Body by Science by Doug McGuff, MD, and John R. Little revolutionizes fitness with a science-backed, time-efficient approach to strength training. Based on high-intensity, low-frequency workouts, the book argues that just 12 minutes per week of properly structured exercise can deliver superior results in strength, muscle growth, fat loss, and cardiovascular health compared to conventional training methods.
Core Principles:
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Super Slow Training: The program emphasizes slow, controlled repetitions (10 seconds up, 10 seconds down) with heavy weights to maximize muscle fiber engagement and metabolic stress.
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Minimalist Approach: Workouts consist of one set per exercise taken to muscular failure, reducing total gym time while increasing effectiveness.
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Physiological Efficiency: By leveraging high-intensity resistance training (HIT), the body triggers deep adaptive responses, improving strength, endurance, and metabolic function.
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Debunking Fitness Myths: The authors challenge traditional cardio and frequent workouts, presenting research that shows brief, intense sessions are more effective for long-term health and body composition.
What’s Inside?
✔ The Science Behind HIT – Explains how short, intense workouts optimize hormones, metabolism, and muscle growth.
✔ The Big 5 Workout – A full-body routine using just five key exercises (e.g., seated row, chest press, leg press) performed once a week.
✔ Injury Prevention & Longevity – Focuses on joint-friendly movements and sustainable fitness for all ages.
✔ Nutrition & Recovery Insights – How diet and rest complement the program for maximum results.
Who Should Read It?
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Busy professionals who want maximum results in minimal time.
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Aging adults seeking safe, joint-friendly strength training.
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Fitness skeptics tired of endless cardio and ineffective routines.
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Science-minded individuals who prefer evidence-based training over trends.
Why It Stands Out?
Unlike mainstream fitness programs, Body by Science strips away unnecessary complexity, offering a no-nonsense, research-driven method that prioritizes efficiency and effectiveness. While controversial (some argue 12 minutes is too extreme), the book provides a compelling case for rethinking how we exercise.
Final Thought: Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter, Body by Science challenges conventional wisdom and offers a radical yet scientifically grounded approach to fitness. If you’re willing to train hard but smart, this book could transform your workout routine—and your body—in just minutes a week.
If you only do one workout a week, no guilt. If you manage two you can give yourself a pat on the back.
Seems to help with past injuries or muscle imbalances. I had done Starting Strength in the past, but always got an injury here or there that takes a week or two to recover from.
This is a slower program, but the progress seems to slowly accumulate. It is a bit like meditating. I have hit a point now where I am adding muscle and losing a little weight. I am 56 years old, male, 5 foot three inches. My goal is to have a program I can continue while avoiding injuries.
I started adding a fifteen minute jog after my once or twice a week session. Seems to give the program a nice boost and enhances recovery. If you have any doubts about the program, check out the recent Fit20 study from Solent University.
I have a high metabolism, and I’ve long struggled to gain weight (muscle or fat). Standard exercise regimens tend to make me lose weight, not gain it. The training methods in this book have been more effective at putting on weight than anything else I’ve ever tried.
I have a degree in pre-med so no stranger to anatomy and physiology, but I didn't know the science of skeletal muscle was so important to our health and aging process.
This book does an amazing job of elucidating that science to solidly make the case for committing to a regular strength training practice and the best ways to do it.
I loved this book. One of the most important health books I've ever read.
I've been an athlete my whole life and I must say that this book turns a lot of what I thought to be «truths» about exercise in to myths. I've incorporated the protocol and I now exercise far less in a safer way with better results.
A truly masterpiece from Dr. Doug McGuff.
This is by far the best. Backed up by scientific research,
The facts are remarkable. High intensity resistance exercise is comprehensively the most effective for not only strength gain, but also for overall health. Surprising but true.
Highly recommend.
The great thing about this is it's as efficient as you can get if you want to stay healthy while spending minimal time working out. The frequency in my opinion really depends on your age. You need more time to recover the older you get. I'm 50 and I only do my legs once a week. The DOMS I have to go through for the following 2+ days is not enjoyable. Luckily, contrary to what some believe (body builders?), taking a moderate dose of anti-inflammatory (Advil/Aleve) or Tylenol, does not significanly reduce/prevent hypertrophy. But the overall metabolic hit you take for the following couple days (unless your a 20/30-something Spring Chicken Athelete) leaves you feeling somewhat exhausted - from a 20 min workout! So I do my major workout that includes my leg/back muscles on Friday evening so I have the entire weekend to get through the recovery without it affecting my efficiency at work. There's no way I could do the legs/back more than once a week, nor should I need to at my age.
One could argue you really don't need to eat a protein shake and just eat a well-balanced diet, but I drink proteins shakes the following 48 hours to help speed recovery and maximize the hypertrophy.
