Drew Baye’s High Intensity Training

I have received numerous e-mails from people with questions about fixed versus dynamic exercise order since I mentioned it in my interview with High Intensity Nation. This is covered in detail in the upcoming book, High Intensity Bodybuilding Part 1: Principles and Applications for Maximizing Muscle Mass, but here is a brief overview of the system, excerpted and condensed from the current draft of the book.

Most people perform the exercises in their workout in a fixed order which they repeat each time they train. Since every exercise produces fatigue which decreases the effort one is capable of performing subsequent exercises,  muscle groups trained earlier in the workout receive a greater stimulus for strength and size increases than those trained later or at the end.

The solution to this is to vary exercise order so over the course of several workouts each of the major muscle groups is trained earlier when it can be worked more intensely. The method I learned from Joe Mullen uses prior workout performance to determine exercise order for the current workout, rather than cycling the order (1, 2, 3, 4 in one workout, then 4, 1, 2, 3 the next) or changing it randomly. The exercises are performed in order of the progress made on them the previous workout, from least to most. For example, if during your previous workout you added weight on exercise A and performed enough reps to be within your target range, performed one additional rep on exercise B, two additional reps on exercise C, and made no progress on exercise D, the order for the next workout would be: D, B, C, A.

Varying Exercise Order Within A Fixed Category Order

The system I use is a hybrid of Joe Mullen’s method and the traditional Nautilus method of performing exercises in order from most to least muscle mass worked. I divide exercises into six general catagories, which are performed in sequence, while the order of the exercises within the categories is varied:

1. neck isolation
2. compound (multi-joint movements)
3. torso isolation (shoulder and hip movements)
4. limb isolation (elbow, knee and ankle movements)
5. trunk isolation (lumbar spine)
6. forearm and grip

The exercise order is varied within these categories rather than between them across the entire workout, with the overall workout order following the categories.

If isolated neck exercises are performed they should be done first in the workout before fatigue has affected your ability to concentrate and maintain proper body position, since they have the greatest potential for serious injury if done incorrectly. Since the neck muscles are not very large, they will not have much of an effect on subsequent exercise performance.

The order of categories 2 through 6 is intended to prevent local muscular fatigue from being as much of a limiting factor on the weight that can be used for an exercise. Categories 3 and 4 may be combined if machines providing direct resistance are being used. For example, arm fatigue would be more limiting in a barbell pullover where the triceps must hold the elbow extended than in a Nautilus pullover machine where resistance is applied directly to the back of the upper arms.

The following is an example of this category order applied to a full-body workout, but the same can be done with any split routine including exercises from different categories:

Compound Exercises

1. Squat
2. Bench Press
3. Row

Torso Isolation

1. Lateral Raise
2. Pullover

Limb Isolation

1. French Press
2. Curl
3. Calf Raise

Trunk Isolation

1. Weighted Crunch

Forearm and Grip

1. Ivanko Super Gripper

Local Fatigue and Subsquent Exercises

When determining the exercise order you should also avoid performing two exercises in a row with overlapping muscle groups, for example, performing curls immediately after chin ups, or lateral raises immediately after presses (more on the problems with pre-exhaust, post-exhaust and similar methods in the book).

There are other exceptions and considerations for specific exercise combinations which are also covered in the book.

Traditional Category Order Versus Muscle Priority

This category system is for someone who has relatively well balanced and proportional muscular development. If you have a specific muscle group which is lagging or slower to respond you may train it with an isolation exercise earlier or even first in your workouts either every workout or as part of an alternate, specialization routines.

Results

What first piqued my curiosity in varying exercise order was an experiment Joe Mullen performed at a local personal training studio where the group that varied their exercise order made significantly greater strength increases than the group following a fixed order. I immediately started experimenting with this in my workouts and my clients’ and found it improved progress considerably. Although I was initially concerned it would make record keeping and progress evaluation more difficult, using the category system it has not. The only change I have had to make to record keeping has been to record the order of performance in addition to the weight and reps for each exercise.

