Is HIT Training The Best Way To Grow Muscle?
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- Hight Intensity Training vs High volume training for muscle growth- which is best?
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0:00 Intro
0:30 What is HIT
4:02 Upsides of HIT
9:48 Downsides
15:17 How to make HIT better - Sport
Recovery is not for the muscles only, it’s for the entire nervous system !
Almost nobody speaks about nervous sistem
They never talk about this because they’re all on gear and can get by
@@corbin101exactly
What are you doing to your nervous system anyway when you lift 400 lbs thirty-five times?
This part is missed, especially as you get older. Ever work yourself into the flu? Recovery is paramount.
I used the follow Mike Mentzer HIT and got pretty good results physically, but the best improvement was mental. The mental toughness to push towards absolute failure, at the same time to learn patience and give the body sufficient time to recover and build muscle. Very thankful for the guy.
Agreed
Yup
I've been doing hit or at least my own modified version for the last few months. One thing I noticed is that it does get you stronger. I've done the higher volume, 2-3 reps shy of failure and that doesn't build strength as fast as simply doing one set. Not necessarily once a week but one set and rest a day and hit that one set again. You're also avoiding overuse injuries that way.
Absolutely! Plus, the level of mental freedom we get by not having to workout every single day. Workout starts feeling like a hobby than obligation / duty.
@@iLearnS yessir!
I've been using a lot of mentzers training techniques over the past few months and I've noticed a huge change! Mentzer was no joke! The extended rest is also extremely beneficial.
For natural bodybuilders it really isn't. Protein synthesis in the muscles of a natural bodybuilder or lifter doesn't stay that long. Only 48-72 hours at max.
@@robbertag808 so my improved physique and strength are lying? I'm making more gains now than when I was training 6 days a week.
@@robbertag808
Use your brain. Protein synthesis lasts for as long as the muscle needs repair. If you haven’t reached failure or damaged your muscles too deep, of course you wouldn’t need that much time to recover compared to someone who has really damaged those fibers.
It’s like you get injured and your body only synthesizes protein for 2 days even tho the wound still needs healing. Doesn’t make no sense.
@@theiriscen It looks like you don't use your brain. You get far more protein synthesis if you use needles. It also goes on for a longer time. That's exactly why you grow harder when you use needles. And besides that, your protein synthesis doesn't lasts for as long as the muscle needs repair cause the goal of training is to make sure the muscle gets bigger, not back to the same. You're new to training maybe?
@@robbertag808As a natural lifter who wasted years on high volume training accomplishing hardly any progress and, subsequently, reached my goals with infrequent and short HIT trainings, I politely disagree with you.
Mentzer's heavy duty training completely changed my life. I was in the gym at least 6 days a week, usually 1.5-2 hours on weekdays and 2-3 hours on Saturday and Sundays, running a company and going to school for engineering. I needed the insane physical training to mellow me out and help me mentally, so much so that when i first heard Mike's talks I dismissed them immediately, but something about what he said wormed its way in my skull and I decided to try heavy duty. I think almost everyone on this channel understands how addicted you get to the gym time once you're acclimated to a few hours a day. It was very hard to stop going as much but I told myself I would only try it for a month (which in my prior experience, isn't even enough time to properly rate a training regimen). At the end of that much I was so much bigger and a little stronger (which, for a month with someone who is going regularly is still pretty good) I couldn't deny its effectiveness, much like you say in the video. If you're overtraining it's a godsend. The only problem was I got used to burning so many calories that I had to seriously recalculate my diet. And, of course - I miss the gym all the time. But I'm in better shape going for ~2 hours a week than I was going upwards of 10. I'll be forever indebted to Mike for his protocols. RIP
same!!
Can you briefly describe your training program please?
Well said. I feel very similar right now. My gym obsession is real. Definitely considering switching to the Mentzer routine. Did you do cardio in between to get that gym exposure or strict HIT?
Same. I train 3x a week. Back and chest, legs and shoulders and arms. I am more ripped than ever, muscle more dense than before. I feel more stronger and energetic
I owe my entire life to Mentzer. Never lifted weights until 6 months ago after learning about Mentzer's HIT training. Now I am a 3x rookie of the year bodybuiler...2x Mr Jersey title for 2023, and 4x Mr symmetry award...all within 1 year! I only train for 2 hours per week and eat mostly junk food. No steroids. Just Mentzer's training techniques is all I need!
