Your training effort & intensity will always is a greater asset than the equipment you use or the

technology you implement. Science can't measure determination

Christian Marchegiani

Introduction
When you take your car to the mechanic for a basic service there are a series of steps the mechanic
will take to ensure all components of the car are checked properly. Most mechanics will agree on
the same procedures to change oil, filter, brakes, spark plugs, and fluids. While there are various
ways a mechanic can go about this the underlying principles are the same.
There is so much information available which is great for the knowledge of the general public but
we have reached a point where there is such an oversupply of methods to get fit and strong that
people are confused as to what to do. The aim of this book is to provide you with some insight into
exercise & how you may apply these thoughts into your own training.
You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the
possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise program, you do so at your own risk,
are voluntarily participating in these activities, & assume all risk of injury to yourself.
About Me
I've been working in the sports & fitness industry since 2001 having founded THUMP Boxing
which became the worlds leading boxing for fitness accreditation provider. I went on to work with
NRL teams Penrith Panthers & Wests Tigers as part of their fitness conditioning staff while also
completing a Bachelors Degree in Exercise & Sports Science.
Since 2004 I've also been part of the Sydney Swans fitness staff providing boxing coaching to
players in conjunction with strength & conditioning for the Sydney Swans Academy & the NSW
AFL.
In 2005 I commenced working with various Australian athletes from Cricket to Swimming &
continued to develop THUMP Boxing courses which is now being taught in over 10 countries.
After completing the Channel 9 series of 'Excess Baggage' and appearing on numerous men's
fitness magazine covers I decided to put my clothes back on & began a Masters Degree in High
Performance Sports.
While doing my Masters I became interested in the high intensity training concept and developed
the HIRT courses & workshops which are now approved by Fitness Australia for 6 CEC's.

The HIRT Manifesto Of Exercise

Perhaps the first thing we learnt about the human body was ADAPTION. One thing we understand
clearly is that the body adapts to what it needs. If it's put under stress it learns to handle that stress
but better.
The work we do needs to be HARD - VERY HARD. For the body to produce any adaptive
response it needs to be threatened with a challenge so intense it feels like something is trying to
harm it. The next time this perceived threat of harm comes it will be prepared but stronger than
before.
Working hard is not a long event. When working to your absolute maximum intensity the body only
has a limited engine for 100%. If it's going to be hard then it has to be BRIEF. Short in duration.
This is probably the hardest of the beliefs to comprehend because we've been led to believe that we
must exercise long periods of time many times per week. Your body does not recognise time as
such. It recognises intensity.
RECOVERY. This is perhaps one of the least discussed topics when it comes to exercise - the
importance of recovery. If you train hard & brief your body needs to recover. Given enough time to
recover it will adapt. That's as simple as it can get. You only have a limited resource of recovery
ability which gets easily tapped into when you train hard. If you keep tapping into it without giving
your body enough rest you will eventually burnout and regress in your development.
Your muscles have one purpose and one purpose only - to produce FORCE. How do they produce
force? Through a mechanism called contractions. The shortening, lengthening, or holding of muscle
fibres. The greater the resistance they encounter the greater the force they need to produce. At some
point they will be unable to produce anymore force due to fatigue. It's at this point that you can say
you worked at your maximum intensity (everything else being equal).
Having the ability to work hard requires much patience, discipline, and tolerance. It's not for
everyone. Not because it doesn't work for everyone but because some people choose not to work
that hard. Their body simply 'reacts' to exercise rather than 'adapts' to it. With a little bit more effort
and vigour people can have far greater results in a shorter amount of time. This is not a shortcut.
This is just the truth.

1. Eliminate Unnecessary Exercises - Simplify

Much of what we've come to learn has been passed down from coach to coach which we readily
accept. Most of the time we don't even know why we are doing a certain exercise but because others
are doing it so do we. This usually happens for the sake of variety which is another myth about our
bodies. It doesn't need variety. It needs stimulus.
So much exercise is wasted effort and the effects just get dissipated with sweat rather then with
intensity. Your body is producing a reactive response rather than an adaptive response. One makes
you feel out of breath, sweaty, and exhausted. The other hurts. Put more effort into a few basic
exercises instead of minimal effort spread across a lot of exercises.
2. Work each set to positive failure - Intensity
As mentioned before your body does not recognise time as such. It doesnt have a clock inside of it
that says you've worked for an hour so it's time to burn fat and build muscle. What it does recognise
is intensity.
The levers of your limbs may be different. The speed at which you lifted the weight may have been
different. This is why intensity must be personal and the only way to be absolutely sure you have
done everything possible to stimulate an adaptive response is to give an all out effort which means
performing a set to Momentary Muscular Failure.
3. Be honest with your efforts & yourself - Focus
As with most successful achievements in life you need to be focused. There is no compromise.
When you study for an exam or have deadlines at work you put great effort and concentration to get
good results. The same approach needs to be taken with exercise. You need to focus on every single
rep, set, and exercise you are doing.
You need to be honest with yourself and ask the tough questions - Did I work to positive failure?
Could I have completed another rep with good form? Was the weight challenging enough? Was I in
control of the movement path or did momentum lend me a hand?