If you’ve been training following a fixed exercise order, switching to a dynamic order will help you improve on exercises you may have been having difficulty progressing on, and make all-around faster increases in muscular strength and size.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Chris Highcock just posted an excellent interview with Luke Carlson on functional training at ConditioningResearch.com Luke does an excellent job of explaining the relationships between proper strength training, skill training and functional ability and dispells many popular misconceptions about training to improve athletic ability.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

I have a few more sections to finish, plus photos, illustrations, and layout. I’ve been writing when I have time between clients and on the weekends, and it’s coming along well, but I’m still not 100% happy with it.

The book started out too formulaic – general principles, applications, sample routines, etc. and it started to read like every other bodybuilding book out there. While some are better than others, most of them are pretty much the same, and I don’t want to write “just another high intensity training book”. I believe a big part of the problem is publishers – many require authors to conform to a formula, which may or may not be the best way or the authors preferred way to present the information.

That is not what I wanted to do, so over time I’ve written, revised and rewritten much of it several times over, while trying to simplify the information and make it as straightforwards and practical as possible without making it dry. As a result, the final version is a lot less formal, more conversational, and in my opinion a better presentation of the information and a more interesting read.

I realize this has taken a very long time, and I thank everybody who has expressed an interest in the book. Once the editing, photography and illustration is finished the only thing left to do will be layout, and I will put up a page for pre-orders then along with a release date.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Chris at ConditioningResearch.com just notified me he posted an interview with Doug McGuff, MD. Check it out at http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2009/03/interview-with-doug-mcguff.html

You can also view several videos of Doug speaking at a book signing on his web site at www.bodybyscience.net

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Drew,

The NSCA posted this article showing that studies have proven that multiple sets are superior to single set training programs at times and I’m curious what your thoughts are on this subject. Are there instances where more sets do elicit a greater response? Here is the link: http://www.nsca-lift.org/HotTopic/download/Single%20vs%20Multiple%20Sets.pdf

Austin

Austin,

I consider Rhea’s paper propaganda, not science. Richard Winett reported on this and several other recent meta-analyses in Meta-Analyses Do Not Support Performance of Multiple Sets or High Volume Resistance Training. Richard A. Winett JEPonline. 2004;7(5):10-20. and had the following to say about the Rhea paper,

“Rhea and colleagues (5) performed a meta-analysis that they claimed included all published and unpublished studies that were strength training interventions, though with different experimental designs, and where there was a pre- and post-training strength measurement. An examination of their extended reference list indicated that at least 26 studies meeting these criteria were not included in their analysis. These studies are cited in a recent critique of the ACSM’s Position Stand (19); 24 of these 26 excluded studies showed no significant difference between single and multiple sets per exercise (19; see p. 17 Table 4). The exclusion of specific studies can create a bias in the outcomes of the meta-analysis, particularly if the reported results are consistently at odds with the conclusions of the meta-analysis.”

In other words, Rhea only reported on studies which appeared to support his conclusions. An objective look at the majority of research will show no significant difference in single or multiple sets for the majority of people. After reading the Rhea paper, I suggest reading Winett’s paper, which disproves it’s claim of research proving the superiority of multiple sets or higher volume training.

For the majority of people (there are some exceptions) there is no benefit to performing more than one  set of an exercise, and in my experience people training with extremely high levels of intensity do worse with additional sets due to the greater recovery demands of the increased training volume. For more on training volume read The Minimum Amount Necessary.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Hi Drew,

After reading some of your articles on HIT and after having started training in HIT form, I then found reference to John Little’s Max Contraction Training book and bought it. After reading it, I have to admit that I am fascinated by the book and am curious to know if you ever trained in the Max Contraction protocol – specifically holding the maximum weight you can hold for a given exercise when the muscle is in its fully contracted position – thereby recruiting all muscle fibers because the muscle is strongest in the fully contracted position.

I am curious to know based on your personal experience if his method is even more effective than the one you follow currently – 1 set of reps to failure doing 6 – 8 reps. Perhaps you do your workout because you are at a sufficiently big size that you are interested in gaining 30lbs of muscle in one year like one of his students. I am just curious to know why you don’t follow his method, considering that it “seems” to be more efficient than yours.

