"Doing more exercise with less intensity,"
Arthur Jones believes, "has all but
destroyed the actual great value
of weight training. Something
must be done . . . and quickly."
The New Bodybuilding for
Old-School Results supplies
MUCH of that "something."
This is one of 93 photos of Andy McCutcheon that are used in The New High-Intensity Training to illustrate the recommended exercises.
To find out more about McCutcheon and his training, click here.
The ability for an individual to alter his own recovery and growth from training, whether knowingly or unknowingly, became obvious this past year when I made a radical shift in my daily schedule.
In all of 2006 I had averaged 5-6 hours of sleep per night due to a heavy work schedule, and trained using the Consolidated Routine of Mike Mentzer (CR was chosen specifically because of the lower amounts of sleep and higher stress in business of '06). In mid 2007, I shifted my work schedule to allow 7-9 hours of sleep. The results have been amazing!
Whereas in '06 I couldn't use any high intensity techniques whatsoever (I'd be sore for a week or even worse, my JOINTS would be sore) and body fat levels were harder to manage, '07 and the additional sleep/less work brought immediate results from each workout and the diet. I've been able to use and benefit from everything from Negatives to N/A to Forced Reps, Pre-exhaust, Statics and more. The sore joints are gone, muscles are full and body fat is the lowest since stepping on stage.
This all may seem a little basic and maybe even some reading this will think "yea, yea, I know, sleep is important......boring, boring.", but to be honest with you, I've told many clients this story as they've asked how I grew and got so lean so fast these last 5 months, but they don't want to even acknowledge what I tell them quite plainly......that if they were to get proper amounts of sleep (preferably without an alarm clock), they would progress a lot faster and that genetics are only part of the answer with supplements being an even smaller part of the answer.
Considering how many times I've read posts concerning poor genes, certain supplements and ways to train, it makes me wonder how many consider the actual sleep needs of their own body, and how they can alter their own recovery/growth abilities to what may seem almost supernatural compared to what they've been living on, and how they may be "short-circuiting" any growth triggered by their workouts long before it happens.
If this post seems a little wordy, forgive me, but if even one person can benefit and grow more because of it then so be it!
God Bless,
John
Faithwalker, thank you for that post. Getting enough sleep is so key, and so few people do it. I notice many people drinking lots of coffee. There are worse vices, but that can't be helpful.
12/13 year ago when i last trained seriously,i was training 3 times weekly on a hit workout. i would rise early ,work hard all day, train ,(sometimes when quite tired) then go out and socialise.I made very little progress.
Now im able to train early,work for a few hours (on workout days) go home and sleep,as long as i want.my progress has escalted probably ten fold.perhaps im training harder,but im certainly resting more,and the results are very pleasing.
Good to hear from you again, John. Thanks for sharing.
Interestingly, I have been hearing and reading about the positive effects of additional sleep from a number of sources lately. Another of course, is the discussion in the "Jeff Turner: I Want to Get Lean" thread elsewhere on this forum.
Are these sources just now coming to light or is it that I am just now willing to listen? Finally, this important idea is beginning to seep into a certain thick skull I know...
"When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear." [or teachers in this case]
Simon-Hecubus...
If you take what has been written on this post and run with it, then I'm smiling and excited for the new muscle growth you're about to experience!
Dr. Darden...
I have followed and been influenced by your great work for the last 2 decades and consider it a pleasure to be able to contribute to your forum. The freedom of schedule that I've enjoyed these last few months has allowed me to now do such things.
Peace
John
At the expense of sounding simplistic, it is really that simple: training tears down muscle, rest/recuperation is where hypertrophy occurs.
It's always seemed strange to me that two populations read Hans Seyle's books and get half the picture - the half pertaining to their discipline. Sports people get the sports part, stress medicine and psychologists get the stress part. As an exercise physiologist, Seyle's view on stress was "whole person" or holistic. Working out is stress pure and simple.
Maybe it's due to popular culture looking on stress as negative or bad that we don't count the good things that are stressful when counting up and accounting for stress in our lives.
Solid sleep is as much a requirement as progressive intensity training.