4. Do not rush the set - Rep Range

Let me be clear. Strength can be developed at any speed and with various ranges. There are so many
methods of periodisation, intensity %, and equipment modalities. What you're looking for is the
most efficient and least complicated way to get strong in the safest way possible. There are no
compromises to safety unless you're sport requires you to specifically handle the weight a certain
way i.e CrossFIT, Strongman, Powerlifting, and Olympic Lifting.
Keep in mind that you don't need to stop the set at that number if you still have 1 or 2 more reps left
in you. This is just an indication that you are stronger and will need to increase the weight on your
next session. If you can't reach the lower end of the repetition range then the weight is too heavy
and you need to go lighter. Remember you still need a certain volume of mechanical work to
stimulate an adaptive response.
5. Control the weight - Reduce Momentum (Rep Speed)
This is perhaps one of the most controversial topics in lifting weights - how fast should you be
lifting the weight? Strength can be developed at any speed so why not choose the safest option
which reduces the risk of injury and ensures you recruit every available muscle fibres involved in
the movement?
The safest way to lift weights is slow, smooth, and with complete control of the resistance. This
means not allowing for the weight to be airborne at any stage of the movement. Why? Because with
acceleration and increased momentum you expose your body (joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles)
to a force it is not capable of withstanding. The force was produced by the acceleration of the mass
NOT by the contraction of the muscles.
6. Work the whole body - 1 System
Your body operates as a complete system so it would make sense to exercise it that way. The
objective here is to completely recover your body on rest days and not just certain body parts.
Systemic recovery is just as important as localised recovery of the worked body parts. You don't
want to be spending every day at the gym working different body parts when it's not necessary.

Even though you work your legs there is an indirect effect on your upper body. This means that
when you squat with your legs you squat with your whole body. When you curl with your arms you
curl with your whole body. Obviously the smaller the muscle group the less indirect effect on
neighbouring muscles which is why it's important to work from big to small as one system .
7. Look for the stimulus - Drop Sets
As you progress through your training there will come a point where your strength will surpass the
capability of the equipment you're using. As your legs get stronger in the squat for example you
may not be able to load more weight on your back. Another example would be the lat pulldown
machine.
Your grip and arms will give out before your lats do. This is where you need to look for alternative
ways to reach positive muscular failure so as to not stall your progression . You want to be
producing an adaptive response not a reactive response from the exercise.
Drop Sets is where you progress through the set but each time you hit positive failure you
immediately reduce the weight by a small margin and continue on (no rest). You should only do this
once or twice in the working set. Remember the range that you're working in for upper and lower
body.
8. Minimise Rest between exercises - Maximise Growth
The bottom line is too much time is spent at the gym in between sets and exercises. Your aim is to
maximise intensity to capitalise on the anabolic (growth) process which is present when your body
is put under immense stress especially in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic metabolism). Initially
when people begin to exercise they will see immediate gains in strength which is usually due to an
increase in neuromuscular efficiency and the recruitment of the slow twitch fibres. After a while
progress stalls because people are not tapping into their fast twitch fibres to produce bigger results.
With a shorter amount of rest you have built in the 'cardio' component into your workout meaning
you are placing an increased demand on your cardiorespitory system without the need to sit on a
treadmill to get your 'cardio.