The bottom line is that I am just trying to find the most effective/safe way to gain strength and size in the shortest possible time and I willing to do whatever it takes to do that cleanly.

I tried his method yesterday and I was expecting to be very sore today (Shoulders, Chest and Triceps) considering I was holding the heaviest weight I could for 1 – 6 seconds for 4 reps and I did only four exercises as he recommended. However I have absolutely no soreness at all today and as a matter of fact I did not feel light headed or nausea after performing those exercises giving them my best effort. I am wondering if I really put in my best effort or perhaps those muscles are not big enough to deplete my body’s glycogen store sufficiently enough to cause lightheadedness.

Regards,
Hameed

Max Contraction training is highly effective, and I have gotten good results from it in my own training and with clients. However it requires at least one and ideally two strong training partners to lift the resistance into the fully-contracted position for the trainee to hold, and unfortunately my schedule makes it difficult to train regularly with  a single partner, much less coordinate workouts with two other people.

While it would be ideal to perform Max Contraction on a properly designed machine with strong helpers to lift the weight into the fully contracted position for you, it is possible to perform Max Contraction on some upper body barbell exercises such as arm curls using a power rack and assistance from your legs to get the resistance in the finished position. This is one case where it is not only acceptable but necessary to curl inside a squat rack or power rack. To perform Max Contraction barbell curls, set the safety pins to a point a few inches below the height of the barbell when held in the fully contracted position. While holding the barbell, squat down while bending your elbows until you are in the finished position of the curl, then contract your biceps and hold the bar in that position while standing up, lifting the bar off the safety pins. Contract your biceps as hard as you can, attempting to hold that position for as long as possible. When you can no longer hold the bar in the fully contracted position, slowly lower it to the bar and repeat for a few more reps. The Omega Set described in Advanced Max Contraction Training can be performed the same way, with a lower safety pin setting to allow for a partial negative after static failure.

You can’t gauge the effectiveness of a workout by the soreness it does or doesn’t cause. Keep accurate records of your workouts and measurements and let those be your guide. If you’re getting stronger and bigger, you’re doing things correctly. If not, you need to reexamine your training, diet, and other factors supporting recovery and growth and make improvements in areas which may be holding you back.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Hey Drew,

I’m really looking forward to your new book. I read a few comments from people who advise against HIT and I hope you could respond to them. I’m hoping your book will respond to similar questions and comments as well. Here they are:

Noted exercise scientist Paul Ward warns that training to failure results in ischemic reperfusion, or oxygen deprivation, followed by oxygen perfusion. This results in massive free-radical damage to DNA and cell membranes.

International Sports Sciences Association co-founder Dr. Sal Arria cautions that many soft tissue injuries occur when failure terminates a repetition in mid-stroke. “When the weight on the bar exceeds the muscle’s ability to lift it, something has to give and usually, it’s the musculotendinous junction.

Louie Simmons, well known coach to many elite-level power lifters finds that taking sets to failure “has an ill-effect on the central nervous system,” which delays recovery. Simmons is noted for producing scores of high-ranked lifters with relatively low-intensity training.

I know you’ve seen these comments in the past. Could you be kind enough to give a response to these comments?

Regarding training to failure and ischemic reperfusion, consider that concentric failure is simply the point in an exercise where fatigue has reduced the strength of the muscles involved to the point where they are no longer capable of shortening against the selected resistance. If a slightly lower resistance was selected and the exercise was stopped just short of failure, the same degree fatigue and associated physiological effects including ischemic reperfusion could have been achieved without failure. There is nothing about training to failure in particular that would make this more or less likely. If anything, overtraining is far more of a problem where free-radical damage is concerned than intensity of training.  If someone is worried about free radical damage they would do better to focus on limiting volume of exercise rather than intensity. Read more…

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Some of you who have commented on posts recently may be wondering why they have not been posted. While I try spend some time every day checking and approving comments (or deleting comment spam), the last couple days have been very busy, and some of the comments submitted have included questions I believe deserve a more detailed response requiring more time than I have to write at the moment. I might not be able to get to them until next week, but I will post and respond to everything that has been submitted.

