Randy Roach is a retired computer programmer who spent over 15 years developing systems in both the museum and environmental engineering professions.  He has written and been published in 3 different fields.  Randy now makes his living as an author and private health and training consultant in his home in Ontario, Canada.

Randy is also the author of the 2 most complete and fascinating books, bar none, on the history of strength training, weight lifting, bodybuilding, and anything that has anything to do with those things–”Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors”, Volumes One and Two.

Volume One covers the historical beginnings of strength and muscle building, and takes us up to the 1970′s.  Volume Two deals primarily with the fitness boom of the ’70′s, focusing on the 2 main influential figures of the day, namely bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nautilus inventor/High Intensity Training forefather Arthur Jones. 

And as far as overcoming obstacles goes, try this one on for size–Randy is blind.  So the next time you’re complaining about your problems, think about this guy, who is a professional personal trainer, and author of 2 books of over 600 pages each, despite not being able to see–and then stop complaining.

Now go find a comfortable chair, grab your favorite beverage, and prepare to be schooled as Randy covers:

• How watching the Beverly Hillbillies got him interested in training
• The little-known contributions of Bob Hoffman to the health and fitness of the Nation
• The behind-the-scenes story of Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors I and II-what motivated him to write them, the challenges he faced, and what he learned that he didn’t anticipate
• His unique perspective on Arthur Jones, Mike Mentzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger and more (the guy is like a walking encyclopedia)
• Why he was forced to build his own home gym, and the cool stuff he has in there
• His experience with different exercise machines and equipment (includes some great training tips)
• How he determines what will work for his training clients
• The history of strength coaching, starting with the NFL in 1966
• And much, much, much more!

To hear the Randy Roach interview, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MUSCLE, SMOKE AND MIRRORS VOLUME 1

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MUSCLE, SMOKE AND MIRRORS VOLUME 2

Leave a comment for Randy below-
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Once we finally got there, we headed straight for Discover Strength, and when we arrived, Luke was just finishing giving a tour of the place to Dr. Ellington Darden.  After visiting with them, we decided to stay and watch the Discover Strength trainers crush some of their clients  in a group workout.  (Getting crushed in a workout was a big theme of the weekend).

After the crushings, we headed over to the Conference venue to hear DR. Darden’s keynote presentation, “Getting Better Results: What I’ve Learned Over The Last 5 Years About Muscle Building And Fat Loss”.  The presentation was absolutely fascinating-it was the first time I had ever heard Dr. Darden speak, and I was definitely not disappointed.

After his riveting presentation, Dr. Darden proceeded to Crush (see?  I told you) this bodybuilder dude named Dave in a pre-exhaust upper body workout, followed by an ultra-slow leg press workout.  Dave took the crushing like a man-nice job Dave!

After that was over, Luke invited all the attendees to a nearby restaurant for some food and networking.  It was an awesome, and rare, opportunity, meeting other High Intensity Training enthusiasts from all over the country, sharing training information and stories.

The next morning–waaaaaaay early again–we worked our way over to the Pagel Center for a fun-filled morning of more workout crushing.  We got to try out a ton of cool equipment, and Patty even got a guest crushing by Chris Lutz of Sparta Training on the Med-X low back machine.

After that was over, and a little breakfast provided by Luke, it was back in the classroom.  The rest of our morning consisted of non-stop quality learning from former NFL Strength Coach, and my friend and former boss, Mark Asanovich (“To Be Fast. Train Slow”); The number one exercise science researcher in the world, Dr. Wayne Westcott (“Strength Training And Fat Loss”); and Strength Coach and motivation expert Scott Savor (“Above The Neck Training: Motivational Strategies For Strength Coaches And Personal Trainers”).  Cutting edge information from some of the top experts in the entire world!

After lunch (also provided by Luke), We were treated to a question and answer round-table discussion by Keynote Speakers Dr. Ellington Darden, Dr. Wayne Westcott, and Dr. Ted Lambrinides, Strength Coach at the University of Kentucky.  A one-of a-kind opportunity to ask these researchers anything you ever wanted to know about training.  Awesome.

Next up was personal trainer Bill DeSimone, author of Congruent Exercise, who gave a presentation on “Applying Biomechanics To Improve Popular Free Weight And Machine Exercises”.  Bill talks about things you don’t hear from anybody else that can be immediately applied to any workout.  It was great to hear him speak, and to finally meet him.