9. Keep accurate record - Tracking progress

How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you're starting from? Nothing
screams motivation & progress like accurate record keeping. This will ensure you are always
heading in the right direction & give you an indication if you have stalled in your development.
This is usually a sign that you need to further enhance your stimulus or you just need a break from
training. Yes it's ok to take a break from training for a few weeks. If you're still progressing and not
burnt out or unmotivated then keep going.
10. Recovery
Every time you exercise your body thinks you're trying to harm it. It calls upon its recovery reserves
to treat the 'injured' area and give it a little more (over compensation) for the next time this
perceived 'threat' attacks again. It's not just your muscles that are 'attacked' but your whole system is
under 'threat'. This is known as a systemic inflammatory response. Your muscles produce a local
inflammatory response.
The best guide for recovery is having a day off in between sessions and at least 2 days off once in
the week. An example would be training Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then have Saturday,
Sunday off. By doing this you're giving your body enough time to enhance the recovery and growth
process (everything else being equal i.e nutrition, sleep, etc).
PLEASE NOTE:
This is not the only way to exercise. This is not the right way to train. This is not a new way
to workout. This is simply another way. You may have specific needs as an athlete or competitor
with certain requirements that can't be measured or provided with HIRT. That is ok. There are many
ways to get home from the train station. This is just one of them.
OK now we have the technical stuff out of the way what about our attitude? Here are the 10
habits of highly successful people who just get it. These are some small steps to big outcomes.
You can easily make your own.

The 10 HIRT Habits

1. Before leaving home make my bed, do the dishes, & take the rubbish out. You may be thinking
what's this got to do with it but think about it. You can leave the house in the morning knowing
you've accomplished something small but significant. You've made the effort to get up a little
earlier and DO SOMETHING.
By doing this you can be sure you won't skip on the smaller things at training and you definitely
won't take any shortcuts. This is a habit that sets you up for the whole day, the whole week, and the
whole month. Think about this next time you feel like giving up on that last rep because it may
seem insignificant to do.
2. Stop giving a crap about other peoples opinions and their dramas. This takes up too much energy
and recovery. You don't have much of it so use it wisely. People may think you've become selfish
or arrogant but in the end it's your body and I'm pretty sure their dramas won't pay your medical
bills when you get sick. Still be kind in the process.
3. Do not talk negatively about anyone and especially about yourself. This creates an unhealthy
environment that no one likes to be around. The more you feed your mind with negativity the more
you poison your body with weakness. Lift yourself up and lift others along the way. This will make
lifting weights a more positive experience.
4. Do not wake up and instantly check your phone, facebook, emails, and Instagram. Be present
with yourself and and enjoy the energy of the morning. So many people hate the morning because it
means they have to go to work, sit in traffic, or deal with people they don't like. If this is you then
you must change this situation - fast!
Wake up earlier than usual, make yourself a proper breakfast, do not rush out the door, and forget
about technology for a few hours. If possible try and exercise in the morning. It's the one thing they
cant take away from you if the day gets busy and you dont get to go at night.

5. Stop weighing yourself, looking in the mirror, and comparing yourself to the fitness model on
Instagram. You're not her/him. You're you so start acting like it. You have a gene pool like no one
else. You can't be like anybody you see in magazines and tv.
All you can do is give your genes the best shot at being their best and they will express themselves
in the best way possible. This means exercising properly and eating healthy. What happens to the
body after that is not up to you. It's up to your genes so get over it.
6. Exercise is not a punishment & food is not a reward. Enjoy the process and get in the habit of
being fit. When the waiter asks if you want fries or vegetables you know what to ask for. If your
friends pay you out for it then find new friends. There's nothing wrong with making the effort to
look after yourself in every aspect of your life - even at the restaurant.
7. Exercise is not an event. Just get in and get it done. You dont need the latest shoes, gym gear,
fitness app, or protein shake. Just go about your business and don't announce it to the world through
selfies and motivational quotes. You'll always feel like you have to keep up 'appearances' and put
too much pressure on yourself.
8. Food is not expensive. Cars, PlayStation, handbags, iPhones, iPads, iPods, shoes, TV's, and
gourmet restaurants ARE expensive. Get your priorities right. We seem to have money and credit to
afford all the luxuries of life but we complain about how expensive food is. It's not expensive
compared to other things we spend our money on. We need to get our priorities right before we
make any attempt to look after our bodies long term.
9. Don't overcomplicate exercise. Being fit and healthy is not that hard. Make some better choices
and adjust your priorities if you're really serious about being the best version of yourself.
10. DO NOT exercise to 'burn food' off. Your perspective on exercise must not be associated with
your eating habits.
To achieve anything that seems impossible you have to wake up earlier than those who say it is.

