High Intensity Training
High intensity training has been around as long lifting objects has existed. All through history people have been curious to know how many times they could lift a heavy weight. If they took the time to find out, they engaged in high intensity training. How many pushups can you do? How many pullups can you do? How many squats can you do with 200 pounds? The only way to find is to do as many reps as possible, which is high intensity training.
I know that science, powerlifters, and Olympic lifters often refer to intensity in terms of load (i.e. weight), but bodybuilders tend to refer to it in terms of effort. The more effort needed to complete a rep, the higher the intensity. This makes the last all-out rep that you can possibly do at the end of a set the highest intensity rep. When referring to intensity in this article, I will be referring to it in terms of effort; not load, not total workload, but effort in relationship to max reps.
In the Old Iron Man Magazines, Perry Raider often advocated a high intensity type of training. He believed in the idea of pushing to do as many reps as possible for one or two sets of each exercise. Perhaps the first person to bring wide spread popularity to high intensity training was Arthur Jones, the founder and inventor of Nautilus. In the late 1970’s an elite bodybuilder named Mike Mentzer took off with the idea of high intensity training. His version of high intensity training was called Heavy Duty training. Ellington Darden plus others have continued to push high intensity training, and it is still a very popular form of training.
Singular Focus on Intensity
The main attribute of those who popularized the high intensity training (H.I.T.) philosophy is the singular focus on intensity. Load is secondary, total workload is fairly unimportant, and explosive rep speed is discouraged. The hallmark of high intensity training is workouts consisting of one to three sets to failure for each body part.
Combining Load Plus Intensity
Mike Mentzer also utilized the concept of combining high load (or weight) with high intensity. He did this with his single rep rest-pause system with about fifteen seconds rest between four to six very heavy single reps.
Combining High Volume Plus High Intensity
Bodybuilders like Arnold, Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, and Phil Heath also believe in the importance of intensity, but they also believe that volume and total workload are vitally important. Bodybuilders and powerlifters who use high volume don’t necessarily train with high intensity on every single set. They often start out with easier sets and lighter weights. As they continue to work up to heavier and heavier weights the intensity increases. By their last set with the heaviest weight, they are push for max reps and doing high intensity training.
Vince Gironda’s Use of High Intensity
Vince Gironda was another early bodybuilder who believed in a version of high intensity training. He wasn’t focused solely on intensity and preferred using the same weight for six to eight sets. A very rapid training pace was used with short rests between sets. When using this type of training, the first couple of sets are not hard, but the rapid pace causes a rapid buildup of fatigue. By the last couple of sets, the fatigue and intensity become very high and it becomes quite hard to complete the required number of reps.
High Density Training Ends with High Intensity
The rapid paced training style that Vince taught is often done with six sets of six reps or eight sets of eight reps. Condensing this amount of sets into a short time period is often referred to as training density, or high density training. Don’t confuse the term intensity with density. Whereas high intensity training emphasizes max reps on the very first work set, the type of high density training that Gironda emphasizes starts out easier and builds up to high intensity by the last set. This allows the accumulation of training volume while including high intensity by the last couple of sets.
The proponents of the singular use of high intensity training believe that intensity is the single key to achieving results. Others recognize the need for intensity, but they feel that sufficient training volume, density, or load must be a part of the training equation.
Out of all the methods discussed, which method is best? I would say the one that works best for you. You won’t know which one is best until you try them out. I must point out that I personally believe that the exclusive use of high intensity training often produces excellent results for a while. However, it can eventually become like beating your head against a wall without any benefit in return. A combination of the methods discussed will probably work best for a lot of lifters. I will address how to organize these combinations into a training schedule in the next article. Until then, best of training to you.
For more advice on high intensity and high density workouts, refer to the following videos:
High Intensity Training Advice
High Density Training Advice