After Bill’s presentation was a break-out session, where 2 presentations were presented at once.  We sent Christie over to the Pagel Center for “Protocols, Sample Routines, And Advanced Overload Techniques”, presented by the Discover Strength Staff, which included plenty more Crushing for the audiences viewing pleasure.  Patty and I stayed in the classroom for Luke Carlson’s presentation “10 Strategies To Improve Your Personal Training Business”.  Since Luke is the most successful personal training studio owner I know, we tried to soak in all the tips and tricks Luke was giving us.  The only problem was trying to write fast enough to get it all in my notes–thank goodness I’ll be able to play it back a few times on the DVD.

Our day was capped off perfectly by Dr. Ted Lambrinides’ presentation “Organizing and Coaching A Successful Strength And Conditioning Program”.  And Dr. Ted should know, since he’s currently working at the University of Kentucky–reigning National Champs in Men’s Basketball–to go along with all of his NFL experience.

After The day of education, it was more hob-nobbing with some hard core HITters–Luke and his staff, Chris Lutz, Dwayne Wimmer, Dave Landau, Bill DeSimone, and tons of others.  The networking was a fantastic side benefit of this conference, and I have no doubt that benefit will increase every year as more and more people make the trip in future years. 

Sunday, Luke graciously agreed to have lunch with us, where we talked training and business for so long we almost missed our plane.  You will not find a more gracious host, or zealous advocate of High Intensity Training, than Luke Carlson.  Thanks Luke!

All told, the weekend was fantastic.  We learned a ton, had a ton of fun, saw many old friends and made lots of new ones.  We wouldn’t miss next years Conference for the world.

If I were you, I’d start making arrangements now for next year.

CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR COPY OF THE 2012 HIT RESURGENCE CONFERENCE DVD

CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR COPY OF THE 2012 HIT RESURGENCE CONFERENCE DVD

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Our High Intensity Training Interview this month features, not one, but two, strength training experts–namely Mark Asanovich and Ralph Cornwell.

Mark Asanovich recently completed his fifteenth season as a Strength & Conditioning Coach in professional football with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (UFL). A fourteen-year National Football League (NFL) veteran, Asanovich was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars on February 1, 2003 after spending six seasons as the Strength & Conditioning Coach for Head Coach Tony Dungy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 2002 season as the Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Prior to that he served as the Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 1995.  Mark is currently a very popular speaker who travels the country educating fitness professionals on strength training methods that are prudent, productive, practical and purposeful.

Ralph Cornwell is a Ph.D. candidate in health promotion/human performance at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  Ralph has more than 20 years experience as a strength and conditioning coach, consultant and lecturer.  He has been the head strength and conditioning coach at Radford University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and assistant coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His time spent with Dan Riley and The Washington Redskins was instrumental  in forming his training philosophy.

Together, Mark and Ralph have developed a protocol for strengthening the muscles of the head and neck, based on Ralph’s PhD research.

It seems like everywhere you turn these days, somebody is talking about concussions and other catastrophic head and neck injuries, and what can be done to prevent them.  In addition, billions of health-care dollars are spent every year, and billions more lost due to lost work time and decreased productivity, because of neck pain and injuries.  Mark and Ralph are here to tell us how proper strength training of the head and neck musculature can address these serious issues.

In this riveting interview, Mark and Ralph team up to inform us:

• What the most important head muscles are, and how to train them (nobody else tells you this)
• The theory behind traumatic brain injury reduction through specialized strength training
• What happened to the subjects in Ralph’s neck training study, in addition to getting stronger (surprising!)
• How to achieve triple progression in head and neck strength training
• The crucial variable that will make or break your progress
• The proper way to include head and neck training in your overall program
• And much, much more!

To hear the interview with Mark and Ralph, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:

Click Here To Learn More About Mark and Ralph’s Head and Neck Training Program

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Mike has had a long, accomplished career as a Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach, working with many, many elite athletes over the years, many of whom have gone on to have successful careers in the NBA.  Mike is a firm believer in High Intensity Training, and uses the principles in all of his training programs. He’s also one of the smartest guys I know (dude has a Master’s degree in chemistry-if you think that’s easy to get, try it sometime).

In addition to his team having huge success this year, Mike has recently produced a 4-DVD series called (interestingly enough) High Intensity Strength Training.

