Excerpted from Supertraining... anyone familiar with this controversy?
Taken from the Journal of Exercise Physiology Online
http://www.asep.org/jeponline/issue/JEPDec2004.shtml
STRENGTH TRAINING METHODS AND THE WORK OF ARTHUR JONES. Smith D,
Bruce-Low S. JEPonline. 2004;7(6):52-68. This paper reviews research
evidence relating to the strength training advice offered by Arthur
Jones, founder and retired Chairman of Nautilus Sports/Medical
Industries and MedX Corporation. Jones advocated that those
interested in improving their muscular size, strength, power and/or
endurance should perform one set of each exercise to muscular failure
(volitional fatigue), train each muscle group no more than once (or,
in some cases, twice) per week, perform each exercise in a slow,
controlled manner and perform a moderate number of repetitions (for
most people, ~8-12).
This advice is very different to the strength training guidelines
offered by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the
American College of Sports Medicine and most exercise physiology
textbooks. However, in contrast to the lack of scientific support for
most of the recommendations made by such bodies and in such books,
Jones' training advice is strongly supported by the peer-reviewed
scientific literature, a statement that has recently been supported
by a review of American College of Sports Medicine resistance
training guidelines. Therefore, we strongly recommend Jones' methods
to athletes and coaches, as they are time-efficient and optimally
efficacious, and note that, given his considerable contribution to
the field of strength training, academic recognition of this
contribution is long overdue.
Key Words: Weight training, Bodybuilding, Power, Muscular endurance,
Nautilus, MedX
INTRODUCTION
During the past thirty or so years, the popularity of weight training
has increased enormously. Simultaneously, the number of popular books
and articles devoted to this topic has also increased, and those
interested in improving their muscular size and strength are
confronted by a rather bewildering array of information sources, many
of which appear to contradict one another. Issues such as how many
sets and repetitions individuals should perform, the movement cadence
individuals should adopt, frequency of training, and how to
specifically target increased power or muscular endurance are
discussed regularly in popular weight training magazines and books,
with little in the way of agreement between the individuals writing
in such publications.
In contrast, an examination of recent exercise physiology textbooks
(1-3), most specialist strength and conditioning textbooks (4-10) and
of the guidelines produced by certification organisations such as the
National Strength and Conditioning Association (11) and the American
College of Sports Medicine (12) reveals an apparent academic
consensus as to how individuals should perform weight training for
optimal results. The guidelines issued by such sources state that
experienced trainees should perform –
1. multiple sets of each exercise for best results,
2. low-repetition sets to increase strength and high-repetition sets
to increase muscular endurance, and
3. repetitions explosively (i.e. with a relatively fast cadence) for
optimal power development.
Also, they argue that for experienced trainees, very frequent, high-
volume training up to 4-5 days/week twice/day, for a total of around
21 hours of training/week (12) will produce best results.
However, this consensus on optimal strength training methods is not
shared by everyone in this field (13-20). A recent article has, for
instance, criticised the ACSM resistance training guidelines for
their lack of empirical support (13), and another paper (14) has
pointed out that despite claims to the contrary, the available
evidence does not favour the multiple-set approach advocated by the
ACSM and NSCA. Such criticisms are, however, not new. One individual,
who has been offering advice directly contradicting all of the above
recommendations for over thirty years, is Arthur Jones, founder and
retired Chairman of Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries and MedX
Corporation. In the early 1970s, when Jones first developed his
Nautilus exercise equipment, he began to publish advice as to how to
use this equipment for best results. However, the advice he gave can
be (and was intended to be) utilised by those using any kind of
weight training equipment. This advice was published in over 100
articles within various fitness magazines and technical journals, and
in several books, between 1970 and 1998. Jones' recommendations (15-
20), aimed at anyone wishing to increase muscular strength,
hypertrophy, power and endurance, can be summarised as follows:
1. Perform one set of each exercise to muscular failure. Additional
sets will not provide better results.
2. Train each muscle group no more than twice/week, and many
individuals will produce optimal results from training each muscle
group no more than once/week.
3. Move slowly and deliberately during each exercise. Such exercise
form will produce optimal increases in strength and power.
4. For most individuals, best results will be achieved by performing
a moderate number of repetitions (around 8 to 12) rather than very
high or low repetitions. This will produce optimal increases in
muscle strength and endurance, which are related in that increases in
strength will be accompanied by increases in muscular endurance.
Therefore, in summary, Jones' recommendations are to train hard (to
muscular failure) but relatively briefly and infrequently to optimise
muscular strength, hypertrophy, power and endurance. In contrast to
the recommendations of many exercise physiologists, who advocate
strength training programs that can consume upwards of twenty
hours/week (8,11), Jones recommends training for a maximum of about
90 min/week. It is important to note here that Jones' work has never
been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Some
physiologists have pointed this out in an attempt to discredit Jones'
theories (21,22). However, the aim of this article is to point out
that his hypotheses have mostly been strongly supported by the peer-
reviewed scientific literature. This is in great contrast to the
recommendations made in many exercise physiology textbooks and by
some prominent exercise certification organisations, which appear to
have very little scientific support, and which a great deal of
scientific evidence clearly contradicts. The following sections
examine the scientific literature relating to each of Jones' training
recommendations.......
The list of bodybuilders who have been heavily influenced by Jones
reads like a Who's Who of the sport. Dorian Yates (six times Mr
Olympia), Sergio Oliva (twice Mr Olympia), Mike Mentzer (Mr
Universe), Ray Mentzer (Mr America) and Casey Viator (Mr America) are
among the professional bodybuilders who have cited Jones as a major
influence on their training. Thus, despite the efforts of the NSCA
(11), ACSM (12) and others (8,44,45) to discredit Jones' ideas, many
athletes, from novice to collegiate and professional level, have
applied Jones' principles with considerable success. We strongly
recommend that other athletes follow their example and apply Jones'
training advice. Individuals should also take the time to examine the
relevant scientific research at first hand rather than relying on the
interpretations and recommendations of prominent exercise
physiologists which are based on personal bias rather than scientific
evidence. Specifically, we would strongly dissuade athletes and
coaches from following the recommendations of the ACSM and NSCA, and
instead suggest that they follow the research-based guidelines that
are presented in Table 1, together with references to supporting
research.
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