Chapter 18
FOUR STEPS
The four steps of meaningful progression in the field of physical training have been (1) calisthenics, (2) gymnastics, (3) weight training, and (4) Nautilus training. In the field of transportation there have been four similar steps, (1) walking, (2) animal-powered transport, (3) internally-powered transport, and (4) aerial transport.
Each step in the field of transportation provided a marked increase in the speed of transportation at first, and eventually a reduction in the cost of transport; in the field of physical training, the various steps have each provided a marked increase in the degree of possible results, and simultaneously a reduction in the required amount of training (in effect, the "cost").
Both the increases in the production of results and the decreases in the "cost" (the amount of exercise necessary) were provided by the same factor in all cases -- each step produced a marked increase in the possible "intensity of effort"; gymnastics are harder than calisthenics -- weight-training is harder than gymnastics (or, at least, it can be and should be, and will be if it is properly employed) -- and Nautilus training is harder than conventional weight-training, to a degree that literally must be experienced to be understood.
All of this is so obvious that it seems almost needless to even say it -- yet, in fact, it must not be obvious to many current weight-trainees, since they train in a fashion that clearly indicates that they are not even aware of the real facts of the matter.
From the very start of the investigations that finally produced the Nautilus methods and systems of training we were clearly aware of "what was needed" -- HARDER EXERCISE; the problems have all been concerned with how to provide such harder exercise. I have long been aware that (in physiology, at least), " . . . the sum of the parts is not always equal to the sum of the parts."
In order to have an elephant, you must have an elephant's head, an elephant's body, four elephant legs, and a number of other parts -- but you can have all of the required parts and still not have an elephant. In order to kill an elephant quickly with a .600 Nitro-Express rifle you must hit him in the brain, with a 900 grain bullet delivering an impact force of about 8,000 foot pounds -- but you can shoot an elephant ten-thousand times with a .22 rifle delivering a total of both grains of bullet weight and foot-pounds of impact force many times as great as the totals from the .600 and still not kill him, and certainly not quickly, if at all.
In exercise, we find a similar situation -- many light movements do not always equal one heavy movement.
In calisthenics you are primarily working against the resistance provided by only a small part of your own body weight -- in gymnastics you are working against the resistance of all, or most, of your body weight -- in weight-training you are (or should be, where possible) working against resistance far in excess of your body weight -- and the only really "break" in this chain of progression from easy exercise to harder exercise to yet-harder exercise comes with the step up to Nautilus training, which provides "harder" exercise in an entirely different manner from that involved in the moves between previous steps; with Nautilus training, you will certainly work against greater resistance, but it isn't simply a matter of increasing the poundage involved -- instead it means that you will be using almost literally all of the mass of the muscles you are trying to work, rather than only a small part of the total mass of the muscles.
Until, and unless, you have experienced Nautilus training, you simply don't know what "hard training" really is; but since the average person is too lazy to even do calisthenics, and most people are too lazy to do gymnastics, and even almost all weight-trainees are too lazy to use a barbell in an actually "hard" fashion, I do not expect very many people to quickly accept and practice a form of training that makes them all seem like child's play by comparison -- but a few people will, and the results they produce will eventually (and sooner than you might think) produce an entirely new breed of strength athletes.
You can slice it as thin as you can, or pile it as high as you like -- but you still end up with cheese; if you started with cheese. You can kid yourself any way you like -- but you can't change facts; hard exercise -- and ONLY HARD EXERCISE -- produces worthwhile results in the way of muscular strength and size increases. If you are not willing to work hard, then forget it -- there simply isn't any other way to do it.