Comments Only - Taking High Intensity Training Outdoors | Critical MAS

Comments Only - Taking High Intensity Training Outdoors | Critical MAS

1. Jason

   Nov 16, 2011 at 11:57 am

   “involves holding a weight in maximum “moment arm“ to recruit and fatigue all muscle fibers. So instead of moving the weight through a full range of movement, you resist against the weight at the point where the most muscle is engaged. And then you hold it until complete failure is reached.”
   Louie Simmons has touched upon this subject as well. I think he called it functional isometrics. The only caution he gave was this. His research indicated that the strength gains generated from this training were greatest 10 degrees in each direction from the joint. Thus if your elbow was at 90 degree during your hold, then your strength would be greatest between 80 and 100 degrees. He also talked about rate of force production. Thus my guess is that he would include low volume plyo’s as well.
   
2. MAS

   Nov 16, 2011 at 4:41 pm

   @Jason – Louie is a smart guy, but I’m just going to go by feel and keep it simple.
   
3. Aaron

   Nov 16, 2011 at 4:53 pm

   Welcome my friend. I gave up my gym membership two years ago this month and have never looked back. In the summer I’m at the playground and in the winter I just workout in the apartment (our winters are a tad harsher than yours up there). I bought a pull up bar that breaks down and fits under my bed. And I use some chairs for dips.
   I workout similar to your current style but over the past two years have mixed it up a bit. I sometimes use a backpack with weights on dips, pull ups, and pushups.
   I just started my own blog and will soon be writing posts on the specifics of these workouts.
   Sustainable? Oh yeah. And so much fun – you will start to look at playgrounds with a new set of eyes, trust me.
   
4. MAS

   Nov 16, 2011 at 6:58 pm

   @Aaron – Thank you for the encouragement. I’m subscribing to your blog. I got a feeling I’ll be getting a few ideas on how to mix up my playground workouts.
   
5. Txomin

   Nov 17, 2011 at 4:26 am

   Hmmm… do the squads really work? It is my biggest “but” for out-of-gym experiences.
   
6. MAS

   Nov 17, 2011 at 7:43 am

   @Txomin – Believe it or not, they do. I’m actually still a bit sore from my workout 2 days ago. Pre-exhaust, followed by a static hold really works. That was my best leg workout in months.
   
7. Txomin

   Nov 17, 2011 at 7:26 pm

   Thanks. I’ll give it a try. Please post back on your long term experience on this. I’m interested to see how it works out.
   
8. Ahrand

   Nov 18, 2011 at 12:50 am

   Halleluja !
   This is exactly why I keep read this blog.
   Thanks, I will try and put this in practice.
   (I hate gyms but love outdoors and a toned body)
   
9. Geoff

   Nov 18, 2011 at 3:55 am

   Fresh air, sunshine, free. What’s not to like? I do my sprinting at a local park and work out with the playground equipment too. Still, I wonder how you will measure or gauge your progress using this method. Do you time the static holds?
   
10. MAS

    Nov 18, 2011 at 8:02 am

    @Geoff – Good question. I am moving away from metrics. I no longer find them helpful. So I don’t time my static holds or count the reps of the pre-exhaustion. I’m going for a level of intensity that I know when I feel it. Although the level of intensity will remain very high, the reps/time needed to get there will vary based off factors that I may or may not be able to control. So I don’t bother tracking them. If I injury myself or stop making progress, then I know I’ve found my upper or lower limit.
    
11. Geoff

    Nov 18, 2011 at 9:37 am

    Got it. Still I wonder whether it might make sense to pay the day rate at a gym once every 8 weeks or so to test yourself against an “objective” measurement like McGuff’s “Big 5″ or a deadlift challenge just to get a sense of the effect your training has had. I still find it helpful to test myself every so often to see where I stand. I’m in a different place and have different goals so I can see why that might not fit with your system.
    
12. MAS

    Nov 18, 2011 at 10:00 am

    @Geoff – I like that idea. Especially come January or February.
    
13. Aaron

    Nov 18, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    I agree completely that when exercising this way you toss out the metrics and concentrate on the intensity. Failure is failure. I actually think this way may force you to listen to your body a bit more.
    When I vacation to Portland and Florida each year I hit the gym for my workouts. I’m not trying to hit specific targets to see if I’m improving though. It’s just for fun and to mix it up. I think that if you pay attention to your body when you workout, you should pretty well know if your strength or body comp. is declining in short order.
    
