Patrick Diver is the founder of Greyhound Fitness, a company that provides the fastest workout in Orlando – Florida. He has years of experience and extensive knowledge involving High Intensity Training. He was also my trainer during the High Intensity Training Experiment and gave me some top notch advice on how to maximize my results. I decided to interview him so you could benefit from his knowledge on the subject.

1. Before we get to the good stuff, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became a High Intensity Trainer?

My interest in strength training initially began through my involvement in competitive cycling. I had won a state championship and some other races and used a fairly rigorous strength training program in the off season. Compared to my workouts now, I spent a lot more time in the gym. My average workout lasted an hour or so and was mostly done with free weights.

Competitive cycling tends to be fairly dangerous, with both traumatic and overuse injuries, so I became interested in sports medicine and ended up graduating with a degree in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training from Missouri State University (known as Southwest Missouri State University, in ’95). Shortly after, I was certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association in early ’96.

Once out of school, however, I realized I probably wasn’t going to make it as a professional cyclist and eventually wound up working in sales. Five or so years later, I was growing weary of the job and was looking for something more meaningful, both professionally and personally. About the same time, I was rekindling my interest in competitive cycling and for the first time thought about becoming a personal trainer. It just made sense considering my interests in physical training and budding desire to assist others in some way.

My actual involvement in High Intensity Training came about because the first trainer I met looking for career advice, Gary Anger, was a HIT trainer, and also happened to be a very successful competitive cyclist. Through his guidance, I was able to lay the foundation for my current personal training business, and also go on to collect another state cycling championship.

I’ve now supervised over 10,000 injury free workouts in the past 7.5 years and have given over 100 fitness talks to some of the largest companies in Orlando. More importantly, however, I’ve been able to genuinely help quite a few people along the way. I’ve helped some clients find relief from chronic joint injuries, assisted others in losing upwards of 70lbs, and helped many more to maintain their exercise programs years beyond what they’d previously attempted.

2. What are some of the most common mistakes you see people making when they first get into High Intensity Training?

I probably wouldn’t use the word ‘mistake’ per se. For most people, learning High Intensity Training will likely challenge their assumptions about what constitutes an effective exercise program. One of my favorite questions to ask a seminar audience is “How often do you need to workout per week to get in good shape?” Invariably they answer three times a week. With HIT training, three times a week would be at the very upper end of frequency suitable for a trainee. Probably 95% of people will do better training once or perhaps twice a week.

So right away, High Intensity Training challenges the most basic exercise assumptions. Most people cannot grasp the effectiveness of training once a week due to their ingrained notion of exercise. We live in a culture where walking is often touted an acceptable means of exercise. Now for some people it may be a step in the right direction (pun intended), but for the majority it falls flat in stimulating a positive physical improvement.

I use walking as an example, but it carries over to a person that spends 45 minutes on an elliptical machine three times a week and then hears their exercise results could be trumped with a single 12 minute HIT session per week. Instantly this person thinks about their perceived effort over those three sessions and tries to mentally extrapolate that effort into a single weekly effort. It just doesn’t jive with them.  “No way” they think. Of course the problem is one of internal reference points. If they have not participated in a HIT session, they don’t yet know the intensity is quite a bit different from their elliptical machine effort. Most people won’t want more than a 12 minutes High Intensity Training session.

3. Does that intensity scare some people off?

Well, I’ve successfully trained people ranging from the pre-teens to those in their late 80’s, but there is no doubt HIT is not for everybody. I say that from a psychological, not physical viewpoint. Like I mentioned before, if a person has been led to believe their ‘treadmill effort’ is adequate enough, they may be put off by the discomfort of HIT. So they will probably stick with the treadmill even though we can demonstrate HIT is more time efficient, safer, and produces higher quality results.

Historically speaking, I believe it started with Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s first book Aerobics, published in 1968. Like any good marketing effort, the cover of the book touted Cooper’s key selling point: “The World’s Most Popular Physical Fitness Program.  Simple, Easy to Follow. Every Exercise That’s Best for You—Walking, Jogging, Swimming, and Cycling.” The cover actually shows an image of a person walking.

Prior to this publication, things weren’t so easy. Calisthenics, including sit-ups, push-ups, chin-ups, and the like were taught in school. In fact, most people are familiar with these exercises from their P.E. days and know they are not easy to perform. It is substantially easier to walk or to bicycle down the street than to do a bunch of chin-ups; therefore Cooper’s book really struck a chord with people looking for an easier way to stay in shape. I suppose it is human nature and why we drive all around a parking lot looking for the closest space instead of walking 20 extra yards.

Of course, I am oversimplifying the matter, but helping people understand that their results will be directly influenced by their intensity of effort is part of what a good trainer does.

4. I believe the biggest selling point High Intensity Training offers is time efficiency. Would you agree?

Yes, true; I believe that is the primary advantage of High Intensity Training. Another favorite question I like to ask during a fitness seminar is, “If you are not in the kind of shape you would like to be in, what is the limiting factor?” As you might guess, lack of time is cited as the number one reason every time.

