High-intensity training: how and why to train for maximal gain
High-intensity training; how you can guarantee growth, a literature review and ethical framework for resistance training
You go to the gym. You work out lifting weights for months, maybe years. You see an unsatisfactory level of progress and feel a little dimmed down, angry, hopeless perhaps. Here is your path to growth, your training guide and recommendations based on the review of scientific literature regarding the subject. You can also see the ethical framework behind the training ethos employed by the two traditions of Islam and Stoicism, giving some perspective and context as to why some choose to train.
We must start with the definition of resistance training: it involves training with weights, kettlebells, bands or bodyweight, or any external load.
Resistance training is, by definition, an anaerobic activity; it does not include low-intensity, long-duration style processes. It does not have an endurance component which is present in aerobic training such as running.
Resistance training is geared towards developing muscular size and speed. It is correctly defined as high-intensity, short-duration activity. While it may be appropriate or feasible to train aerobically three or more times a week, think of running tri-weekly or daily. This differs from resistance training sessions, which correctly follow the pursuit of increased muscular size and speed. Compare a heavy-lifting, intense leg session in the gym to a brisk walk or jog.
So, onto the scientific literature, what does it tell us? How does it recommend you should train?
We first examine a paper by Fisher et al. (2013). This article reviews the current literature available and is akin to a meta-analysis. It highlights the following, namely that “evidence supports that persons should train to the highest intensity of effort, thus recruiting as many motor units and muscle fibres as possible, self-selecting a load and repetition range, and performing single sets for each exercise.” The critical phrase here is “highest intensity of effort.” This is more firmly expressed by Fisher et al. (2013), they assert that “it is the sequential recruitment of muscle fibres and training to momentary muscular failure that stimulates hypertrophic response rather than the load being lifted or repetition duration used.” Moreover they conclude on the key finding; “recruiting as many motor units as possible through training to momentary muscular failure appears optimal for muscular hypertrophy.”
The key takeaways from this article are:
Training to the highest intensity recruits the most motor units when lifting
The way to guarantee this highest intensity of effort is to train till momentary muscular failure
This is optimal for gains (muscular hypertrophy).
To elicit the best stimulus for muscular hypertrophy, a single set to momentary muscular failure at any rep range and load is required.
Secondly, we can examine a recent meta-analysis paper from Schoenfield et al. (2017), which found a “tendency for greater growth when using higher intensities.” Moreover, this protocol becomes even more necessary with trained individuals as the more demanding workout guarantees stimulus for muscular hypertrophy. This can be used with other protocols to create a more challenging workout and create a significant stimulus for gains.
From this article, the main applications you can apply are the following:
Higher-intensity training is critical for trained individuals
This can be combined with protocols such as partials at the end of the set, isometric holds, and time under tension to make for more demanding workouts.
Thirdly, we answer the question: is the highest intensity effort, i.e. momentary muscular failure, necessary to produce increased muscle strength and gains (muscular hypertrophy)? The answer is as follows: it depends. We take the following paper by Nobreja et al.(2016) as the answer. An untrained individual may elicit similar results from low-intensity resistance training. For trained individuals, “evidence shows greater increases in muscle strength after HI-RT performed to muscle failure compared to no failure.” Training for muscular failure is necessary for promoting “maximal increases in muscle strength when performed by strength-trained individuals.”
You can make applications to your training as follows:
Training till muscular failure is not necessary for untrained individuals
Training till muscular failure is maximal for strength gains for both groups; it is necessary for trained individuals as there are no longer any “newbie gains.”
From the above, we can conclude the following:
Training till momentary muscular failure, i.e. with the highest intensity of effort, is advantageous, especially in trained individuals; it produces maximal increases in strength and is optimal for gains (muscular hypertrophy).
This can be combined with other protocols, like partial reps and drop sets, to elicit a more demanding workout for more advanced lifters.
It is easier to calculate than the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) since it involves no guesswork.
Going further past the best training method, we examine why we train in the first place. I shall offer this impetus through the lens of the Islamic framework and a second lens of Stoicism (a trending school of philosophy resonating with young adults today), highlighting connections between the two and the ethical impetus that training gifts.
