A few years ago I released a book whose title was more reminiscent of a line out of “There’s Something About Mary” than a serious work on fitness. “7 Minute Muscle” — yep, it’s getting more and more difficult to distinguish fact from parody.

Since that time its kissing cousin, “7 Minute Body”, has been released, featuring a complete in-home version of the same workout principles covered in 7 Minute Muscle, as found below:

7 Minute Workout Solution <--61%Off

Here’s the real irony: Of the 127 testimonials I’ve received so far that I deem worthy of publishing on the web, over forty were from fitness professionals. I’m not talking about “doctors” with a gut as large as their paycheck. I’m speaking of men and women with both academic and real-world experience in the fitness and bodybuilding world.

There were exceptions of course. My friend John Berardi, while saying some nice things about the work, couldn’t endorse it due to the emphasis on shorter training sessions. That’s cool. Everyone has a different approach. But the overwhelming number of folks with consonants behind their names — those who read the book and applied the principles — had wonderful things to say.

There’s a reason for that: The workout protocol is based on the science of hypertrophy as well as psychophysiology, the study of the mind/body connection.

I will delve into the mental aspects of the protocols in a later article. For now, since most of you are experienced, educated and (dare I say it) hard-core, let’s delve into the meat.

7 Minute Muscle (and 7 Minute Body) is primarily a density-based training system. It demands varying rep ranges done within specific time periods. The protocol factors six of the primary variables of hypertrophy, or muscle growth: Intensity, Load, Volume, Density, Time and Force. (Time includes rest intervals as well as the time required to perform a given task.)

A layman’s take on one of the basic laws of physics states that time and energy are interrelated. Doing the same amount of work in less time demands more energy, which translates into more power. While power is a factor in training, our interest is focused on forcing muscle growth and adaptation. This is also an element of time and energy. More energy expended in less time = more power.

If you break down the typical 3-4 set bench press routine, with reps starting at 12 and ending in the 4-6 range, with longer rest intervals between heavier sets, you’ll find that the aggregate weight lifted is “less” than a protocol like 7 Minute Muscle, which uses ‘less’ weight (easier on the joints) but demands more work in less time. In other words, X amount of repetitions done with Y amount of weight in just 5 minutes (phase 1 of our two-phase protocol) ends up being greater than your typical 3-4 set protocol, despite the fact that more weight is used in the latter.

Other routines, of course, utilize this factor of density. Vince Gironda’s infamous 8 sets of 8, EDT and so-forth. 7 Minute Muscle goes a bit further by varying rest, load factors and repetition range. Reps will vary from as low as one rep to as much as ten, and all of this is at the trainee’s discretion.

They have only one real objective: Increase the aggregate repetition count from one training session to the next. Since time is limited (broken down into two phases: A Power Phase of no more than 5 repetitions and a Mass Phase of no more than 10 repetitions) the trainee is given a system that more accurately measure the seventh and most crucial factor of hypertrophy: Progression.

More work in less time. Variable repetition ranges. Variable rest intervals. And all in seven minutes (for beginners.) Intermediate and advanced-level trainees are given 14 and 21-minute protocols if they wish to implement them. I myself rarely go beyond 14 minutes, as that is all that’s required to stimulate muscle growth.

I will cover health factors, cardiovascular work, ab training, and the science of mind and body in future articles. For now, give 7 Minute Muscle a shot. There’s nothing funny about it, except for the fact that you’ll be laughing all the way home from the gym as you finished your killer workout while your buddies were still warming up.

And, for this week only, you can get it at a 61% discount. You’ll get everything: 7 Minute Muscle (the gym-based workout) and 7 Minute Body (the in-home workout) plus the six training videos today for less than the cost of a cheap dinner.

It’s a system and a price that’s impossible to beat.

Go here now:

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P.S. You’ll thank me later for the months of time I’ve given back to your life… not to mention that new body in the mirror.

Remember:

Train Hard. Train Smart. And Train Cheap…

7 Minute Workout Solution <--61%Off

Anyone who’s ever lifted a weight will know the feeling…

It happens the first time you do squats or deadlifts…the first (and sometimes last!) time you negative-accentuated training where you’re focusing on the lowering phase of the lift…the first time you perform an exercise you’ve never used before…

Strangely enough, as painful as this soreness can be, it can be addictive! Many people I hear from actively seek out ways to make themselves sore because they love that feeling of soreness. To them, it’s an indication that they’ve made progress…that something has been achieved in the gym.

Without that soreness to give them feedback, some people feel they haven’t really done enough.

This has led to some pretty insane training methods and programs, let me tell you.

Here’s the deal…..even though unique programs and exercises will generally result in plenty of muscle soreness, the major goal of these techniques is NOT to make you sore!

Yep, is a common effect, but if pain was the goal, there are faster ways ot achieving just that. Cripes, just drop a weight plate on your foot – there’s pain for you…lots of soreness, too.

The goal is not to cause soreness but to get a training effect on the muscles through the use of unique training methods.

Pain is NEVER the goal. Adaptation is the goal.

So, do you need muscle soreness to achieve muscle-building in the body?

No.

Simple as that.

I won’t get into all the specifics of HOW muscle soreness comes about (there actually is debate on the mechanisms by which Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness operates) but muscle soreness is simply an indicator that you’ve done something your body is not used to.

It CAN be an indication that what you’ve done will result in muscle growth but there is no guarantee. I can make a person sore from doing a set of 100 reps on the bench press but do you think that will result in significant muscle growth? The load simply isn’t great enough.

Even when I use an exercise I’ve never ever done before or used a program that is completely new to me, soreness is never the determining factor on whether I feel it’s a good program or not.

My RESULTS are.

I’ll give you a specific example. In a muscle-building program I’ve found called “Muscle Explosion – 28 Days to Maximum Mass“ there is a week where you perform ONE exercise 5 days in a row for more than 200 sets.

Without getting into the specifics of the program, the author says he gains about 5 pounds of muscle in this single week alone, just based on this style of training. And even with tremendous number of sets, he hardly ever experieces any soreness.

Yes, the nervous and muscular systems are basically exhausted at the end of the 5 days but soreness? Not a whole lot to speak of.

I’ll say it again…soreness can indicate the potential for increase muscle growth…it’s NOT a requirement.

I’ve got another example for you…any pro athlete.

Do you think an athlete who wants to build muscle will use a program where excessive soreness keeps them from practicing or affects the movement mechanics?

Absolutely not. Their coaches simply would not allow it.

Muscle does not have a brain. All it knows is when it needs to adapt to a workload greater than what it’s accustomed to. A targeted increase in workload will (generally) result in an increase in muscle mass, when all other factors are accounted for (like nutrition, recovery, etc.).

So where does that leave the person who wants to build muscle?

Train to improve your performance. Try new techniques, programs and exercises.

But for crying out loud, DON’T train with muscle soreness as a major goal and DON’T worry if a training program doesn’t immediately make you sore. You’ll get results from overloading your muscles, eating plenty of good food to support the muscle-building process and getting enough recovery between workouts.