High intensity training and high intensity interval training are both quite common. The term, “High Intensity,” is a supercharged term that would seem to require the type of determination and effort that will surely bring success. Bodybuilders were the first to popularize this term on a large scale. However, you may find that bodybuilders, powerlifters, and weight lifters use the term in very different ways.
An All Out Effort to Complete a Rep
To many bodybuilders, high intensity means the amount of effort required to complete a rep. The last rep of set to a failure would be an example of a high intensity effort because the last rep takes every bit of available effort to complete the lift. The high intensity part of training always takes place to the greatest degree at the very end of a set.
An example of high intensity weight training
Powerlifters often have the reverse view point when it comes to training intensity as some of them have the belief that the highest intensity comes at the start of a set. A lifter possesses the greatest potential for strength and force production when they have not yet developed any fatigue. There is no fatigue to interfere with strength at the start of a set.
Intense Burst of Force and Power
For many years people who lifted weights would do three sets of ten reps for an exercise. Since the last reps of the set were the hardest, many believed that they were also the most productive for building muscle and strength. Eventually powerlifters reversed this thinking and began to emphasize the first few reps of the set for building strength. If the start of the set works best, why not just do the first three reps and eliminate the rest of the set? The idea caught on and it became popular to only do three reps, and then do it again and again for ten sets using the same weight that would be used for three sets of ten reps. In the mind of a powerlifter, when you eliminate fatigue that builds up at the end of a set, you push into the bar with a more intense burst of power and force by just doing the first three reps. In this context, fatigue that occurs at the end of a set reduces intensity because it causes a a reduction of lifting power.
Total Workload Intensity
Another form of intensity is the total workload of an exercise which refers to the total poundage when you multiply the total amount of reps from all the sets times the amount of weight used for an exercise. Serge Nubret, was an immensely strong bodybuilder who used fairly light weights for tons and tons of sets and reps to gain size and strength. Serge admitted that he did not use heavy weights or push to failure on his sets. Instead of pushing harder, he did more and it worked for him. Many of the top bodybuilders of the past (even before steroids) and present have depended on a huge workload in order to work a muscle group intensely. From Leroy Colbert, to Chuck Sipes, along with Bill Pearl, Franco Columbo, Ronnie Coleman, and Jay Cutler, these are all bodybuilders who used huge workloads to build physiques that were known for both strength and size .
Intensity in Relationship to the Percentage of Your Single Rep Max
The last type of intensity is simply the amount of weight you use in relationship to your single rep max. Weight lifters and powerlifters often think of light weight as not being intense, even when pushing a set hard or close to failure. To these lifters, intense means heavy. The Bulgarian weight lifters are among the most prominent for focusing their training on the single rep max.
Bulgarian weight lifting workout
Which types of intensity should be used to gain strength? Perhaps there is one type of intensity that you respond to better than the others. If so, that’s the one you should focus on. Louie Simmons, who is probably the most successful powerlifting coach ever believes in explosive lifting (10 sets of three), the one rep max, and pushing repetitions to failure. In other words, there is more than one way to build strength and he has learned to incorporate several ways to build strength into his overall strength training system.
I personally believe in balance. All versions of intensity can be used effectively, but if you take any one of them to an extreme, they can backfire. This is why I believe in the marker rep, and only training a muscle group while it is at full strength, and using a training max instead of an all out max. These concepts can be found in the section on the basics of PPT. Best of training to you.