones’ “students” would begin to adjust and possibly make certain aspects better. This other student was none other than Mike Mentzer. And while he was so radical he made the Taliban suicide bombers seem sane, he would  essentially make a new branch in the HIT family tree.

Granted, the majority of the ideas of Mentzer were still inline with Jones. He began experimenting with split routines, increased recovery periods, and also brought in the set extenders like rest pause. But none the less, much of his routines included one, or at most two exercises per body part. This was the same as Jones’ HIT. But through his other changes, Mentzer’s Heavy Duty training system would lay the foundation for the third and last (to this date) revision of HIT…

Dorian Yates, Mr. Blood and Guts

Dorian Yates was the first disciple of HIT to become Mr. Olympia, yet he was also the creator of the final version of HIT that would essentially bring HIT full circle. Jones and Darden had created and advanced the original version of HIT that was radically different than the routines of the day.

Mentzer brought back certain aspects of the modern routines and made HIT much more appealing to the hardcore bodybuilding crowd, but his radical ideas on time between workouts made most of these guys sick because they loved training more than results. But Yates, on the other hand, produced an unwritten system known as Blood and Guts. And it was the best mix of the circular routines and HIT, due to the fact that it was much easier  to swallow.

But the biggest thing in favor of Yates’ training style was his body. The preceding Mr. Olympia winners had trained with higher volume routines. So the question had been, who would you believe – the Mr. Olympia, or the salesmen with a few good bodybuilders? It’s the guy with the best body that gets listened to.

In part 2 of my history of HIT, I shall make the case for HIT, and explain its short comings and strengths.

One question I see over and over again is how do I warm up? I rarely ever answer this question decisively, because it is my belief that a proper warm up is an individual thing. I have offered advice on the subject, but little in the way of instruction. Now I will break my silence.

It doesn’t matter what your reason is for lifting weights, a proper warm up is an integral part of keeping you injury free. One problem that I often see is that people will over play that fact, and in essence wear themselves out on the warm up. That can – in fact – cause you to build muscle at a much slower rate, or even halt growth period.

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Anytime you put too much energy into warming up, you will be taking away from your bottom line as far as energy is concerned. You must remember that your energy and recovery are limited, so you have to be careful not to over use either on less than maximum return investments. This is the same reason why we focus on heavy compound exercises instead of isolation exercises, because the compounds offer more growth stimulation for a certain amount of work than an isolation can.

Think of this like a computer’s hard drive. It has to partition off a certain amount of itself in order to make sure that its main program or operating system (your routine) always has enough space (energy) to run (remain productive).

Forgive me if that spiel sounds a little off topic, but trust me it is all relevant. Remember how I talked about the whole bang for your buck idea, well the same will apply to your warm up sets. The more time and energy you spend warming up, the less you will have for your muscle and strength building sets. So then the secret to a proper warm up is doing just enough to warm the muscle up, without wearing it out. Let’s take a quick look at the Reg Park warm up for an idea about a proper warm up.

• Set 1 – 100 lbs x 5
• Set 2 – 125 x 5
• Sets 3-5 – 150 x 5

Notice how the warmups are not very heavy in relation to the work sets, nor is the rep range high. Now let’s look at how the average guy warms up for his heaviest set of 5 with 150 lbs:

• Set 1 – 45 lbs x 15
• Set 2 – 80 x 12
• Set 3 – 100  x 10
• Set 4 – 125 x 8
• Set 5 – 150 x 5

I don’t know about you, but after that many sets and reps, I would be too tired to put forth the effort required to make that last set productive. Actually, by that point, I doubt I could complete that last set if my max for the given exercise is 150 lbs x 5. You see, that’s the normal warm up used by most people. But all it does is causes you to be unable to do what you must to produce improvement. That is an uneffective warm up scheme.

So let’s review, an effective warm up is:

1. Quick
2. Well below maximal (weights/reps)
3. Uses few reps and just enough weight

I like dirt! I like grime, sweat, spit, and bugs, and all the other nasty little things you find in my home gym. I like it all for one reason…the atmosphere it creates. Do you really think cavemen survived by attacking mammoths in a sterilized fitness center… HELL NO. I like all these things because it is primal; because I don’t care about sterilizing my equipment.

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Let me put this another way. When I get done with a heavy deadlift do you think I’m really going to want to clean everything with a disinfectant? …. HELL NO. I like to see some dust and dirt fly when the weights hit the floor. I like to leave a pool of spit and blood under the bar. It all reminds me of where I came from.

