Hormonally Intelligent Exercise by Rob Faigin is the ultimate GH release program

Hormonally Intelligent Exercise
Table of Contents

Lesson 1
What is Hormonally Intelligent Exercise? .......................................................	1

Lesson 2
Exercise as Adaptive Stimulus .....................................................................	3
A. Proper Application of Training to Failure ................................................	5
B. Beneficially Channeling Physical Stress ..................................................	8
C. Defining a Fit Body.............................................................................	11

Lesson 3
Uniting Opposites ........................................................................................	13

Lesson 4
Cardiovascular Training: Benefits/Detriments, Jogging/Interval Training .........	15

Lesson 5
Free Weights vs. Machines ..........................................................................	17
A. Certain Machines are Advantageous .....................................................	17
B. Machines: More Show than Go, More Fame than Gain .............................	19

Lesson 6
Overcoming Self-Consciousness in the Gym ..................................................	23

Lesson 7
Compound vs. Isolation Exercises .................................................................	25
A. Compound .......................................................................................	25
B. Isolation .........................................................................................	26
C. Compounding Hormonal Release and Avoiding Isolationism ........................	26
D. Sequencing .....................................................................................	28

Lesson 8
Cute, Weird, and Unusual Exercises ..............................................................	29

Lesson 9
Stretching ..................................................................................................	31

Lesson 10
Exercise Execution ......................................................................................	33
A. Concentric-Eccentric ........................................................................	33
B. Accentuating the Negative ................................................................	35
C. Repetition Speed .............................................................................	38
1. The Negative Phase ..............................................................	38
2. The Positive Phase ...............................................................	40

Lesson 11
Strength is Cool, but Power Rules ....................................................................................................................	45
A. Relationship between Power and Hormonal Enhancement ...........................	48
B. Power Applications of the Force-Velocity Curve ......................................	49

Lesson 12
Optimum Training and Recovery Cycles .........................................................	57

Lesson 13
How Many Repetitions to Do .........................................................................	59
A. Clarifying Repetition Ranges .................................................................	59
B. Athletics vs. Aesthetics .....................................................................	61
C. Muscle Fiber Types and Tailoring Repetition Ranges to Training Objectives ...............	62
D. Strength vs. Size ..............................................................................	65

Lesson 14
The Pump, the High, and the Burn .................................................................	67

Lesson 15
Applying Qualitative Progression: Stress Factor Cycling ..................................	71

Lesson 16
How Long to Wait Between Sets ....................................................................	77
A. Momentum Toward Exhaustion and Lactate Stacking ................................	77
B. MTE, EIA, and Functional vs. Biological Aging .........................................	79
C. Guidelines Governing Inter-Set Duration .................................................	81

Lesson 17
Supersetting ...............................................................................................	83

Lesson 18
Adjusting Load Between Sets to Conform to Target Repetition Range ...........	85

Lesson 19
How Many Sets to do Per Exercise..................................................................	87

Lesson 20
Split Routines, Bodypart Groupings, and the RAM Method ................................	89
A. Opposing Muscles Work Together .........................................................	90
B. Exploiting Proprioception and Maximizing the Pump ...................................	91
C. Ensuring Developmental Equality among Muscles .....................................	93

Lesson 21
Methods of Systematic Muscle Overload .......................................................	95

Lesson 22
Ballistic/Plyometric Exercise: More Power to You ...........................................	97
A. Jump Squat ......................................................................................	102
B. Side Hop .........................................................................................	103
C. Power Pushup ..................................................................................	104
D. Heavy Bag .......................................................................................	105
E. Loaded Pullup ..................................................................................	106
F. Medicine Ball ..................................................................................	108

Lesson 23
Static Attack: Sculpting your Musculature with Motionless Exercise ..................	111
A. The Force-Velocity Curve and "Toning-Up"..............................................	113
B. Isometric Contraction is Muscle Tone ...................................................	115
C. Efficiency Exemplified: The Interset Iso-Workout ....................................	116
D. Isometric Exercises ...........................................................................	120

Lesson 24
Upper Leg Training the Right Way ...............................................................	125