14. Dan

    Nov 19, 2011 at 6:27 am

    Awesome. I’ve been waiting for this post. I’m not working out right now, but I’ve been looking for a way to do BBS-type workouts without a Nautilus for some time. Can’t wait to bust out my sandbag and training rings this Spring.
    
15. gwhitney@ecdinsight.com

    Nov 20, 2011 at 2:27 am

    Sounds great. I think the biggest bonus is the extra unfiltered daylight and the fresh air.
    I’m hugely convinced about the benefits of plyometrics, so I’d encourage you to try to clapping pushups – that could be a good benchmark measure. Even more serious would be clapping pullups.
    I have a 45lb weight vest that I use for “body weight” exercise. I also sometimes use 5lb wrists and ankle weights sometimes. They cost a bit, but after three years I still find them a good investment.
    Lastly – and maybe your’e doing this already – but I would encourage you to do the exercises barefoot whenever possible. Direct contact between the soles of our feet and the pure earth – it’s a rare and beautiful experience!
    
16. MAS

    Nov 20, 2011 at 10:34 am

    @GWhitney – I used to have a weight vest. When I thought I was going to move from Seattle, I sold it. I wish I still had it. It’d be perfect for the park.
    
17. CriticalMAS’ bodyweight HIT workout | Thor Falk

    Nov 22, 2011 at 6:17 am

    [...] CriticalMAS has a great example of an outdoor HIT workout [...]
    .
    
18. Thor Falk

    Nov 22, 2011 at 6:20 am

    Great one! Re-blogged the exercise description, hope you dont mind
    
19. Perfect Health Diet » Around the Web; Home for the Holiday Edition

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    [...] Michael A Smith takes high-intensity training outdoors. [...]
    
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21. Jared

    Nov 27, 2011 at 11:35 am

    Hi Michael,
    How has your training method been going?
    
22. MAS

    Nov 27, 2011 at 11:39 am

    @Jared – I have being doing some form of HIT for about a year. Whereas my outdoor method just started about 3 weeks ago. HIT is amazing and I’m finding that I really like training outside. I’ll provide another status report in a few months.
    
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27. Gary

    Jan 21, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    If you have a backyard…try putting some weights in an out of the way place there….I have 2 barbells…one for military press and one for bentover rows….just periodically go outside and knock out a set…I am really trying to make my workouts as random as possible to mimic a primal man…sometimes I knockout a set as soon as I get up in the morning…it gives you a nice rush and wakeup…
    
28. Outdoor HIT – Too Cold? | Critical MAS

    Jan 23, 2012 at 10:37 am

    [...] day at my gym. My gym is a neighborhood playground where I do a workout that I describe in the post Escaping the Glitter: Taking High Intensity Training Outdoors. It was 41 degrees today with a 10 mile an hour wind, which made it “feel like 35 [...]
    
29. Jim

    Jan 24, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    Mas,
    Do you feel that the workout is balanced enough? I don’t see any hamstring work – or do you feel the goblet squat sufficiently works the entire lower body?
    
30. MAS

    Jan 24, 2012 at 6:38 pm

    @Jim – I don’t know. It is possible that I might be developing strength imbalances. I feel that the goblet squat is doing the trick. Maybe by adjusting the stance from week to week, that might be enough.
    
31. Alex

    Feb 9, 2012 at 10:39 pm

    Hi Mas.I have just found your blog.I think it is very interesting.I haven’t read all the articles but I am catching up.I am from Bulgaria and my English is bad.I am an ectomorph and skinny fat.Do you think this kind of training routine is good enough for building muscles?In your articles about ectomorphes you suggest training in 5 reps zone.
    
32. MAS

    Feb 10, 2012 at 5:34 am

    @Alex – For me 5 reps and heavy worked much better than the 8-12 reps at a lighter weight. However, in the past year I’ve changed the way I lift to focus on intensity. Reps and weight are less important.
    I believe HIT will help you build muscle. I do not have enough data to say for sure if the Outdoor HIT protocol in this post will build muscle. I suspect it would. Time will tell.
    
33. Alex

    Feb 10, 2012 at 6:42 am

    How should I train with this protocol.Should I use weighted chin-ups and push-ups to work near 5 rep zone?I think this kind of workout with static holds is much similar to gymnasts training.And gymnasts have perfect bodies.
    
34. MAS

    Feb 10, 2012 at 6:46 am

    @Alex – I no longer think reps are the important metric. Just do the movements very slow and controlled. Take out the momentum. I would start out not doing weighted.
    