Now remember, I’m usually doing these seminars in corporate type environments. Busy professionals make up the bulk of my clients and time is typically not on their side. So my goal is to make it known there is at least one viable option for even the busiest person to have a high degree of fitness in their life.

But time crunched or not, HIT can be really attractive for other reasons. Some people may actually be able to work out 3 or 4 times a week, years on end, but you typically don’t see this in the general population. Most people don’t do anything. Some may get on a ‘fitness kick’ for a few weeks or maybe even a few years, but sooner or later, life gets in the way. These are the type of people I believe would find High Intensity Training an attractive choice. Although the effort is intense for those few minutes, a week’s rest between bouts can make it tolerable and sustainable for long term participation. Even someone who favors another training method would have to concede once weekly training, continued for years on end, would be superior to exercising three times a week for 2 months and then quitting.

5. How do you feel when you see traditional exercises programs being advertised on TV? Can you list some of the benefits High Intensity Training has over those exercise programs?

Every program is unique. Different programs will appeal to different people. My interest lies in promoting the benefits of High Intensity Training because I believe it is ideal for many people. The primary benefits would be:

1. Short duration workouts. Typical workouts fall in the 8-12 minute range.
2. Infrequent workouts. Once a week workouts encourage long term participation.
3. Strength development. People gradually lose muscle as they age. Strength training helps counteract that muscle loss. It also helps improve quality of life.
4. Safety. Workouts are typically done with slow, controlled movements thereby minimizing joint risk.
5. Affordability. Some people may be able to train on their own, or with a partner, but I believe the majority will benefit from professional supervision. Due to the infrequent nature of the workouts, HIT is a more affordable version of typical personal training.

6. Can you describe what exercises are in your typical HIT routine? Any reason for these particular exercises

I actually film all of my own workouts, and post them, once a week, on the Greyhound Fitness YouTube Page. I do this to show I practice what I preach and to demonstrate there are no secrets when it comes to productive exercise. Currently I am doing a split routine. One workout is comprised of 5 or 6 compound (multiple joint) movements such as the chest press and leg press and is very metabolically demanding. In fact, many people are surprised to learn they can get such a great cardiovascular workout without using a treadmill or elliptical machine. My second workout includes 6 or 7 single joint exercises including the leg extension and bicep curl to invoke a higher intensity demand on specific muscles. I am currently alternating each workout weekly.

7. I know you have tested different rest periods between your HIT workouts, can you tell us a bit about that? Did working out more frequently yield better results?

Over the years, I’ve kept detailed records and have experimented with as little as 3 exercises performed once a week to 11 exercises performed three times a week. I’ve used Nautilus Nitro, Next Generation, and Superslow retrofitted machines, as well as Medx, and Superslow Systems machines including the Linear Spine.  ’ve also used free weights, static contractions, and body weight exercises. I have performed High Intensity Training during successful competitive cycling seasons and have trained other state champion athletes, beauty pageant winners, homemakers, seniors, children and business professionals.

At the present, I prefer once a week training. Records show I gain no advantage by training more than once a week and the infrequency helps my focus. As far as machines go, as long as the equipment is relatively smooth, I do not believe it makes much difference. I am very experienced with free weights, but prefer good machines because I feel safer at the top end of intensity.

8. Have you ever sustained any injuries during any of your HIT workouts?

No. Really the only time I have hurt myself in the gym was back in college when I was doing clean and jerks. I just lost concentration for a split second and pulled my back. It wasn’t serious, but a good reminder to pay attention. Now, with High Intensity Training I avoid doing many similar high force exercises. I believe HIT is just as effective and minimizes the risk of injury.

9. How would you suggest a newcomer to High Intensity Training get started?

The best avenue would be to find an experienced High Intensity Trainer. There are many excellent trainers throughout the United States that can help a newcomer get started on the right foot. An experienced trainer will help exercise form, monitor intensity based on current fitness level, and maintain accurate records to document progress. I suggest working with a trainer until the trainee can confidently maintain their exercise program, whether that means using a trainer a few times or indefinitely.

If a trainer is not available there are more High Intensity Training resources than ever, ranging from excellent books such as Body By Science (and many others) to online forums, websites, videos of actual workouts and excellent blogs, like yours.

10. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview and for providing your expertise during my 30 day High Intensity Training Experiment. If readers would like more information about your training services where can they go?

First, I’d like to say congratulations on your experiment results. Nearly 7 pounds of muscle in 30 days is impressive. The fact that your workouts averaged less than 9 minutes per session is a nice bonus, but I’m sure you realize the reason for your great results was because of your commitment to work hard.

If people would like help with their training I can be reached via my website at GreyhoundFitness.com.

The Greyhound Fitness YouTube and Facebook pages can be accessed from the home page and many great HIT resources can be found on the links page.

Thanks for the interview and good luck with your future training!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Fitness, Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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• High Intensity Training Results Revisted
• Is High Intensity Training Right for You?
• The Science Behind High Intensity Training – Part 3
• The Science Behind High Intensity Training – Part 2
• The Science Behind High Intensity Training – Part 1