A High Intensity Training (HIT) Manifesto: Rational Strength Training

February 14, 2008

Rational Strength Training: Principles & Casebook (Bodyworx, 1999) is a high intensity training (HIT) manifesto by three very smart people who have seen the light and want to spread the word.

The authors, Kevin R. Fontaine, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Brian D. Johnston, founder and president of the International Association of Resistance Trainers (IART), and Greg Bradley-Popovich, M.S., a doctor of physical therapy student at Creighton University, have written perhaps the most complete and definitive book on brief, hard and infrequent weight training since Arthur Jones’ Nautilus Training Principles Bulletins set the iron game on its ear in the early ’70s.

They have attempted to bring science and rationality to bear on a field rife with anecdotal evidence and commercialism, and they have succeeded to a laudable degree.

If you haven’t read the works of Arthur Jones, Mike Mentzer, Ellington Darden and other HIT proponents - most people probably haven’t - you’ll enjoy and benefit from Kevin Fontaine’s clear presentation of the fundamentals of HIT, or “rational strength training” as the authors call it. Even if you’ve read it all, you’ll find it worthwhile to review the basic principles: intensity, overload, volume, frequency and specificity.

Dr. Fontaine ends chapter one with a challenge to readers: “Think for yourself and determine whether or not we have supported our statements…with logical…arguments that do not rely on arbitrary hunches, ill-defined terminology, or leaps of faith.” I encourage you to accept the challenge.

This 120 page book is no ordinary reference. Here you will find step by step procedures to determine the ideal measure of exercise, a detailed look at the fitness industry and periodization research, how to prepare for longevity in strength training, the mechanism behind growth, relationships of fundamental principles, irrational strength training methods, an overview of physics and what the laws state about proper and safe exercise, and more.

The Blind Leading the Blind

Muscle magazines, fitness books, and the Internet are doing a fine job of confusing millions of individuals. What you have is advice given by those with unusual genetics who can thrive on nearly any program, steroid users, and academics who (for the most part) don’t even exercise, or partake in exercise casually at best. The worst part is that the information is inconsistent and sometimes contradictory… not only among the expert sources, but even among themselves! Understanding fundamental principles of exercise, and how they relate to one another is key.

Periodization or Equivocation?

An example of irrationality is periodization. Yes, exercise needs to be cycled in demands for optimum results, but the direction that Western periodizationalists employ is fraught with errors. Five researchers looked at studies from the past two decades and they concluded that periodization, with its high volume and sometimes complicated programming, is no better than traditional brief, intense exercise performed for a fraction of the time.

How Much Exercise Is Required?

To discover an ideal measure of exercise, one must look at the big picture objectively. A person would not begin with 20 sets for a muscle, but the least amount possible or that seems reasonable and slowly build up. A person would not arbitrarily perform a certain number of repetitions, but take into consideration movement cadence and overall tension time relative to a muscle’s response to exercise. A person would then need to determine an appropriate rate of frequency relative to exercise volume, and these two factors would need to take into account intensity of effort. Observing patterns from one workout to the next then would indicate if the total measure needs to increase, stay the same or possibly decrease. That is Rational Strength Training and that is what you learn in this book.

Click here for Table of Contents and FREE excerpts and sample chapters (PDF file)

Click here to purchase this book.

Recent Articles

Free Newsletter

Sign up for the free Daily newsletter, filled with tips and ideas on health, fitness, weight loss, supplements, and more. Your email address will be kept confidential and won't be shared. Easily unsubscribe at any time.

If you enjoy the free information available on this site, you're sure to enjoy the free newsletter as well: