HIT Digest #175

Tuesday, July 21, 1998 19:49:09

This digest contains the following messages:

#1. Athletic Training - from Andrew M. Baye
#2. more on Val Salva - from Andrew M. Baye
#3. Re: Yehoshua Zohar's comments on HIT, SS, and Plyometrics - from Andrew M. Baye
#4. Vertical Jump - from MOOSEBACH@aol.com
#5. Lethal Weapon 4 - from Andrew M. Baye
#6. Son of Squat questions Fred Hahn's questions - from Mark S. Shotts
#7. 19-Nor - from BenchMasta@aol.com
#8. Supraventricular tachycardia - from =?ISO-8859-1?Q?S=F6derg=E5rd_Rolf?=
#9. RE: Snap, crackle, pop - from William Lucke
#10. Training the HIT way - Sharing personal experience - from Gad C.

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#1. Athletic Training - from Andrew M. Baye
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Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 20:50:22 -0400 From: "Andrew M. Baye" <drewbaye@gdi.net> Subject: Athletic Training In regards to the question in the last HIT digest on combining HIT and athletic training: If you are going to compete in a particular sport, then you have to practice the necessary skills and if it is a team sport, practice the plays. While this may not be ideal from a physical conditioning standpoint, it is absolutely necessary for best performance in your chosen sport. As any advanced martial artist can readily attest, in many instances one's skill is a far more important factor than their physical conditioning. Also, the whole purpose of strength training is to enhance our physical abilities and improve our resistance to injury so that we may better enjoy such activities as sports. While they may cut into your recovery ability somewhat, that's hardly a reason not to perform activities which you enjoy. What's the point of conditioning your body if you never make any use of it? You need to figure out what your priorities are. If you're only concerned with becoming as strong and as muscular as possible and don't mind not doing other things that you might enjoy, then don't do anything during your recovery periods between workouts. Personally, I don't think one should allow their training to control their life. It should be something to improve it. For example, if you were to discover that frequent vigorous sexual activity was cutting into your recovery ability and slowing your progress, would you quit having sex for another pound or so of muscle per month? What for? So that you can go to the beach with your slightly more heavily muscled body to pick up women who's intimate company you won't be able to enjoy anyways for fear of a decrease in progress? !@#$! that! Andrew M. Baye The SuperSlow Exercise Guild, Inc http://www.superslow.com

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#2. more on Val Salva - from Andrew M. Baye
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Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 20:53:10 -0400 From: "Andrew M. Baye" <drewbaye@gdi.net> Subject: more on Val Salva "You can no more easily avoid doing a Valsalva maneuver while lifting than avoid having your neck veins remain flaccid while lifting" Yes, you can avoid performing Val Salva during exercise if you are breathing properly. Just don't hold your breath. Andrew M. Baye The SuperSlow Exercise Guild, Inc http://www.superslow.com

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#3. Re: Yehoshua Zohar's comments on HIT, SS, and Plyometrics - from Andrew M. Baye
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Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 21:07:03 -0400 From: "Andrew M. Baye" <drewbaye@gdi.net> Subject: Re: Yehoshua Zohar's comments on HIT, SS, and Plyometrics "1) The term intensity is not scientific. It is subjective. There is no equation for intensity." While common usage of the term tends to be vague reference to muscular effort, we are now able to define it as Intensity = Inroad/Time, due to the advances in testing equipment by MedX "3) Super Slow: I can't accept their basic premise that cardio work is detrimental. One SS w/o a week to stay in shape ? Sounds like fantasty to me and I don't care how intense it is. I want to see one of these trainees play a little soccer. He would be gasping for breath after a few minutes !" There are a few misunderstandings here. We do not believe that cardio work is detrimental. Strength training IS cardio work. What we are trying to get across is that aerobics and steady state activities are not a relatively effective, safe or time efficient means of improving the cardiovascular system, or any other aspect of physical conditioning. There are many SuperSlow trainees who compete in endurance events, some of whom have achieved their best times using SS and a significantly REDUCED frequency of their skill training. Doug McGuff, MD is writing a book on high intensity strength training that discusses this in detail and explains why the whole "aerobics" concept is wrong, and how HIT is more effective for improving every aspect of metabolic conditioning. I do not know when this book will be available, but I have read one of the chapters and it is some pretty incredible stuff. "5) Plyometrics: I can't understand how anyone can say that they don't work ! Every jumper uses them in his training. The point is this: plyometrics may be potentially dangerous. Therefore why use them if you are not a competitve jumper, basketball/volleyball player, etc. ?" No, plyometrics does not work, if by work you mean conditioning the stretch reflex. It actually does the opposite. It deconditions it. Like other similar reflexes. Dr. McGuff explained this in detail in his presentation at the last SS convention. I have this on tape, and will be transcribing it for an upcoming issue of The SuperSlow Exercise Standard. If you poke at someone's eye long enough, eventually they stop blinking. Also, it's kind of hard to jump when you've destroyed your knees, ankles and spine and have torn up everything in between. Andrew M. Baye The SuperSlow Exercise Guild, Inc http://www.superslow.com