Mike’s DVD series is, without a doubt, one of the finest training education programs I have ever seen, bar none.  The series is designed to be viewed in order, from #1 to #4, to give the viewer a complete and in-depth understanding of all aspects of High Intensity Training.  And they are just as applicable to non-athletic training environments–at my personal training studio, Rock Solid Fitness in Clearwater, FL, the DVD’s are required viewing for all of our trainers.

These DVD’s feature both classroom style learning as well as in-the-weight-room action videos, where Mike explains high intensity training techniques while taking Florida State players through their workouts, demonstrating training to failure, pre-exhaustion, static techniques, negative training, metabolic training (awesome demo–he almost killed the poor kid), rehab techniques, and the best presentation on manual resistance training I have ever seen. 

In this interview, Mike explains some of the concepts and techniques featured in the DVD program, including:

• The difference between force production and force application, and how that all applies to your training
• The “incredible rate” vs. the “realistic rate” of training progression
• How athletic strength training applies to non-athletes
• The “feast or forget” concept and how to use it to improve performance (this is a game-changer!)
• Multi-set routines–right and wrong ways to implement them
• Balancing risk and reward in the weight room
• Metabolic Training: what it is, why it works, and how to do it (you won’t get this anywhere else)
• And much, much more!!!

To hear the Mike Bradley interview, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:

Click Here To Check Out Mike’s “High Intensity Strength Training” DVD program (see sample videos) 

Leave Comment Below!

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This is a great opportunity to spread the message of High Intensity Training to a lot of people who aren’t familiar with it, but could definitely improve the quality of their lives by using it.

I’d really appreciate your help spreading the message–the more votes I get, the more High Intensity Training will get recognized as a safe, sensible, and productive alternative to all the crazy exercise programs that are being promoted these days.

All I need you to do is shoot over to the website and click the “Vote For Me” button–it will take you like 14 seconds.

Click Here To Cast A Vote For High Intensity Training

Thanks!

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Luke runs one of the most successful personal training studios in the country, Discover Strength in Plymouth, Minnesota.  Discover Strength-believe it or not-performs over 450 personal training workouts- a week!

Luke is also the mastermind behind the hugely popular HIT Resurgence Conferences.

Luke has also worked as a Strength and Conditioning Assistant in the NFL, and is a competitive marathon runner.  (I think he may actually have a big “S” on his chest underneath those dress shirts.)

With all of his diverse experience, Luke has a very unique perspective on High Intensity Training, which he graciously shares with us on this interview.

***NOTE: Be sure to stick with the interview until the end, when Luke reveals the details of THE NEXT BIG EVENT IN THE WORLD OF HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING.

Listen in now as Luke breaks down for us:

• The difference between training elite level athletes vs. “civilian” personal training clients
• The pros and cons of strength training for distance runners
• What it takes to build a successful personal training business
• The truth (once and for all) about how the principle of sport specificity applies to strength training 
• What he has learned from Bill DeSimone, and how he applies it with his clients
• The best explaination you will ever hear on manual resistance training-what it is, how to use it, and what it will do for you
• And much, much more!
• SPECIAL BONUS-Luke reveals the dates, format, and speaker line-up for this year’s HIT Resurgence Conference!  This is an absolutely awesome event that you will not want to miss!  (I will be there with the rest of my Rock Solid Fitness crew!)

To hear the Luke Carlson interview, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:

Click Here For More Info On The HIT Resurgence Conference 2012, March 23-24

Leave a comment below if you’re going to HIT Resurgence 2012!

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Our special guest this month is the author of the new training book Congruent Exercise, Bill DeSimone.



Bill is an experienced personal trainer, having started in 1983, and now owns his own studio-Optimal Exercise in Cranbury, New Jersey.  His own training-induced injuries led to his unique approach to exercise, where he applies textbook biomechanics to conventional free-weight and machine strength training.  He was also a VERY popular speaker at last year’s HIT Resurgence Conference (I believe he will be at this year’s conference also, which you should definitely plan on attending). 

As Bill says in Congruent Exercise: “You can get all the benefits of weight training, without the risk and frustration, by applying the appropriate joint movements, postures, moment arms, i.e. biomechanics, to your exercises.  And you’ll be able to apply this anywhere, whether you are surrounded by the most current, high tech, selectorized machines, or sewer plates on a rusty bar, or doing chin-ups on a tree, because the one constant is your body and biomechanics.”

This is no run-of-the-mill training stuff Bill is talking about here.  I have noticed for a very long time that many people who I considered experts in exercise and/or High Intensity Training were very weak when it came to utilizing orthopedically friendly, biomechanically sound techniques and positions.

