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Chapter 1

THE ARTHUR JONES WAY

High-intensity exercise, performed

the Arthur Jones way, requires

attention to detail and unwavering

determination. The muscle-

stimulating results, however, are

well worth the discipline.

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“IF YOU’VE NEVER vomited from doing a set of

barbell curls,” Arthur Jones once said to me, “then

you’ve never experienced outright hard work.” Out-

right hard work was one of his descriptions of in-

tensity, and to this day it’s as good a definition as

I’ve ever heard.

It was early in 1970, and I had been involved in

weight training and bodybuilding for more than 10

years. But I had never vomited from a set of curls. I

soon found out why.

Here’s how Jones taught me to do it.

1. Load a barbell with a weight you can do for

10 repetitions in good form. Then decrease your

weight by 10 pounds, because you probably over-

estimated your strength.

2. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip and stand

erect.

3. Anchor your elbows firmly against the sides of

your waist and keep them there.

4. Lean forward slightly, look down at your hands,

and curl the bar smoothly and slowly. Don’t

move your head.

5. Pause briefly in the top position, but don’t move

your elbows forward. Keep your hands on the bar

in front of your torso, as opposed to over your el-

bows.

6. Lower the bar slowly and smoothly. Again, keep

your elbows stable against your sides. The move-

ment is very deliberate, and each repetition takes

approximately 3 seconds going up and 3 seconds

going down.

7. Repeat the curling movement using this exact

form. You’re aiming for 10 repetitions, but in re-

ality, with this strict form, you hit the wall at 6.

8. Jones would now tell you to loosen your form

slightly, by moving your elbows out and back-

4 THE EMERGENCE OF HIGH-INTENSITY TRAINING

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ward and forward a little. You want to get the

weight up, then focus on lowering it slowly. Sure

enough, you get another repetition, but you can’t

get the next one. At this point, your biceps are

very fatigued, and your forearms and hands are

getting tired.

9. “Loosen your form even more,” Jones would say,

instructing you to lean forward and then back-

ward while curling. Yep, you can do another, and,

with Jones challenging you, you get one more—

again concentrating on the negative, or lowering,

phase. Those were repetitions 8 and 9. Now your

lower back is killing you, your legs are shaking,

your lungs are burning, and your heart rate is

more than 180 beats per minute. Lucky for you,

you’ve lost all feeling in your biceps, forearms,

and hands.

10. “Get one more repetition,” Jones would inform

you now. He’d be standing in front of you,

telling you he’ll help you get the last one.

Slowly, the bar starts moving. You feel as if

you’re almost power-cleaning the barbell, using

every muscle fiber to pull the weight to the top.

When it gets there, Jones would give the final

command.

11. “Bring the bar halfway down and hold for a

count of five. That’s it—five, four, three, two,

one! Now, ease the barbell to the floor.”

THE ARTHUR JONES WAY 5

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