What you will find is after reading this book, when you go to the gym, you will laugh you yourself realizing 90% of the people there are doing it much less efficiently and just blindly doing what they see others around them doing. But some people actually enjoy the social experience of being at the Gym so I don't blame them for spending a lot of time there.
This is not a technique though for people that don't have a personality/mental make-up that is comfortable pushing one's self to their limit physically. But in my opinion the improved efficiency in results for a lower time investment is worth the short-term pain. And by the way, some may think this is dangerous because it's painful. Painful probably isn't the right word. Briefly utterly exhausting is more what it is. It's actually safer than more traditional workout routines because you are doing things slowly.
If you want to try to stay in physical shape at any age with minimal time investment, this is the best option provided your psyche can handle pushing yourself to extreme exhaustion in slow motion within 90 seconds.
Body tone is great, we are rarely hungry outside of our 1 meal a day, we both lost body fat, but my wife gained weight as she added muscle mass. The process is amazingly simple, easy to stay on the keto diet, and we only exercise formally 35 to 45 minutes per week!
Thank you Dr. McGuff! Changed our lives for the much much better.
UPDATE: Now 70, wife is 68. We go to The Exercise Coach, a franchise that is built upon the fundamentals of Dr. McGuff's "Body By Science" and Dallas & Melissa Hartwig's "It Starts With Food" Whole 30 program, and have for 7 or 8 years 2X week without fail. Heavy weight or resistance that progressively recruit all of the muscle fibers (first slow twitch, them medium and finally the fast twitch that few ever use) to total exhaustion(!) tears muscle fibers a bit and your whole food and proteins rebuild them to be stronger. Time Under Load is your critical indicator during workouts, and If you can go 2 minutes before exhausting the muscle fibers you then up the weight for next time. Maybe some young stud's muscles recover in a day, but older chaps take a bit longer - you can tell by soreness. I have 4 routines: Big Five, Alt A session isolating certain muscles, Alt B session isolating other muscles, and Alt C which hits little muscles (like supraspinatus) that are totally ignored my most. Then, after 2 weeks, repeat after my muscles have recovered and rebuilt. (Yeah, I hit the high intensity training bike each time, but still finish up on 20 minutes.) Result... solid muscle throughout the body, can eat a lot because muscles burn calories, can lift, pull, push, squat, etc. more than the young studs and it drives them crazy. My genetics? Not good and only have one side of liver, but epigenetics has helped my body change. My wife? Same results. Our doctor is absolutely amazed by our blood and micronutrient tests, bone scans, mental clarity. I buy this book, give it to my friends across the country who attain similar results, and insist any trainer we use has this book almost memorized, because, yes, the science of Krebs and Cori cycles, ATP, ADP, Lactate and Pyruvate all are of the utmost importance to your muscle micochondria. Read, study and live strong!
The gym's sales brochure, being exactly that, didn't convince me.
This book by professionals in their field did convince me of the benefits of High Intensity Training (HIT), particularly for old people like me.
The treatment is based on verifiable research which is fully explained.
As a result of reading this, I am looking for a local gym with a track record in HIT.
Jerry
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This method seems unorthodox (one 12-minute workout a week?), but it’s based on scientific research. That means its goal is to share the latest proven knowledge on how bodies work. Not to sell supplements, DVDs, or gym memberships.
This book can be quite technical and dense, and it will quickly teach you that you shouldn’t have horsed around during 10th grade biology. A serious, conscientious reading will enlighten anyone who’s serious about building the best body possible, whether you want to look great on the beach, feel more youthful, address chronic pain, or create a plan to be strong and independent in old age.
It’s just been a month for me, but I’m starting to feel stronger already. This book gave me an amazing education on how to build the body and health future I want. Yes!
I used the principles and training program from Dr McGuff and Mr Litte using 6 Keiser Air Gym apparatuses. Amazing muscle fatigue when completed properly and I observed consistent gains on a weekly basis as long as I kept my ego in check and did not allow myself to train more than once every 7 days. I noticed that whilst my muscles felt fatigued, there was not the usual lactic acid soreness. I felt stronger and healthier as a result.
I would highly recommend this book and training style to anyone looking for a challenge and not afraid to truly experience pain!! Cheers and good luck.
I have read it several times and I tell everyone I can that they don't need to spend hours in the gym. Even though I only work out on average every ten days for about 15 minutes of 'time under load, it's requires that I push beyond anything that I have ever done in the gym before. However, I have seen the results!
Update: I have been following the protocol for a little less than two months and I have increased my pulldown strength by a whopping 20 pounds! I hit a plateau after a few weeks so I let more time pass between workouts (10 days instead of 7) and I have continued to improve. I have been able to do this while caring for a very active toddler full-time. My main objective for joining the local gym was to quickly gain strength and muscle, and this book has helped me achieve my goal. Thank You Dr. McGuff :)
One major lifestyle difference that I noticed after the first few months was that my posture had improved dramatically. This made everything (standing, walking, doing chores around the house) easier and effortless. Many of the weird aches and pains I had went away. Standing up straight with my shoulders back was effortless; my clothes looked better too.
