Hit training advocates

[the big 1]

i have been reading some old literature about hit training by mike mentzer, casey viator and other advocates of HIT...

i must say im impressed by the results these people made by training so infrequently at such low volume and workout duration...

mike mentzers routine what built his physique, saw him in the gym only 2 or 3 times a week, with as little as 1 working set for each bodypart...this was obviously was to extreme failure and beyond and taxed the CNS and the body more than any pissy volume routine would....

any thoughts on this ?

ile post up my current HIT routine in a bit...

[D7M]

Hell ya...I love HIT!

There's a lot of variations on HIT, so you're going to have to read and experiment and find what works best for you.

Let's see your routine....

[the big 1]

Hell ya...I love HIT!

There's a lot of variations on HIT, so you're going to have to read and experiment and find what works best for you.

Let's see your routine....

Monday workout 1

quads, hams and calfes, chest and tris

Tuesday workout 2

Back, bis, shoulders and traps

thursday repeat workout 1

friday repeat workout 2

wednesdays, saturday and sundays off...
ile now write down the exercises...

[the big 1]

workout 1

leg exstensions super set with leg press
2 cycles to all out failure

1 set of hams curls to failure

2 set of calf raise to failure

Pec deck superset with incline bench press
2 cycles to all out failure with negatives and static holds

lying triceps exstension super set with weighted dips
2 cycles to failure

[the big 1]

workout 2

lat pulldown superset with bent over dumbell rows
2 cycles to absolute failure

shrugs with bar superset with upright row
2 cycles to failure

side laterals super set with machine press
2 cycles

bent over laterals for rear deltoids
2 sets to failure

standing barbell curls superset with palms up chins
2 cycles past failure

by now im aching all over and feel so pumped and big its unreal

[the big 1]

IMO, volume training is a load of bullshit, 1 set to failure or past failure is all thats needed for each muscle group to grow bigger and stronger, anything more is just creating in roads to your bodys limited recovery ability (as the great mike mentzer stated)

[the big 1]

oh, personal stats before HIT
5 foot 9.5"
165 lbs
20% bf
19 years old

after
same height
21 years old
198 lbs
16 % bf
strength gains are nothing short of amazing

[MotoLifter]

HIT is the only way to go for me. i wasted afew years doing th crap that i saw in mags and other places and got nowhere. then switched to HIT and exploded. Like D7M said there is a slew of HIT variations. Look around and try some different ones and see what works best for you. So far for me DC training has done the most. good luck brudha.


Moto

[the big 1]

HIT is the only way to go for me. i wasted afew years doing th crap that i saw in mags and other places and got nowhere. then switched to HIT and exploded. Like D7M said there is a slew of HIT variations. Look around and try some different ones and see what works best for you. So far for me DC training has done the most. good luck brudha.


Moto

i agree, high volume works if your name is ronnie coleman, or your on untold amounts of gh and steroids ....
for the average person though, high intensity is the only CONCRETE program that is proven to work, the workouts are more spread out and volume is outed... this allows all the extra energy you usually waste on pointless volume sets, to be used in the recovery and growth of the muscle used...

WITHIN REASON , all volume does is give the muscle additional damage, so the muscle has to work harder and longer to recover, and most of the time ends up not even growing due to fact that its trained again before it gets the chance to

i never made gains until i got into HIT training, im glad others on the board feel the same way, i think all the so called hard gainers should look in to HIT and see how they do, if its done correctly, its almost immpossible to fail (unless you dont eat properly, or overtrain or train to frequintly)

[the big 1]

HIT is the only way to go for me. i wasted afew years doing th crap that i saw in mags and other places and got nowhere. then switched to HIT and exploded. Like D7M said there is a slew of HIT variations. Look around and try some different ones and see what works best for you. So far for me DC training has done the most. good luck brudha.


Moto

whats your current split mate ?

[the big 1]

anyone got any good sites on this type of training ?

[MotoLifter]

whats your current split mate ?

mon:
bis
forearms
calves
hams
thighs

wed:
chest
shoulders
tris
back (width and thickness)

fri:
monday parts again.

I follow the DC training split. its pretty much a half body split, usung thre different exercises rotated every three weeks. Google DC training and youll get a feel for it.


Moto

[D7M]

anyone got any good sites on this type of training ?

DC has his own blog/site.

Lots of good info....

[the big 1]

mon:
bis
forearms
calves
hams
thighs

wed:
chest
shoulders
tris
back (width and thickness)

fri:
monday parts again.

I follow the DC training split. its pretty much a half body split, usung thre different exercises rotated every three weeks. Google DC training and youll get a feel for it.


Moto

been reading about DC all night since DSM mentioned it mate, im definately gonna give it a go, it seems so easy to **** up though, im gonna have a weeks rest from HIT before i start it...

Ive been a mike mentzer sort of routine, with pre exhaust's and compound rest pauses and statics, its working so well...

the excellent thing about this type of training is the slow down in frequincy and volume, it gives you body more time to recover and grow properly...

