The New High Intensity Training : The Best Muscle-Building System You've Never Tried

Rating:
Summary: Darden can be trusted
Review: Another winner for Darden, this is about his 42nd book, each one of them worth reading. He gets impossible results in his studies, but I believe them. He has convinced me, High Intensity Training works.

I also liked his history lessons from bodybuilding nearly 40 years ago. Get this book.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book. The best I have seen on the subject.
Review: Dr. Darden clearly knows what he is talking about. More than that, however, the book is a moving tribute to a mentor (Arthur Jones) from a student (Ellington Darden). That may have not been the intention, but the respect that Dr. Darden shows Mr. Jones is evident throughout the book. I didn't expect that at all, and was pleasantly surprised to see such a recognized expert acknowledge the contributions of a major figure in his life.

I felt that when I read the information in the book that I was reading what the author truly felt, not just some re-worked adaptation of old ideas for a new audience. Though the methods described in the book aren't new, the story of how they evolved has never been explained as well. It adds to the authenticity of the information.

Very well done, Dr. Darden.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new about this training program
Review: Half the book is devoted to stories about the Arthur Jones (Nautilus founder) and the author. The description of exercises is cursory and lacking in proper biomechanical instruction. The rountines are appropriate only in the short term, they must be supplemented with High Volume Training. There is far too much emphasis on the accomplishments of competitive bodybuilders who use steroids to achieve their massive size. A failed attempt to bring HIT training back into the gyms.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: i haven't even finished reading this book and i am already so excited about it i can barely put the book down to take a pee.
i wish i stumbled upon this information a few years ago but better late than never right?!
id love to just hang out and learn from the guys in this book, the information and the way it is presented so far is absolutley captivating.
It's got me psyched and ready to try it myself to see whether or not i have what it takes to do a set of barbell curls the "outright hard work" way and puke my freakin guts out!!!

Rating:
Summary: Not really new
Review: I think I've read every single book Ellington Darden has written, and there really isn't anything "new" in this book. I preface this review saying that I credit Darden with helping me realize over 20 years ago that "less is more" and I do thank him for that. The general principles he has espoused - "train less, work harder" - have definitely helped me over the years.

However, I'm a little put off by the book description here where it states: "there still are no major HIT books in stores". Really? This is really a putdown of the other authors who have written excellent HIT books. For example, "Maximize your Training", by Matt Brzycki, contains advice from the most prominent HIT advocates in the world including Dr. Ken Leistner, Dr. Ted Lambrinides and a plethora of other strength coaches and other strength training experts.

I'm also surprised that when he mentions internet resources he makes no mention of the most popular HIT site on the web - Cyberpump. Where's he been?

But back to this book. I really enjoyed the historical parts that I had never read before. In my opinion, however, the author goes into a bit too much detail about Arthur Jones' non-training endeavours. Perhaps this interests others, but not me.

As far as the training advice goes, I couldn't find a single piece of advice - excluding the part on creatine which I'll get to - which hasn't been published in one of Darden's previous books. The "NTF" (Not-To-Failure) workouts are detailed in his Nautilus book back in the 1980s. In my opinion, they are completely unnecessary. If you haven't recovered from your workouts, you don't need to go back to the gym for a "maintenance" workout. Just rest.

I'm also taken aback by the advice given on creatine. First, Darden has always pointed out over the years that bodybuilding supplements being peddled don't have any real scientific backing. But now he condones creatine which has scientific evidence both pro and con. It's inconclusive. There are several prominent strength training authorities who feel that creatine is probably a waste of money, and can have some dangerous side effects including muscle cramping and dehydration.

Here's a quote from Mark Asanovich, coach of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars discussing the use of studies that shed a positive light on the use of creatine by athletes:

"You have to take a look at the paper trail," he says. "It's skewed. Small numbers (of test subjects) were used ... and it tested football players, who were told that at the end of the study, they'd be given a free can of Creatine."