We take the Kantian definition of “categorical imperative,” which is an objective, rationally necessary, and unconditional principle that underpins every moral law. The converse is also true; immoral acts, such as abusing the body and health through drugs, unhealthy eating, etc., are irrational, conditional, and subjective.
In Islam, the third and final of the Abrahamic faiths and the religion of an estimated two billion inhabitants, there is a categorical imperative to train and honour one’s health and body as they are seen as gifts from God. Muslims see themselves as stewards of their bodies and, in turn, their mental and physical health. Training intensely and building muscle to increase strength, bone health and ligament strength, as well as cardiovascular health, realises this imperative.
Moreover, there is the hadith, or saying of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him [pbuh]), which highlights the need for strong (physically, mentally and spiritually) believers in Islam and combines this with the axiom to control one’s thoughts and not let self-worry come into play. The lengthy passage is as follows:
“A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don’t say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your” if” opens the (gate) for the Satan.”
The above passage highlights the need for mental, spiritual and physical fortitude in Islam. It is also vital to consider not just the personal imperative to train fortitude, which training intensely grants, but also how this affects responsibilities from the personal to the social fields. In essence, training fortitude as an individual imperative leads to the development of a community which is also strong in mind, body and spirit.
From the individual perspective, being of a healthy mind, body and spirit fortifies and allows the individual to better fulfil their duties. The five pillars of Islam are inextricably tied to the health of body, mind and soul. The responsibilities of salah (five daily prayers), sawm (fasting) and hajj (the pilgrimage to Makkah) all benefit from a robust and healthy body, mind and soul. Moreover, it makes acts of worship easier on oneself, as the training allows one to develop both the mindset (motivation and discipline) and the physical body to efficiently complete and exert oneself in all personal, social and political duties.
Stoicism is a philosophical school of thought highlighting the need to keep physically fit to assist best with mentally exercising through discussions and essays on social sciences. Indeed, the famous Greek philosopher Socrates, not typically regarded as Stoic but highlighting the significance of physical fitness, remarked, “No man has the right to be an amateur in physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without witnessing the strength of which his body is capable.”
Stoicism’s main tenets revolve around the central practice of mindfulness, clarity of vision, and direction. It recognises and affirms that our emotions, whilst playing significant influences in our lives, are not the ultimate arbiters of our decisions. As Thomas Pierce says, “To be a Stoic is not to be emotionless, but to remain unaffected by your emotions.”
Stoicism also applied this consistency to the realm of physical training. For the Stoic, it is essential to maintain a balance between working out physically and working out mentally.
Seneca recommends many of the exercises that are still present today:
“There are short and simple exercises that will tire the body without undue delay and save what needs especially close accounting for time. There is running, swinging weights about and jumping — either high-jumping or long-jumping or the kind indulged in by the priests of Mars, if one may so describe it, or to be rather more disrespectful, by the laundress. Pick out any of these for ease and straightforwardness. But whatever you do, return from body to mind very soon.”
As Seneca remarks, “But whatever you do, return from body to mind very soon”. This mastery over the body does result in the mastery of the mind. When taking into account discipline, motivation and wellness produced by working out. The physical pursuit should not overbear the mental pursuit; each has a place and time.
This imperative is here from a less emphatic point of view and is more concerned with implementing it as a routine of life. Seneca’s reminder strikes a balance between mental activity and effort and physical activity and effort; the two go hand in hand and support each other.
Regarding similarities between the two schools of philosophical thought, it is clear that both emphasise an individual imperative to train to best protect society at large.
Stoicism realises this by reminding us that it is a daily habit of the soldier and that one should not become overbearing in one’s time or effort. Islam recognises this as it creates a community based on individuals who can easily take on responsibilities through the mental and physical benefits of training, especially high-intensity resistance training and building mental toughness.
For both the Stoic and the Muslim, physical exercise imbues participants with the gifts of mental toughness and physical readiness to carry out their duties as a complete, moral, and upstanding citizen. It is wise to pursue physical training in the most optimal way, the high-intensity way.