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#4. Vertical Jump - from MOOSEBACH@aol.com
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Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:00:13 EDT From: MOOSEBACH@aol.com Subject: Vertical Jump I have read a lot about hit / superslow training and the word is plyometrics are not to be done at any time. I'm currently training my 15 year daughter for highschool sports basketball, volleyball and track and field. She has been weightlifting using a 4/4 12 to 15 rep workout. So far she is making good progress. My question is how is she to train to increase her vertical jump if plyometrics are not to be used?

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#5. Lethal Weapon 4 - from Andrew M. Baye
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Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:06:09 -0400 From: "Andrew M. Baye" <drewbaye@gdi.net> Subject: Lethal Weapon 4 I know that movie reviews are Rob's forte', but I saw Lethal Weapon 4 this weekend and have to recommend it. If you liked the first 3, you'll absolutely love this one. Some of Mel Gibson's neighbors are HITers, so this is kinda relevant. Andrew M. Baye The SuperSlow Exercise Guild, Inc http://www.superslow.com

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#6. Son of Squat questions Fred Hahn's questions - from Mark S. Shotts
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Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:14:08 -0400 From: "Mark S. Shotts" <mshotts@cantv.net> Subject: Son of Squat questions Fred Hahn's questions Fred Hatfield II stated in HIT digest #174, "So... Let me ask some questions: Where is the scientific evidence that states that training to failure is necessary? Why is it that when HITer’s plateau, they say simply take a week off or try different reps or sets, yet they blast periodization (which is what THAT is!)?" First of all, most HITters would never entertain changing the amount of sets performed. One would suffice. Secondly, whether a HITter changes his rep scheme or TUL for any or all of his exercises, MOST HITters, still would take each and every exercise to at least concentric failure which hardly compares to periodization where the main idea is to rollercoaster with intensity. This further goes to demonstrate that there seems to be this lack communication between HITters and non-HITters as to what intensity means. I seem to get this idea from non-HITters that intensity means how close they come to their 1RM percentage-wise whether they go to failure or not, whereas for us HITters it means some form of muscular failure regardless of 1RM percentages. A good example is that of an SS workout where one might only use 40 to 50% of 1RM- but if you do an SS workout, you'll have first hand knowledge of what intensity means, regardless of which camp you belong to!!!!! Lastly, as to why a HITter takes a week off is because he recognizes that a plateau is evidence of overtraining. The main principle of HIT is to regulate Volume, Frequency, and Intensity. So by taking a week off we merely regulate frequency in order to allow sufficient recovery time from a state of overtraining- which again has nothing to do with periodization, which would probably call for something referred to as "active rest" instead taking off the required amount of time for a much needed rest.

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#7. 19-Nor - from BenchMasta@aol.com
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Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 03:45:38 EDT From: BenchMasta@aol.com Subject: 19-Nor Hey everybody, I recently got an e-mail from Certified Sports Nutrition about a new product called 19-Nor. Probably all you other AOL users got it too. It's supposed to be a legal, safe, and proven way to gain muscle mass and get cut. It was compared to the steroid Deca in the e-mail. I was wondering if anybody else heard anything about this drug, maybe some studies or research. It seemed good in the e-mail, but well, everything sounds good in the e-mails. If proven to work, I think this could be a good product. Just put all your comments on the Digest. ~Mike~

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#8. Supraventricular tachycardia - from =?ISO-8859-1?Q?S=F6derg=E5rd_Rolf?=
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Date: 20 Jul 98 15:19:15 +0200 From: "=?ISO-8859-1?Q?S=F6derg=E5rd_Rolf?=" <rolf.sodergard@mmm.fi> Subject: Supraventricular tachycardia On the subject of supraventricural tachycardia (Eric Witte, digest #174). If SVT is that when your heart pumps really fast but sort of weak, I have that sometimes (haven't had for six months, though). It typically happens in the gym when I move some dumbbells for a couple of metres or the like. I bend over to grab the dumbbells, lift them closer to a bench or whatever and put them back down. When I get up, my heart goes nuts, clocking in about 150-170 BPM. One question: I usually wait for a few minutes, trying to just relax, and usually the SVT goes away. Sometimes it lasts for a couple of hours, though. Now, I've never been a quitter in the gym, so if the condition doesn't seem to go away quickly, I just finish my workout despite the damn thing. Of course, when your heart rate is 170 to begin with, you have to lower the intensity. I do what I can though. Am I being a deathwish here? Rolle

