Insights: Lifelong Learning, Wellness, High-Intensity Training, and “Body By Science” by Dr. Doug McGuff
Last modified 2 weeks, 2 days ago.
After reading Body By Science by Dr. Doug McGuff and John Little, I eventually jumped into low-force, high-intensity training (HIT) full steam. I was even fortunate enough to work with personal trainer Gary Anger over in Altamonte Springs, Florida, for about five months.
HIT is a great system to know. Moreso, Body By Science is a masterpiece.
It’s the one book about exercise and physical conditioning that I recommend to almost everyone.
The Question & Answer Book is also great if you’re so inclined to geek out.
Together, the two books cost about $65. That’s about six-hundred pages of writing that would benefit you far more than what most personal trainers provide for thousands of dollars more. If you read ten pages per day, you would be done in two months. Two months that would change your health, fitness… and life, for the better.
I gave low-force HIT my best effort for years. Given my age, stress levels (work, school, and life), genetics, and resources, I am quite happy with the progress I made, too. It was great to chart my progress and see myself improve week after week.
Eventually, though, especially after my last deep dive into HIT, I realized it does not provide the conditioning and endurance that I need.
I especially noticed that when I was at work and ran quickly up five or six flights of stairs. I got to the top and felt gassed. That’s not something I like to experience.
Resistance training could not do everything for me that I needed to be at my best. I needed to do sprinting and interval exercise.
I also realized I had been missing out on much of the wellness benefits of exercise, too. When I started running intervals again, I remembered why I loved exercise so much. Yes, I am weary of what it might do to my joints. But I am not training for a marathon or overdoing it (IMHO). Also, I use a treadmill on an incline for most of the interval work or a nice hill (thanks, New England). The incline will spare your joints.
And damn it, I feel great!
For me, running intervals is an amazing wellness tool. (Hill sprints, where have you been all these years?) High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT, with two “I’s”), IMHO, builds conditioning and endurance capacity far better than a resistance-training circuit. The program in Body By Science is a great starting point. But eventually, you are going to have to customize. After tracking your progress and seeing how your genetics and nourishment respond to the book’s program, you’ll be able to plot your next training seasons.
I’m glad I invested in personal training for a few years at two HIT facilities in the greater Orlando area. (I also did a few phone consultations with Dr. McGuff, as well). The time spent with Coach Anger was especially helpful. For one, because I saw how the program allowed me to make progress week after week consistently. Secondly, I could see that I got about all that I could from that training system. I didn’t have to second guess myself.
Now I am developing a workbook largely inspired by Body By Science. However, I do diverge philosophically from several stances in the book.
For one, I don’t believe machines should be emphasized, especially for athletes. If you stick to machines too long, your muscles are going to be more imbalanced than a celebrity’s personality. Also, even training on the best machines that money could buy (with modifications by Ken Hutchins), I began to develop joint pain and irritation that the coaches could not remedy or explain. When I stopped using the machines, and went back to using free weights, the pain subsided (although some of the damage in my knees still lingers).
Afterwards, when I went to do even just bodyweight squats, I felt like I had no pop or work capacity. Yes, I had built up to several hundreds of pounds on the leg press, moving the sled back and forth for as much as three minutes! That’s a long time under tension! But it didn’t translate well outside of the gym.
When you give the machine all the responsibility to hold you in place (stabilize), the price is lost functionality for your everyday life.
For people who would otherwise never exercise intensely ("couch potatoes"), machine-based, low-force HIT likely will be miraculous. But that’s not me. I’m not an uncoordinated disdainer of exercise. I’m a fitness enthusiast with decent genetics, as well as athleticism.
Plus, I want to avoid equipment dependence and have a robust exercise program. A dumbbell is pretty much the same anywhere I go. But what do I do if I do not have access to the recommended machines, like MedX or Nautilus? I am not always being personally trained, which is usually the only way to get access to that equipment. (That's if it’s even within a 30-mile radius). It’s one more reason for me to stick to a basic equipment setup.
What did I learn after using “Body By Science” and doing HIT?
- I decided to use cable machines, free weights (dumbbells mainly), and bodyweight exercises and resistance.
- I also do not do resistance-training exercises back to back anymore (“circuit training”). I do not mind how grueling circuit training is. In fact, I love pushing myself through that. But I find that the quality of exercise diminishes too much by even the third exercise. I rest at least 2-3 minutes between multi-joint exercises (“compound movements”) when resistance training. I move a little quicker between single-joint exercises (“isolation movements”). I take my time.
- I do interval training regularly. I probably will for the rest of my life. Right now I am doing hill-sprint intervals. I think the benefits far outweigh some of the drawbacks, which I try to mitigate through managing the exercise volume and frequency, anyway. One day, I may need to switch to a rowing machine and Ski Erg, like Clarence Bass does, though.
- Eventually, athletes will have to make similar adjustments to the HIT paradigm/book recommendations. Machine-dominant training is inadequate for athletes for transferable strength development, as well as endurance capacity and conditioning.
The contents of this post are my (respectful) opinion.
As much as I try to study, educate myself, and most importantly, practice and apply what I know, I am not an exercise scientist or expert. I am a fitness enthusiast, as well as an expert training partner. I am sharing with you the best of what I know given my own understandings and experience.
Again, Body By Science is a masterpiece. Most books on health & fitness just do not come even close to its insightfulness. It was especially wise that Dr. McGuff teamed up with John Little to get the book done, because the writing is very clear, concise, and enjoyable. It’s highly-recommended reading!
Give the program in the book a shot. Find a competent trainer to help you. At worst, you’ll have an exercise method that allows you to maintain your fitness when you are tight on time. At best, you could make some substantial gains in strength and musculature.
And if you’re going through the book and feel stuck, email me. I should be able to point you in the right direction.