How well do steroids work with HIT?

**Atomini** · 03-19-2007, 04:58 PM

I've been using the Mentzer style HIT (High Intensity Training) method for pretty much nearly my whole bodybuilding journey. I would probably say a good 6 years out of the 8 i've been training and low volume, high intensity has worked amazingly for me ever since. What i'm wondering is that since it's low volume yet still stimulating growth, how well do steroids work with such a training protocol?

Logically thinking about it, if I were to perform a lower volume (such as one working set to failure as I currently do), that would still stimulate growth as usual but would dig far less inroads into my recovery ability and the muscle itself in comparison to high volume training. With the steroids coming into play plus the low volume, the recovery should be quite fast, should it not? I could therefore train each muscle group more often, thus having more growth phases per week (or per month, depending where I find my recovery ability is at while on the juice). I understand this also depends on what type of steroid is being used at the time as well.

In looking at it a bit more deeply, i've noticed that since muscle contraction is one of the main up-regulators of androgen receptors, the harder your muscle contracts, the more androgen receptors you'll get. This would be very beneficial for me seeing as though a HIT training session for me is likely to induce more intense contractions than usual, and therefore more up-regulation of the receptors. That would give an advantage to the exogenous testosterone and provide more growth. But, to make things more complicated, intense muscle contractions are not the only up-regulators of androgen receptors, as we all know. So, i'm just wondering what the efficacy of doing HIT with steroids is.

I'm sure there are those here who do use HIT or a similar low volume, high intensity training method and have done so while on steroids. From experience, what were the results like? Even for those who haven't personally experienced it, what do you think the results would be?

**Schmidty** · 03-19-2007, 05:20 PM

bump. I want to see if anybody here does this.

**Atomini** · 03-19-2007, 06:16 PM

Well if nobody answers, i'll still be doing it when I decide to go on my cycle, lol!

But i'd still like to know what the efficacy of this would be, even just hypothetically speaking.

**Snrf** · 03-19-2007, 06:22 PM

yes it works, there are vets on here that use HIT and steroids

**NewVader** · 03-19-2007, 07:52 PM

it depends what you intend for HIT. If you intend just 1 set/bdypart once every 10 days, I wouldnt do it while on aas. But if you use high intensity techniques you can have good results with few sets/body part once a week. i have done it.

Also keep in mind that although sterngth and size are directly related, there is a point where you can become stronger on HIT without increasing your size. (in which case you would have benefits from increased volume frequency)

Even Stuart McRoberts, one if the biggest advocates of high intensity/ low volume frequency, recognized after a few years that training twice a week could bring you up in strenght but not give you as much size as more volume, and he now advocated 3 times/ week for the advaced trainees.

IMO hit on compound exercises is good for intermediate peple who want to grow, but if you are more advanced you'd benefit from an increased vol/frequency at least from time to time

**Atomini** · 03-20-2007, 06:26 AM

Yes, and if training with HIT while on AAS, I could train each muscle way more often than usual due to the heightened recuperative abilities. At the moment i'm doing 1 set per bodypart every 6 days, but I expect to be doing it more often than that while on AAS.

**Swifto** · 03-20-2007, 06:58 AM

When Warrior did his very first short high dosed cycle, he switched to using HITT training and got some very good gains. Marcus300 may be able to shed some more light on this.

I think HITT training could be very benificial to some one short cycling. As the cycle is so short (around 4 weeks) hitting each muscle group more often may have some advantage.

**Warrior** · 03-24-2007, 12:43 AM

Originally Posted by Swifto

When Warrior did his very first short high dosed cycle, he switched to using HITT training and got some very good gains. Marcus300 may be able to shed some more light on this.

I think HITT training could be very benificial to some one short cycling. As the cycle is so short (around 4 weeks) hitting each muscle group more often may have some advantage.

Yeah - it's beneficial. However - you must be advanced enough to have a very tight relationship with your muscles. Seriously. I did a split based on Dante's doggcrapp outlines - basically another HIT system - and I couldn't believe how my tricpes got so sore from simply doing overhead dumbeel extensions. But again, to benefit from this very abbreviatd aproach, you should have several years of training and a sharp mind-muscle connection... just my .02

I am embarking on my next short cycle as of yesterday, after a good priming period. I am going to switch to a high volume approach (based on Poliquin's advanced GVT outline) and compare results.

At this point, I would suggest a HIT-type routine for advanced lifters - but those with only a few years on their lifting belts probably need a little more volume to keep strengthening that mental connection with their muscle for maximizing recruitment; as well as keep hardening the connective tissue...