The Most Important Exercise (Few people do anymore)

I like to begin each gym workout by doing light breathing pullovers lying on a bench — which used to be the key exercise in the ’50s and ’60s “Golden Era” of bodybuilding — producing those impressive chest to waist differentials through ribcage expansion — as well as midsection minimization. It was such a key movement, that Arthur Jones made it the prototype to demonstrate his Nautilus principles in action. His second machine, was the hip and back machine, which did not catch on in popularity — even though it was for the hip girdle muscles, as much as the pullover was for the shoulder girdle muscles — in his objective to work the maximum number of muscles as well as the largest of the body — with these two basic movements and machines.

Every other machine and movement was much less effective in its impact — because it was either redundant, or more specialized and isolating. And in the case of the neck, forearms, and calves, he felt that no machines in the Nautilus mode were necessary — because the standard mode of performance and resistance could not be improved on. What he, as well as most gym athletes failed to appreciate, was that those levers of the human body are activated and developed not so much by resistance as they are by the range of movement — inversely related to resistance. Because of that, most people lifting heavy weights, never move at their wrists, hands and neck — and even come to believe as many do, that such joints should not be articulated (moved) — because they cannot move under heavy resistance, or would be injurious to do so.

Such extremities were evolved (designed) optimally for range of motion — rather than lifting heavy loads as their primary purpose. That is the reason that the most impressive development of these muscles at the extremities are usually exhibited by the ballet dancers and gymnasts — who have unparalleled development of such movements and that musculature/functioning. That is usually the difference between the outstanding performer and the novice — who doesn’t exhibit such mastery out to their very fingertips. Those are people obviously born with high body intelligence and are usually recognized very early in life as prodigies of movement — which no amount of training can duplicate. So in many countries that appreciate those qualities, they can spot such talents in a roomful of youngsters and only train those who will greatly benefit by such guidance.

Every other society does that to some extent — because they recognize certain qualities as more desirable than others, and that life is not just a random crapshoot in which the normal have as much chance of winning as the “gifted” in that field or specialty. They don’t start off equal, and they don’t end up equal — which is the proper understanding of life and all its activities and outcomes. But that is not to say that nothing can be done — and those advantages are inevitable and inviolable.

The exercise that seems to make the most difference in leveling the playing field for most — is the breathing exercise which is best exemplified by the pullover done lying on a bench with either a light dumbbell or barbell — with either bent or straight arms — for at least 50 repetitions. That was the transformative movement that turned many puny weaklings into bodybuilding champions — in this golden era in which those taking up exercise with this modality were invariably successful beyond their wildest hopes. That was fairly typical of the results one could expect as a weight trainee of that time — but not so much anymore, when the wrong things are given greater emphasis and importance.

It was the importance and practice of breathing — and not merely the increase and monitoring of the heart rate that produced the greatest difference in exercisers. In fact, the pullover is hardly ever taught anymore as even one of the necessary exercises — while many much less and even unproductive movements are promoted as the must-do exercises — the usual being the bench press, squat and deadlift. And if that were not bad enough, done with dangerously heavy weights.

Meanwhile, the most productive exercise ever performed, is shunned because one cannot lift as heavy weights — or should. But proper deep breathing alone would probably be transformative to most people — for a very good reason. First off, they need to breathe only through the nose, and let the movement of air in and out of their body happen because the volume of the chest capacity is maximized and minimized by the natural action of the pullover movement — with a very nominal weight that serves mainly as a focal point. There is no other exercise or movement that comes close to duplicating that dedication to that objective and effectiveness. It is essentially the “breathing exercise” — and as such, makes all subsequent exercises much more productive — done in that same manner — with that attention to the breathing as the essential muscle contraction powering all the others.

In fact, properly done, every other muscle contraction and effort, merely “rides” the breathing contraction — and that is the proper cadence for sustaining any prolonged effort. That is the “flow” one wants to get into, which becomes conditioned so that one need not give conscious attention to in doing most other things. It should be automatic — because of this essential conditioning. 

The opposite of this are the mouth-breathers who force air in and out of their bodies — and deliberately make a conscious effort of even breathing, which adds to their workload diverting attention from the effortless flow. And so they are desperately trying to catch their breath — even in walking, talking and sleeping.  

