More 7-Minute Muscle Q & A

Wow, I knew the 7 Minute Muscle Plan would be a hit but I had no idea it was going to involve so many emails with questions (thanks for sending most of them to Jon and not me!) :)

Whether you have ordered or not, take a look at some of the most popular questions people have been sending in. If you’re currently on the plan then this will be VERY helpful for you too.

All of these questions were answered by Jon himself.

Question:

I ordered your program a few days ago after listening to your interview with Vince. I was very intrigued by what I heard. I have now read the book, and even did the Phase 1 Chest workout today. (I got my hubby to do it too which was great!) The chest workout was moderately challenging, but I am not sure if I should have done Phase 2. I have worked out with weights for years, but especially in the last year I have done it consistently and really pushed myself to work hard.

Jon Benson:
‘Moderately challenging’ sounds ideal for your ‘first’ 7MM workout. Assuming you were down into the lower reps (1 or 2) by the end if your first 5 minutes and that was ‘truly’ hard, then you’re doing just fine.

If not, increase the weight as I instruct in the book. It’s ‘very’ important that you get the correct weight; otherwise the workout will not be challenging enough.

Also, give 7 minutes a try…but you sound like an intermediate-advanced level trainee who would do fine on 14. 14 is brutal, just fyi. Still, take that whole ‘mental’ bit seriously, as well as the ’starting in the middle.’ It’s vital that you save your time and maintain a good lifestyle while you get results, otherwise it’s kinda pointless, right?

Question:
I workout regularly with Cathe Freidrich, and I have gone through P90X, so I think I am fairly advanced. I was planning on ordering P90X Plus to do over the summer, when I have a little more time for my workouts, but when I saw your program, I thought maybe I would try that first. I am definitely intrigued by the idea of doing more in less time. However, I am going to be really frustrated if I start losing ground with your program! How do you think your program compares to one that does more like 45 min. strength training 2-3 times per week w/about the same for amount of cardio on other days?

Jon Benson:

Great question.

If you’ve been seeing results on this level of training, then there may be a ‘bit’ of backsliding in the form of deconditioning. However, MOST people do not see results from this degree of work for more than 12-16 weeks before they stall. That’s been my experience.

Now, that being said: If you go with 14 minutes 5 days per week and take into consideration ‘density’, you’re probably going to increase your total work output compared to the 45 minutes.

If bodyfat is a problem, you may want to keep the 45 minutes of cardio 2-3 days per week. But again, try GXP and walking and see where you get. Again, you are burning more calories with 45 minutes 6 days a week of training, but at what cost? The calories you are burning could ‘easily’ be cut from your diet – literally about 300-400 tops for a workout of 45 minutes, and that’s pushing it.

I prefer to eat slightly less (100 calories per meal…big deal!) and train less BUT with greater intensity to see results.

There’s no way you can compare 45 minutes of standard training with the intensity 7MM workouts deliver, especially when you get used to the system.

Question:
I know Tom Venuto says that both time and intensity are factors that should be taken into account. He seems to say that if you can do more, you should, but you shouldn’t do more than you need to.
Jon Benson:
Yes, I know Tom quite well. He’s a great guy and a fabulous trainer.

But we disagree on this point. Tom’s training works, but it takes him to the point of utter exhaustion. It is his life’s passion. If that is cool with you, then I say go for it. If you have the genes to recuperate (that’s a big if) training like that works fine. If not, or if you do not want to live, eat and sleep bodybuilding, then my system is superior.

Also, 7MM ‘does’ ask you to do more – it just starts with far ‘less’. The studies in my book clearly illustrate the benefits of brevity training as shown over the history of clinical research on the subject.

Tom and I chatted prior to the release of 7MM (I’m still waiting for his review…it should be a doozy… : ) Here’s what he said:

1. I’m all for short and brutal workouts (and I know this as I’ve trained with Tom.) He loves Vince’s 8×8 protocol, which ironically is how we met! Vince Gironda’s 8×8 takes 6-8 minutes to perform.

2. He’s into ‘longer’ workouts for cardio and eating ‘more’ food. This too is covered in my book, as well as the reasons I disagree with this if your goal is to have a good body ‘and’ a freakin’ life! Does it work? Sure, but the cost is too great.

Finally, I urge you to look at the results guys like Bass and Winett (covered in my book) have had with very brief cardiovascular raining protocols.
Question:
So I guess what I am asking is how do you think I could best utilize your program now that I have a little more time than I do during the school year? At my level of fitness I was thinking I might either do Phase 1 + approx 30 min. aerobic training each day, or phase 2 w/ a little less aerobic training. I would love to do just 9 min like you suggest, but I did Turbulence Training a while back, and I started gaining weight (maybe a pound) after a month or so. I figured that was because I was burning less total calories due to decreased work out time.
Jon Benson:
Sounds like you’d be better off doing Level 1 but REALLY working it (mentally and physically) while keeping your cardio at the same level. The difference in calories would only be at most a few hundred per week.

Try that first. Then alter it from there.
Question:
You really didn’t mention much about diet in your book, but it seems to me that almost any exercise program can work, as long as your calories are in the right range . I just have no idea where that range would be if I cut back my exercise time by that much. I currently do about 3- 4 hrs per week divided between 2 days of full body weight training, and 2-3 days HIT and moderate intensity cardio.

Jon Benson:

I will — and while I agree with this partially, the hormone factors I ‘did’ cover in my book will come into play.
My basic philosophy is eat a bit less, train a lot less, and walk a lot more IF you want your gains to be measured in the decades rather than in the months or years (if you’re lucky.)

Who do you think eats more: A sprinter or a marathon runner?

Now, who looks leaner? More muscular? The sprinter, of course. They do ‘far’ less work volume-wise, but far ‘more’ work intensity-wise and produce the hormones that build muscle and burn fat accordingly. Very few sprinters bother with weight training or diet except for the elite few Olympic-level guys.

Question:
Please let me know what you think. I would really like to simplify my workouts, and I can see that your program would be great for that, but I also really want to do a program this summer that will take of the last 7 lbs. that have been my goal for a long time now. I am a very busy mother of 6, so every minute really counts when I work out.
Jon Benson:
Well, a mother of SIX (wow!) needs all the time she can get. The last 7 is an issue of both diet and training, but FAR less weight training. While WT burns calories longer, it requires ‘very’ little to kick the body into this hyper-calorie drive. Too much WT drains the body and forces you to ‘conserve’ fat for survival. Cardio…not as much, as long as the intensity is not all-out all the time.

END

Man, I have to thank you Jon (if you’re reading this) for all the research and effort you’ve put into developing the http://www.7MinuteMusclePlan.com Lot of my readers are telling me this is first book they’ve ever ordered on the Internet and they are VERY happy with their decision and looking forward to the next 6-12 weeks on your program.

Click here for more information –

http://www.7minutemuscleplan.com

Talk soon,
Vince DelMonte

P.S. This Saturday night I’ll be doing a photo shoot, 2 weeks out from the World Fitness Model Championships and will be posting them on my Facebook Fan Group page and here for you to see. Even though I made the decision last minute, with little time to prepare, I think I’m going to be ready to make quite a presence on stage! I’m sitting at 200 lbs and 8% fat!