2nd Update: I have been following the McGuff protocol for the past seven months (6 exercises until failure, every 1-3 weeks). Here are my results:
My first workout (that I have data from) was on 7/22/2017. The percentage differences below are based on the weight differences between my first workout and my workout on 2/17/2018.
Seated Row: Increased strength by 50%
Chest Press: Increased strength by 40%
Pulldown: Increased strength by 44%
Overhead Press: Increased strength by 50%
Leg Press: Increased strength by 67%
This works and I will continue to follow the protocol and post my results :)
Update: After about a six month break from my strength training routine, I have started back up again. I became very ill for a few months (from severe morning sickness) and I'm currently five months pregnant.
I'm curious to see how my numbers change and how frequently they change, given that I took a break and am now coming back. The book indicates that people that take breaks and come back tend to get back to their prior strength pretty quickly. I plan to strength train as long as I'm allowed (per my OB). I did my first workout back on 9/21/2018, and I started with my baseline numbers, but I maxed out in 3/5 categories (failure was after 90 seconds for each exercise). I did not max out with these weights during my first ever strength training workout, so I am stronger now than I was at baseline, but not by much. I will not increase the weights for a week, to let my body adjust to weight lifting again, but I will post results as time goes on.
This book should be in the library of anyone interested in resistance training or even exploring the possibilities.
If you're wanting to become a bodybuilder or some extreme physical specimen, this is not for you. Keep in mind that the punishment you put your body through to achieve that perfect physique puts a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on your body - reducing the quality of your life as you age. With that said, if you use the "muscle fatigue" technique taught in this book, eat a moderate diet, and avoid processed foods as much as possible (hard to do these days), you'll be looking pretty darn good. If you're not willing to change your eating habits, you shouldn't expect to see any significant gains, but of course, that can be said for any exercise program.
I started my own exercise routine years ago with walking, moderate weight lifting, calisthenics, stretching and Yoga. I started with about 35 minutes a day and worked up to 1.5-2 hours a day 5 days a week. All I really got was more pain.
I just finished my 5th weekly BbS workout. I'm not even sure I should count the first two as I don't have a trainer, so I was bumbling about a bit trying different size weights and such. In that time my general pain level has gone (on a scale of 10) from somewhere around 5 to 7 down to around 2 to 3. At this point I fully expect for the pain to disappear. I'm 73 and had begun to walk like an "old man", kinda stiff legged. Now I realize why old people walk that way: they are in pain. But it never occurred to me that the problem was one of not enough strength. But I don't walk that way any more.
It would never have occurred to me that lack of muscular strength is the central problem of growing older. Nor would I have even guessed the problem could be cured or be compensated for by strengthening the major muscle groups. But it seems to do just that.
Here's a Youtube video of Dr. McGuff's weekly, 12 minute, 5 exercise routine. The details and the benefits for doing them are in the book. The book also has some well backed suggestions for a diet appropriate to this exercise regimen. [...]
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I've now ordered 4 copies of this book. I'm leaving one at the tiny gym where I workout so others may share. I have one copy for my own reference and the others I'm lending out to anyone who will read them!.
more people because it is simple to follow. It is not easy though. The goal is to fatigue the
major muscles in short order using five exercises. Other exercises are optional. Then you are
through for the week. The results are noticeable in a short time. I have to review the specific
instructions from time to time to be sure I am following the procedures correctly. I am referring to,
for example, time between repetitions or different exercises, how much weight to lift each time, etc.
The chapter at the end for seniors is particularly good. I am 78, with a good set of genes, and
this routine seems to work for me. Try not to get overwhelmed with some of the technical
language. Focus on the basics.
On top of the strength gain the book really outlines a workout program that completely gasses you and eliminates the risk of injury.
It can be hard to read if you don't really care about really low level body functions (like how mitochondria generate adenosine triphosphate). But, that being said... understanding the material in this book can really explain why a person will do all the stuff we are told to do but never get the results they want.
There are some videos on YouTube related to this book also. The author of the book made them to help explain what the book is about. It helps to review the videos then dive into the details as they are outlined in the book.
I have long trained against the grain of the latest, greatest hype or by muscle mag "information". I have tried to use what worked and worked well in the past and did not hurt ones long term health. I studied the old generation of strongmen like Saxon, Zottman, Gama and etc. I looked at the legends of bodybuilding & functional fitness like Vince Gironda, Jack Lalane, Bruce Lee, Martin "Farmer" Burns, Reg Park, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mas Oyama, Charles Atlas, Gracie Family, Steve Reeves & others. Since the 1960's to today the following authors, researchers & lifters of Arthur Jones, Ellington Darden, Adam Zickerman, Fredrick Hahn along with the author's of The Body by Science, John Little & Doug McGuff, all have a very similar approach to their training and it builds, borrow, studies and verifies much of the "old timers " information and explains why it worked and still does work. It also adds on much newer information to further enhance our understanding of properly working out.