The HIRT Bodyweight 4 - 1 - 4 - 1 System

Sometimes you wont have access to a gym or you may be at a hotel who's gym isn't that well
equipped. That shouldn't be a problem because you've got the best gym in the world at your
fingertips - your body. The difficult part is making it work and getting the right stimulus.
The most important part is getting the timing right and making sure you have the adequate cadence
(rep speed) so you have enough time under tension. To be absolutely sure your muscles are exposed
to this we will focus on a 4 second cadence of lifting and lowering with a 1 second pause at the top
and a 1 second pause at the bottom of each lift.
In each routine there will only be 4 exercises but this is where we will incorporate a repeat cycle
since there is no equipment involved. This will ensure we've worked each muscle group to positive
failure.
Sequence 1:
1. Prisoner Squats (Hands behind head)
2. Static Lunge (Both sides)
3. Chin Up/Pull Up
4. Decline Push Up (Feet elevated)
Sequence 2:
1. Bulgarian Split Squat (Back foot elevated)
2. Squats
3. Decline Push Ups
4. Leg Raises (Lying on back both legs together)

Sequence 3:
1. Squats
2. Bulgarian Split Squat (Back foot elevated)
3.Triceps Dips
4. Single Leg Raises (Lying on back one leg straight/one leg raised)
Sequence 4:
1. Single Leg Glute Bridge Raises (Lying on back one knee bent & one leg straight up - lift hips)
2. Squats
3. Chin Ups/Pull Ups
4. Triceps Dips
Sequence 5:
1. Split Leg Lunges (Front foot elevated)
2. Bulgarian Split Squat (Back foot elevated)
3. Prisoner Squats (Hands behind head)
4. Decline Pushups (Feet elevated)
Sequence 6:
1. Step Up onto Box (Keep front foot on box and step up always leaving front foot on box)
2. Single Leg Glute Bridge Raises
3. Push Ups
4. Leg Raises
Sequence 7:
1. Static Lunges (Both sides)
2. Step Up onto Box
3. Chin Ups/Pull Ups
4. Parallel Bar Triceps Dips (Or on bench)

Sequence 8:
1. Bulgarian Split Squats
2. Single Leg Glute Bridge Raises
3. Prisoner Squats
4. Parallel Bar Triceps Dips (Or on bench)
These routines may not seem like a lot of volume but if you stick to the cadence of 4-1-4-1 and you
complete each rep in it's full range of motion you will certainly be challenged. Although we don't
encourage multiple sets or sequences you can repeat the routine once or twice to make sure you
made enough inroad to warrant an adaptive response.
You may even like to put two sequences together such as T13 and T19 or for the ultimate challenge
you can put 3 sequences together but I would not recommend any more than that. Twelve exercises
is absolutely enough for a proper HIRT sequence.
What about Conditioning exercises? The world of fitness has come so far that we have a great
number of tools at our disposal to incorporate into our training. Equipment has become very diverse
and what used to be considered 'junk' can now be utlised to physically condition the body for
strength & endurance.
The important thing to remember is that rather than stack 20 exercises together you are better off in
arranging just a select few and working really hard at them. You want to be able to load the
muscular and energy systems for a long enough period of time at a high intensity to warrant any
adaptive response.
Below we have listed some of the best conditioning exercises and how to perform them. You can
find more of these complete with photos in our e-Book 52 Exercises & Why You Should Do Them.
Your attitude towards training holds more value than anything science can measure.

31. Fireman's Carry

Traditionally used as a technique in firefighting or combat, where a fireman or soldier would carry a
person over their shoulders, away from danger.
This can also be used as a strength tool by lifting a large heavy object a certain distance. Instead of
carrying another human being, one can use a rope or heavy sandbag of similar weight.
Important features of the carry are to keep a small gate with bent knees and brace your core muscle
groups as you move.
32. Farmers Carry
A farmers carry is a weighted carry that is traditionally used in the sport of strongman. When doing
a farmers carry, you use a piece of equipment comprised of a pair of thick metal bars with handles
in the middle. This allows you to carry the bars plus gives you the ability to load weights onto each
end. Conversely, you can use other equipment like Kettlebells, Sandbags and Dumbbells .
Like the fireman's carry, a small gate with a lowered centre of gravity is paramount in keeping the
walk efficient. Furthermore, it is very important that shoulders are packed and retracted to stop the
weight moving forward away from your body.
33. Weighted Drag and Carry.
Unlike the previous carrying exercises, the weighted drag and carry, is completed by dragging a
heavy object in a backward motion. This attacks the large thigh muscles on the front of the leg as
well as the big supporting muscles around your spine. This particular exercise can be executed with
a heavy rope, sandbag, tyre or weighted sled.
34. Prowler Push
The prowler push is an exercise that uses a weighted sled called a prowler. Concentric in its nature,
it is designed to strengthen and condition most of the bodys muscular skeletal system via a heavy
pushing movement over a certain distance (Think pushing a car that has run out of fuel) .
There are several different positions one can use to push the prowler, from a high and upright to a
low and centred position.
When used correctly, the body transverses from its anterior chain to its posterior can of muscles as
you continue to step and move forward. This effect gives great stimulus to the body in aiding both a
reactive and adaptive response for strength and general conditioning.