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#9. RE: Snap, crackle, pop - from William Lucke
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Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 08:52:16 -0400 From: "William Lucke" <wlucke@vt.edu> Subject: RE: Snap, crackle, pop Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:35:11 -0500 (CDT) From: lylemcd@onr.com (Lyle McDonald) Subject: Snap, crackle, pop >Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 07:51:10 -0400 >From: "William Lucke" <wlucke@vt.edu> >Subject: RE: HIT Digest #170 > >Questions: >What is the physiological mechanism by which joints pop (not a joke; I am >genuinely curious)? It's a release of trapped gas inside the joint. >Is it "bad" when ones joints pop? Not just major pops either, small snaps >and crackles such as occur when one is warming up and bends ones knees cold. My general feeling is that, as long as there is no pain, it's not a problem. It's normal to see some joint degeneration with age (called crepitus) which contributes to this kind of crackeling. Lyle McDonald, CSCS Back to the classics: And then the bartender says 'Hey buddy, that's not a mallard.' Gas released from what structures? Gas produced by what process? It's normal to see some joint degeneration with age... I'll be nineteen (19) in three weeks. Does the fact that my knees crackle now warrant worry (apprehension? concern? awareness?) about the future condition of these joints? Thanks for your response! BTW: if it's not a mallard, what is it? -------------------- 11 -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 01:25:06 PDT From: "Rexford Semrad" <rexandmarion@hotmail.com> Subject: Bench Press ....Even though my strength has increased tremendously in every other exercise, by bench press just doesn't budge. I even go 3 weeks at times with a one rep increase! I have tried benching first, last, or in the middle of the workout. I have tried high and low rep schemes. And I have used moderate to super slow rep speeds. What do I need to do? I have tried different form too, but my arms seem to do all the work and my pecks stay tiny! Can anybody help me? Rexford Semrad It is hard to advise knowing as little as I do about your problem, and possessing limited experience, however, I will do my best. Are you concerned more with your bench press weights, or with pectoral development? My thinking is that if bench pressing is not working, stop benching and try something else; that is, if you can bring yourself to give up benching for a while. I, myself, do not do flat bench presses. I do incline benches, or incline flyes, depending on what equipment is available in my time of immediate need. I do this because my upper pecs are a bit shallow. However, the bulk of fatigue/soreness that I get from working chest comes from a set of dips immediately following my set of incline work: as many positive reps as I can followed by fifteen to twenty negative only reps. This one set of incline work followed by one set of dips works very well for me: I have gained ten pounds in the last four weeks, while my bodyfat has decreased, and my pecs have become noticeably larger. I hope you can profit from these ideas. -------------------- 12 -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 18:20:29 +0300 From: "Y. Zohar" <zoharyz@netvision.net.il> Subject: Re: HIT stuff 3) Super Slow: I can't accept their basic premise that cardio work is detrimental. One SS w/o a week to stay in shape ? Sounds like fantasty to me and I don't care how intense it is. I want to see one of these trainees play a little soccer. He would be gasping for breath after a few minutes ! I totally agree that intense cardio (Interval training, Tabata, etc.) is necessary, however, I disagree that someone who lifts weights intensely as his only form of conditioning will be in horrible cardiovascular shape. Pure weightlifters can be in acceptable cardiovascular condition, however they will probably not e in excellent cardiovascular condition. I apologize for not responding to you last message to me. My computer experienced WSDS (Windows Sudden Death Syndrome) and in the resulting reinstall/program shuffle/total hard drive reorganization your email and all previous messages that I had gotten from anyone were lost. Sincerely William H Lucke IV (There goes my spell checker again)

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#10. Training the HIT way - Sharing personal experience - from Gad C.
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Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 17:12:30 -0700 From: "Gad C." <gadco@inter.net.il> Subject: Training the HIT way - Sharing personal experience Hi HITers, I have recently heard about the HIT approach to strength training.. As a newcomer to the world of strength training, I was ordered by the trainers at the local gym where I workout, to train 3-5 sets/exercise x 2 exercises for each body part! The above mentioned took me 2.5-3 hours per training session (which I was ordered to follow 4 times a week - split training). Well, I was very tired - but as to strength, not much improve. Then I heard about the HIT approach (I have read the HIT FAQ ver.1 - great stuff IMHO). It seemed to me very coherent, very logic, and very sane, so I decided to try it for 6 weeks. After only 3 weeks I was amazed - I almost doubled my strength in all body parts.I increased weight and/or reps every training session. It sure works for me! Best Regards, Gad

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