In a nutshell all have a similar approach of this: One, use resistance training to muscle failure. Go slow both on the Concentric & Eccentric phase. Two, only train once to twice at the most per week. Three, get 7 hours or more of good sleep per night. Four, eat correctly with a balance diet. Nothing crazy or trendy but well a balanced and clean diet. Five, hydrate properly around a gallon of water per day. Six, keep records of measurements and pictures to know the results. I highly recommend this book to those wanting to get in the best shape of their lives' without spending hours per week in the gym that may be doing long term harm. This will guide you to do exercise in a safe, quick and scientific method.
Despite my skepticism, I decided to give this approach a try in 2013. Getting to the gym five days a week stopped happening in my early thirties and I was noticeably losing muscle tone. The primary culprit was injury. I kept playing hockey and kept getting injured. The periods between injury were not enough to maintain what was lost during injury recovery.
The first day I tried this approach I was so tired afterward I laid in bed all afternoon. I could not believe how fatigued all my muscles were. Even the next day I started breathing heavy just walking up the stairs. In fifteen minutes I had managed to get completely exhausted. I'm not sure I would have believed it unless I lived it.
Anyway, over the last two years I've mostly stuck with a once weekly lifting session. I had a couple of cracked ribs from hockey that caused a two month layoff. I gave up hockey because I missed the lifting routine so much.
For a review, all I can say is that I don't plan to ever change my gym habits. Only twenty minutes once a week makes it easy to comply. The improvements in strength and muscle tone are dramatic. I have not been injured at the gym even once in two years.
Downsides and caveats
1. I don't know if I would have used this approach when younger. I think arguments over which lifting approach is "best" are silly and you need to pick what works for you based on personal goals and age. However, when I was twenty I probably would have considered this approach lazy and under-training. For my fellow forty-somethings I strongly recommend it though.
2. You get a ton of odd looks at the gym. People are curious as to why you are carrying a notepad and a stopwatch around. Then they further wonder why you move in slow motion.
3. This workout makes it hard to do anything for at least a couple of days afterward. If you do this correctly, your muscles are literally exhausted. I like to ride my bike at lunch time during the week and I don't even bother trying for two days. Sort of sucks.
4. Since getting the starting weight correct is so important, on your first session try and have someone around who has done this before. A heavy weight when you have bad or beginning lifting technique is a bad mix. What worked for us: Use machines to start. Try to find the heaviest weight you can comfortably budge (USE PROPER TECHNIQUE!!!). Don't try to max out here. Just the heaviest you can budge without your eyes popping out. Then set the weight to 60% of this value and start from there. Once you start hitting between 80-90 seconds for three session in a row, move the weight up. Try to move in five pounds (or less) increments.
Enjoy!
I dislike the particulars of his workouts though... machine based weight lifting done in slow motion... that doesn't appeal to me in the slightest...
I'm taking his essential insights and adapting them to a high intensity workout more to my liking... burpees, kettlebells, etc.
I have always disdained "pumping iron" and think it a waste of time. I tried it in high school 35 years ago and experienced first hand what a waste of time it was. What is the point other than to wear a muscle man shirt and experience vanity.
However, I was introduced to this book's high intensity work out through some friends and tried it out first. Then I read the book afterwards.
Wow, finally someone makes sense out of the whole fitness, health, excercise, strength, diet quagmire we mortals live in today. This book is much more than a high intensity weight training how to manual!! The authors makes so much sense. To me, it is a paradigm shift in the way I view strength training for Health as opposed to pointless iron pumping for the sake of going to the gym for gym culture.
Thank you, Authors! You changed the way I view strength training and I completely buy into your well researched arguments. I learned a lot and need to go back and reread and learn some more and you have a lot of information in this book.
Your book will add a marked degree of happiness in my life for years to come as I now intend to use high intensity strength training into old age!
I'll add that I really liked how the authors separated the meaning of health, fitness and exercise...makes total sense.
I would really like to see the team behind "Body by Science" bring out a book dedicated to the sport of professional body building. Maybe a collaboration between the team and someone like Victor Costa. Now that would be something that would make some waves.
so I tried this technique. I even kept a workout journal. And lo and behold I can see it work. Every week my numbers went up little by little. I was fairly fit and strong before i started, so within about two months I was noticing some peaking, so I went down from big 5 to big 3. Now I do the once every 3 week rotation for push/pull/legs and I love it. I have all the strength I did before when I hit gym 2-3 times a week, but now I just go once a week for 10 minutes. Awesome. I've coupled it with a semi fasting eating schedule- no breakfast, 10-15 minute jog or bike climb in the AM a few times a week to rev up fat burning metabolism, and this workout once on weekend. Feel great, good energy, losing the hard-to-rid fat around belly and love handles. I wish these guys would do a book on diet-fasting coupled with their system of workouts- I'd love to see some data driven results and explanations.
