Traditionally, most bodybuilding and strength training routines emphasized volume training or long hours in the gym. But in the 1970s, Arthur Jones, an entrepreneur and inventor known for Nautilus strength-training machines, popularized High-Intensity Training (HIT workouts), believing it should replace regular volume training.
HIT is a strength training exercise that focuses on reducing long hours in the gym, reducing the frequency by working a particular muscle just once per week, and doing weight training slowly to the point of momentary muscle fatigue — until you can’t lift anymore.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that HIT and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) are different. HIIT doesn’t usually involve weight lifting; it’s a cardio workout with short intervals of explosive aerobic exercises followed by recovery periods until you become exhausted. HIT and HIIT require all-out exertion, but HIT focuses on building muscles and training strength, while HIIT doesn’t.
This article explores the origin of HIT, its benefits, HIT exercise recommendations, and the downsides of HIT exercises.
The Colorado Experiment: Arthur’s journey to gain muscle
Arthur Allen Jones was the founder of Nautilus, Inc. and MedX, Inc. and the inventor of the Nautilus exercise machines, including the Nautilus pullover, which was first sold in 1970. Jones was a pioneer in the field of physical exercise, such as weight and strength training.
Jones was an eccentric individual with an interest in a wide variety of things, including exercise. He noticed that people, mainly bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, focused on volume training or exercising as much as their bodies could tolerate — and doing so 6 or 7 days a week. However, he believed instead of spending hours in the gym, people could have the same results by training harder for shorter periods.
This idea came to him after watching his pet gorilla do one-arm pull-ups. He concluded that animals are always in great shape without exerting too much because they do their “exercises” in short but intense bursts.
So according to him, your muscles could benefit more from intense exercise followed by sufficient rest. To prove this theory, Jones created an experiment that would come to be called the Colorado Experiment.
In 1973, Jones and bodybuilder Casey Viator trained exclusively using Jones’ equipment and methods for 28 days. He wanted to see how much muscle they would gain in only 14 sessions and show the results to the world. Also, Casey Viator was prohibited from using steroids during this period.
Jones paired with Colorado State University to make his studies legitimate, which earned the whole experiment scientifically. The two men were measured meticulously before, during, and after their experiment.
After 28 days, Jones had lost 1.82 pounds (0.83 kg) of fat and gained 15.44 pounds (7 kg) of muscle. However, Viator had transformed completely by losing 17.93 pounds (8.13 kg) of fat and increasing his body weight by 45.28 pounds (20.54 kg). This means he had gained 63 pounds (28.58 kg) of muscle in just 28 days. More interestingly, his arms grew by 2 inches and his chest by 5 inches.
Understanding High-Intensity Training (HIT)
As mentioned, the critical principle of HIT workouts is focusing on quality instead of quantity. Besides Jones, other proponents of this type of exercise include Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates. Mentzer won the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding title in 1979, while Yates went on to win this title from 1992 to 1997.
First, HIT workouts recommend training for muscle failure (and sometimes beyond momentary muscle failure). This means training until your muscles can’t lift the weight anymore.
“A set is properly finished only when additional movement is utterly impossible — curl until you can’t even begin to bend your arms, squat until you can’t start from the low position, press until you can’t move the bar away from your shoulders or your chest,” Jones wrote in his Nautilus Bulletin.
However, they believed doing this for many hours would be counterproductive. So the second principle is to perform a low number of sets per exercise or body part. Jones and Yates believe that just one intense set stimulates muscle growth.
Lastly, you should train with a low frequency, meaning you do very few workouts per week (maybe three days every week). For instance, Viator, Yates, and Mentzer showed that people can gain muscles and strength with variations of HIT.
Benefits of HIT for muscle growth and fitness
One of the top advantages of HIT is time. Most people don’t have the time to spend two to three hours in the gym daily. But with HIT, you only need to work out a few days per week with intermittent resting days.
Another benefit is that you will be incentivized to make it count if you only need to do one or two sets for each body part. As Dorian Yates says, you must focus on quality and excellent technique for each repetition (rep) you do.
HIT also focuses on recovery. Some exercise every day of the week, adding more stuff to their training regimen, which may lead to injuries or be counterproductive. But with HIT, you get time to recover before returning to the gym.
Also, HIT requires you to log all your exercises instead of just training randomly. This helps you track your progress and reminds you of your goal whenever you hit the gym.
Lastly, HIT is fun because every set is an incredible experience. Unlike volume training, where you would do many sets with several reps, HIT requires one or two sets in slow motion. It may be done slowly, but HIT is intense, yet safe.
Best HIT exercise and workout recommendations
Usually, a HIT strength training workout consists of 7-8 exercises per session. You can adjust this depending on your goals, if you have any injuries, or the number of days you want to exercise per week.
In theory, you can hit all the major muscles in just four exercises:
- Chest press (pectoral, shoulders, and triceps)
- Leg press (glutes, calves, and quadriceps)
- Leg curl (hamstrings)
- Lat pulldowns(abs, biceps, and lats)
However, you can add more exercise to hit minor muscles. These include bicep curl, tricep extension, leg extension, hip abduction, compound row, and abdominal machine. Remember, HIT exercises should only be 20 minutes; if you do more than that, it means they aren’t intense enough.
How to incorporate HIT into your fitness routine
HIT can be a great addition to your workout routine to build muscles and increase strength. It is excellent for beginners who want to ease into strength training or muscle building before doing volume workouts.
You can begin by doing the four major muscle exercises mentioned above for the first few sessions. You can then introduce the other exercise slowly. For example, if you did lat pulldowns for abs, biceps, abs, and lats, you can specialize in biceps by doing the preacher curl. If you want to focus on your abs entirely, you can hit the abdominal machine.
Remember, HIT is a sprint, not a marathon. So ensure you do intense workouts for shorter periods.
Downsides of HIT
We’ve seen HIT’s benefits, but what are the downsides of HIT? First, the Colorado Experiment was controversial and is being questioned five decades later. Arthur Jones was a salesman, and to ensure they had the most significant gains, they intentionally cut their weight before the experiment.
For instance, Viator, a bodybuilder, had lost 53 pounds (24 kgs) before the experiment through rigorous dieting for six weeks. You probably know that people who have been muscular before will regain their muscles faster than a person starting from zero. That’s why we see incredible results in Viator’s results after the experiment and average results in Jones’ results, who had also intentionally lost weight before the experiment.
Validity of the Colorado Experiment aside, if your goal is to build muscles or increase strength, it may not be possible to do that by doing less than five sets per week. You may develop major muscles with HIT exercises, but it’s difficult for most people to build minor muscles.
Another downside is that you won’t see maximum muscle growth by training each muscle once per week. Some people must train specific muscles twice or thrice weekly to see the best results.
Lastly, training to fatigue (and beyond) may not be sustainable in the long run for most people. The intensity and fatigue may be too much for some people.
In closing
While the Colorado Experiment has been questioned, HIT workouts can be great for strength-building and muscle growth. It’s excellent for beginners, people prone to injuries, and those who want to take a break from volume training without losing their gains.
However, ensure that you use it with other training modes for maximum muscle growth and strength.