I'm also surprised at the dosages Darden recommends. They are quite high. In my opinion, this is not good advice at all and certainly not healthy.

Back to the training routines. Every "advanced" specialization routine can be found in one of Darden's previous books. Absolutely nothing new. I would also add that in my opinion some of these routines are far too much for the average trainee to handle. It's not so easy to go to "regular" concentric failure. I thought Darden points this out with his anecdote on how you're not working "hard" on a set of curls unless you end up on the floor afterwards and/or vomit. So then how likely is it that a trainee can work to failure on THREE exercises back-to-back with no rest? You'll have to lower the intensity if you know that you're doing three exercises back to back. Only very advanced and well-conditioned trainees can do three HARD sets back to back, and be able to tolerate (and recover from) that kind of intensity.

Then there are the usual claims that Darden makes about gaining an unbelievable amount of muscle mass in a very short period of time.

I will only say this. The ONLY circumstances you can gain extremely large amounts of muscle mass in a very short period of time (weeks) is any combination of:

1. you are regaining lost muscle mass (like Casey Viator in the "Colorado Experiment")
2. you take steroids
3. you have been following a training regime that is stupid and useless (muscle magazine nonsense), you are overtrained, and now you start doing proper training for the first time.
4. you've never trained before.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

I agree with the general principles that Darden espouses - I strongly believe in HIT - and these are very valuable. If I had never read any other book by Darden before, perhaps I'd up my rating by one star. I hope his advice moves the trainee away from pursuing the useless high-volume routines that the muscle magazines peddle.

This is an okay book. It's a pretty easy read, and the general principles are good, with the exception to his advice on nutrition and some of the "advanced" specialization routines.

However, if you compare this book to the other HIT books out there, it falls short. This book is a fun read, and no harm in getting it, especially for the stories about the old-timers. There isn't any training advice that's "new".

If you aren't a strength training book collector, then I think your money would be better spent on the following:

"Maximize Your Training", compilation by Matt Brzycki which includes chapters on application of HIT to Powerlifting (no other HIT book has this that I know of). This book is good for understanding the "why" and the "how" of HIT.

"Beyond Brawn", Stuart McRobert. This book is excellent because it's all practical advice - it's incredible the detail the author went into.

"The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique", also by Stuart McRobert. There is NO better book on there on exercise description and performance.

The HIT FAQ on the Cyberpump web page is also being updated shortly.

Good luck with your training!
e

Rating:
Summary: NEW ???
Review: OVER THE YEARS I HAVE READ MOST OF MR. DARDEN'S OTHER BOOKS ( I PREFER NOT TO USE THE TERM "DR." AS I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE RESERVED FOR THE MEDICAL PROFESSION). I CAN FIND VIRTUALLY NOTHING "NEW" IN THIS BOOK. I ALSO FOUND IT A BIT STRANGE THAT IN THE PHOTOS ACCOMPANYING THE EXCERSISE DESCRIPTIONS SUCH OLD FASHIONED LOOKING EQUIPMENT WAS USED.MY ADVICE IS TO INVEST YOUR MONEY IN "HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING" BY JOHN PHILBIN AND/ OR "MAXIMIZE YOUR TRAINING" BY MATT BRYZCKI (SIC?).