35. Lateral Band Walks

The lateral band walking exercise looks pretty strange (and feels strange at first), but this exercise is
a great way to improve hip and knee stability as well as using neural activation of the adductors and
glute medius before heavy squatting, thrusting and lifting.
The only equipment that you require is two therapy bands of different strengths. The strongest of
the two bands is placed around the ankles and the second band is placed around the knees. Squat
down into a quarter squat position as you begin to walk laterally. A upright spine with shoulders
retracted is optimal as you lead out with your knees.
36. Duck Walk
The Duck walk is a dynamic mobility exercise that increases the length of working tissues in the hip
knee and ankle regions before squatting or thrusting. From a standing position squat deep until your
glutes are almost touching the floor. From there, begin to take small steps forward as you drive your
knees out. Ensure you land each footstep upon the heel of your foot and not on your toes. Doing 10
meter repeats is a great way of prepping your next heavy lower body lifting sequence.
37. Burpee
The Burpee is a 3 position conditioning exercise that involves going from a standing position to a
push up position then quickly into a full squat jump. It can be performed at different speeds to
complete different objectives. Primarily it is performed at great speed with perfect agility and
accuracy to accumulate power efficiency over a given time or number of reps.
38. Battle Rope Slams
This is a great total body conditioning exercise forcing you to use your muscles in a chain like
fashion to produce as much mechanical work as possible. Grabs the two ends of the rope, with
either an underhand or an overhand grip. Take about 3 to 5 steps up towards the anchor point. This
puts a great deal of slack in the heavy rope. Then, in a "swing" like fashion, swing the ends of the
rope up and then slam them down in order to try to force a huge wave all the way through the rope
to reach the anchor point.
This requires a tremendous amount of power in both the up swing and the down swing. There is no
momentum here to take advantage of when performing the Battle Rope Slam. The user simply has
to generate enough force to elicit the wave through the slack of the rope to reach the anchor point in
rapid fire succession.

Muscular Strength & Physical Conditioning

An efficient way to work on strength combined with cardiorespiratory conditioning is to stack 2 to 4
exercises that incorporate the whole body. Here we have selected 4 common exercises that target
the legs, hips, and upper body. Your aim is to complete all 4 for a certain amount of repetitions and
then repeat with a lower amount of repetitions.
Start with 12 repetitions on the first set making sure the resistance is set heavy enough that you
would struggle to reach 12. Keep the repetition speed steady at about 2 seconds concentric and 2
seconds eccentric. On the next set aim for 10 repetitions. If you got to 12 repetitions on the first set
then I would advise to increase the weight slightly. On the next set aim for 8 repetitions of each
exercise and keep working your way down in increments of 2 until you reach 2 repetitions.

The 4 exercises we have chosen are;

SQUAT There are many variations of a squat so please use one that you feel comfortable with.
T-BAR ROW Again there are a few ways to do this. You can also use a barbell or dumbbells.
LUNGES We have chosen a sp;it stance lunge where the back foot is elevated.
TRICEP DIPS If you don't have access to parallel bars then do PUSH UPS instead.

NAME:

M Tu W Th F Sa Su

M Tu W Th F Sa Su

M Tu W Th F Sa Su

M Tu W Th F Sa Su

M Tu W Th F Sa Su

DATE:
WEIGHT:
SLEEP (hrs):
CALORIES:
TIME (minutes):
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NOTES:
EXERCISES

1RM* SETS REPS

WT

SETS REPS

WT

SETS REPS

WT

SETS REPS

WT

SETS REPS

WT

INT**

TIME DIST

INT

TIME DIST

INT

TIME DIST

INT

TIME DIST

INT

*1RM - One Rep Max (for reference)

HIRT CONDITIONING

TIME DIST

*Intensity: L/M/V=Light/Moderate/Vigorous or E/M/H=Easy/Medium/Hard or Heart Rate

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