Whatever others may say. Mike Mentzer should be praised for promoting HIT training during a time when volume training reigned supreme. Without pause, everyone merely followed the volume training. Even though he knew he would be mocked for it, he did provide an alternative method of building muscle. That guy deserves RESPECT 🙏🙌
No he doesn’t. He was wrong about everything and went out like a bitch.
oof
He should be praised for being wrong?
You know it's a myth that bodybuilders were actually training super volume back then?
They trained normally, probably less than most people do these days actually
Should be praised😅 some respect is good enough
@@unbabunga229how on lords green earth is mentzer wrong?
I had good results from HIT training. I am built like a long distance runner and was a natural cross country runner. I started conventional and stopped making progress after two years. My goal was to get stronger, I switched to HIT training and it really worked for me. I can not argue with the results, I progressed for another 3 years. Besides, I hated spending all my free time in the gym. I had a life, a job and other interests.
Thats alot like saying I just run 10k's or shorter distances, do some interval runs but keep my mileage below 25miles/wk and no weekly long runs, I can't argue with the results since my 10k and half marathon times are way better than the average joe. I have a life and other interests and can't be spending so much time running.
Totally agree here. I just can't justify the amount of time it takes to put in a high volume training routine. HIT training has worked well for me. It's just a very efficient and result producing way to train. If high volume was the only thing that worked, I would have, out of necessity, abandoned training long ago.
It's funny, because I never aspired to be a body builder (I don't have the genetics), but when I went into the workforce full time, construction, that I had to give up HIT training because framing houses was very physical, and yet in my 30's, ten years after I quit training HIT, people still asked if I lift weights? I did not loose any muscle until I was in my late 40's. I wonder if that was because of HIT. I am a believer in HIT. I also did super slow on the negatives and found that very beneficial.@@stevesorensen9648
I agree, and it shows that despite the obvious fact that your slow-twitching muscles are predominant over the fast-twitching ones, HIT can still work for you. My goal isn't to participate in. a contest but to always look good and steadily better my body composition. I can achieve that with HIT, doing 4 days of weight-lifting for 40-60 mins, and 3 days of HIIT cardio of 20 mins. I change my HIT routine slightly with phases of 1 or 2 sets after warming up with 1-2, and full range of motion reps or partials. At the end of the day, I would always favor intensity over volume due to the return on time I get. I believe everybody has to learn his body and then go the route that benefits best his goals, period!
There's a lot to say about the mental fortitude long distance running forms and its applicability to HIT. On long distance runs, the mental fatigue to keep going really requires a lot of mental strength (I personally run ultra's and its always beyond failure for me during a race.) Take that mentality to HIT and your mind can really push you to true failure in your sets. I'm exactly the same story as you, except my mental strength beyond failure was really honed in during special operations selection, and HIT works EXCEPTIONALLY well for me. Its great to see other similar backgrounds find the same success
I've been following Mentzer's base routine for 8 weeks now and I'm seeing good results. I'm putting on some size and my strength has shot up. I find the mentality required is the best part. He goes into this a lot in his book. You're not going to the gym to do 3 sets of this, 3 sets of that... you're going to war against your mind and the weights. You're absolutely right on the set quality; you get hyper focused on making sure you squeeze every last rep out in good form because you know you don't get another set or revisit that movement for a while.
this. I love combining a hyper aware focus on RP style lifting technique, with Mentzer/Yate failure, forced reps, etc. I'll do 3-4 working sets, staying 1-3 RIR and then have a last, all-out set to failure with clean form, and then roughly 1/3 of the time, I'll strip for another all-outer. That mental war absolutely translates to other areas of our lives. Constantly leaving 2 RIR just makes me feel anxious. I've got to know I beastmoded. I might only be there for 30-45 minutes with my volume, but I'm gaining rapidly now that I'm dialing in diet.
Are you natural? Just curious, thank you in advance.
Keep going....I'm sure you're doing great
Mike was the only guy with a 10/10 score for every bodypart I guess it´s fair to say that he was actually the best in history
Funny how we know that but this dude doesn't,he didn't do his homeworks obviously
Ah yes, mike mentzer. The guy with one of the thickest midsections of his time, apparently had the best physique in history. I can't believe the way people worship this guy. He didn't even build his physique with hit. He switched to that after training with volume for years and already being a competitive bodybuilder, then started hit after eventually plateauing, which will happen to everyone who trains for any measurable length of time.