It is so basic and essential that it is so easy to overlook -- as the most important thing we have to do in life.  Many ancient wisdoms have made it the foundation of their healthy practices.  This is how we practice better breathing by just the attention to it -- and all subsequent efforts become more productive.

Recovery from Exercise

 Physiologists say there are 600-800 muscles in the human body -- so in order to work every muscle individually would be prohibitive -- and require one to exercise virtually every waking moment -- unless they can find a way to work many muscles at a time, which is an easy thing to do when one realizes that muscles are organized into pathways or meridians in which energy flows.  Some of the ancient adepts called it "chi" or "prana" indicating the vital life force.  Centuries later, it would be called "circulation," which for all practical purposes, are the same thing.

Life is funny in that way: the same thing can be called by different names as though they were different things -- rather than the same thing called and described in different ways -- as it more accurately is.  Such differences are rooted in language itself, and not whether it is a higher or lower understanding of that phenomenon.  But once we are clear on what we are talking about, we can evolve even higher levels of understanding of what we are talking about, otherwise, one opinion (explanation) is as good as any other.

In these discussions, it is possible to go in two different ways: the simpler, or the vastly more complex -- and endless discussion so that one never gets around to acting on it.  Or having the simplest understanding, and immediately acting on it, and being guided by that outcome as to what to do next.  In other words, one does not begin with a conclusion -- but is a discovery of the truth along the way.  Most of life prefers this way -- learning by trial and error, or doing -- rather than thinking one knows what they doing, and finding out at the end, that one had no idea what they were doing.  That is the difference between success and failure -- and of course, disappointment.

"Exercise" has always been the exercise of one's understanding, and not just the mindless repetition of what some higher authority says is good for you -- without rhyme nor reason.  The value of exercise has been to enhance and even optimize the circulatory effect -- to best do what a body needs to do.  For a few, that might be to lift the heaviest weight -- but for most, it is to sustain their effort for as long as it takes -- and not to fail prematurely or unexpectedly.  Under dire circumstances, maybe that is what they would have to do -- but not if they can avoid it, as a last, desperate resort.

Instead, they would prefer to have plenty in reserve at all times -- uncertain as we all are, of exactly where the "finish line" is, or the music stops.  That is true for all the aspects of our lives -- health, finances, jobs, relationships, or contests -- or if we choose to condition ourselves for such extremes, it is done sparingly and under controlled circumstances in which even the recovery is planned for.  It is not enough just to work oneself until utter exhaustion and even death -- thinking that whatever doesn't kill them makes them stronger.  They might not recover -- but go into a lifelong downward spiral to the end.

That is particularly a problem with prolonged modern lives.  Everyone would be perfectly happy to live a hundred years in perfectly good health -- but that is usually not the case.  Thus far, it may even be unprecedented.  So then, who will be the first?  Obviously, recovery and recovery ability plays a big role in that actualization.

As far as I've been able to determine, performing the exercise through the full range of motion from contraction to relaxation -- without a load (resistance) speeds the recovery from the inflammation brought about my overload training.  Such a performance is what used to be called "muscle control," by the pioneers of modern day bodybuilding -- like Eugen Sandow himself -- generally considered the "father of modern bodybuilding."  But he was notably unique in that he trained with heavy weights, light weights, and no weights at all, and attributed each for his outstanding development.  Each in his mind, was equally valid, and allowed everyone to self-select the course of instruction that suited them best.

It is only in recent times that most are convinced that lifting the most weight is the most productive -- and the exercises in which one can lift the most weight, have become the most popular -- even though they are largely unproductive for most.  They can simply lift the most weight in the deadlift, squat and bench press -- but whether they are the most productive exercises for bodybuilding and health, is another matter entirely.  And particularly worth pondering because they are likely to be the most injurious exercises to perform because of the heavy weights.  

That is in distinct contrast to achieving a superior muscular contraction and relaxation -- with no weight at all -- because there is no resistance to prevent it.  That would be similar to the peak muscle contractions achieved by competitive bodybuilders -- whose downside is that they never learn to master the muscular relaxation phase of it -- and thus are always hypertense.  Hypertension is a big problem in the population at large -- and doesn't need to be exacerbated by maintaining that state all the time.  That is in fact the major occupational hazard of being a competitive bodybuilder -- as opposed to the bodybuilders who do it purely to achieve their best health -- which includes the ability to relax as well.

