have written quite a bit in the past about our primary method and philosophy of exercise as High Intensity Quantified Strength Training. You can read more about it here on my previous blog post.
More recently we have worked to better define and distinguish our primary protocol and our particular brand of muscle centric exercise by adding the acronym HELIMO!
H-High
E- Effort
L- Low
I – Impact
M- Mindful
O- Optimized
- High Effort versus high Intensity – When I was first introduced to HIT (High Intensity Training), Intensity was defined as “the degree of momentary muscular effort.” When describing our protocol, a high degree of effort is really what we are aiming for. From a perspective of one’s own exercise background, intensity, can take on many different meanings and mean anything from the percentage of one’s 1 rep max to the percent of one’s maximal heart rate. “High effort” is something everyone can invision more clearly regardless of their exercise background.
- Low Impact- High effort does not need to include high impact. This is where we introduce safety into the equation. Training in a slow controlled manner with impeccable form allows you to train with high effort while being safe.
- Mindful- In my mind, no pun intended, this is the most important new distinction that we are adding. Mindfulness is not something that we can necessarily quantify. However, it is an area for most people that is untapped yet unlimited. Our particular method of exercise not only provides an opportunity to stimulate positive physical adaptation, but also provides an opportunity and a path for personal growth and development. That is, if you choose to see it that way.
- Optimized– Ultimately, we want to guide you on a path to “Close the Gap” and optimize your life. When it comes to exercise we want to optimize the protocol in three main areas:
- Effectiveness– we want a protocol that effectively stimulates and sets in motion positive physical adaptations within the body.
- Safety- we want to provide a protocol that can produce a significant stimulus but do so in a way that is safe and can be continued for a lifetime.
- Efficiency– we want a protocol that delivers the stimulus in an efficient manner. Effective exercise need not take a lot of time. For me personally, the preparation for exercise and the recovery to baseline after take more time than the actual training. If you observe most people workout you will notice that they spend more time resting and conversing than they actually do exercising at a level of effort required to stimulate progress. When it comes to exercise, more is not always better.
I plan to go deeper into each of these areas in the future. In the meantime, in order to optimize your training focus on effort and mindfulness!