Arthur Jones
A Moment of Silence
Nautilus inventor and exercise science pioneer Arthur Jones died exactly one year ago today. I ask that those of you who know him or were influenced by him please take a moment of silence at some point today to reflect on what he has contributed to the field of exercise and to each of us personally.
I first met Arthur in 1997 at a MedX presentation in Maitland, FL, and was fortunate to have spoken with him by phone several times over the years and visited him at his home in Ocala. Actually, as those who knew Arthur would tell you, I did a lot more listening than speaking, since a conversation with him was more like attending a lecture than having a two-way exchange.
I probably would not be where I am today, doing what I’m doing, if not for Arthur Jones. The two biggest direct influences on my training and my career were Mike Mentzer and Ken Hutchins, both employees of Nautilus and heavily influenced by Arthur. Many of the other people who have directly influenced me, Ellington Darden, Jim Flanagan, Joe Mullen, etc., also worked for and were friends of Arthur, and are all brilliant men in their own right. I am grateful to all of them for their generosity in sharing their time and knowledge.
CrossFit
Over the past couple years CrossFit has been gaining popularity as a way of training for “functional” fitness or general physical preparedness. According to the CrossFit web site, CrossFit is,
“…a core strength and conditioning program. We have designed our program to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy.”
The program consists of constantly varying routines incorporating a mix of “functional” movements such as various gymnastic and body weight exercises, plyometrics, Olympic lifts and other compound/multi-joint free weight exercises, and activities like running, cycling and rowing performed for varying durations to target different metabolic pathways. Workouts typically last well under an hour, and the recommended frequency is six days on, one day off.
While CrossFit will no doubt produce results, the same or better results could be achieved more safely and with a fraction of the weekly time invested with a few modifications. Safer, more effective exercises could be substituted for the Olympic lifts, plyometrics and exercises performed in a fast or explosive manner. › Continue reading
Positive Versus Negative Strength - The Friction Theory is Wrong
Decades ago, Nautilus founder Arthur Jones theorized muscular friction was the source of differences observed between positive and negative strength - reducing concentric efficiency while increasing eccentric efficiency. On several occassions Arthur has stated the following,
“Everything in the known universe that has both mass and motion also has friction, and muscles are no exception. Whether it is an automobile, an airplane, a snake or a human muscle, friction acts the same way: inhibits positive function while enhancing negative function, thus reduces your positive strength while increasing your negative strength”.
While significant levels of friction in exercise equipment can certainly have this effect, research has shown muscular friction is practically non-existant. Although the exact mechanism isn’t yet fully understood, current scientific consensus is the differences in positive and negative strength are due to differences in cross-bridge mechanics. Dr. Michael Reedy of the Duke University Cell Biology department provided me with the following explanation, › Continue reading
Exercise is an Absolute Requirement for Life
Exercise is not merely important. It is absolutely essential. Most people, however, do not realize this, because the time factor of the cause-effect relationship between lack of exercise and the resulting decline in functional ability is so great. To further elaborate on this point, Arthur Jones once used the following example during a Nautilus seminar:
“If I were to grab you by the throat, and choke off your air supply, it would immediately become apparent to you that oxygen is absolutely essential for life. If I were to lock you in a room with no water, after several hours, the degree of thirst you would experience would indicate to you that water is a requirement for life. If I were to lock you in that room with water, but no food, it would take a little longer, a matter of a couple of days, before you would be ravenously hungry, and there would be no question in your mind that food was absolutely essential for life. However, it often takes years before ones body begins to show the harm done by a lack of proper exercise.”
If nothing is done to prevent it, we gradually lose muscle tissue as we age, becoming weaker, and less flexible as a result. There are several problems associated with this, the most obvious being a decrease in metabolism resulting in increased body fat, which is a primary risk factor for heart disease and several other serious health conditions such as diabetes. Not so obvious though, are the effects of a lack of exercise on one’s bones. › Continue reading
What Is High Intensity Training?
High Intensity Training is resistance training emphasizing a high level of effort and relatively brief and infrequent workouts, as opposed to performing a higher volume and frequency of workouts with a comparatively low to moderate effort. Arthur Jones, who invented the Nautilus equipment and helped define and popularize high intensity training in the 1970’s, often summarized the general philosophy of high intensity training as “…train harder, but train briefer” or “…train harder, but train less often”. › Continue reading
Interview With Ellington Darden, PhD.
In this interview the author of the best-selling Nautilus book series retraces his early training days with Arthur Jones and Casey Viator and talks about some of the golden-age bodybuilders who inspired him. Then, he discusses how he merged his experiences into his latest publication, The New High Intensity Training
High Intensity Strength Training for Cardiovascular Conditioning and Fat Loss
Originally posted Sunday, April 26, 1998
Had a great workout today. Nauseous, dizzy and my heart is pounding. Usually, I couldn’t care less what my heart rate (HR) is. It’s not that important. Resting HR is not an indication of one’s state of health, and HR elevation during exercise is a secondary consideration, and not something one should use as an indication of an effective workout. But, as hard as it’s beating, it’s certainly got my attention. My average resting HR is in the low 50’s, so the approximately 120 BPM I’m experiencing right now (roughly 5 minutes after my workout) is over twice normal.
I spoke with Arthur Jones regarding the subject this morning. He stated, and I agree, “six weeks of proper strength training can improve one’s cardiovascular fitness to a degree that is impossible with any number of years of aerobics.” › Continue reading