I'm sure glad you qualified your remark to read "I am aware of." 

I'm well aware of the work of a couple of Liverpool University academics to
vindicate HIT. Using meta-analysis, their attempt calls into question their
intellectual veracity. Meta-analysis of HIT studies are a statistician's
dream come true - HIT is so uniform the range of differences between
projects is little more than movements employed. Comparing to standard
training is where things break down - there's no such entity as standard
training, so attempting to harvest data from studies with variables all over
the place left little basis for profiling standard training. In comparison,
HIT looks good.

Unfortunately, the works of Dr Ron Laura have not be distributed in his
native North America, chiefly in Australia alone - works pertaining to his
Matrix Principles of training. I find his work engaging due to resources he
calls upon which are otherwise neglected in strength training - other than,
that is, Scott Abel's approach. And even then, using very much the same
resources, Ron and Scott's training systems are as different as day and
night. Matrix is very light weight in complex patterns of full and partial
reps, some with partial reps of static holds. Astonishing enough, I've never
seen any training system pack muscle on so fast nor promote increases in
strength pretty rapidly. I've found this method to be by far the best for
older people suffering the pangs of sarcopenia (muscle wasting) and
associated metabolic syndrome. Arthritics in particular benefit from low
strain on inflamed joints and rapid regaining of muscle to take even more
wear and tear off those joints. Works very well along with Paleo for curing
type II diabetes.

Abel's MET (metabolic enhancement training)is far more demanding. It was the
subject of my July and August 2008 article in Iron Man Magazine. Scott
chiefly coaches physique and figure competitors. I never publish about
something without doing it myself. Two years ago I did three months of
concentrated MET training. At 63 that had my resting heart down to 52-54
beats per minute.

Both systems recognize the need for a variety of movements and changing
workouts frequently - not just for psychological boredom, but based on
neuroscience discoveries made since the 80s. Both rely on innervation.
Jonesian HIT assumes incorrectly that a set done to failure will access all
or close to all fibers. Accessing fibers is a learned skill, and the more
fibers you want to access mandates working a given muscle through all sorts
of ranges of movement (cf Basmajian's incredible work in mapping muscles and
in biofeedback voluntary control of single fibers).

When Jones first published, only Iron Man Magazine under its founders Peary
and Mabel Rader would carry his articles. What a revelation they were for
that time. As his Nautilus training books saw print, I immediately bought
them and put them in practice. I'd quit competition in 1965 simply due to
the onslaught of steroid use - something I was disinterested in doing.
Arthur wrote to those with sufficient common sense of eschew drugs, although
most of his stars were on the sauce. I stuck with HIT for about five or six
years with next to no results. Then I became friends with Frank Zane, and
Frank taught me a lot about training - and the results began to accrue. In
retrospect, we were all under the spell of Bob Hoffman's idea that heavy
weight produce big muscles. Weider's advocacy of lighter weights and pump,
no doubt based on Vince Gironda's methods, turns out to be rather true.

Abel's big book and his seminar video go into considerable depth about
training different dimensions or kinds of strength. His MET training
incorporates those principles. He makes use of Hill's strength curve, likely
with considerable reference from Dr Squat, Fred Hatfield. JC Santana also
hints at 'surfing the curve' in his works.

HIT does little for mitochondria biogenesis, capillary beds, etc. 

HIT never had a physique champion - all the guys who trained with AJ used
other methods, so we can't hold that they were 100% HIT. And all used drugs
- some of them hard core narcotics (Mentzer died of a heart attack, with
sixty five doses of vicodin in his system - the coroner held the vicodin and
anti-depressant abuse likely precipitated the fatal event). Knowing many
people who trained with and around Mentzer, he simply didn't do his heavy
duty).

My other bone of contention with HIT is the reliance on machines. My gym is
free weights, surgical tubing, and movement. 

Citing one paper hardly justifes a thing. In fact, I personally find little
illuminating in individual studies published in the field - most suggest the
researchers have never really trained. 

HIT was popular for a spell in sports training. In fact, it was the Miami
Dolphins' win of the superbowl that made Nautilus. Jones had put a set of
machines in, the Dolphis trained on them, so when they won the superbowl,
everybody else had to have them. That didn't last for a decade. Louis
Simmons has had a much bigger impact of sports training than Jones - that's
Louie of the Westside Barbell Club, still benching over six hundred in his
mid fifties.

-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Jim Swayze
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 5:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Art DeVany's book: "The New Evolution Diet"

Single sets, properly performed, to exhaustion is a superior method to  
any other I am aware of. Arthur Jones work was vindicated by Smith and  
Bruce-Low:

Smith D, Bruce-Low, S. Strength Training Methods and The Work of  
Arthur Jones. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 2004;7(6): 52-68


Jim Swayze
www.fireholecanyon.com
Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 2, 2010, at 7:56 AM, Ken O'Neill <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Not HIT but HIIT -  high intensity interval training with EPOC  
> benefits.
>
> On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 7:06 AM, Jim Swayze <[log in to unmask] 
> >wrote:
>
>> Very interesting timing as I am currently writing a chapter for a
>> forthcoming paleo nutrition and exercise book. My ideas are based  
>> on the
>> premise that paleo hunter exercise was brief and intense, the very  
>> essence
>> of HIT. I find there is plenty science to support it.
>>
>>
>> Jim Swayze
>> www.fireholecanyon.com
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Dec 31, 2009, at 12:04 AM, Ken O'Neill <[log in to unmask]>  
>> wrote:
>>
>> I'd caution taking him too seriously: he's essentially a Nautilus
>>> fundamentalist (HITtites), Nautilus being a basion of failed ideas
>>> originating with the idiosyncratic, autodidactic mix of genius and
>>> crackpot
>>> Arthur Jones in an era in which exercise physiology was in its  
>>> infancy.
>>>
>>> More informed is John Berardi and his Precision Nutrition - both  
>>> in peak
>>> performance through nutrition/diet and through training - a former
>>> physique
>>> and power liffting champion, Dr John's clients include a host of
>>> professional athletes and teams more interested in success and  
>>> winning
>>> than
>>> speculative fiction about training.
>>>
>>> On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 11:59 PM, Keith Thomas <[log in to unmask]>  
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> For those who missed earlier posts, note that Art DeVany's book  
>>> will be
>>>> published in April 2010.
>>>> Called The New Evolution Diet, it is available for pre- 
>>>> publication order
>>>> from Amazon.co.uk:
>>>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Evolution-Diet-Weight-Longer/dp/0091929571
>>>>
>>>> I've placed an order for three copies and might just double that.
>>>>
>>>> Art discusses the book on his blog and is presently running  
>>>> through many
>>>> of
>>>> the
>>>> references he drew upon in the writing of the book, and  
>>>> discussing them
>>>> with
>>>> subscribers:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.arthurdevany.com/
>>>>
>>>> New year wishes to all.
>>>>
>>>> Keith
>>>> http://www.evfit.com
>>>>
>>>>