For those past 40, one of our hormones related to sleep slows down in production past 40. Life-extension specialists recommend supplementing with it a few times weekly. It's called melatonin and can be purchased over the counter. So can DHEA, also of benefit (unless one ignorant Congressman, likely a lacky for Big Pharm gets it classified as a steroid - which it is far removed from being). I find 300 micrograms of melatonin a few nights weekly good for helping sleep - while the normal 3 milligrams is just way too much for me.
For younger people, the amino acid l-tryptophan taken on an empty stomach before bedtime also helps relaxation and sleep, as well as HGH production.
More specifically speaking;
Body fat has dropped so easily with dietary adjustments that brought little result last year. My abs/intercostals are clearly seen once again.
Muscles that had started to shrink (this caused me to question my hormone levels at one point!) are back and growing again. Strength levels are going up of course, and this being on two days of training (Mentzer's Ideal Routine has been one of my favorites)as opposed to the Consolidation Routine I was forced to do last year. All in all, I feel like I did when I was a teenager. 8 hours of sleep is AWESOME!
Kayo............excellent observations and recommendations!
All the best,
John
I agree and started a thread about sleep being the most important anabolic element of all.
Without the Anabolic cycle,(sleep and recovery)the Catabolic Stimulus (training) is not only handicapped, but reversed to negative effects.
If I had to list the most important "anabolic" elements the first few would be:
1) Intensity in Training
2) Sleep and Recovery
3) Adequate Nutrition
4) Complete Training Log and Goal Chart
5) Favorable Hormonal Profile
6) Indefatiguable Mental Drive and Motivation
These are in no particular order, but will provide the foundation to Training Progress.
BIO-FORCE wrote:
I agree and started a thread about sleep being the most important anabolic element of all.
Without the Anabolic cycle,(sleep and recovery)the Catabolic Stimulus (training) is not only handicapped, but reversed to negative effects.
If I had to list the most important "anabolic" elements the first few would be:
1) Intensity in Training
2) Sleep and Recovery
3) Adequate Nutrition
4) Complete Training Log and Goal Chart
5) Favorable Hormonal Profile
6) Indefatiguable Mental Drive and Motivation
These are in no particular order, but will provide the foundation to Training Progress.
This is so important, John. Some years ago I would have nodded my head in agreement and not really followed this advice because it's so basic. After training for 15 years I got control of #3 and I started gaining like a beginner again. I left the land of hargainer. I suffered from digestive difficulties and got them under control and gained 15-20lbs. of muscle.
John,
My sleep is a mess and I am going to get that under control. I normally get about 5-6 hours per night and I will get 8. I am in the process of doing this now. Do you believe that will have a similar effect?
Growl wrote:
BIO-FORCE wrote:
I agree and started a thread about sleep being the most important anabolic element of all.
Without the Anabolic cycle,(sleep and recovery)the Catabolic Stimulus (training) is not only handicapped, but reversed to negative effects.
If I had to list the most important "anabolic" elements the first few would be:
1) Intensity in Training
2) Sleep and Recovery
3) Adequate Nutrition
4) Complete Training Log and Goal Chart
5) Favorable Hormonal Profile
6) Indefatiguable Mental Drive and Motivation
These are in no particular order, but will provide the foundation to Training Progress.
This is so important, John. Some years ago I would have nodded my head in agreement and not really followed this advice because it's so basic. After training for 15 years I got control of #3 and I started gaining like a beginner again. I left the land of hargainer. I suffered from digestive difficulties and got them under control and gained 15-20lbs. of muscle.
John,
My sleep is a mess and I am going to get that under control. I normally get about 5-6 hours per night and I will get 8. I am in the process of doing this now. Do you believe that will have a similar effect?
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
If more people slept 8+ hours a night every night of good quality Zzzzzzz's
There would be far greater results, and likely many much "happier" emotional states.
From Hormonal release to actual protien synthesis, sleep is a cornerstone to results.
It is as KEY to growth and strength as "sight and hearing" are to learning, and mental growth.
BIO-FORCE wrote:
I agree and started a thread about sleep being the most important anabolic element of all.
Without the Anabolic cycle,(sleep and recovery)the Catabolic Stimulus (training) is not only handicapped, but reversed to negative effects.