With 18.5 inch arms gtfoh
@@jimjim5245 I didn't say he didn't have an impressive physique. Just not the best in history like the comments i was replying to. It all comes down to opinion, just like when judging a competition. I'd almost kill a squirrel to have mikes physique. But arm size is only a portion, and arnolds arms, at least prior to 80, were almost 20 inches. Though they lied and said they were almost 23 lol.
Mentzer's HIT training is the best ever. In 6 months, I gained 80 pounds of muscle, won 3 NPC titles, got a 50% raise at my job, and my cancer is now gone! Mentzer is easily a 12 out of 10.
This is like a dream. I have always wanted Mike's thoughts on Mentzer and hit. Did not disappoint. Thank you Dr. Miguel
It should disappoint because Mike is wrong lol. Hit and high intensity low volume is how you should train; full body is garbage as is 2 and 3 rir total junk.
@@analogcrunch4716 You gonna let him talk to you like that Doc??🫣😆
@@analogcrunch4716how is hit and full body excluding each other 😂😂😂 mike mentzer had you do deadlifts aka a lower body movement after chest press and pulldowns, and its a great combo
@@analogcrunch4716 He's objectively right. We know from plenty of scientific studies that your muscles can recover quickly and you do not need the amount of rest Mike Mentzer believed. You're leaving gains on the table by not doing more volume. Mike and his subjects were roided out of their mind so anything they did was going to promote tons of growth. Interesting how they never were the absolute best though... Can you even name a single major bodybuilder that trains like Mentzer prescribed? Dr. Mike knows far more than Mentzer ever did.
@@analogcrunch4716 how so?
Finally someone who does not like HIT, but looks at it from profesional and objective perspective.
I have been using it for last four months and it worked wonders for me. But I found few downsides and made few adjustments. You mentioned all of them plus more...
Amazing video👑
King mentzer forever am i rite fam?
May I ask what downsides you found and what adjustments you made? I just started doing it.
Of course he doesn't like HIT...it's messing with his money.
@@chs75if your that naive you really are a Muppet
People dont realize that Mentzer probably didn't do hit like he said he did lmao. He was trying to sell a program that seemed like a shortcut for quick results.
Let's consider something important here. When Mentzer wrote his books and hatched his version of HIT training, it was the early 80's, over 40 years ago. There really wasn't a whole lot of "sports science" as we have today and certainly he didn't have the information we have today available to inform his theories. Mentzer was generally an incredibly logical and rational thinker and based on the ideas of the time, he asked the right questions about what was considered "conventional" training at that time: If forming a workout routine from scratch, where do you start? You don't start at 12 sets. You'd start at 1 and if that wasn't adequate you go to 2. Etc. He wasn't as dogmatic as you think because toward the end of his life and after hundreds of clients and observations, he'd revised some of his ideas based on that. He admitted that genetics play a role in how quickly people recover and admitted he had clients that insisted on working out daily and showed good progress. I'm sure that if he were alive today, knowing the things we know now, he'd probably be on board with Mike and the predominant theories used based on decades of scientific research. So we need to consider context when thinking about what he was saying in 1982. That said, there are valuable methods that people CAN use in terms of switching up routines and shocking muscle groups doing things you may not normally do. There is value in what he was teaching and talking about but even he admitted towards the end, there is no "one size fits all" routine. But the spirit of what he was trying to do shouldn't be lost. You do what is most logical, rational and what science suggests.
the human body has,nt changed,mentzer was saying what he learnt from the 1970,s to the day he died not just 1882
Best way I've come across so far. Have never grown in size or strength so fast, while at the same time experiencing none of the chronic fatigue or joint pain I was with volume 5-6 days per week.
Same here and I discovered this after 15 years of training
@@mecommenting Same. Even almost 2 weeks rest after last session I notice differences in my physique and I feel bigger. It's crazy how important rest is for a natty and the 2 sides of the coin.
@@fastlifebmx9292 I always thought that HIT was designed exclusively for steroid users, but I was wrong
My elbow joints and shoulder was in ridiculous pain and I felt myself getting weaker
@mehdi8642 how do u feel now? I'm training HIT program now and I'm feeling more life in my body then feeling pain all the time or sore
Six time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates credits his wins to Mike Mentzer for teaching him about HIT training.
He said he learned a few things from Mike
Exactly this dude said Dorian did 14 sets. Nah he didn't. Exactly like you said. Ronnie Coleman didn't do much sets either. 45 min also, and these dudes and mentzer were huge and never in gym longer than 45 min
@@M4n1Acal1Ronnie trained like 6 times a week, so way more than HIT preferences.