But the critical factor in such movements is not the weight or resistance -- but the attainment of the fullest contraction and the fullest relaxation that produces the pumping effect that reduces the inflammation (swelling) by enhancing this flow -- that can be achieved and effected by just knowing in what position the articulation must be.  That is how easy, effective, productive exercise can be -- at all times, and under any conditions, and especially in recovering from more strenuous exercise that produces extreme muscle soreness that gets worse without this active recovery process.

Intensity and Resistance

 Usually when we speak of resistance, that is referring to a mass outside the body, which can be moved measurably — including the body mass itself. In fact, many people’s idea of exercise is to move the body itself — before adding further resistance. However, the really important part of movement, is the movement happening within the body itself — which is the circulation, or circulatory effect that enables one to perform a movement, and more importantly, sustain such effort to accomplish some task.

It’s rarely the case that one accomplishes anything with one burst of power — and then no further effort. Those incidents are largely involved in the destruction of something — rather than the making of it. Building something requires time and effort — while great things can be destroyed in a millisecond. But then all one has is a lot of broken pieces, while the objective of most work and effort, is to build something out of nothing — over time. That is the work of man — whether building a structure, or their own bodies, health, and well-being.

Such edifices can last a lifetime — while “one and done” is dependent on how much one started out with — to last very long. If one hasn’t first build up that reserve, then there is no well to go to — and one is constantly in search of a new source, and exhausting oneself each day in that way. Thus the practicality of building up one’s reserves — so that they are readily available at the right opportunities — or the need for survival. But rather than exist only in perpetual survival mode, one wishes to have a little extra, and if possible, a lot extra — to better take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. That begins with one’s health and fitness — or readiness to respond to the challenges of their own existence — as the basic equipment they always have with them.

Naturally, it would make a lot of sense if that did not require a lot of equipment, nutrients and other resources to carry around with them — to access those inner reserves — by the body’s own design. That is the function of the circulatory system and effect. It gets those resources to where they need to be — to be most useful and productive. In primitive times and conditions, the daily movements required for survival ensured people stayed in the best health for what they had to do. But in contemporary life and times, there is little one actually needs to do to ensure that survival, and so a lot of people become unfit — simply because they can.

In earlier and less prosperous times, societies could not support such unproductive individuals, and so it just didn’t happen — not if any individual could help it. But with the growth of societies and civilizations, it became possible to support most people in abundance, and prosperity if they managed that abundance well, and wisely. Life became a little more complex — because it afforded most with that luxury. However, such wealth can be frittered away if not valued and managed properly for optimal results.

One might simply waste as much time, energy and resources as the thing to do — thinking that is all to do in life. And so their exercises and activities will reflect that wasting of capacity rather than the building of those reserves toward a greater life. Predictably, their measure is only how many calories they “burn” — as though that is all — and not the possibility that it is to build the body for greater capacities than it started out with. Most are aware of such possibilities, but think that it is only possible with great sacrifice of time, energy and resources — rather than how the body would prefer to be — and was designed for.

All animals are similarly designed in that way — unless their movements and activities are distorted and constrained. In humans, certain movements naturally produce muscle contractions — which are the triggers for blood flow to increase in that way. That is the effect of use, or exercise — specifically to produce a maximal contraction that expels fluids out, and upon relaxation, reload because of the space (vacuum) created by that expansion. — allowing the heart to easily fill those areas with its reliable pumping. All the muscles of the body work in this simple way: There is a position in which it must be fully contracted, and another position in which it must be fully relaxed, and those are the important positions — and NOT the resistance in going from one position to the other.

The body doesn’t care about the resistance in going from one extreme to the other. In that way, it is similar to the operation of a computer. The computer only recognizes if a switch is open or closed — and how it gets from one extreme to the other is irrelevant. But that is what most people concern themselves with — the resistance in getting to the extremes, and so never get there. Getting to those extremes, is what is required in increasing the range of motion (movement). Instead, the tendency is to shorten the range of movement — while adding more resistance — whether that is bodyweight, free weights, machines, angle, difficulty, etc.

The problem is that one selects a resistance that is determined by the most weight one can handle in the pre-contracted position — rather than the proper weight determined by the pre-stretched position — and thus never gets into the super-contracted or super-relaxed positions indicative of the greatest range of that possibility. That can be achieved not by resistance — but in knowing what the extreme ranges of that muscle expression are. That was what I observed when I studied the Nautilus machines that featured “variable resistance throughout the full range of movement.” The range of movement itself, was the greatest resistance — moving in either direction.