If I had to list the most important "anabolic" elements the first few would be:
1) Intensity in Training
2) Sleep and Recovery
3) Adequate Nutrition
4) Complete Training Log and Goal Chart
5) Favorable Hormonal Profile
6) Indefatiguable Mental Drive and Motivation
These are in no particular order, but will provide the foundation to Training Progress.
I hope you're sitting down...I completely agree...John? JOHN!? I hope you can recover from this!
John it is great to see you posting again on this site. I know that Mike Mentzer trained you and you have been successful in natural bodybuilding. Since I am interested in having the "Bodybuilder" look in addition to greater strength gains it leads me to ask if you used Mikes HD principles even during your pre-contest preparations? If you did, did you combine that with any cardio? Thank for your help.
manaray wrote:
John it is great to see you posting again on this site. I know that Mike Mentzer trained you and you have been successful in natural bodybuilding. Since I am interested in having the "Bodybuilder" look in addition to greater strength gains it leads me to ask if you used Mikes HD principles even during your pre-contest preparations? If you did, did you combine that with any cardio? Thank for your help.
Hi Manaray,
I hope you haven't confused me with someone else. Mike and I were friends and trained in the same gym sometimes, but not as partners or clients.
Also while I did attain a pretty good condition, with a very intense program I assembled, I didn't "compete" (except back when I was a teenager)
I believed I used more of what Mike used in his training when he was coming up, rather than after he retired and developed his training business and subsequent ideas.
We probably disagreed on as much as we agreed on, including a girlfriend I set him up with (a cute little PowerLifter named Pam)
Regarding Cardio, some have pointed to research that suggests that Cardio is "bad" for strength and hypertrophy, and can pull up research that might suggest the same.
To that I would say that it depends on the Cardio. If one was to "use" cardio for contest prep, I certainly would not opt for fast walking, or sitting on an exercise bike. I would suggest short High Intensity bursts like 60 meter sprinting cycles, or sprinting stairs or hills in tightly spaced intervals.
I believe that I am the John that Manaray is looking for.
My name is John Heart. Yes, Mike trained me in the 90's and we were friends. I used HD to train for the ABA Natural Universe in '01 and won the Tall Class just 2 months after his death.
I can't argue with the results as the training brought some fun victories that were not attainable for me when I trained with more volume.
As far as the cardio aspect goes, yes, I did it and watched my muscle and strength shrivel up as each week passed. I was in shape 30 days before my competition dates without cardio and simply got "stupid" by thinking I could get even harder. In fact, the pictures that I have from the month before were much better than what I took on stage, but then again, I won so it's a lesson learned that won't happen again.
Thanks for the question.....hope it helps.
John
Okay, confession time...I was working a job where I only was getting 5-6 hours of sleep. During this time, stimulants were my best friend just to stay awake in front of the computer at work (outside of work wasn't that bad and I'm not a coffee drinker).
Over the last 3 months, I have made better gains as a new job allows me to average over 7hrs. a night and even more on weekends. Problem is, I still use 1-2 200mg of caffeine in a day (still work in front of a computer), and I simply cannot workout without it!
Is this something that should get better with time? Can I one day be stimulant free as my sleep time gets better? I am trying to get closer to the 8hr mark. Any other caffeine dependant folks out there?
DevoDev wrote:
Okay, confession time...I was working a job where I only was getting 5-6 hours of sleep. During this time, stimulants were my best friend just to stay awake in front of the computer at work (outside of work wasn't that bad and I'm not a coffee drinker).
Over the last 3 months, I have made better gains as a new job allows me to average over 7hrs. a night and even more on weekends. Problem is, I still use 1-2 200mg of caffeine in a day (still work in front of a computer), and I simply cannot workout without it!
Is this something that should get better with time? Can I one day be stimulant free as my sleep time gets better? I am trying to get closer to the 8hr mark. Any other caffeine dependant folks out there?
This will not get better with time. Your sleep will not get to the point where it will allow you to discontinue use. You must wean down and deal with the sleep issues as you wean slowly. See a doctor if you need help. Ibuprofen helps with caffeine headaches but you must not let the headache get out of hand or you may need something very strong to stop it. If you can get a few days off under a doctors care, you may be able to stop cold turkey but may need prescription pain medication. Don't replace one addiction with another. This is a serious matter and if you can't stop on your own then seek professional assistance.
