No External Load Training: How to perform resistance training without a load
One of our core beliefs at HITuni is that some form of strength training needs to become a facet of every individual’s life and lifestyle. Its impact on wellbeing from the obvious… strength, to the unseen… myokine release and cellular health, is a boon. It is clear more people need to and can benefit from strength training. What often present as key barriers to benefitting from strength training for individuals who don’t yet train are: perceived complexity and equipment availability. Most of us with a passion for resistance training relish exercising on well-designed exercise equipment and I have enjoyed using …
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A Template for Resistance Training, Updated for 2019
One of the questions that I asked James Steele to elaborate on during our recent interview was: if he were to lay out a template for personal trainers introducing clients to resistance training/HIT, how would such a template look today? Let’s explore his answer, as well as James Fisher’s input into the elements that make up the template. Steele starts out by highlighting that his template is best considered as a base that can be built on and experimented from, to fit the individual client and their needs or as James puts it “their context”. The following is a pragmatic, …
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The Rough Guide to Testosterone
This post is all about testosterone (T), we’ll look at what it is, what it does and where it comes from. We’ll cover the reasons that it is an important hormone for women as well as men and how low testosterone levels negatively impacts both sexes. We will detail some of the symptoms of low testosterone and what you can do about them. Then we will look at what the latest research reveals about the impact of exercise, both resistance training and aerobic, on acute and long-term levels of testosterone. By the end of the article, you’ll know a lot …
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HIT and Running: An in-depth conversation with Skyler Tanner about Resistance Training and Cardio
Skyler Tanner is an exercise physiologist based in Austin, Texas where he operates Smart Strength, a HIT-focused, evidence-based, strength training studio. Skyler also regularly brings a fascinating perspective to all things exercise, through insights on his blog, skylertanner.com. I have been intrigued by his recent writing on combining resistance training or HIT with running, an interest that he has developed over the last 5 years. Before any die-hard HITers choke on their coffee at the mere mention of running, Skyler still communicates that by far the most important thing that you can do for your physiology exercise-wise, is to apply …
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Attentional Focus: Internal vs external Visualization during Resistance Training
Today I want to look at where attention should be placed during resistance training: is it best to focus on simply lifting the weight or is it better to focus on the contraction of the targeted muscle tissue? A research paper was recently published covering this very topic so we will delve into this paper as well. What is attentional focus? This term simply refers to what is it that are you focused on or thinking about, whilst you are engaged in an activity. During High Intensity Resistance Training (HIT) you can perform exercises with an external attentional focus …
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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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Optimal Protein Intake for Strength and Size
The New York Times reported yesterday on an interesting research paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine1. This meta-analysis looked at the effects of protein supplementation on muscle mass and strength increases in individuals engaged in a resistance training program. Does supplementing with protein provide additional benefits over resistance training alone? The research highlights the likelihood that the current RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for protein is inadequate if you are resistance training to build muscle and get stronger. The authors also suggest that increased protein intake whilst engaging in resistance training is particularly important for those over …
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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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