This is particularly helpful to note in people with limited range of movement — which is virtually everybody — but obscured with the preoccupation of “resistance” used — while the range of the movement varies greatly from one person to another — so as to be virtually meaningless. That is true of all the exercises usually performed and seen in a gym — further exacerbated by overly long rest intervals, so as to render most workouts predictably unproductive. Some are more obvious than others — such as talking or scrolling on their smart phones for 90% of their gym time. Very rarely does one witness a person actually working out the entirety of their gym session — but if one does, that is usually the best conditioned person in the gym.

But it is not enough just to do a limited range movement like the treadmill or stationary bike — in which there is no articulation of the neck, wrists and ankles — indicative of people only working their heart harder and faster, with the resulting atrophied and emaciated look of “cardio” exercisers throughout the rest of their musculature. Sensibly, they should be doing light resistance weight training without rest as all the cardio they need — while achieving total muscular failure/exhaustion in an hour. I’ve never seen that program fail to produce impressive outcomes with each and every workout — no matter what the level of previous training and experience.

That quality of workout can be done only once a week — while simulating those movements without weights the rest of the week — to obviate the muscle soreness that might linger the rest of the week. What is generally called a “high-intensity” workout uses heavy weights for a small number of repetitions — that produces cardiovascular failure rather than true muscle failure, because the weight restricts the breathing by compressing the chest — while the heart rate exceeds the safe levels under that duress. So everything about that manner of performance and exercise is telling the trainee to stop or they will suffer extreme adverse effects — and not that whatever doesn’t kill them, will make them invulnerable. Life doesn’t work that way.

Rethinking Exercise

 The major difference between high-intensity training (HIT) and low-intensity training (LIT) is that HIT cannot be sustained for very long, which requires a rest (Interval) making it HIIT. Low-intensity exercise does not require one to have to take a rest break at frequent intervals — but is exercise that can be sustained and prolonged indefinitely — like a cross-country bike ride. That person would not require a rest break every ten minutes — or they’d never get anywhere. But the high-intensity effort can usually not be sustained for very long because it usually means holding one’s breath for a maximal effort — which makes it anaerobic — or done without breathing.

The internal pressures involved with such maximal efforts are what causes a lot of damage and premature deaths among such highly-motivated athletes — like the proverbial “John Henry” who thought he could outrace a steam engine. Many of the “World’s Strongest Men,” also succumb to such stresses and retire quite young from such competitions, as well as many bodybuilders — including the Arnolds and the Ronnies. It is not that the spirit is not willing, but the body accumulates all these past traumas — and rather than becoming infinitely stronger, it inevitably takes a toll. That is not likely to be the case with low-intensity training — in which one can go on indefinitely — and so the body is telling you something in that.

However, just because one can sustain an activity indefinitely, is no guarantee that it will be productive enough to produce muscle growth and enhanced functioning. So one is aiming for that sweet spot at which one can sustain muscle growth and improved functioning for the rest of their lives — rather than the brief moment of glory followed by a lifetime in decline — which is the case in many former champions.

It may be that they suffer a few injuries along the way that makes no longer all-out efforts possible, and they’d be happy just to rehabilitate those injuries so they could resume a life without pain and disabilities — and that is the far superior role of lower-intensity but also productive exercise — which almost every highly-competitive athlete comes around to — but unfortunately, know no other way to train and exercise but the all-out to the next injury style.

At this point, many just give up and abandon exercise completely — or come back for high-intensity training that forces a prolonged rest, burnout and/or injury — before becoming completely discouraged. Their conditioning has been that they either have to force themselves beyond their limits each and every workout, or it is a waste of time to do anything less. But the less can be more — if it can be sustained over an entire lifetime, and I thing that is the paradigm people want — but are usually not offered that possibility.

It does require rethinking productive movements — beginning with the notion of the measurement of exercise at the heart — which defines high and low intensity. High intensity exercise is measured by achieving maximal heart rate — which is a danger zone and why that theoretical maximum was formulated — to protect those with heart problems from approaching those thresholds. Thus the concepts or “aerobic” and “cardio” also derive from that focus on heart function alone as the measure of effectiveness. But in the hands of the highly competitive, what was originally designed as maximums that should not be broached, was interpreted by the jocks as minimums that must be exceeded each and every time to be productive.