My only regret is that I didn't know about this earlier. This book puts to light how pervasive exercise and dietary misconceptions really are in today's society. Even as a microbiology undergrad studying the exact metabolic processes Dr. Mcguff writes on, and as a sailor that's been through 1st phase and Hellweek of BUD/S, I was still plodding along on long runs and doing hundreds of calisthenics imagining that's how I trained my body to become stronger.
No matter how set in your routine you are, I strongly recommend you give this book a read... or two if you haven't had biology since high school.
Jim B
San Diego
The good news is that, after all of the research I've done over the years, I glad to find out I've been doing it all wrong and wasting my time spending so much time in the gym. Body by science shows you how to get the best results while spending little time out of your schedule to get them. The author explains the research behind his finding AND has backed them up with real life results from his own clients. Basically, much of what you may have read about working out over the years, like many industries was perpetuated to support the fitness industry. I'm seeing a lot of that being uncovered lately.
If you want to be fit without spending all of your time in the gym, buy and read this book.
I go to a gym called Inform Fitness that has trainers that do this type of slow burn workout. It's a half hour a week. After the workouts, you feel like you've gotten a huge workout. That's how it should be. To be honest, I probably would not push myself nearly as hard if I didn't have a trainer. Having a trainer means you can think a lot less and you don't have to motivate yourself. You simply show up and leave it in the hands of someone else.
I've been doing type of workout for about 1.5 years now and I am in great shape. No, I am not huge and muscular. But I look pretty damn good with my shirt off. And I feel healthy. Of all the workouts I've tried over the course of my life (running, yoga, weights, etc.) this has been the workout I've kept at for the longest. It's changed my life. I no longer worry about trying to keep myself in shape. I highly recommend it.
I was in the military for six years. I worked out three times a week. Lots of running, a fair amount of gym time... After I finished my enlistment, I was doing lots of surfing and body weight exercises. This book changed my life. I'm stronger than I've ever been, I work out once a week or less, and I don't have the joint pain that I used to have from high repetition exercise. I also look truly ripped for the first time in my life and that feels good. Work smarter, AND harder, get stronger than you have ever been, and do it in the minimal amount of time possible so that you can go out and play!
I liked the book because it debunked the need for the commercialized crap story that the more you go the gym, the healthier/stronger you will be. The truth, and McGuff explains it in Scientific terms, is that you need 17 to 20 minutes of the proper strength training each week, once a weak, and that the 7 days rest in between is just, if not more, important than the time spent in the gym. As well McGuff debunks the Cardio Myth, explaining to me why all my years of jogging , swimming laps, running on treadmills didn't lose 1 pound or do anything to make my heart stronger.
I recommend as follow up reading McGuff's Questions and Answers Book which is sequel to this book, and on the liter side Adam Zickerman's book "Power of 10"
Tomorrow morning, I'm starting Dr McGuff program. The book at times was a little over my head, but it made perfectly good sense.
He backed up everything he said, with good research.
In two years, I plan to be at the over 70 Championships.
I have been into fitness since I was 14. I became a certified personal trainer back in 1990 for fun and as a career option. Not long after I read the texts and took the tests and gained experience as a trainer, I began to see how ineffective and inefficient the methods were. I developed my own rules about keeping it short, simple and sweet. In other words, I began to teach low volume methods. I stumbled upon Mentzers' teachings and I honestly thought it was bunk. And to some degree, he was wrong, yet he was very ahead of his time. How? Because he learned from Arthur Jones. Jones is the man who really developed and tried to bring HIT training into the mainstream. He also invented Nautilus exercise machines. Anyway, I, like many others, just could not accept HIT training as being legit. Even though I advocated 3 times a week, for 30 minutes at most, I still could not let go of all the old BS I was taught. You will have to let go and unlearn what you were forced to learn.
This is where Body By Science comes in. This book does not skim the surface! It dives deep into the actual scientific based FACTS to teach you how and why HIT training works! They provide footnotes and cite resources and studies! This is the thinking person's book. It starts off with a very amusing (and true) placebo effect tale about a piece of paper that you put into a cup of water to help you workout better, then plunges into the body and mitochondria functions. From there it gives you the foundation and proof as to why this works, then goes into exercises and techniques.