It's criminal to not mention his perfect bodybuilding score!
Louder for the people in the back
Which he didn't get from hit
@@greyXstarfact
It was at an amateur show fool.
@greyXstar yes he did 😂
I think a valid takeaway from this is that there is a lot of research and metaanalysis which suggest a ideal route for a majority of people, but that is to an extent, juxtaposed by your individual and nuanced experiences due to your own body's ability to recover and grow. Ideally, you treat resistance training as a life long journey that grows and evolves as you do, and you collect data and experiment with yourself as more information becomes available to you.
This is such a great answer, love it.
Basically...listen to your body and you manage what you measure. Well said!
The key take away here for me, find your maximal recoverable volume. My pecs fatigue after 6 sets! I’ll do 2/3 sets on a press, 2/3 on some form of pec deck and it’s done. My back however can tolerate a lot more.
HIT is unbelievable in my opinion, as it does really make you understand how important recovery actually is. However the fatigue to stimulus ratio is huge which Mike mentioned. It’s finding that sweet balance. Then accumulate your volume over that week and see how well you recover.
@Mantastic-ho3vmCan’t argue with that…..
If it takes 6 sets to fatigue you’re not using heavy enough weight. Figure out your max, go down 10 lbs and rep it as many times as you can for one set. You would literally see more results from that than 6 low intensity sets.
@@Yungknown you really need to work that muscle, not just move weight around. For me personally, going all out for 2 - 3 working sets / exercise, for 2 exercises / body part, worked well. That includes, of course, intensity techniques, like isometric holds, slow negatives, long lenght partials and drop/down-sets. Talking about reps, I usually go for 7 - 9 hard reps and then 4 - 6 more for the drop/down-sets.
I've done HIT for the past 3 months over winter in Australia. I have noticed around me in the gym many are spending a lot of time doing random junk sets with no intensity with the rest of their time on their phones. I'm 52 and have found having more time in the week to do other fitness related activities beneficial.
Similar experience. I'm 50 years old and have been doing HIT for a year and a half. Two full on HIT sessions a week is about all my body can recover from, so it is pointless doing more. The sessions are short, so I can fit them into my day. They are brutal, which is fun as I really get to find out what I am capable of. All up It works very well for an older guy.
I'm 51 and use Mentzer's ideas - with some tweaks. I cut out junk volume, have more rest days. Whenever people criticize Arthur Jones, they always end up criticizing Mentzer - who offered "Heavy Duty", not really "HIT"... Mentzer emphasized warmup sets then an intense working set to failure. It works for me. I wish people would stop lumping Mentzer with Arthur Jones.
Everyone in the gym thinks their workout or style is superior and the rest are doing everything wrong
@@kaihuizing5970 After 30 years training and 22 years working in gyms I think I can work out what's superior over another. The average modern way of training looking at phones for 5 minutes between sets and doing 8 chest exercises is inferior....
Hey, I’m 28, and noticed the same thing since I started HIT.
People are in the gym hanging out, no effort, no sweat, they lift the weights with blank expressions, hit the 8 10 12 whatever reps they’re sets require, drop it and get on their phones. It’s bizarre.
I loved what you said around 8:20. IMO for all of us who don’t compete, doing whatever is most fun & engaging is probably best.
Yep
Seconded
For me that is whatever Lord Mike Mentzer says.
More gains, less time wasted!
100%, I got injured and doc said I could start back but just go easy. I told him "I don't know what that is, I'll just wait and heal a little longer"😂 the intensity is what makes it fun!
I will add though that making progress is a big factor in 'fun' as well so you can't simply go full bro. Luckily with lifting, there are usually enough options to limit what you dislike and incorporate movements you do.
Perspective from someone just getting back into the gym in his upper 30s and realizing how poorly educated I was back in high school on weight lifting, I appreciate the crap out of this channel and others that help put some good perspective on the different philosophies. I've seen a bunch of Mentzer's clips and much of what he said makes sense, but felt incomplete. Your explanation of more purposefully targeting certain muscle groups to their respective recovery points helps hone in on the nuance I felt was missing from those videos. Good stuff, thanks man.
I'm so glad to see someone talking about Mike Mentzer. When I first started getting into lifting, I was reading a lot of Mentzer's stuff, and it got me at a formative moment. It's been really hard to shake.
