How the hell does this happen??

[Umberto]

OMgoodness

I have been following a modified HIT style of training the past year, have begun to stagnate at these weights
My workouts have been as follows:

M- Bench 1set of 315x5, DB incline 1set of 120sx8, 1set of shrugs to fail BB or DB heavy (485 or 150's DB)

T- Squat 1set of 405x5, 1set of leg ext. full stack to fail, 1 set leg curls to fail, 1 set calf raises to fail

W- off

Th- BB behind neck 1set 225x7, Db side raises running rack 60s,40s,20s to fail, skulls 135x8

F- bent rows 1set 295x5, pullups 1wide, 1close to fail, bb curl 135x6


Recently (past 3 weeks) Ive been so busy with school so I decided to try something radical ==> 2 workouts a week! and gained strength that I cant believe! with only about 1 exercise per bodypart to failure (9 total sets a week!!)

M- Bench 350x5, Behind neck press 235x6, bent rows 325x5
Th- Squat 415x6, BB curl 145x5, skulls 145x5, calf raises, shrugs 150s to fail (around 15reps)

BTW- alltime natural (so its not juice assisted) 22 y/o 6'0@242 16%bf
I THINK MIKE MENTZER WAS ONTO SOMETHING HERE!!!
Volume has never worked for me, I didnt really start growing till I changed to HIT

As long as this keeps working Im not gonna change no matter if my friends think Im a puss for only working out 2 days a week, 9 total sets

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK???

[BigGreen]

I'm curious as well. SO i'll bump. But, in the meantime, while on HIT how was your hypertrophy? I've heard from a few people that strength gains were great on HIT, but not so with regards to the size (at least not to the same degree one would expect). Also, I remember reading an excellent "rebuttal" of sorts those claiming that this type of training was the way to go (often citing dorian and mentzer) that brought up the idea that it might be an excellent route to go if AND ONLY IF one is a very advanced trainer...mostly as it takes a high, high level of neuromuscular awareness to get anything tangible out of one set to failure (which dorian, after years of hardcore training, as well as mentzer, obviously had). My suspicion is that many individuals are able to break through a plateau in this manner, but literally no one has built their physique's foundation on these principles...but I could be wrong.

[painintheazz]

Maybe before you were overtraining and your body is loving the extra rest it is getting. Or you body is just growing because you are changing your workouts and it is adapting to it, it got used to your old workouts. I think it is probably a mix of the 2.

Pain

[Umberto]

Possibly you guys are right, maybe it is the change but Ive been on a low set, low rep, high intensity workout style for a year.
As you said Biggreen, I am a little worried about hypertrophy. As I am getting stronger more than I am getting more muscular. BUT, I never really had much muscular gains with volume. I am having more with this style but not as much as I would expect according to my strength gains.
I recently have been researching the effect of cappillary expansion due to increased blood "pump" in muscles. This is may be a area I am lacking in. Supposedly increased cappillary capacity increases muscle size and health as well as vascularity.

I am thinking of expanding my workouts to include 2 sets per exercise, instead of one. (Im still a fan of low volume, high intensity). One really heavy set to failure around 5 reps. and one light set to failure around 20-25 reps.

It might help me where Im lacking

What is your take on this strategy??

[saboudian]

I don't know how you can stick to one constant same old workout for a year, i'm constantly changing my workouts to spark hypertrophy.

I think you'd better be extraordinarily cautious with the behind the back press, i've heard too many stories about the dangers from several members of AR.

[Umberto]

I do not perform this exercise behind my back, that would be impossible.

I perform it behind my neck. I goto just below my skull not all the way to my traps


I believe my bone structure allows me to perform this exercise safely
My delts are set back farther than most I believe this allows me to recruit more upper chest to stabilize my delts this is also the reason Im fairly strong in this movement.

[BIG TEXAN]

There's a guy at my gym that does a routine close to this one. He used to be pretty ripped and was strrong for his size and he did 2 body parts a day with 3 exercises per bp and worked out 4 days a week. Anyway he switched to a routine like ya'll have stated above, one set per exercise and all, well he's seems to have gotten stronger but also looks alot softer and flatter than he did before, almost to the point that if you looked at him outside the gym it doesn't even look like he worksout at all.

[Umberto]

thats scary!! big tex

I know I wont be able to keep this workout for too long because I dont know what to do with myself the rest of the week!

[BIG TEXAN]

I'm not trying to scare you away from this type of workout. If it's working for you and you're happy with the results go at it. Besides I have no idea what his diet's like so it may not have been result of just the type of workout.