Tue 13 Jan 2009
W.O.W.
Posted by Doug McGuff under Uncategorized
On my last post I intended to post my workout of the week (WOW). I did this yesterday which was 6 days from my last workout. I am gradually trying to pull back to doing my workouts on Sunday as Ultimate Exercise has been very booked up.
I sort of threw this workout together, as I had to squeeze it in between two client appointments. It is slightly more volume than usual. I was feeling frisky and wanted to throw in the leg press for a good metabolic effect.
The workout was as follows: (wt/TUL)
Med-X leg press: pinned out 3 holes 760/1:45. Nautilus Pullover with SuperSlow retrofits: 200/1:37. Med-X compound Row with SuperSlow retrofits: 320/1:40. SuperSlow Systems pulldown (NO CAM): 140/??. Med-X Chest press: 380/1:15—partials at 180/??. Total elapsed time= 10:02.
Today, I feel pleasantly sore in the muscle groups worked. I feel good and energentic. Despite the slightly higher volume, and 6 days recovery instead of 7, I don’t have that “run over by a truck” feeling that can come with adding volume. This is probably accounted for by being off from the ER for several days. Of all the things in my life, a tough ER shift has the biggest adverse effect on my recovery.
Please post your own WOW’s if you are so inclined. In the future it would be fun to video post various WOW’s.
Doug McGuff, MD
Today:
Nautilus Super Pullover
Nautilus Leverage Seated Dip
Barbell Curl
Negative-Only Chin-up
MedX Avenger Leg Press
10 min 32 secs
Hi Dr. McGuff, I just read your book “Body by Science” and will actually be talking about some of the concepts you present tomorrow with some of my medical school faculty as I have never imagined that working out one day a week can have such an impact on my fitness if done correctly as you propose. Of the recommended trainers I don’t see any in New York and am wondering about something that I didn’t see mentioned in your book. As a 25 y/o male whose main goal is to build muscle mass as well as improve health, would you still recommend a 12-15 minute workout once a week? I am assuming doing the big 5 exercises, high intensity, at one set a piece? I understand that aside from genetic predisposition, maybe I will not be able to build big muscles, but what else should I focus on if my main goal is to improve muscle size?
Thanks for you help. Your book was one of the best books I have read in a long time and have been recommending it to my friends and family.
Alex,
Thanks for the kind comments. There are several great trainers in New York. How much muscle mass you can produce is largely determined by your genetics (in particular myostatin). See my article “Brave New World” at ultimate-exercise.com. There are many in the field that advocate slightly more volume than I do, including some of the trainers I will refer you to. However, if you are a medical student, the stressors of your education will probably require you to work on the more conservative end of the volume/frequency scale. Let us know your exact location and we can try to point you to someone close by. My best mass gains have occurred with 4-5 exercises done once a week.
Doug Mcguff, MD
Tonight:
Barbell Squat
Weighted Chin-Ups
Barbell Press (standing)
Barbell Wrist Curl
Barbell Wrist Extension
Next workout (Mon or Tues, depending on schedule):
Shrug Bar Deadlift
Weighted Parallel Bar Dips
Barbell Curls
One-Legged Calf Raise w/ Dumbbell
‘The’ book implicitly suggests a routine starting with Bent rows,next the press and so on, finishing with the squat.Conventional wisdom recommends that one start with the larger exercise, i.e. the squat. You appear to have done that.
?Perhaps the word ‘wisdom’ should have appeared in inverted commas.
Regards.
Leo T
Dr. McGuff,
I’m 42 years old and have trained using HIT for 26 years. I did SS for about 10 years with nothing to show for it in terms of muscle mass. In fact I lost size doing SS, despite getting “stronger” on all my exercises every time I trained.
I then read your first book (UE) and many articles and followed your advice to reduce volume and frequency. I performed 3 - 5 compound exercises once per week, then going to once each ten days. After a year or more of this I still had nothing to show for it despite getting “stronger” on all my exercises.
Finally, out of frustration I scrapped all the low volume/frequency stuff and switched to split-body part routines using multiple different exercises per body-part and training each muscle group in 4 - 5 day intervals. Although I did stay with HIT (one set to failure). Over the past several years, according to body comp measures, I have gained nearly 15 pounds of lean body weight and am significantly more muscular in appearance — something I never achieved from SS or your methods.