I've found that alternating a DC training block, then a RP block works like magic. I also enjoy being out of the gym in 30 minutes and unable to walk for days afterwards.
congratulations, you discovered phase periodization
What is DC what is RP
@@Limbaugh_renaissance periodization
Yep, I swap back and forth too. It’s because your body adapts.
@@Limbaugh_doggcrapp and renaissance periodization
It suits my mentality and that has a massive impact on results. One training principle may be superior over the other in terms of science, but doing something you enjoy brings probably better long term results.
100%
It depends, on the goals and specificity, but also kinda yes, we have studies on this.
Consistency, sustainability, mental wellbeing are a plus, and we know that placebo, belief, faith, does impact results. But, if your goals are not in line with your training methodology not necessarily you will get better results over time.
Is your goal hyperthrohpy for general fitness, aestetics or bodybuilding. Or is it related to health or mental health. Does it have time constraints (Ex, competition, medical exams, social events)?
In the end it depends on what you want now and in the future. your training doesn't have to be an either/or choice, sometimes combining approaches can have a synergistic effect.
@@Eustresif the goal is just to build muscle, then Dorian Yates proved it's possible. For me, I love cycling also and it gives me rest days to go out and ride at zone 2 cardio. I personally feel with hit the recovery is key and it's difficult for most to back off. Our concept of success is work, to work harder. So to suggest doing less is contrary to everything we've been taught.
In saying that, I know it's not for everyone, for the reasons above mentioned and flipped opposite.
@@zerog4261 Possible for Dorian Yates though, doesn't necessarily mean for everyone. Dr. Mike has had interviews with researchers on volume, and in a few studies they found for some people, they got the same stimulus from low volume as high volume, and others seemed to benefit more from the higher volume. There's so many factors here, involving your own body, individual muscles, are you beginner or been lifting for many years, are you on gear or not, how much sleep do you get, etc. I think the main thing with all of this is try not to be dogmatic. Try different stuff and see what works for you and also don't assume that if it works for you it'll work the same for everyone.
I literally trained my calves 12 days ago following my own HIT workout…. Added 0.25 inches by letting them rest… I do push, pull, legs, 4 days off between workouts - 1 set to failure per exercise…. It literally works far better than anything else I’ve ever done…
Yup, Mentzer's way is kickass. I spend like an hour and a half in the gym total per week, make gains like a machine.
I call bullshit. No one grows a fourth inch after one workout. Especially calves.
@Mantastic-ho3vmdoubt what?
@johnnytopside1437 because most people don't workout like this. You see them doing calves and they are on their phone just half assing it. When you truly train as Mentzer prescribes, you're doing a raise and slowly lowering over 5 seconds or so and doing that until momentary muscular failure. I've been doing this myself the past few weeks and got the best results of my life tbh. It just works for some people just like a lot of volume works for others.😊
Why do you queens care how someone else trains. Probably in your mom’s basement playing video games
I’ve been doing this for three weeks, first two weeks I did 2 reps of 185 benching and I somehow just did 4 this third week. Whether you’re doing 1 set or 3 sets I believe intensity is a huge factor for success, and I do think that the amount of rest needed depends on the individual. If you’re somebody that lives in the gym and wants more free time it’s worth a try, you can make gains doing this. If anything, forcing the emphasis on quality sets and recovery, you’ll learn more about yourself and probably adjust yourself closer to your optimal training style
Prioritizing my recovery has really helped me make gains. I'm doing less volume and I'm getting better results without feeling beat up all the time.
Same here, as well. I'm 47 and I am now resting 7 days between body part groups. I'm using a "Heavy Duty" style of warm up then going to a basically all out, very heavy set at the end to positive momentary muscle failure. I train one "body part group" per day, weekdays only, Saturday and Sunday off. I've found that the longer rest time (I'm a "natty" using therapeutic Test within physiological ranges) has really caused me to swell up.
Plus, the 30 minutes (more or less) in the gym is a valued feature of HIT/ Heavy Duty/ Blood and Guts.
However, I intend on adding more volume over the Winter and then paring down my excess weight (currently, 5' 6" at 211# trying to get to ~230-240# before drawing down) in preparation for Summer Training.
@@jamiebaker5265You are not natty.
@Mantastic-ho3vmI don't have the need to prove my claims to random dudes with shirtless profile pic.
@@chrishendley237he likes men probably
@Mantastic-ho3vm ok princess, calm down.😊
I’ve been a fan of HIT since high school. I think you did a great job of being objective and balanced. Nice work.