35. Alex

    Feb 13, 2012 at 3:17 am

    I have just did my first HIT training.Well I am still feeling the lactic acid and my body is still red.I have thought that I won’t get pumped with HIT but i was wrong.I did elevated leg push ups,bodyweight chin-ups and dumbell goblet squat.The part with static hold is really very dificult.I can stand only 10 seconds.But i can’t wait till next monday to train again.When should I incorporate some more work targeting stomach fat,for example sprints.If I do them on friday,do you think I will have enough time to recover till monday.Have in mind that we – skinny fats have terrible recovery.
    
36. MAS

    Feb 13, 2012 at 8:41 am

    @Alex – Congrats. I don’t have a recommendation on when you should start sprinting. Stomach fat should primarily be addressed with diet.
    
37. Alex

    Feb 13, 2012 at 9:20 am

    I know stomach fat is best removed with diet,but when I restrict calories I loose muscle,and my metabolism slows down and keep fat.It is better if first I build muscle and then loose the fat.But for skinny fat ectomorph building muscles is almost impossible.What do you think about combininig for example one or two sets of deadlift before the HIT?
    
38. MAS

    Feb 13, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    @Alex – I don’t think adding volume prior to a HIT would increase its value.
    As for the skinny fat thing, check out my post “Moving Up The Leanness Levels” for ideas.
    http://criticalmas.com/2010/12/moving-up-the-leanness-levels/
    
39. Alex

    Feb 13, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    I am doing these trick allmost 2 years.I don’t think low carb,more sleep and IF is enough for skinny fats.These tweaks are working for loosing fat.I can reach 10% bodyfat but my arms looks like my calves.The real problem with belly fat is lack of muscles and high cortisol levels.
    P.S. Today I am not fatigued and don’t feel my muscles sore from teh yesterday HIT.Maybe it wasn’t hard enough training.By the way wich is better for muscle growth, HIT once per week or training every day away from fatigue?
    
40. MAS

    Feb 14, 2012 at 7:02 am

    @Alex – Just experiment. Try both ways and continue with the method that works best for you.
    
41. Alex

    Feb 20, 2012 at 8:54 am

    MAS,what about doing HIT every other day away from failure.For example push-ups 5×5 with 5 min rest.I am talking about gaining strenght.
    
42. MAS

    Feb 20, 2012 at 8:59 am

    @Alex – If you aren’t going to failure, then I wouldn’t call it HIT. The 5×5 protocol (Pavel) works fine. I did a post on it here:
    http://criticalmas.com/2011/06/training-to-failure-or-training-to-quit-part-2/
    
43. Alex

    Feb 20, 2012 at 9:29 am

    Intensity is time under tension (load) right?Doing push-ups 6 seconds down and 3-4 up is high intensity isn’t it?I think doing squats 5×5 is good for strenght.But 1 set of 20 breathing squats to failure is good for hypertrophy.Isn’t the same with HIT?
    
44. MAS

    Feb 20, 2012 at 9:34 am

    @Alex – There are many variations of HIT. Don’t focus on the weight or reps. The goal is to go to complete failure (safely) and then allow time for recovery.
    Hypertrophy can be achieved many ways. HIT is just one of them.
    As long as you are being safe, you’ll be fine. Find a plan that works for you. My example is just what I’m experimenting with, which may or may not work best for you.
    Experiment and be safe.
    
45. Dale

    Feb 21, 2012 at 9:12 am

    Michael, quick question: as you fail on the goblet squat, how do you ‘draw the kettlebell close’ when presumably you’re already holding the kettlebell to your chest ?
    I myself would like to experiment with goblet squats to failure. But obviously how to unload safely if the crucial aspect.
    
46. MAS

    Feb 21, 2012 at 9:17 am

    @Dale – The goblet is probably 18 inches away at the start of the movement. Since this post was written, I have dropped the “draw kettlebell close” step. Now I just drop it.
    
47. Dale

    Feb 21, 2012 at 9:29 am

    gotcha, makes perfect sense.
    
48. MAS

    Feb 21, 2012 at 10:02 am

    To clarify my “dropping the kettlebell” statement. I’m dropping it on grass and my kettlebell has a vinyl cover. You probably shouldn’t drop your KB on a solid surface.
    
49. You Are Your Own Gym | Critical MAS

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    [...] Squat – This is something I just named that was part of my Outdoor HIT protocol. It starts as a body weight squat or body weight plus kettle bell. Perform a few squats at [...]