[MotoLifter]

been reading about DC all night since DSM mentioned it mate, im definately gonna give it a go, it seems so easy to **** up though, im gonna have a weeks rest from HIT before i start it...

Ive been a mike mentzer sort of routine, with pre exhaust's and compound rest pauses and statics, its working so well...

the excellent thing about this type of training is the slow down in frequincy and volume, it gives you body more time to recover and grow properly...

definately. the mon wed fri. routine seems to be working perfectly for me. just as the muscle isnt sore anymore the workout comes back around. give it a go. the worst part = extreme stretching. that shit is painful!!!


Moto

[bmit]

Sounds like you guys' training philosophy is similar to mine. About 4-6 sets for large body parts and 2-5 sets for smaller bodyparts. Everything to failure.
1 - chest/bis/abs/glutes/ cardio (30 min)
2 - shoulders/tris/traps/cardio
3 - back/legs/abs/cardio

DC was very influential in my training btw

[the big 1]

Sounds like you guys' training philosophy is similar to mine. About 4-6 sets for large body parts and 2-5 sets for smaller bodyparts. Everything to failure.
1 - chest/bis/abs/glutes/ cardio (30 min)
2 - shoulders/tris/traps/cardio
3 - back/legs/abs/cardio

DC was very influential in my training btw

i actually only do 1 working set to failure for each body part , regardless of its size...sometimes with a pre exhaust...

[bmit]

1-2 sets to failure wasn't enough for me to get the soreness I need to feel like i worked the muscle. So depending on how i feel and the size of the body part I will do 2-6 sets to failure. (ex. bis/tris is usually about 3-4 and back is usually 5-6). I want just enough soreness that it is fresh and ready to be trained in about 4-5 days. I also take 300 mg test/wk on HRT.

[Older lifter]

I have trained with HIT acouple of times, i think it works well but like most methods once you body has addapted you need to change, i use it as a part of my training methods not as the sole one.

[the big 1]

1-2 sets to failure wasn't enough for me to get the soreness I need to feel like i worked the muscle. So depending on how i feel and the size of the body part I will do 2-6 sets to failure. (ex. bis/tris is usually about 3-4 and back is usually 5-6). I want just enough soreness that it is fresh and ready to be trained in about 4-5 days. I also take 300 mg test/wk on HRT.

i see your point, however, muscle sorness is not an indication of whether the muscle is stimulated enough to grow, a better indication is whether you lift more on that exercise next time you train...

[Swifto]

i see your point, however, muscle sorness is not an indication of whether the muscle is stimulated enough to grow, a better indication is whether you lift more on that exercise next time you train...

Exactly.

Tose 1.25, 2.5 and 5kg plartes are the best. You should be using them almost everyworkout beating your previous WO.

That may be reps or weight.

You should hit 6-9 reps then RP. If you can RP upto 15, up the weight, thats how I do it.

Sometimes I even fail on 2-4 reps, the RP to around 8 reps. But thats pretty f*cking taxing on your joints but great if you hit a plateu. Dont do that often. Perhaps once every 5-6 weeks.

[oldschoolfitness]

i guess you saw the mike mentzer late 70's- early 80's vids on youtube 3 parts and they are pretty good. another resource is the heavy duty training courses found by googling mike mentzer 70's routine and click the dave draper link just read down and you'll find the link. the source is also located at www.ExerciseCertification.com 22 pages in all of in depth original theories and routines, different exercises and some pretty cool pictures. should be pretty easy to find hope you enjoy.

[bigslick7878]

I don't really know much about HIT training but will need a switch soon and might give it a try.

If anyone has any good links please post them. I would like to know about basic structure, lifts splits etc.

I do a lot of volume training right now on a PH cycle, and HIT might be good for PCT and thereafter for a while.

[bigslick7878]

I just found one of the most epic posts on a message board I have ever seen, "Cycles on pennies" by this Doggcrap fellow.

Wow.

Took me about an hour to read it but was interesting, I don't even think I read the full version either.

I think I found what I am going to be reading about for the next month or so.

[the big 1]

i guess you saw the mike mentzer late 70's- early 80's vids on youtube 3 parts and they are pretty good. another resource is the heavy duty training courses found by googling mike mentzer 70's routine and click the dave draper link just read down and you'll find the link. the source is also located at www.ExerciseCertification.com 22 pages in all of in depth original theories and routines, different exercises and some pretty cool pictures. should be pretty easy to find hope you enjoy.

great link, thankyou

[the big 1]

Exactly.

Tose 1.25, 2.5 and 5kg plartes are the best. You should be using them almost everyworkout beating your previous WO.

That may be reps or weight.

You should hit 6-9 reps then RP. If you can RP upto 15, up the weight, thats how I do it.