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Since i've been weightlifting since high school and had read other high intensity training articles by guys like Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates, I thought I already had a firm grasp on the principles; do a couple of sets to failure for one or two exercises per muscle group and then go home and eat and sleep. This new book by Dr. Darden completely set me straight. Using pictures, hints and tips, and outlined ABBREVIATED routines for beginning through advanced trainees, Dr. Darden puts onto paper an exercise philosophy of ONE set per exercise using slow controlled repetitions (not the out of control throw the weights fashion you see so much) that appears simple but is downright hard work..the kind that grows real muscle. I am absolutely ecstatic to see what kind of gains I make using the programs. The chapters explaining the history of HIT and it's founder Arthur Jones are priceless.
An outstanding book!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it but disagreed on some minor points
Review: There is a common more-is-better philosophy that permeates American thought. It spills over from everything including money to bodybuilding. The common popular training approach in bodybuilding is more sets+more reps=bigger muscles. Well anyone who is familiar with High Intensity Training realizes the idea that a muscle only has to be stimulated to maximal effort during one set and allowed to rest in order to grow. As you read the book you'll come into contact with the writing and thoughts of Arthur Jones who was perhaps the first person to start expounding on H.I.T. concepts. This philosophy just makes rational sense and is fascinating to read about. I don't know you'll find anything "new" in this book but Darden certainly does a nice job of tying everything together and comparing this shorter but harder more intense type of training with the usual longer lower-intensity high volume training.

One area I got annoyed with was Darden's implication that very few people can develop BIG muscular growth. He seems to think most all of us are limited by lack of genetic potential to get a really big physique. One of his methods of determining this is to have a subject measure the gap between his flexed bicep and his elbow joint. If you have a 2-inch gap for instance you have very poor genetic potential. This is a bogus method of assessing muscular potential. Obviously the already big guys are going to have less of a gap since their arms are already filled out. If you were to look at Dorian Yates or Markus Ruhl before each of them started training you may have assumed they had little potential as well. However, we know the kind of mass both of these men eventually added to their frames.

Anyhow, the rest of the book reads nicely with some bodybuilding history, illustrations of exercises and sample HIT routines to try for the beginner, intermediate or advanced athlete. There's a little discussion on nutrition but not much. At the very end there is a little question and answer section, which is helpful to gaining a better understanding of some of the book's ideas. I recommend it to people who think they know it all...to expand their minds a bit and open up to achieving more of their muscle-building potential.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read for wannabe HITters (esp. new to Darden)
Review: This book is a fascinating and informative read, especially for those who are new to Darden's books.
It gives the interesting history about the evolution of Nautilus and HIT, and this part is an exciting read.

The reader must not be discouraged by the muscle growth potential calculations that Dr. Darden gives. He clearly states that, it is not science and his own experience. Also, in a later chapter towards the end of the book, he states that most of the lifters can grow their arm size up to 16 or 17 inches.
I believe this is more than adequate for a drug-free person!

Eventhough the exercises are explained mainly with dumbells and barbells, the promise that is made on the cover makes the intention clear: make gains either in the gym or HOME.
It is also useful for someone, who trains at home and doesn't have access to modern equipment. People who have access to modern equipment can substitute similar variants (for example, TRU-SQUAT instead of barbell squat).

The routines are little too much for the average/hard gainer. For the beginner this is fine, at least for a short while. Once the workouts become maximum efforts, it is difficult to make gains on routines with 10 or even 8 exercises, thrice/twice a week.

However, the six month plan that Dr. Darden lays out is brilliant. It clears lots of confusions that a beginner would have.

I wish he stressed the point that one would gain better if trained less as the intensity increases, and the phases go towards advanced (twice a week or better thrice every two weeks) more clearly.

Of the 255 pages, roughly 75 pages are dedicated for the history of HIT and Arthur Jones. This is one third of the book, and is reasonable. One must know the evolution and other necessary background information, to understand the HIT training philosophy better.

Overall, this is one of the best books that I've read.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new
Review: This book is about 40% biography of Arthur Jones, about 40% autobiography and only about 15% training-related. The other 5% is devoted to some very questionable nutritional advice. The training advice is tried and true - nothing really new there. I am a believer in HIT methods, but a bit incredulous of some of the claims made in this book. One thing I was happy with was the fact that the HIT plans the author outlines use primarily free weights. This was a little surprising to me since most of the book is devoted to praising Nautilus equipment. Still, it is a decent reference for learning of the early days of modern bodybuilding from someone who was there.