Does this book cover everything? Almost! There is a 'sequel' to this book - The Body By Science Question and Answer Book. I highly recommend you buy them both together and read them in proper order. The Q&A book will address your concerns and fill in the gaps. On top of that, the authors have an excellent and FREE website chock full of more material and reading and guidance for you.
The only obstacle is that most people are going to need an educated and experienced trainer in this area to help you learn proper form, technique and to push you to proper failure.
As for me, I can say that I have had tremendous success with this. I also have private clients that I train on the side. They have all been very happy with these methods. They are stronger, happier, healthier and injury free.
The book was easy to read. I am glad I got this book. I now have a better idea of how and why the most efficient exercise works. I am now more motivated to do the program and each rep.
I also recommend its companion book, "The Body By Science, Questions and Answer Book".
When I read a review of the book where the authors claim that 12 minutes a week is all the heavy exercise you need, I decided to take a chance and buy it. It was well worth the money. The authors do an excellent job of explaining the cellular and chemical basis of metabolism, the kinds of changes that take place in a body that is exercised to muscle failure, and why short but intense workouts can make such a difference in health and strength.
Their exercise program is laid out in good detail and well explained. The authors were persuasive enough that I went out and joined a gym to put their program to the test. An exercise program that takes less than an hour a week, all-in, is a program that you can easily include in your busy schedule and stick with over time.
What I love about this book is that it is unbiased, and it represents the pursuit of truth and an accurate understanding - it is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise usually biased and scientifically unsound arena. It will satisfy anyone with a need to understand and a need for detail.
The book also explains how the body works and how it responds to physical exertion. I've been doing the 12 minute workout once a week for the past 5 weeks and can already see results. I've lost fat, put on some muscle and have gotten stronger...my log book shows a perfect progression. You would never think all this would be possible with 12 minutes a week but McGuff has figured out how the body works plain and simple. You don't have to punish yourself in a gym for hours a week to get results...you only have to punish yourself for 12 minutes...and it hurts alright. HIT will hurt your feelings it hurts so bad. I've never worked out like this before and it's a big shocker coming from the high rep and set workouts of the past.
One of the best things about the book is that it explains the importance of rest. It seems with conventional workouts we aren't giving our bodies enough time to rebuild. The book explains this process in great detail. It also tackles diet and explains quite simply that you can't burn off all those calories you eat...you've gotta stop stuffing your face.
Overall, I love the book and I'll never go back to high rep exercise or super repetitive movements...HIT is the future of health.
Since I don't have access to the Nautilus machine and I hate paying gym fees, I follow the HIT Super Slow protocol on plain body weight. I use other books as reference, like Convict Conditioning and You Are Your Own Gym. This way I can perform the exercises increasing the difficulty depending on my results. Of course it would be easier just to add weight on the machine but I much rather use my own weight which seems more natural. The only pieces of equipment I use are a medicine ball, a pair of small dumbbells and a door bar, all easily available for less than 60 bucks.
Using the protocol in this book I have seen much better results in a few weeks than what I was doing for the past two years. And best of all, it takes MUCH LESS time to exercise. Just make sure you don't quit ahead of time, push it to the inroad as stated in the book. Now I learned that it is more efficient and economic to let your new muscle do the fat burning for you instead of the long chronic cardio hours.
I have to be honest and tell you that this is not the only thing I am doing for my health. This books is a great companion to the other books I mentioned but also to Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint and Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories. I am on a low carb diet, more like a Paleo diet and I am also doing HIIT once a week. I try to vary my HIIT as on sprints, elliptical and rowing. It takes another 12 minutes of HIIT once a week. 3 minutes warmup, then 8 intervals of 30 seconds intensity and 30 rest, and cool down.
So my whole fitness regime is HIT Super Slow (as in Body by Science) bodyweight strength training, 12 minutes every 5 days and I insert a HIIT (sprint, elliptical or row) in between those 5 days, giving a rest day in between HIT and HIIT. Also following a Paleo diet, and it is working much better than the chronic cardio and my strength routines I used to do for over the past two years.
Forget the grains, forget the sugar, forget the long training hours of chronic cardio. Do your HIT Super Slow, your HIIT sprints, and have more active fun the rest of your free time.
CallaneticsEvolution DVD
This Exercise program is designed for two types of people:
1. People already involved in a very active lifestyle, and
2. People who are not capable or interested in spending a large amount of time in the gym.
For people in the Group 1, the authors insist that fitness is best achieved using the S.A.I.D principle; that is, Specific Adaption to Imposed Demands. They teach that fitness for any sport is best achieved by direct participation in that sport or performing sport specific drills. Their weight program is designed to supplement the sport program and is intended to maintain or increase strength while participating in the program. One is able to focus most of their time on the sport specific training without sacrificing a lot of time in the weight room, since a minimal amount of time is actually required to maintain or increase strength. Dr. McGuff uses specific examples of his BMX training as well as examples from other sports to illustrate how the program is meant to be used to augment sports training.