Lesson 25
Unbreakable Knees ......................................................................................	129

Lesson 26
Structuring an Optimal Cardiovascular Workout ..............................................	131

Lesson 27
Super, not Superficial, Shoulders ...................................................................	137

Lesson 28
The Abdomen: Power Center and Center of Attention ...................................	139
A. Misplaced Mania: The Overrated "Six-Pack" ............................................	140
B. Crunches: Wildly Popular but Mildly Effective .........................................	141
C. Range of Motion Notion .................................................................	143
D. The Seven Best Ab Exercises .............................................................	143

Lesson 29
Single vs. Double-Limb Training: The Bilateral Strength Deficit .........................	147

Lesson 30
Weight Bearing Exercises ............................................................................	149
A. Upper Body ..........................................................................................	150
1. Barbell Bench Press .....................................................................	150
2. Incline Barbell Press .....................................................................	152
3. Dumbell Flat Press/Dumbell Incline Press ...........................................	153
4. Triceps Extension .........................................................................	155
5. Concentration Curl and Preacher Curl ...............................................	156
6. Wrist Curl ...................................................................................	157
7. Reverse Wrist Curl (Wrist Extension) ...............................................	158
8. Lateral Raise ...............................................................................	159
9. Shrug .......................................................................................	160
10. Jocky Row .................................................................................	161
11. Straight-Arm Pulldown ...............................................................	162
12. Dumbell Kickback .......................................................................	164
13. Single-Arm Seated Row ..............................................................	165

B. Lower Body .........................................................................................	166
1. Standing Calf Raise .......................................................................	166
2. Seated Calf Raise .........................................................................	167
3. Barbell Squat ...............................................................................	168
4. Dual-Leg Extension .......................................................................	170
5. Single-Leg Extension .....................................................................	170
6. Lying Dual-Leg Curl .......................................................................	171
7. Lying Single-Leg Curl ....................................................................	171
8. Front Lunge ................................................................................	173
9. Side Lunge ..................................................................................	174
10. Athlete�s Plie Lunge .....................................................................	176
11. Back Extension ...........................................................................	178
12. Reverse Back Extension ...............................................................	179
13. Medial Cable Sweep (Cable Adduction/Rotation) ..............................	180
14. Lateral Cable Kick-Out (Cable Abduction/Rotation) ...........................	181

Lesson 31
The Hormonally Intelligent Exercise Program .................................................	183
1. Duration of Workouts ............................................................................	183
2. Interset Duration ..................................................................................	184
3. Timing of Workouts ..............................................................................	184
4. Pre- and Post-Workout Meals .................................................................	184
5. Exercise Rotation ..................................................................................	184
6. Lower Body Training .............................................................................	185
7. Warm-Up ............................................................................................	185
A. Beginner ..............................................................................................	188
1. Exercise Routines and Schedules .....................................................	190
1. Fashioning Training Routine to Fit Your Schedule ..........................	196
2. Alternate Workout Schedules ....................................................	196
Momentum ........................................................................................	197
B. Intermediate ........................................................................................	197
1. Cycling Parameters .......................................................................	198
2. Cycling Schedule (Standard) ..........................................................	198
3. Cycling Schedule (Modified) ...........................................................	199
4. Exercise Routines and Schedules .....................................................	200
1. Fashioning Training Routine to Fit Your Schedule ...........................	208
2. Alternate Workout Schedules .....................................................	208
C. Advanced ..........................................................................................	209
1. Olympic Lifts ...............................................................................	209
2. Loaded Plyometrics .......................................................................	210
3. Overreaching ...............................................................................	210
4. Supersetting ...............................................................................	211
5. Extra Cardio ................................................................................	211
Consolidation .....................................................................................	212
1. Exercise Routines and Schedules .....................................................	212

Lesson 32
The Ruling Role of Diet .................................................................................	215
A. Performance ....................................................................................	215
B. Conformance ..................................................................................	216
C. Counteraction .................................................................................	216
D. The All-Important Larger Picture .........................................................	217

References ......................................................................................	219

Appendix - Stick and Move! .................................................................	231