How do you account for this? Your methods and claims make sense on paper and seem all scientific, but don’t comport with reality.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Joseph
15/11/09
One arm row 50 lbs- 59 secs each arm
Overhead DB Press 20 lbs p/h- 57 secs
Split Squat 25 lbs p/h- 48 secs each leg
DB Bench Press 40 lbs p/h- 58 secs
DB Squat Lift 55 lbs p/h- 48 secs
Elapsed time 11mins 30 seconds
Great book guys! My wife and I have been training our clients using HIT, her since 1982 and myself since 1977. I’ve had a great deal of success with once a week training (for clients willing to work hard). Thanks for puting some more “science” behind the method. Keep up the great work.
Sunday 1/11/09 with John Wood as trainer, now in my almost 9th year with him
Leg Curl - Nautilus 2nd G
Calf flexion - Nautilus 2ST leg press and manually resisted: I am recovering from a Grade III right ankle sprain
Nitro vertical chest press
MedX Pulldown
Lumbar Extension - MedX superslow systems modified
MedX abdominals
No idea what the weights are; hell, weights are not the resistance anyway. I work on each exercise till I can’t anymore - period - end of story.
Protocol is 2″positive/10″negative/ 10″ rest
Age: 70 yrs. 8 mos
Height 5′7″
Wgt (today) 168.6
Body Fat% (today 5 point manual) 9.9%
Blood Pressure (today at 0930) S 118; D 80; HR 64
Not bad for an old fart
tony
My gym is on west 78th street Alex. Give a call anytime 212 579-9320. I’ll give you a comp session!
Dr. McGuff, could you give me any info. on buying your books in bulk(for clients) Also, do your seminar rates for travel listed at UE still apply? Thanks in advance, Chris.
I’ve been on a 2-3 days per week, ultra-breif split for a while. This seems to work best for me.
Today I veered off schedule a little because I was missin the overhead press.
Here’s today’s workout…
Weighted Chins +25 lbs 3 reps 1:13
MedX Overhead Press 400 3 reps 1:04
Barbell Squat
Lumbar extension nautilus
chin-up
dip
DB pullover
Pulldown
Pec Deck
Incline press DB
DL
Congradulations on the book. I look forward to reading it.
Today:
Squats on squat box with Nautilus multi-exercise machine
Adductors
Dips
Overhead
Biceps
Negative chins
Leg raise/negative situps
Calf raises
Rotary torso
14:30 - This workout a few but most not to failure. I didn’t want that “run over by a truck” feeling either.
Dr McGuff,
Congratulations on the this enormous accomplishment!
I was wondering how you think a workout of Neck/Forearms and maybe lumbar extension done on a second day of the week would effect recovery?
Thank you for everything.
Al
To all “WOW” posters. Thanks for posting your workouts. They all look great and demonstrate the myriad ways in which a rational HIT protocol can be applied. To new readers, these WOW’s are largely from practitioners who have trained for a vary long time, and who have found variations that produce best results that are likely most congruent with their own genotype as discussed in Chapter 8 of BBS (The Genetic Factor). In the future, we will try to accomodate pics and videos of WOW’s.
Joseph’s question above is an example of how important genetic variation can be. I have found that a basic routine as outlined in BBS works well for me and most clients. There is a subset of trainees in the HIT community who have similar experience as Joseph. This is probably accounted for by certain genetic variations (such as interleukin 15, myosin light chain kinase, and alpha actinin-3) discussed in Chapter 8. There appear to be some subjects that under certain protocols express strength increases through more effective actin/myosin binding or neurological rate coding rather than hypertrophy, but when a different rep cadence, volume etc are employed (while still HIT by most standards), then size increases become evident. This is why it is important to develop theories based on emperic observation of a general population, but to not become too “married” to that theory. Nasim Taleb (author of The Black Swan) points out that if one can’t swim and is planning on crossing a river that is on average 4 feet deep, that would seem very reassuring. But if that 4 foot average is because the river is 2 feet deep everywhere except the middle 20 yards which is 12 feet deep…then the poor slob will still drown.
This is why having access to an experienced HIT trainer can be so valuable, and is why we are trying to build a list of recommended trainers. I commend you on your willingness to experiment and persist until you found the best protocol for you.
Doug McGuff, MD
Anthony,
Your WOW and stats are very impressive and inpirational. “Old Fart” does not apply to you. If we take age in terms of what Art Devany (www.arthurdevany.com) calls “physiologic headroom” (the difference between the most you can do and the least you can do)the you are actually very youthful…in your prime by physiologic standards.
Al- Doing a session for small groups a second day of the week can work well. The key (as you know) is to keep a close eye on records. If you are getting stronger and are still spending more days above the baseline than you are below the baseline then it is fine for as long as that holds true.
Leo-The rationale for putting legs last is to decrease the risk for exercise-induced headaches in new clients. Once you are well conditioned, or if you have done Leg press fist without problems, then it is fine to start with Leg Press or any other large lower body movement.