You can be stimulant free but it's a slight battle to get there. There are worse drugs to battle so count your blessings and don't let it happen with another.
Best of luck,
Jeff
Is this something that should get better with time? Can I one day be stimulant free as my sleep time gets better? I am trying to get closer to the 8hr mark. Any other caffeine dependant folks out there?
DevoDev,
The fact that the amount of caffeine you are ingesting doesn't amount to much more than 2 strong mugs of coffee, and you are already getting 7 hours of sleep, you aren't doing too bad.
I'm an optimist all the way and believe that "what you say is what you'll have", so if you believe it, it will be so. Believe that tapering off the pills will leave you living stimulant free AND extremely productive at work, and it will be so. Reenforce that belief with some positive words rather than complaining about it, and it will be even easier. I used to be hooked on coffee, quit overnight, and haven't had it in 6 years. Should I choose, a little green tea or pre-workout energy product now goes a long way because of it. Since I only train 1-2 times per week, that's pretty small stuff.
There are plenty of people like myself who don't have daily caffeine anymore and are fine. What you believe and what you speak are going to see you through.
Peace
John
This will not get better with time. Your sleep will not get to the point where it will allow you to discontinue use. You must wean down and deal with the sleep issues as you wean slowly. See a doctor if you need help. Ibuprofen helps with caffeine headaches but you must not let the headache get out of hand or you may need something very strong to stop it. If you can get a few days off under a doctors care, you may be able to stop cold turkey but may need prescription pain medication. Don't replace one addiction with another. This is a serious matter and if you can't stop on your own then seek professional assistance.
You can be stimulant free but it's a slight battle to get there. There are worse drugs to battle so count your blessings and don't let it happen with another.
Best of luck,
Jeff
Jeff,
I really appreciate the response. I am going to focus more on kicking the caffeine as I have been waiting to finally get enough sleep to never need anything again...and it hasn't happened. Fortunately the headaches are only occasional, but with more sleep I'm not falling asleep like I have narcolepsy in the afternoon. Therefore I have been able to lower my daily dosage.
I just really look forward to being able to work out and feel great without any stimulant assistance! Only then will I feel like I can enjoy the real benefits of more sleep instead of the "fake energy" the stims. give me.
faithwalker21 wrote:
I believe that I am the John that Manaray is looking for.
My name is John Heart. Yes, Mike trained me in the 90's and we were friends. I used HD to train for the ABA Natural Universe in '01 and won the Tall Class just 2 months after his death.
I can't argue with the results as the training brought some fun victories that were not attainable for me when I trained with more volume.
As far as the cardio aspect goes, yes, I did it and watched my muscle and strength shrivel up as each week passed. I was in shape 30 days before my competition dates without cardio and simply got "stupid" by thinking I could get even harder. In fact, the pictures that I have from the month before were much better than what I took on stage, but then again, I won so it's a lesson learned that won't happen again.
Thanks for the question.....hope it helps.
John
Yes, it was John Heart I was looking for, sorry Bioforce.
Thanks John for answering my questions. I have performed Mike's routines and got great results.
At your stage do you still train on the Ideal Principle routine that you recently showed on your site or has that changed?
I have followed your site for the past year and know that you have a heavy work schedule, family, etc., so how has your training evolved and how do you look these days?
I no longer do the Ideal Routine for any serious length of time. It has always been my personal favorite routine to date but that is only based on my likes/dislikes as opposed to what I know is better for my body.
Essentially, after any kind of layoff I will usually get in anywhere from one to four weeks of the Ideal Routine (then switching to a Consolidated Routine) with quite a few days off between workouts. This can vary from 4-8 days depending on recovery ability and personal circumstances.
After so many years of training I literally have become so unemotionally attached to a routine. My goal is RESULTS, so if it means training once a week or two, or twice a year, that's fine as long as it brings results.
As far as how I currently look;
Very lean and muscular and a little lighter in bodyweight than I usually carry as I grow INTO my skin as the year goes on.
I'll be happy to post a current picture after the rains leave this area.....my gym has had some problems with people taking pictures in the gym and have requested that I take a little break from it myself.
Happy New Year
John