Hey man. Please do more videos like this. I don't really like all the critique bashing videos, kind of cringy. But this was really informative because this is exactly how I dose my training. I see so many guys fighting about the "best way to work out" but I always feel like it's just important to gauge how you're reacting to the stimulus. Taking everything into account like intensity, volume, and frequency is important.
This was incredibly helpful and informative. Thanks, Mike.
I’ve never binged so much fitness content as consistently, only just discovered the channel but it’s cream of the crop as far as I’m concerned 💪🏼
I used HIT as a catalyst to add more quality volume in my programmes. With limited sets I could focus on my technique and my intensity. Now I’ve established a base, I’ve added more sets to each lift and only really going to actual failure on the final set. So far so good.
Late response but I really like this approach. It’s in line with mountain dog training by John meadows.
I think John walked the line perfectly between hit training and high volume.
His programmes were very challenging but weirdly never left me feeling completely destroyed.
Hit did that to me and RP doesn’t seem to give me any soreness!
Probably one of the most fair critiques I've seen so far. I liked HIT but I haven't done strict HIT in years but I still carry some of the principles with me. Mainly, less sets per bodypart and recovery.
You're right about the fatigue. That's ultimately why I stopped. I did about 2-3 cycles of it (no gear) and I'm grateful for it.
I like that you introduce the idea that it's up to the individual. A novel concept, I know, but missing in a lot of these "critiques". Also, the "how do I do it better" vs the lie that it's "nonsense" is much more useful than the bashing.
Love the content. So thankful for your unbiased content. I find my best growth when going to complete failure
So glad that you did this video, couldn't have come at a better time. I've recently discovered Mike Mentzer and have been considering trying HIT and will be keeping your pros/cons in mind.
CZcams has been recommending a lot of hit videos to me recently so this discussion was perfectly timed. Very informative as always, thanks DR. Mike!
It seems like as a community we need to evolve from thinking in terms of training styles and recognize that using the volume intensity or frequency that gives the individual the right feedback and best results is the best way to train. It doesn’t need attachment to titles like HIT, high volume, etc or a camp in which one is emotionally invested.
Exactly, using principles from each is what I do. That works for me.
This is what Dr. Mike talks about, and it's wild that no one in these comments seems to understand
Yeahhhhh, new subscriber here, dang you’re the man for making these videos and just putting my thoughts on paper and getting the science out to the public like this. Thanks a lot, this is all much appreciated :).
Thank you Dr Mike for your explanation. I've watched your previous video too about HIT training years ago and you said that this topic is "very close to your heart".
Your balanced presentation is so refreshing compared to other channels. Amazing work, yet again.
Production note, your style of delivery and rate of speech makes it fun and easy to listen to this material. Couldn't ask for more, thx for all the hard work.
Great presentation on this video I really appreciated the contrasts and the pros and cons. Great work
Thanks for this video!!
Been waiting for it.
When I started training I was trying to work each muscle group 2-3 times per week and it was consistently burning me out and I was not recovering. I have always had pretty severe DOMS so when I tried HIT it worked SOO much better for me. Hitting PRs pretty much every week. I am still early in my training so I will adjust as needed but so far HIT really fits myself training, recovery and lifestyle. I can see that certain muscle groups are not always getting or staying sore for as long as they should IE biceps and triceps so I am probably going to adjust the volume up on those. Love Dr. Mike's videos on training they are always informative. The ultimate take away is always put in the maximum effort, track your progress, and do what is right for your body so that you keep progressing.
Just started tracking yesterday after burning myself out doing lots of volume on push pull and leg day. Mike makes alot of sense
Once again, superb content! Been adopting your content for years. Am a natural lifter. Your advice about prioritising technique, and moving from 3 or 4 rir in the first week, towards 1 rir in the last weeks, and then some failure sets before delaoding, gave me the best gains of my life. Thanks mate
For a moment I thought you were going to discredit HIT Method but in reality you vouched for it, as long as you make the right adjustments to improve. I've always wanted to learn how periodization works so I got to the right place... definitely subscribed.
Got to say, Mentzer's approach gave me the best results by far. It also helped when I became busy with business, and family, since it also meant less time in the gym was necessary.
@Mantastic-ho3vmbrother i hope you talk to as many women as you do guys in the comments who don’t lift the same as you. You’re in every comment 🤣
I love that HIT workouts are so short. I feel I'm able to be more consistent when I know my workout is going to be sub 30 mins long. Longer than that and it becomes too hard to schedule into my life.