That is not true. The central focus in exercise is not how hard the heart works, but how effectively the muscle one wishes to develop is working — to increase the blood flow through that area — which is the circulatory effect — that more sensibly, has to be measured at the extremities rather than at the heart — because that is the objective — to pump the blood to the farthest reaches of the body, and not just to the heart itself. The heart always gets all the blood — by design. But the muscles don’t — unless they are activated in the same manner as the heart — in alternately contracting fully and relaxing fully, which makes its an auxillary pump.

That muscle mass is about 30% of the body weight — as opposed to the one pound heart — which people think is erroneously pushing the blood singlehandedly throughout the body as well as lifting hundreds of pounds externally. What the body does, is use favorable leverage to perform such tasks — rather than the naive notion that one simply has to make the heart alone work harder and faster — until it fails completely, and that is not a desirable outcome. Instead, one wants to produce as much results as possible, at a slow and steady pace — which usually makes the difference over time.

Meanwhile, the high-intensity guys are usually resting — which is a hell of a way to get anything done — but that’s what they think they are doing. But as people get older and wiser, they recognize that if they can still move through a great range, they are way ahead of the game, and that more than increasing resistance over a decreasing range, is the quality of life and movement they want.

High and low intensity is inherently the wrong way to think about it — because the focus is on working the heart harder and faster — rather than whether the muscles of the body are working as the heart does — making the entire musculature dedicated to the circulatory effect — which produces the optimal health and all its benefits.

Exercising the Brain

 The brain/head responds to physical exercise in the same way that all the other regions of the body do — and even more so because it is the highest priority of the body because it regulates all the other functions of the body. As such, any thinking person would ensure that all the physical exercise strategies would be directed there — above everything else.

One will note that people with lack of brain function also lack head movement — and it is movement that largely determines blood flow — particularly full range head movement that articulates the fullest contraction with the fullest relaxation of that muscle producing that movement. That is why exercise works to increase muscle functioning and development. By creating that alternation of muscular states — just as the heart works unfailingly — it works as a pump, which produces a flow — by alternating the volume of that muscle, which in turn, increases and decreases the pressure — which is the basic principle of fluid dynamics.

All the oxygen and other nutrients don’t matter if they never flow to the places desired for that health and functioning. And while the heart always does its job, that is its job, and should not be expected to do everything else — like powering a 500 lb deadlift, squat or bench press. For that to happen, one would recruit the greater mass of muscles in the body, often comprising one-third of the bodyweight. The heart is only a one pound muscular organ — and to make it work harder and faster is not what produces better outcomes — but engaging the much greater muscular mass — which in many contemporary people these days, does nothing or very little — and thus the atrophying of those organs for lack of that enhanced circulation caused by those regular (rhythmic) muscular contractions.

Thus one notices that the particular vulnerabilities of the body are at its extremities — which are the feet, hands and head — in which the lack of optimal circulation produces the accumulations we note as inflammation (edema, lymphedema, lipedema, arthritis, neuropathy, etc.) The obvious and simple remedy is simply to effect those rhythmic contractions in some kind of conventional and familiar exercise — but even more effectively, just intentionally effect those alternating muscular states expressly for the purpose of the circulatory effect. That would be a 21st century understanding of the effectiveness of exercise — rather than the muddled understanding most have of it, no matter how fancy the jargon and explanations get — or how costly the wonder supplements are.

It is as simple as understanding the basics of flow — just as in the basics of understanding the functioning of life. Without the proper circulation, there is no health and optimal development, and at its most rudimentary level, there is no life at all, or decreasing functionality. The full range movement of the head, from left to right, and up and down, is the first indication of how well the brain is actually functioning — because of that effectiveness of movement and circulation. Yet that obviousness is almost never tested — and so the lack of proper functioning of the brain and head is not detected until too late. It is also the same with feet and hands that need to be amputated — because that functioning is already cut off as dead tissues threatening remaining tissue.

We know the compromised hand as weakened grip strength, and the weakened foot as the swollen feet, but think there is nothing amiss when the neck muscles obviously atrophy — and beyond that lies the brain. How much effective circulation must it be getting — if the development is caused by the enhanced, optimal flow? And the thing to understand about effective blood flow, is that it is caused by the contraction back towards the heart — rather than the heart forcing blood into already filled volumes — as is the present misunderstanding and why exercise does not work for many people. The understanding (paradigm) is entirely wrong about the heart being the prime mover in human action.