Bill has spent a lot of time and effort studying this issue, and as a result he has come up with some fresh and fascinating ideas and techniques.

Listen now to this thought-provoking interview as Bill challenges strength training dogma and reveals:

• How a skating accident shaped his training philosophy
• His perspective on the teachings of Mike Mentzer, from 1976 through 2001 (wow-did he really just say that?)
• Examples of what “congruent exercise” means, and how it can help you
• His take on rep speed and full range of motion
• The relationship between joint function and torque as it applies to exercise (super interesting)
• His “Anti-Inflammation Theme” nutritional philosophy
• What he means by “functional fairy dust” (hilarious)
• And much, much more!

To hear the Bill DeSimone interview, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:

Bill Demonstrates The Congruent Chin-Up

Click here to learn more about Bill’s book Congruent Exercise

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Of course, this is a popular time of year for New Year’s “Resolutions”, but your yearly goals need to be much more than that.  You need to have a compelling “why” for achieving your goals; some reason that stirs up your emotions, and gets you excited about your goal.

Next, you need the “how to”-a game plan for achieving your goal, step by step.  The more detailed and specific your game plan is, the greater the likelihood you will achieve the goal.

And finally, you need a heavy dose of “want to”, the consistent, long-term motivation to continue grinding out the effort needed to achieve a worthwhile goal.

I discussed these concepts in Chapter 11 of my latest book, Hyper Intensity Training.  To get you jump-started toward the achievement of your 2012 muscle building goals, I have included it below.

Enjoy!

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The 3 Keys To Success 

To achieve success in anything, including a new training program, there are three things you need to be perfectly clear about. I consider these things the 3 keys to success. They are, in order: the “Why”, the “How To”, and the “Want To”.

The “Why” is your personal reason for training in the first place. Of all the millions of activities you could choose to engage in, why did you pick this one?  What’s the payoff to you? The clearer you are about your answer to these questions, the more likely you will be to stick with the program when things aren’t exactly going your way. As the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “He who has a why can endure any how”.

The “Why” is what causes you to make a commitment to your training. There are going to be times in your life when you are going to get pulled in a few different directions by people and events in your life; when people are going to try to talk you out of training, or make fun of you because of it; and some are going to want you to join them in certain activities that have nothing to do with training. It is your “Why” that will come to your rescue at these times, and keep you on track to accomplish what is really important to YOU. 

Only you know your “Why”; it’s purely a personal thing. I strongly encourage you to spend some time in quiet concentration figuring yours out, if you haven’t already.

Next comes the “How”, which is the purpose of the Hyper Intensity Training program. The “How” is the nuts and bolts, the practical implementation of the “Why”. In this context, that includes studying the theories behind proper training, understanding them, and recognizing their validity; practicing the techniques with the intent to master them; and recording the results, analyzing them, and making adjustments to continue on the satisfying path of regular progress. 

And finally, we need the “Want To”, which is the motivation needed to, in this case, put in a maximum effort in our workouts, pitting ourselves courageously against the weights that push us to the very limit of our physical and mental abilities.

By combining the Why, How To and Want To, you eventually develop a sense of mastery, the satisfaction of knowing you were able to put forth the mental and physical effort to take yourself from point A to point Z, and ultimately feel the triumph of success.

As you experience success in your workouts and see and feel changes happening to your body, you will develop a level of self-confidence that will spill over to all other aspects of your life. 

Success in the gym builds your self esteem, which is your belief that you are both able to succeed and worthy of success. As you double your strength, lose pounds of body fat, build new muscle, you will come to know that once you set your mind to something you can do it, no matter what it is, because you did it in the gym.

Because you consistently went to the gym, learned a system, put that system into action, worked hard, and stuck with it, you ultimately felt the triumph of success. You can now relate that success to other new endeavors-“if I could do that (success in the gym), why can’t I do this?”  This type of thinking is very powerful, and the cornerstone of an effective and happy life.

Finally, believe in yourself and don’t ever give up. Visualize yourself, and your life, as you ultimately wish to be. Do your best to avoid negative influences and strive to maintain a positive attitude. Use the lessons you learn through this program to benefit you in other areas of your life. You deserve a great life, and being physically and mentally healthy and strong are important factors. Do it for yourself-you deserve it!

Excerpted from The Hyper Intensity Training Manual.  Copyright © 2011 – Dave Durell.  All rights are reserved Worldwide.