Long distance runners who want or need a higher level of cardiovascular training are not discouraged to "supplement" their strength training with long distance running or sprints. In fact, it is the other way around; those people who need or desire a high level of cardiovascular fitness do not need to sacrifice a lot of training time in also developing or maintaining a significant level of strength.
For people in Group 2, this program greatly reduces the amount of time spent in the gym while still producing the primary goal of increasing strength and providing a moderate level of cardiovascular fitness. It meets the needs of the elderly and very sedentary people in teaching them it does not take a large volume of exercise to achieve a moderate level of strength or fitness.
The authors never indicate that this type of training program is meant for bodybuilders. Their primary interest is fitness.
I hope this clarifies things.
The book is written for everyone, yes there is science in it and you will learn some hew terms and will likely need to quickly lookup a few things to understand them well. The entire book comes together very well without being exhausting. I've done the Big Five 5 times now, and have increased my weights 20% across the board.
I admit I was taken aback at the 7 day (or more) window for complete recovery. It seems like I'd lose some benefits, but I can honestly say that is not the case. I workout on Sunday morning, and the soreness lasts till Wednesday. It is not terrible though. A few more days to allow for new growth and completed repair fits into what I've learned about muscle growth and physiology.
So far, it is good. It will be interesting to see what 3 months and 6 months brings, and beyond.
Buy this book and get started!
I found a city rec center where I can do The Big Five plus some extra bicep curls. On the seated row machine I increased my strength 400% in six weeks. Averaging all machines and the curls, I am up 85% in seven weeks. I look better in the mirror and am gaining weight while losing fat, per calipers. In other words, more lean body mass. My diet is 90% paleo.
I did do a modification of the protocol. I do one rep going for exhaustion at 60-90 seconds. I recently added a second rep to exhaustion of any duration. I'm in and out of the gym in under 20 minutes. I feel like I had a near death experience!
If I have any complaint about the book it is lack of segue, moving from theory to practice. That gap is how I inadvertently wound up making my own isometric variant of his protocol.
I can't speak to if this is the best system for bodybuilders or power lifters. But for the average Joe just wanting to gain strength and looks, it can't be beat.
The protocol emerges out of the science . Maybe its best to state that this way : the science has stripped all other protocols down to fundamental principles in BBS :
1. The genetic enemy of fitness is sarcopenia and the victim of this natural human entropy is loss of Type II muscle . BBS targets Type II exclusively ( inroading ) and epigenetically intervenes at the level of mitochondrial DNA .
2. The enemy of persistence and consistency of practice is lack of measurable progress through :( a.) injury due to over use and inappropriate use ( b.) over training and interruption of the recovery cycle (c.) one dimensional outcomes measurement ( d) impact on weekly schedule . BBS solves these .
More research is necessary but this platform will win .
a friend started doing this program and sent me a basic over view of the workout routine and asked me to try it. I only did it for 4 weeks and each week I saw decent gains in strength (either more reps or more weight or more time per set). I ordered the book read it cover to cover and have not looked back since. 10 minutes once a week. I am getting in the best shape of my life and it only takes a few minutes out of my week?!
I would also like to point out that the book suggests against normal cardio and I can see why. your blood gets pumping just fine after this workout. more importantly once you start feeling good about your physical shape you are much more likely to take up sports and hobbies that get you cardio done just fine. I have taken up kayaking, rock climbing, cycling and hiking. 2 years ago I was 280lbs and could not climb a flight of stairs without feeling like I was going to pass out. I am down to 210 (I am 5'11") and still making great progress both in fat loss and building muscle.
I coupled this program with the information from "How I lost xxx lbs .pdf" from Rob - [...] and the paleo diet. Been going great so far.
oh as for numbers I will give you a brief example. when I started this program I could only do the leg press (squat machine so my weight + machine weight) @ 60lbs for 8 reps to failure 6 months later I am doing 400lbs (max on the squat machine I am using) and failing at 18reps. I need to find a new machine to work my legs on.... yeah this program works... no question about it.
thanks
Thomas
Rather than make us a more healthy population, the fads of aerobics and running, among others, the authors argue, has made us far less healthy.
"The important distinction is that exercise is purposefully directed activity that stimulates the body to produce a positive adaptation in one's level of fitness and health. Physical activity in general, while yielding the potential to produce certain adaptations in one's fitness and health, can unfortunately also undermine one's health."
We also read, "In reality, fitness and health are not extrinsically linked; as one goes up, the other does not necessarily go up with it." I found this a very important point of truth.
"Almost every form of exercise other than proper strength training carries with it a good chance of undermining your health because of the accumulated forces involved," the authors say.
