The New High Intensity Training by Ellington Darden
You know a book that promises you can add up to 18 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks on the cover is hardcore. Those familiar with the Bowflex Body Plan, may pick up this book thinking it's a sequel. In same way it is--the New High Intensity Training lays out a path to take your training program (and your body) to the next level--but this book is definitely not about the Bowflex. I don't think Bowflex is mentioned once. However, you can absolutely take the high intensity training principles defined by Dr. Darden here and use them on your Bowflex. In truth, using the Bowflex makes a lot of sense since it allows you to do exercises to muscle failure without a spotter (pushing yourself to failure is a key part of this kind of training and is described in depth in the book).
If you're considering purchasing this book, you should know High Intensity Training is not for the weak of heart. It's extremely effective and extremely efficient, but it's very tough, too! If you have the willpower to stick with it, though, you can build some serious bulk. This book absolutely tells you everything you need to do in order to be successful, and it's only your own level of dedication that can hold you back. The one thing that makes it appealing, however, is when you realize it's not about putting in 3 hours a day at the gym 6 days a week. High Intensity Training is about, well, intensity. Intensity as in you work so hard your arms and legs feel like they've been utterly destroyed, but you may end up working out a lot less than you are currently (and you'll see better results). The one key thing the book drills into you is that it's about working harder not about working more.
The New High Intensity Training Book is divided into 6 parts, each with a few chapters. It contains both black and white photos and text-filled pages of information. There are 250 pages in all, and the book definitely makes you feel like you got your money's worth. Here's a short break-down of what's contained in the various parts:
Part I: The Emergence of High-Intensity Training
As you can probably guess, this chapter offers a background on high intensity training (HIT). Since Darden has been around the bodybuilding scene for a long time, he is able to relay first-hand how the industry has changed over the years and how the concepts of HIT have evolved.
Part II: HITs from the Past
This section starts out with a chapter called "How HIT humbled Schwarzenegger." There are a lot of stories about bodybuilders of the past who tried these principles (and those who just weren't into it). It makes good bedtime reading, but if you're impatient to get started, you can save a lot of it for later and jump to the next parts of the book. There is a very interesting section in here though that tells you how to size up your genetic potential for muscle sized based on the length of your tendons vs. muscle beds.
Part III: HIT Principles, Exercises, and Routines
The tagline at the beginning of this section reads "HIT is grounded in the concept that working the lower body takes precedence over the upper body." Interesting considering how much of us focus on pecs, biceps, and shoulders, and do less with the lower body. But when you think about it, the muscles in the lower body are bigger than the muscles in the upper body and there's a lot of potential for growth there. Early in the first chapter in this section, Darden writes, "I can summarize HIT in nine words: Do as many repetitions as possible...in good form." He goes on to explain methods for doing this, defining intensity and correct form. For example, he says stopping at an arbitrary number, i. e. 3 sets of 10 or some such, doesn't guarantee growth, especially if you're not reaching muscle failure. If you read nothing else in this book, read pages 83-85 because they talk about proper form. I thought I knew something about bodybuilding but some of the stuff on when or where to pause (or not pause as the case may be) on the various exercises was new information to me. One of the other key concepts in this section is, "It's important to remember that as you get stronger, you must do less overall exercise to continue to get stronger...your recovery ability does not increase in proportion to your ability to get stronger." So, basically, Darden recommends only working out 3 or even 2 times a week if you're doing high intensity training. These are whole body workouts rather than the splits that are so common.
Hm, that got a little long for a review. Anyway, the second half of this section is devoted to the basics. It tells you which machines/lifts in the gym work the best for mutli-jointed and single-jointed exercises, and offers tips and pictures showing how to do them best. Basic HIT routines are provided.
Part IV: Specialized HIT Routines
Just as it sounds like, this part offers more advanced routines. After about 9 months, Darden says you can expect your muscle growth to slow, so the point of these routines is to shock your muscles into new growth by mixing things up and surprising them with time-tested techniques. The nice part of all these routines is that it takes all the guesswork out of crafting a routine. You can just copy what Darden says to do in the book. For people who have been lifting a long time, you may find the HIT routines surprisingly (refreshingly) simple. For those new to serious lifting, you'll be relieved to have all the uncertainty taken out of it. All you have to do is follow the routines, work to your potential, and pay attention to keeping proper form.
Part V: Body Transformation: A 6-Month HIT Course for Explosive Growth
The chapters in this section offer information to get you started on losing body fat, if that is your goal, and putting on mass. There's a chapter dedicated to Creatine incase you've been thinking of adding that or other supplements but haven't been sure how to get started.
Part VI: HIT Questions, Answers, and Trends
This section is kind of a combination FAQ and reflection area. It also addresses and shoots down various criticisms that have been leveled at high intensity training programs.
Overall, this is a great book. It debunks a lot of the ineffective quasi-information out there and gives you the facts from a guy who knows enough and is experienced enough that you instinctively trust him. Darden keeps it interesting, too, by sharing short stories based on his own experiences. My only complaint about the New High Intensity Training , and it's a minor one, is that it would have been nice to have color photos. While the black and white ones are clear and detailed, glossy color photos are always nice. Still, for a book you can find for under $20, it's not a bad deal at all. I highly recommend the New High Intensity Training Book for anyone who is serious about packing on the muscle.