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Here’s to making 2012 your best year ever!

Make your goals happen,

Dave Durell, MS, PTA, Master HIT Trainer

P.S.–To learn more about the Hyper Intensity Training Program, Click Here

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Michael started out from very humble beginnings to create one of the premier training facilities in Canada.  In addition to providing his clients with State of the Art equipment and helping them achieve their fitness goals, he also has produced a Power Lifting Team that hold numerous National and World records.

Left: Gene Rychlak Jr., first man in the World to bench 1000 pounds; Center: STG lifter Michael Parsons, IPA and RPS bench press World Record holder; Right: his trainer, Michael Petrella, who by the way can trap-bar deadlift 500 pounds.

Michael has impressively taken the teachings of his mentors-including Mike Mentzer, Arthur Jones, Ken Leistner, John Christy, Brian Johnston, and Randy Roach-and combined that knowledge with tremendous hard work, determination, and dedication, to create a State of the Art facility and a training atmoshere second to none.  And by the way, he’s only 26 years old!

Turn up your speakers and listen in as Michael talks about:

• How and why he started training
• How he utilizes High Intensity Training with his Power Lifters
• His approach to training education (will surprise you) 
• How building strength is different than demonstrating strength
• His unique viewpoint on nutrition, and who he learned it from
• The unusual environment his first gym was located in (hilarious)
• How surfing the internet pushed him to expand his gym 
• The most important exercise for building size and strength
•  The “dark times” he experienced as a gym owner, and how he overcame them
• A lesson on Nautilus and Med-X equipment, and a description of some of the unique pieces in his gym
• What the “STG” in STG Strength and Power stands for
• The strangest thing he’s ever seen in a gym (cover the kids ears)
• And much, much more!

To hear the Michael Petrella interview, just click on the play arrow (the little triangle on the left) below:

***SPECIAL BONUS!***

A HIGH INTENSITY NATION EXCLUSIVE–BRAND NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN VIRTUAL GYM TOUR OF THE NEW STG STRENGTH AND POWER GYM–BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!

See first-hand the AWESOME equipment Michael described in the interview!

Leave Comments Below…..

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It was from long-time Citizen of the High Intensity Nation, Paul Bennett. He was e-mailing me to wish my wife and I a happy Thanksgiving, which I really appreciated; and also to tell me about his experience with my Hyper Intensity Training program.

Here’s what he said:

“First off, I wanted to wish you and your wife a Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you enjoy yourselves!!! I’ve been dieting pretty good as of late, so I’m looking forward to letting loose tomorrow!!

Also, I wanted to share my results with you so far from the Hyper Intensity training.

So far, I’ve completed full worksheets on 2 of the workouts – The 6-Pack, and just today, the Push-Pull.
Here are some start/end stats. Each sheet represents about a month of workouts:

6-Pack

Exercise Start End:
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Leg Press 235/9 300/10
Chest Press 330/6 345/7
Pulldown 190/9 220/6
Shoulder Press 50/8 55/8 (weakest body part)
Row 190/5 210/6
Ab Crunch 12 8/w 25lb plate

Push Pull
Exercise Start End:
———————————————————–
Leg Exension 360/8 410/11
Leg Curl N Acc 45/20 80/14 + 1pos
Incline Bench 200/7 260/7
Lat Pulldown 210/6 230/8
Negative Dip 45lb/7 100lb/6
Bicep Curl 88/6 98/6

Additional FYI, I’ve done this losing weight at the same time. I cut out sugars and starchy carbs 5 days per week and lost 15 lbs since June.

Thanks again for the program, and again, Happy Holidays!!

Sincerely,

Paul T. Bennett”

And THAT is why I do what I do.

A long time ago, somebody was selling a course that was different than anything else out there. What the guy was saying in his ads made sense, so I bought it.

Once I started the program, I made more progress in less time than ever. I was really glad that guy had written that course, and really glad I bought it, because it changed the way I trained forever.

That guy was former Mr. Universe, the late Mike Mentzer.

And besides teaching me a better way of training, he also inspired me to try to teach other people, the way he taught me.

So if you’ve sent me a message like the one above, thanks a million, because you have done just as much for me as the Hyper Intensity Training program might be doing for you.

And if you haven’t sent me one yet, please do–because that’s what keeps me going!

Thanks for inspiring me,

Dave Durell, MS, PTA, Master HIT Trainer
Author of Hyper Intensity Training

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