HIT vs HIIT, Sprints vs Resistance Training: What’s the Difference?
Is there a physiological difference in response between sprinting all-out (on a bike, treadmill, rowing machine etc) until you are unable to maintain a peak cadence level versus performing a high effort resistance training (RT) exercise? Due to a perceived dichotomy between cardiovascular exercise and resistance training, this is not a question that has been significantly explored in the scientific literature. A recent research paper published in PeerJ, titled “Similar acute physiological responses from effort and duration matched leg press and recumbent cycling tasks” and authored by James Steele, Andrew Butler, Zoe Comerford, Jason Dyer, Nathan Lloyd, Joshua Ward, James …
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Getting the most out of Advanced Training Techniques
Popular strength training and resistance exercise is packed with examples of “advanced training techniques”. This is largely due to performance variations of exercises being limited only by imagination. It is however reasonable to query whether or not these techniques stimulate any more in the way of positive physical results beyond normal resistance training. By normal resistance training, I mean exercise that incorporates appropriate movements taken to momentary muscular failure (MMF). As for a definition of MMF, I like the combination of these two: …when trainees reach the point where despite attempting to do so they cannot complete the concentric portion …
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How much do you lift? A guide to selecting the right weight
If you are just beginning HIT, one of the practical questions you are most likely looking to answer is How much weight should I use? Keen to get started with the intensity aspect and enthusiastic to lift as much as possible, many new HITers end up short changing themselves. Focusing foremost on intensity at the very outset of the journey and equating high loads with intensity is double trouble and a case of putting the cart before the horse. Or dangerous and inefficient, up goes the likelihood of injury along with a side order of dilution of the stimulus. It …
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High Intensity Training with Resistance Bands
In this post, I want to look at resistance bands: how useful are they, who can benefit from them, and can be used for HIT? Outside of simple equipment such as chin bars and push up handles, another piece of home exercise kit that people tend to consider for strength training are resistance bands. The idea of resistance bands is appealing: a potential gym’s worth of exercises promised in a portable pouch the size of a typical handbag. What’s not to like? Watch Simon explain three key points about resistance bands Different types of resistance band Resistance bands …
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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to High Intensity Resistance Training (HIT): Adapting the protocol to your circumstances and needs (part 4)
In this fourth and final part of the Complete Beginner’s Guide to HIT, I am going to cover some final points and address the circumstances in which adaptations or tweaks may need to be made to the protocol I have outlined in the preceding posts. Understanding the circumstances in which changes may be required or of benefit will help you to get the most out of HIT.
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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to High Intensity Resistance Training (HIT): Recommended routine, order of exercises, tempo, time under load, rest between exercises and frequency of training (part 3)
Here it is, the post I have been building up to over the previous two articles. Having laid the foundations in part 1 and part 2 of the beginner's guide to High Intensity Resistance Training, I am going to dive into revealing the workout routine that I consider a great introduction and solid foundation to your HIT journey.
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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to High Intensity Resistance Training (HIT): full-body workouts, types of exercise, technique and momentary muscular failure (part 2)
After writing the last post, I have been excited to get on with detailing the practical elements of HIT for you to use. But before I do that, we have some ground to cover on the theory and science behind High Intensity Resistance Training. In this post, I will detail the fundamentals of a HIT workout, including the types of exercises used, correct technique and discuss momentary muscular failure (MMF), the role it plays and how to get the most out of it.
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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to High Intensity Resistance Training (HIT): What it is, how it compares to other forms of exercise and the results you can expect to get (part 1)
For a while I have wanted to put out a free in-depth resource to act as a thorough introduction to the topic of High Intensity Resistance Training (HIT) for those of you who are just discovering it, and as a refresher for those who need to get back to the basics of what simply works. This is the article I wish that I had had access to when I first began resistance training in earnest back in 1996. It will be a simplified summation of the 21 years of experience I have; training myself, training with other experts in the …
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The Ultimate Science-Based Resistance Training Routine for Older Adults
On 28th September 2017, a mini review into resistance training for older adults was published in Experimental Gerontology titled “A minimal dose approach to resistance training for the older adult; the prophylactic for aging”. This is a very exciting piece of research, thrilling for the simplicity and practicality of its conclusions and recommendations. It is the kind of paper that I want to beam into the hands of every individual over the age of 60 and every health influencer of that age group too. Scratch that, if all other resistance training research on earth was somehow decimated and just this …
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Fitness and fatness: can you be fat and fit, …or even slim and unfit?
Sometimes in order to save time and avoid mental strain we have a tendency to oversimplify. However, like many situations, over simplification to save time comes at the expense of accuracy and relevant nuance. The concept of being “fat, but fit” or “The Obesity Paradox” meets this criterion. Generally, being overweight or obese is bad for you. Obese individuals have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes than lean people. Likewise, being unfit is considered an independent risk factor for developing the same conditions. At first glance, our initial impression of those who are overweight …
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