We learn that less is more if it's intensive. "On June 6, 2005, CNN reported on the startling (to some) findings of a McMaster University research group, proclaiming that "six minutes of pure, hard exercise once a week could be just as effective as an hour of daily moderate activity."
Now we know that in just a few minutes a week, anyone, at any age and in any condition, can grow strong, can function a their peak and actually enjoy good health as a result. Moreover, you can lose body fat doing high intensity training in a few minutes a week. Spending hours on machines, lifting and running are not only unnecessary, but bad for you.
I didn't like the fact the author pushed the Natalus machines. Turns out, he owns a Natalus center. Moreover, he assumed everyone went to a gym to workout or had someone with them when they worked out. It didn't adequately address the person who works out alone in his home. He also didn't address other forms of resistance, such as rubber tubing. After all, the body doesn't know if you're lifting a bath tub, weights or rubber tubing.
I do this program with great success and I use free weights and rubber tubing. My doctor stared at my back and was amazed at the muscles. "Your back looks so powerful and like it should be on a young person," he said at my last exam.
It's wonderful to be able to workout for twelve minutes or so once a week and get all the great benefits, including a great cardio workout.
The authors say, ". . . there is no additional advantage in devoting hours per week to the pursuit of health and fitness improvement."
Since I hate cardio and especially hate what it's done to my knees, I appreciate the fact that cardio as we know it is both unnecessary and harmful.
"Four thirty-second intervals of high-intensity muscular exertion is four thirty-second intervals of high-intensity muscular exertion, whether that takes place exclusively in the lower body, as in stationary cycling, or in both the upper and lower body, as in resistance exercise."
We learn from the book that the center of metabolic health, then, is not the heart and cardiovascular system; it is the muscular system.
"The higher the intensity of muscular work, the higher the degree of cardiovascular and respiratory stimulation."
I read this book twice. I just finished a second reading after a year or so and got much more out of it than in the first reading.
The science is there. It's proven to work. I personally know it works. I may not agree with every single thing the authors say. But I know this program works.
"The Big Five is a protocol that has a scientifically validated track record of success." Indeed it is and it can be done by just about anyone of any age.
Highly recommended.
- Susanna K. Hutcheson
Everything about "Body by Science" resonated with me. I'd actually been doing a workout adapted from "Power of 10" for about 4 weeks but after reading about the "big five" I switched to rows, lat pulldowns (with my palms facing up), squats, bench and shoulder presses. The first day I tried these I worked so hard that I had to lie down for awhile. . .my muscles were too shaky for me even to drive my car. I was glad I'd read that sometimes it even takes longer than a week to recover, because the next week I could only do a couple of reps each of 2 sets. But by the third week, I was eager to lift again. I've been following the protocol as closely as I can. (By the way, I do have a Marcy Smith weight cage and full complement of free weights in my dining room! : )
The bottom line for me is this: over the past 6-8 weeks of doing "Power of 10" and "Body by Science", this middle-aged, overweight woman is feeling muscles everywhere, even at rest. The best part for me is that for a few years now I haven't been able to stand up from a low seat without pushing off with my arms. About a week ago I noticed that I can now stand up without using my arms. . .and without the huge "groan" that used to accompany that procedure.
Best of all. . .a 20 minute once-a-week workout is something that I can and will actually do. My body feels good and strong. Now I just have to start following the nutritional advice (sigh.)
This is a great book! Highly recommended.
If you're interested in strengthening to help make yourself as healthy as you can be, you must do so only in accordance with your joint and muscle function, and do so in a slow and safe manner directly targeting your muscles with minimum momentum to induce maximum stress to trigger changes, using the most safe and efficient tools for the job.
Anything else (cross-training, cardio, weight lifting/throwing, recreation, barbells, strongman competitions, etc.) is inefficient, however you may get fit in spite of such methods.
The message boils down to doing strength training in a slow manner, using strength training machines. This is where strength training is heading anyway, despite a few groups hanging on, mostly because of traditions. Historically, strength training went from lifting rocks, to shot-filled barbells, to plate loaded barbells, and then pulley and plate loaded machines. Then Science entered the picture, and we were blessed with machines with cams, and now the field is quickly moving towards computerized machines and all of their benefits.
This book has an absolutely great discussion of the difference between fitness and health. Fitness would be a powerlifter who can squat 500 lbs. Health, or lack of in this example, would be that same powerlifter has arthritis and a huge gut...So who really cares if he can squat 500 lbs, as his own methods are slowly making him less functional by many measures.
Nowadays, it is easy to be impressed by the glitz of videos showing impressive accomplishments in sporting events, mostly by the genetically blessed, or by videos of people being tired, lying sweaty on the floor after some cardio cross-training, perhaps indicating how 'bad a$$' and macho their exercise methods are. Don't be. Laugh it off. Exercise your muscles rationally for best results. Actually THINK about how you are exercising.