Body by science
by Doug McGuff · first published 2009
77% recommend23% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Research-based high intensity strength program built around the Big Five exercises, with one 12-15 minute session a week. Suits people short on time or who dislike exercise and want efficient gains with less injury risk.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Long time lurker, finally registered to answer this. What's your definition of "strong"? I've been weight training once a week since March, following Doug McGuff's "Body By Science" method, and I have doubled my weights in 4 of the "big 5" in the last 3 months. While I'm led to believe McGuff's methods will never make anyone look absolutely massive, I disagree with your premise…
on “Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein” ↗…(average 20-30 minutes per workout) using High Intensity Training principles and techniques. The basic principles is doing one set to muscular failure per exercise. If you're really just starting out, read Body By Science (Little and McGuff) and follow their Big Five exercise program. It's the top 5 exercises (machines) that you do once a week. Just one set each to failure and it only takes 20 minutes/week. The key…
on “Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance” ↗…nice guide to building muscle.[0] The gateway drug to the HIT tradition, which began with genius Arthur Jones and Nautilus in the early 1970s, is this video presentation by Doug McGuff[1], author of Body by Science[2]. Whether you follow a HIT protocol or not, you should be familiar with the theory covered in Body by Science. Doug covers the definition of fitness and health (which is unusual right there for a…
on “Darebee – A database of workouts” ↗You are probably not giving your body enough time to recover the muscles damaged in your workouts. For more details i can recommend "Body by Science" by John Little and Doug McGuff. Or google "muscle recovery time" and read through
on “Fasting & Programming” ↗The true scientific one is called Body by Science [1]. If you have 100 minutes, invest watching this [2] from God himself (Doug McGuff M.D.). P.S. The next The 21 Convention will be in January 2015 [3]. [1] http://www.bodybyscience.net/ [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdJFbjWHEU [3]…
on “The Scientific 7-Minute Workout” ↗…of it was "cardio." Would they have different results if they were involved in more specifically muscle building exercises, i.e, weight lifting (and with adequate rest)? I've been following McGuff's Body By Science protocol for the past 6 months and I believe that with increased muscle my overall health is improving much more than would have resulted from typical long and slow cardio. Has anybody else tried this?
on “After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight” ↗…Just go for a routine and a diet which is sustainable so you can do it for a long, long time. Btw, for those who claim they don't have time to train; please read 1- http://baye.com 2- Doug McGuff's - Body by science This is high intensity training!
on “Ask HN: Do you lift?” ↗…generally solved that problem by the 1980s. Free PDF of Nautilus Training Principles: Bulletins No. 1-3 http://baye.com/store/nautilus-bulletins/ Summary of research and evidence-based exercise as of 2009: Body by Science https://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Research-Strength-Traini... Author Doug McGuff MD has been operating a training facility since 1998, 100-120 client sessions a week, and he reports zero injuries to…
on “How Exercise May Help the Memory Grow Stronger” ↗If you check, you will find it is incredibly rare for health and fitness books and articles to define "health", "fitness" or "exercise". Body by Science[0][1] gets right to it on pages 2 and 3 to define all three: Health: A physiological state in which there is an absence of disease or pathology and that maintains the necessary biologic balance between…
on “Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds” ↗…Crawl into bed and fall asleep easily (after your heart stops pounding). Of course, you will also build muscle mass over time, which doesn't hurt. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdJFbjWHEU [1] "Body by Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week" https://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Research-Strength-Traini...
on “Dealing with Insomnia” ↗…this sort of approach is preferable. And tell the gymrats: Pain and time don't win merit badges, results do. Hopefully, they'll respond: "do you even lift, bro?" :] That's my (100-80)/10 cents. PS: Body by Science by Little & McGuff (2009) obliterates many gym tradition superstitions, factoids, and popular misconceptions with evidence, experience, and studies.
on “The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding” ↗…resources for further reading: * The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown. * Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey. * Body by Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week by John Little and Doug Mcguff.
on “Ask HN: How has exercise changed your outlook on life?” ↗Doug McGuff, "Body by Science". Downvotes to my very helpful and lifesaving original comment is by losers who will run till they die.
on “Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality” ↗Running is actually bad for you. Health is not the same as Fitness. The more you run, the more you risk long term damage. I know a lot of people reading this will disagree. In response I say: read "Body by Science".
on “Doctor’s Heart Attack” ↗I highly recommend the book “Body by Science” if you don’t like working out but want to make sure you stay healthy and build muscle without aiming to look like a body builder. I doubled my strength in just 4 x 15 min sessions (1 session a week).…
on “The death of the sit-up” ↗