Something else that will be coming soon is my report on a new line of machines. Over the past few decades, many innovative individuals and companies have tried to improve upon the resistance provided by selectorized and plate-loaded machines, some good, some bad. Randy Rindfleisch, the inventor of the Eccentric Edge and Xntrx machines, has developed new machines which make it possible to train far more intensely, more efficiently, and more safely than with any other kind of equipment. I can’t go into specifics yet, but I will be posting video and initial impressions over the next few weeks. I am also going to be performing several case studies and experiments with one of the machines which I will report on here.

Just to whet your appetites:

All of the following exercises that can be performed with one of the machines:

1. Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Calf Raise
4. Seated Dip
5. Pulldown
6. Press
7. Shrug

The machines provide all the following:

1. Maximum effectiveness – maximum possible resistance at every moment for full duration of exercise during positive, static, and negative contractions. Resistance perfectly balanced to strength curves of every individual, for each exercise.
2. Maximum efficiency – all the above exercises can be performed from one spot with a minimum of adjustments
3. Maximum safety – exercise can be terminated and trainee can unload instantly at any point in the range of motion without having to set down or transfer handles.

Due to an unusually high client load, meetings, and a relative visiting I won’t get as much work done on the book this week, but it is progressing steadily and should be available soon. Although I will probably not be able to respond to your comments and e-mails until next weekend, please keep them coming. It is your questions and concerns that have helped shape the book, and although I may not be able to respond to them quickly, every one of them is appreciated and will be addressed as soon as my time permits.

Thanks again to everybody who has expressed an interest in the book. I’m trying to do the best I can, as fast as I can, and I hope you all get a lot out of it when it is done.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

I’m behind the schedule I had set for myself since the weekend before last I had what felt like the flu and spent most of my time either puking or trying to rest and got little writing done, and I don’t anticipate getting caught up since my mother will be visiting us for the next two weeks and I have exercise equipment being delivered to the house this weekend. I am writing when I have time between appointments, but that doesn’t tend to work out as well as when I have more time to just focus on writing. My best estimate now is that the first draft will be finished by mid March, and it will take about 2 to 3 weeks after that to edit and illustrate it.

Once the book is finished, I have plans for others, and depending on how things go I will have far more time for writing and be able to finish those projects more quickly. A few of those projects will be geared more towards personal trainers, including a book on teaching exercise form including detailed sub-protocols for a variety of exercises. Others will be announced as work on them begins.

I have two other projects planned, one related to equipment, the other to diet, and will provide more details on those within the next couple of weeks. Lots to do, and hopefully once the bodybuilding book is done I will have more time to work on the rest.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous

Although there is still a bit of work to be done, at my current rate of progress I still anticipate having the first draft finished around the end of February, after which I begin the process of editing, illustrating and shooting photos, which I anticipate will take about another month.

I installed a video capture card today, so once the book is finished I will be posting videos demonstrating exercise technique, and starting video documentaries of several upcoming case studies. I already have a list of exercises in mind to begin with, but am open to suggestions.

I apologize to everyone whose e-mails I have not responded to yet. In response to the post on my current routine I have been receiving about a dozen per day, and do not have time to answer detailed questions about or design workouts, programs or diets for everyone who asks. This is part of the reason I am writing this book.  Everything is covered there. Exercises, sets, workouts, routines, frequency, and just about every variable of repetition performance you would care to know. Questions of a general nature will be answered by e-mail and as a  Q&A post on the site. Those asking more detailed questions or questions specific to an their workouts, routine or diet will be referred to the relevant sections of the book once it is released. Eventually, everybody who has e-mailed will receive some kind of a response. It’s not that I don’t enjoy corresponding or talking training with readers, there are just too many demands on my time for it right now.

I always appreciate feedback and comments from readers, and encourage you all to keep sending questions as it lets me know what subjects people want to hear about, just be patient if I don’t get back to you right away. That being said, here are a few quick answers to a some of the more common questions I’ve received about the book:

It will be available overseas. For those who asked, the company fullfilling orders does ship to the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Iraq and a huge list of others. 

It will not be available as an e-book.

It will only be available through this web site.

Drew Baye Miscellaneous