Doug McGuff, MD
The following routine, using one set of slow reps, helped me to successfully lose over 130lb of fat:
Leg Press
Chest Press
Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Biceps Curl
Abdominal Crunch
nautilus pullover
pulldown
nautilus lowback
leg press on compound leg
all nautilus are retrofit
Saturday 17th Jan
Leg Extension N/A Superset
Leg Press
Decline Press UR+ Reduce weight= normal reps
Hammer pulldown ( as decline press)
Nautilus O.Press
Partial deadlifts in rack
Just finished second “best of best” workout and did this with a webcam and Alex Fee, giving me a little extra motivation, as I always push a little harder with a good training partner.
Alex, thanks very much… you know your stuff!
Did not track reps and tul as diligently as usual, which is fine, as style was different so main thing is that I knew darn well when I was finished and puffing like a steam engine that I had a good workout to say the least…
Here is my best guess of reps and tul
Nautilus Leg Press 13 reps with 270 and 2 forced reps full range of motion and 90 seconds
Nautilus Pullover 6 or 7 reps with 160, full range of motion, with a good 2 or 3 second pause in contracted position, about 60 seconds
min or 2 rest
Nautilus Leg Press Ultimate Rep with 230, 10 sec. pos, 10 sec static and 30 sec neg and then 4 or 5 partials at bottom, and I think I did some middle and top… Alex?
Nautilus Pullover 140 lbs, jreps 777 guessing about 45 seconds
min or 2 rest
Leg Extension 105 lbs, ultimate rep and some bottom partials, about 70 seconds
min rest
Lateral Raises 15 lbs, jreps 777 about 50 to 60 seconds
min rest
Dips with 15 lbs + body weight, ultimate rep, and 1 or 2 negatives
min rest
Chins, bw, jreps 777, sloppy at the middle and bottom, running out of gas at this point…
min restp
Dips negative only bw, 6 reps, then after some rest pause, I think 1 more…
min rest
Chins neg only bw, 5 or 6, then after some rest pause 1 or 2 more…
Remains to be seen if this and previous is too much volume….
I am visiting Ryan Lee at One to One Fitness in Nova Scotia next Monday for a full body routine…. and am planning to do, I believe one set of Chins on Monday, total 60 tul, and then one set of Dips on Wednesday and some quad supersets for a total of 5 min tul, and then Friday one set of biceps curls for 60 sec tul…. too much? progress will tell?
I did some more posing for camera, if anyone is interested… today’s weight is 173.2, so after going up over 178 after last week’s cheat day, being strict on diet…(3400 calories, with 225 pro, 450 ch and 55 fat) all weak, I’ve gone down, so video should give you idea of leanness/muscle gain.
http://www.photobucket.com
userid s153015
password dietdoc
Poses are pretty sloppy as I was really out of gas after workout….
Best to all….
“be the hero of your own life”
Rick
Wed 14th
Bent Row 1×10 20sec rest pause 1×3
DB bench 1×8 20sec rest pause 1×2
Sun 18th
Split Squat 1×10 20sec rest pause 1×3 each leg.
I prefer to do a split as I train at home and it allows me to spend less time and energy changing weights, I also feel a brief split like this facilitates recovery better than doing a full workout once a week.
January 18, 2009
MedX Chest Press - 2 reps followed by 2 forced reps.
MedX Avenger Row - 2 reps followed by 2 forced reps
MedX Avenger Leg Press - 3 reps followed by 2 forced reps. 1 minute rest - followed by 2 more reps followed by 2 forced reps.
Total workout time 9 minutes, followed by 15 minutes on the floor.
1/18/09 WOW w/ John Wood. 2″ Postive/10″ Negative/10″ Rest
dorsi/plantar flexion Nitro XPLoad - right ankle rehab 2′TUL
manually resisted inversion/eversion R and L ankles - right ankle rehab - about 8 reps each direction.
Leg Extension Hammer Strength MTS 125# each leg done concurrently to concentric failure about 5 reps
Overhead Press MedX 260# TCF about 5 reps
Compound Row Medx 340# TCF about 5 reps
Nautilus Nitro decline Pecfly 185# TCF about 5 reps
MedX Rotary torso (newest model) ?weight 2″ TCF left/ 1:45 TCF right
Mild “bonk” post exercise
Weight AM 169.2 Body Fat 10.8 BP: Systolic 118; Diastolic 79; HR 62
Nautilus Prone Leg Curl
Medx Leg Extension
TRU - SQUAT
Life Fitness Leg Press
Nautilus Nitro Pullover
TRU BICEP PULL
Deep Range Bar Pushups
14:38