I recently started going climbing twice a week. My forearms are getting amazing results (even better than the results from the training on lonely friday nights!)
However im lost with how i should adapt my Back hypertrophy training to not overwork the good old pulling muscles.
Thank you dr. mike!
I just found your channel this morning. I really enjoyed this video. You made countless excellent points
Love your videos bro. Love how you speak calmly and explain things.
I'm pretty happy that I've came to the same conclusion as Mike have, this video just confirmed what I though was correct; listen to your body, adjust accordingly, safety and form is king, slow and controlled movement, and make the workout fit to your own lifestyle - not the opposite.
Edit: Dr. Doug McGuff is a great teacher about HIT, learned it all from him. Really recommend his book "Body by science".
So you commend this man for providing extrospection on something you already speculated as true? Wild.
McGuff and Little taught a quality superslow program in "Body by Science." 21-year-old me ran to the mailbox way back in 2009 when it came out. I really wish I hadn't, though. They really messed me up on volume and recovery. The target audience of their workout routine should be 65-year-olds who have no interest in training but want more overall health and biomarker improvements. It'll do that. But once a week for 5 total sets to a superslow failure? No way. I never got anywhere with that, and never saw anyone else get anywhere, either. It's not enough for sizable hypertrophy gains, and then a McGuff will say "well, the other guys who are doing RP-style workouts or are olympic athletes have just self-selected for what they are good at." I get tired of that cop-out shit from the newer HIT advocates. It's just not an ideal way to workout or live. You get sore as dogshit from the superslow with no muscle gains. I can ride a bike for that.
I liked your take on this whole training style. I've been trying to wrap my head around why this HIT thing has worked so well for me the past few months, and honestly I've been enjoying the fuck out of it, but also kinda tried to find excuses for why it's not optimal. I've done the high volume stuff for the longest time, and I genuinely think that people who are newer to the gym, and can't train with as much intensity as more experienced lifters, the higher volume approach is fine, because you won't need as much recovery. For me though, it completely stagnated my progress after like 3-4 years of lifting, just minimal gains, wasn't getting stronger, all that stuff. Now I've jumped on the HIT bandwagon and every fucking session is a PR day. It's crazy. And it's not small amounts of increases either, we're talking 30-50% rep gains, and upwards of 10-15% weight gains. I've personally found my ideal style of training, and it leaves me so much more time to do other things and achieve other physical goals.
It def works it’s why there are so many videos trying so hard to pick it apart so they can sell what they are selling . If you over train you will plateau , it’s when you first start training anything is when you get results so this is why it works you don’t plateau . Look for an example if you drink alcohol too much does it get better or you plateau sort to Speak where it no longers does what it first started out doing.
The balance between scientific information, in-depth explanations, and humor makes RP the best fitness channel on CZcams
I've trained HIT over 30 years, even through my competitive days in my 20's. My experience was splitting my body into 2-3 workouts, training every other day, was when my results exploded, on only 2-4 working sets per body part. The day off between each session is critical. You really need time for systemic recovery, between every workout.
I also think this is THE way to train for natural athletes, such as myself, or for those with no intention of ever competing. Nattys do not have the benefit of being reckless with their recovery, as enhanced athletes do. Plus, don't you want a life outside the gym. Most people don't want to look like Ronnie Coleman. They just want to be in good shape, and afford themselves time to enjoy other things in life. HIT is the most viable form of training for those that want these things.
"I respond well to low frequency, therefore all other humans must be the same too!"
- every mentzer fan boy since the dawn of time.
@@tomwaitsfornoone1182 what he was actually saying, "try low frequency, which will be 95% or more effective than any other training, so why do more?" ... but you didn't that - every antihitter since the dawn of amoebas
how old are you now?
my side.. I'm 47, train Chest+Quads, 3-4 days later Back+Biceps+Calves, and 3-4 days later Shoulders+Triceps+Hamstrings+Calves - I do 2-6 sets per bodypart every 10 days. Shoulder press 100lbs dumbbells for 12 reps + 2 forced reps, row 300lbs.
Example - Quads is 1 set of squats till I fail on the pins, and then straight to 1 set of leg extension, then rest, and another 1 set of leg extensions, that's it. Hamstrings is 1 set of stiff leg deadlifts and 2 sets of standing leg-curl. That's it.