Sometimes I even fail on 2-4 reps, the RP to around 8 reps. But thats pretty f*cking taxing on your joints but great if you hit a plateu. Dont do that often. Perhaps once every 5-6 weeks.

the 2.5 wieghts are my best friends when it comes to increasing strength and mass

[damien3144]

hey big 1 thats quite the gains bro.... I looked up DC it's a good read. I'm sold.. I think im going to try it out. When the talks about rest pausing for the one working set. He is talking about banging out 4 ( or as much as you can) then putting the weight down. 15 breathes and try to repeat right?

[the big 1]

hey big 1 thats quite the gains bro.... I looked up DC it's a good read. I'm sold.. I think im going to try it out. When the talks about rest pausing for the one working set. He is talking about banging out 4 ( or as much as you can) then putting the weight down. 15 breathes and try to repeat right?

i think DC training is only for when you have platued COMPLETELY on every other routine there is...

i cant give advice on any sort of DC training, im sort of new to it myself, im following a heavy duty routine thats tailored to my own needs, it incorperates intensity techniques similar to DC training but in actual fact its totally different... DC training works on only 1 intensity technique (the rest pause) , and its based on increasing your strength with every session trained.

To participate in DC training your compound lifts must be on par with advanced lifters, ie 400lbs squats for reps etc...

not to mention the diet to do it successfully, i would read up ALOT if your going to do DC...

[oldschoolfitness]

just started the DC program a week ago and this is the most excited i have been in a while about a program. i never could get the results i wanted either unitl about 6 years ago a jacked to the max fellow set me up on a 3 day split and he always said no more than 45min - 1 hour in the gym. i think mentzer had the right idea about hard work and recovery. however i think the older versions of his ideas are in a league of their own.

[the big 1]

When the talks about rest pausing for the one working set. He is talking about banging out 4 ( or as much as you can) then putting the weight down. 15 breathes and try to repeat right?

yeah thats the idea...

[oldschoolfitness]

the extreme stretching is a bi--h !! pecs fell like they're going to rip right off.

[the big 1]

just started the DC program a week ago and this is the most excited i have been in a while about a program. i never could get the results i wanted either unitl about 6 years ago a jacked to the max fellow set me up on a 3 day split and he always said no more than 45min - 1 hour in the gym. i think mentzer had the right idea about hard work and recovery. however i think the older versions of his ideas are in a league of their own.

Mentzer produced an almost unessesary approach to recovery in the end of his 2nd book with his consolidation routine, it saw his students training each muscle about once a month !!! i think what with all the steroids and performance drugs available today, his recovery methods are some what out dated... however, anyone who looks into HIT training would be a fool for not trying it out, even if its only for a while to test its effectivness, it seems like the only logical way to train for any average gainer who doesnt have arnolds genetics....

[the big 1]

the extreme stretching is a bi--h !! pecs fell like they're going to rip right off.

its good for adding shape though hey...

[damien3144]

i think DC training is only for when you have platued COMPLETELY on every other routine there is...

i cant give advice on any sort of DC training, im sort of new to it myself, im following a heavy duty routine thats tailored to my own needs, it incorperates intensity techniques similar to DC training but in actual fact its totally different... DC training works on only 1 intensity technique (the rest pause) , and its based on increasing your strength with every session trained.

To participate in DC training your compound lifts must be on par with advanced lifters, ie 400lbs squats for reps etc...

not to mention the diet to do it successfully, i would read up ALOT if your going to do DC...

yea it is for lifters 2-3 years exp. But really it can be looked at as just another form of hit from what i been reading. Your program is based on the same idea really. It's just a different split. There might be more RP in the DC hit program. But I dont see why someone new to hit could not use it as a base. Because the split looks ****ing awesome!

[damien3144]

workout 2

lat pulldown superset with bent over dumbell rows
2 cycles to absolute failure

shrugs with bar superset with upright row
2 cycles to failure

side laterals super set with machine press
2 cycles

bent over laterals for rear deltoids
2 sets to failure

standing barbell curls superset with palms up chins
2 cycles past failure

by now im aching all over and feel so pumped and big its unreal

Also I have a question for the 2 cycles your doing..You mean "sets" right... I thought it was just one working set?

[oldschoolfitness]

its good for adding shape though hey...

yeah it sure seems like it will; i am still zeroing in on my tech. but so far i am enjoying. never thought i would see guys on here who like short hard workouts; just thought everyone would think mentzer was a loon and disregard all his theroies. good to see everyone's point of view.

[the big 1]

Also I have a question for the 2 cycles your doing..You mean "sets" right... I thought it was just one working set?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEI4d...eature=related

this is the routine im following, i do however only do a second cycle if i feel the need, considering i came off of a high volume routine to just doing 2 sets on each body part with hit a double cycle feels ok, but like i said, i only do it if feel the need...

[the big 1]

yeah it sure seems like it will; i am still zeroing in on my tech. but so far i am enjoying. never thought i would see guys on here who like short hard workouts; just thought everyone would think mentzer was a loon and disregard all his theroies. good to see everyone's point of view.

i like his theories, they make sense and are based on science unlike the routines you find in bb mags that are made for genetic freaks...