The heart’s role by being reliable, is to provide a constant ambient pressure — just as externally, the atmospheric pressure is a constant, ambient pressure — so that once the breathing compression (contraction) is relaxed, air merely flows into a lower pressure volume. That is also key to understanding the flow (circulation) throughout the body — and why some areas of the body develop and function well — while others languish for that lack of optimal conditions. One sees that immediately when the eyes light up — in response to that difference. Obviously, there is something going on in the brain and head that wasn’t happening in lieu of such movements. That is the brain operating on oxygen — and the other nutrients brought by effective, enhanced, optimal blood flow — which affects all the functioning of the body.

That is the critical path and role of the brain in every body — that is usually taken for granted as being “optimal.” And instead, the focus is misplaced to the functioning and measurement of the heart — with the presumption that it too is operating “optimally.” But wishing it were so, doesn’t make it so. The poor condition of the neck is not the inevitable fate of growing old, but of the atrophying of the neck circulation that affects the circulation to that area and organs. To some extent, it is automatic — but it can be made much more effective and optimal — especially when there is a deficiency or decline in functioning. That is the role and function of proper use and exercise — enhanced by the better understanding of this process. It works on every body part of the body — because that is how life evolved, and continues to improve.

Fitness for Life

 Effective exercise is not dependent on equipment — but the proper understanding of the human body. The body is designed to move — particularly at the head, hands and feet — and all other movements and functioning, is designed to support those movements. What places humans at the top of the evolutionary scale is a uniquely large brain, a tool-manipulating hand, and a foot that allows for upright posture — so that their senses are as high as possible for maximum effectiveness. Logically, those developments and skills should be the highest priority in considering self-improvement — and everything else goes along for the ride.

However, in most exercise programs, they are ignored entirely — or taken for granted that nothing can be done to improve them — when it should be obvious to the observant and thoughtful individual, is that those are the features that ultimately differentiates the exceptional from the ineffective. Most people aren’t even aware of that fact because all they see is the gross movement rather than the fine motor movement — of the head, hands and feet. But that’s what really makes the difference — whether throwing a rock, spear or ball — or jumping high and running fast — or being more aware than the person who only has their head down looking at a single spot, and so has no idea of what is going on around them — and can select the most appropriate action. That is what fitness is ultimately all about — most critically in primitive times, but just as importantly in modern times.

Most people have lost that connection — or never had it brought to their attention. They were just told to do this or that — which they blindly obeyed because the other was bigger than them — or simply more demanding of them. And so unfortunately, that is the limit of most people’s understanding of why they do anything. That’s also what “everybody” says they must do also — even if they don’t get the desired results — or find it impossible to do. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen instruction videos informing people that if they do what is impossible for them to do presently, they will be in wonderful shape and condition eventually. The trick then, is getting from here to there. But as many admit, you can’t get there from here. So of course, that is not helpful.

Realizing this important any time in life — but more so as one becomes increasingly aged and debilitated, but often is what it takes to try another way that might work — out of sheer desperation, if nothing else. Often, that is what it takes for people to make meaningful and impactful changes in their lives. Otherwise, they just go on doing what isn’t working — because they have the time, energy and money to spare. But then when they don’t have such reserves, they have to make the most of what they actually have — even getting down to the absolute basics.

The value of all movement is that it increases the blood flow to the muscle actually moved — in addition to the action of the heart muscle to provide for a constant and reliable flow — or outward pressure from the center. The problem is the lack of pressure and flow back towards the center — that is effected by the rhythmic contractions at the extremities. In the absence of exercise equipment designed for that purpose, the articulation of movement at the wrists, ankles, and neck — determines the muscular state. That is achieved not by resistance — but by range of movement — and so by articulating the fullest range of movement at the furthest extremities determines the circuit (extent) of effectiveness.

If all one does is increase the work of the heart, then the rest of the skeletal muscles are not engaged in increasing the flow but actually is the resistance to the flow (circulation). That is the troubling design of most equipment designed to increase the work of the heart — while moving very little else in the body — and particularly, at the hands, feet and head. Those remain immobile — and thus, largely unaffected. That remains the problem — throughout life — because that is where the fluids accumulate and are not flushed out by the vigorous action of deliberate muscle contractions at those axes of movement (rotation).