If you find yourself constantly unmotivated to attack the next set with a heavier weight, maybe you need to take a step back. What kind of an atmosphere do you lift in? Is it hardcore? In order to progress past normal levels you have to attack the weights with a hardcore mind set, and that leads to a hardcore atmosphere and environment. You must be an iron warrior.

I’m often described by friends as primal. I like my meat bloody, and I carry a big stick. I have to destroy my opponent, in this case iron. Vin Diesel said “It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.” Well I would much rather get it by a mile. Hell, I need that mile. Barely doesn’t cut it. If I barely make the new weight it’s a failure in my mind. I need to own it.

I can’t train in a “modern” “sterilized” “fitness center”. I would quit if that was my only option. Most of these places frown on intensity. Hell, they frown upon heavy weights. I wouldn’t make it through a day at Planet Fitness. Their lunk alarm would be sounding off so many times they would make me leave.

So I ask you …what does your gym look like? Is it shiny and sterilized, or dark and grungy? What type of music do they play? The shiny, clean places don’t deserve to be called a gym. They are the equivalent of a morgue for hardcore mind sets and intensity. Why do you think no one ever sets world records in these places? Hell, they don’t even get close. It’s not because they can’t. It’s because of all the little fitness nazis in their ear telling them it’s better to pump out with the nice chrome machine than it is to grab a heavy barbell and lift it.

Don’t let a place like this kill you. I welcome you brother to come back to a real gym. I challenge you to like dirt.

Nutrition

I’m sure you have heard statements like this before… “nutrition is 80% of gains”. If that were true, then why would you need to workout? Just find a good diet and you will be massive. But you’re not! You must lift to grow.

Now on the other hand, let’s assume you lift without following a special diet.  You take in enough calories to survive. Would you not gain some muscle? Yes, a correct diet will increase those gains. But that will happen anytime you improve a part of the triangle (the triangle is lifting, eating, rest). Lift better and you will grow more. Eat better and you will grow more. Rest better and you will grow more. So therefore, it is my belief that each side is as just as important as the others. So each is about 33% of gains.

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OCD

Many lifters often become OCD like, and it manifests in almost every facet of life related to lifting. It doesn’t have to be that way. Everything isn’t always perfect. Life isn’t predictable so don’t try to make it that way. Just live, and if you can’t do everything, don’t let it ruin your life.

People on diets often fall off the wagon from one bad meal. All you have to do is just let it go and continue on with what you were doing. Life happens, and a champion is not measured by how many times he gets knocked down, but by how many times he gets back up.

Supplements

Nothing pisses me off more than seeing all the outlandish claims the supplement companies make. They lead people down a path of stupidity, claiming that you need their latest snake oil to grow. I’m not saying every supplement is bad -  some are great. But people need to use common sense. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. The best supplements are protein powder and a multi vitamin. Outside of that, they fall into three categories:

1. nice but not required.

2. crap in a can.

3. crap in a shiny can.

These are just a few of the bones I had to pick, but there will be more next time. Take these to heart, and keep your mind open.

I mean seriously, when was the last time you didn’t get pissed if you had to wait more than two minutes for your order to be ready? I’m going to guess never. Because of the incredible speed at which they clog your arteries, a hard work ethic is going the way of the dinosaur.

I can’t blame fast food solely for this problem. It’s the whole world. We have begun to move at such a rapid pace that fast is never fast enough. This has created what I call the fast food mentality. The “I want it all and I want it now” thought process. This has become extremely apparent in the current generation making its way into the adult world.

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I have spent a lot of time over the last year on bodybuilding forums. And I’ve realized the under 30 crowd believes they can be bigger and stronger than world class athletes in a matter of weeks. This is the heart of the mentality I mentioned earlier.

When I mention something like periodization to one of these people, I often get a blank stare. This is usually followed by something like this… “You mean I have to work on one or two goals at a time? But that will take years!” This has pissed me off more than once, because we not only have lost our work ethic, but also our respect. If it was good enough for Reg Park or Bill Kazmaier, why is it not good enough for you?

These people can’t understand that something could actually take time. Unlike most of the modern world, where we are always looking to do it faster. We’ve tried this mentality in the lifting arena, and I am still not convinced that any of it has helped. All it seems to have done is opened the way for shady supplement companies to con you out of your money. Working hard is a dying concept, because we all want to work smart.

Sorry to break it to you, but smart and hard are the same thing in the lifting arena. Lifting hard is the same as lifting smart, and it is the fastest road from point A to point B. But it still takes a lot of time to get there. You need to learn to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Otherwise, you will wind up nowhere and will have wasted too much time.

We all need to remember that anything worth having is worth working for, and it is worth the time needed to get it.