The heart does its job by filling in any space that is vacated by the contractions (compression) from the extremities but cannot overcome the fluid remaining because of the lack of those contractions — which is the problem of modern life that requires no such contractions to sustain life at its most primitive and basic level. That was the kind of movements required to sustain life. One had to be successful at throwing the spear to stay alive — and to eat. It was not enough just to get their heart rate up. That would have happened just by being in a precarious situation of life or death. Fortunately, we live in times and conditions that don’t require that everyday struggle for survival — but instead, live in an abundance of food and leisure — requiring very little exertion and effort from us — unless we deliberately program it into our lives as the person we wish to be.

That is the significance of bodybuilding — that most people have no idea they have the power to do — as the most important thing to do. Unlike “competitive” bodybuilding, it can be extremely personal and unique to each individual’s aspiration of themselves and their own unique ideal of what beauty, aesthetics and usefulness is. But it has to have some basis in reality and functionality — that is distinctly meaningful and useful. That bottom line for most, is taking care of oneself — so that everybody else doesn’t have to do that for them. Such societies are less than zero-sum games — and will impoverish all — as each requires more care and resources than each individual can produce to sustain for the continuance of that society, and beyond that, abundance, prosperity and happiness.

Otherwise, they reach an old age and wonder, “How did I get into such a hopeless condition?” — and think there is no other way than the one that has failed for ages with no alternatives in sight — because they fail to address the critical failures of the aged — at the head, hands and feet. There are a lot of people whose hearts continue to beat — but show no movement at the head, hands and feet — that are indicative of a vital and vibrant human being. That is what we call responsiveness — or if you like — fitness that lasts as long as one lives. It is a matter of the right priorities and order of importance.

When More Isn't Working

 The problem with Negative Accentuated or the slow-lowering of the weight is that it's not natural movement -- and most people experience it that way, and so discontinue that method of training. Undoubtedly what it does do is make the body prematurely fail -- but that failure is not caused by pure muscle failure -- but by cardiovascular failure -- and that is seen in all the videos claiming to be high-intensity training -- by everyone, including Arthur Jones. That was also the problem with Isometric training -- causing the vasalva effect -- as well as when lifters pass out from heavy deadlifts or squats.

That is the natural and predictable result of not breathing when one artificially resists the natural work of gravity -- in lowering the weight. That's why the human body will sense that it is the wrong thing to do -- because the intelligent thing to do, is allow gravity to perform that work whenever possible -- while positioning oneself in each rep -- by getting into the relaxed position as much as possible -- preparatory to the next positive movement. The relaxation is just as critical as the contraction -- but if one is contracting as hard or even harder in the relaxation phase of a movement -- then there is no alternating relaxation/contraction cycle -- that not only performs work, but enables the optimal respiration and circulation (flow) that enables functioning and development.

Most of the bodybuilders who got into it around the '50-'60s were told by Bob Hoffman of Strength and Health, and Perry Rader of Iron Man, to begin their workouts with light squats alternated by light pullovers -- and most made unexpectedly fantastic gains doing so. What they did right was time their movement to the natural rhythm of their breath -- exhaling to lift the weight, and inhaling as they lowered the weight. But if one resists the lowering of the weight, one invariably has to stop breathing (inhaling) -- which is the natural result of relaxation and the expansion of the chest cavity.

The distinguishing feature of "high-intensity training" is the elimination of rest between one set of each exercise -- and the easiest way to achieve that is to do one set of 50 repetitions with a weight allowing one to do so -- with no rest between exercises. In this manner, one can achieve muscle failure without the cardiovascular failure -- as each muscle pre-exhausts the next, and achieves complete exhaustion in about an hour. That usually requires one week to fully recover -- accounting for the infrequency requirement. The trick then is recovering from extreme muscular soreness -- which can best be alleviated by doing those movements with no weight at all -- but rotating (contracting) at the head, hands and feet which are the insertions at the most distal parts of the body to effect a flow to remove the inflammation, while producing the void to allow new nutrients into those tissues.

This is particularly helpful for older bodybuilders who no longer experience growth and may even be experiencing decline (sarcopenia) despite their efforts. They have to upgrade their understanding of the process -- because more of what isn't working, is not the answer.