Well said young man
@@tomwaitsfornoone1182
Perfect 😂
Mike mentzer said in hes book that músculos recover fast, around one or two days… but the whole sistem (body, cns, etc) takes longer… that’s why he recommends 4 day rest… and because overcompensation (muscle growth) happens AFTER complete recovery
I immediately downloaded the RP hypertrophy app. It's really impressive! The detail!
Ty for this info. Great video and great advice to training.
Even though I'm a fan of Dr Mike I have to disagree with his statement that Mike wasn't that great of a bodybuilder. Maybe his training principles wasn't sustainable ,but he had a phenomenal physique .
The unsure Jordan Peters impression is hilarious when you realise Mike has done like an hour long podcast with the guy 😂
Where can I find that podcast?
@@SandraWantsCoke just search Dr Mike Jordan peters
I’m so glad Mike mentioned the fun element. I switched to the RP app recently from a program an old bodybuilding coach had me doing (which I grew a shit ton from) just to add a new type of stimulus. And I get it but I do find it not nearly as enjoyable and much more of a chore
Great video. Explaining the pros and cons and giving recommendations. Without praising or attacking, but being racional e realistic
finally, an actual good video on HIT training
Personal experience with HIT and Mike mentzer: did a chest and back workout he outlined. Waited 6 days to train them again (sore for that long) and had gains in weight lifted from 0 to 60%.
I am lifting weights levels I never did before going to the gym 4 days a week and hitting the same body part every four days.
I’m 52 and this works for me in terms of strength and also gym burnout
Honestly I thought you were one of the Mike Mentzer haters, but you were far more well-rounded than I ever gave you credit for initially. And that’s my bad. This was a very methodical articulate and humble video. You talked about the Inbetweeners people who don’t necessarily fit one narrative or the other but within the gray area. That’s amazing just subscribed, notifications bell on!!!
I've just started my competition rebound phase. Won the Masters Classic 40+ two weeks ago. Using RP mesocycles with a Push, Pull, Legs, off, Push, Pull, off rotation. Logging every workout. Absolutely loving it! Staying full, pumped, and recovery is right on time. I've never done this style before but I really like it now. Coach has added more food this week which is helping. Less volume and more frequency is fun. I get in, hit it hard, and leave. Most excited I've been to train in years.
Keep pushing that needle grey wolf
Whats your insta id.. i would like to follow u on insta if yoy have an insta account..bcoz i am hitting 40 nxt yr and would like to make some strength training..
@@espojespo5 hell yeah man and I feel phenomenal. Meal plan and sleep are on point too. Feeling much better now that I'm off orals from the show.
Grats on winning! Woo!
@@WtbgoldBlogspot thanks! My goal was top 3 in those divisions and I accomplished it. Both divisions had over 10 guys so there was good competition. I took 3rd Masters Bodybuilding 40+. The two guys that beat me have been to nationals twice and took second place. They were qualifying for November nationals. Judges said I need more arms and shoulders and I'm good to go. Working on that now so we'll see where I'm at for next year.
Tons of videos of HIT lately especially with Mike Menzter...plus Dorian is on record he went to 1 (occasionally 2) very intense working set and did 2-3 "warm up sets".
Also Tom Platz is on record saying when he trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger he followed their diet and workouts and got weaker and smaller. Met with Mike Menzter and changed his approach (not to the exact approach as Mike's) and well he was successful.
Lastly Mike did mention in HIT you are absolutely indirectly training the same muscles in multiple workouts...just the focus of the workout is not a specific muscle etc.
Anyway good video and thanks for sharing
so 4 or 5 progressive sets then 😂
@@joelacey4804 tbf Mentzer also said a small general warmup followed by 2 warmup sets of 50% and 70% (6-12 reps each) then one all out set. He's always said this so it seems most "criticism" is from people who don't really know what MM was espousing 🤷
The most important part of Mike Mentzers philosophy is this; The stronger you get, the less you should train. People tend to increase their workloads never decrease it as it seems counter intuitive. If you listen to your body it becomes obvious, you can work much harder than you can recover. The mechanisms for growth become stubborn the more advanced you are. You must convince the body it has the freedom to grow, by maintaining the parasympathetic nervous system.
@@stevegaspar He has also said to workout every 4-7 days a different muscle group each time.... which would mean hitting a muscle again every 3 weeks.... His training is too extreme. He diagnosed the issue of BB during his time, 3+ hours in the gym 7 days a week wasnt the way. But his ideas and methods just go to the opposite end of the spectrum
@@fox20rps94 directly yes but indirect hitting same muscles multiple times. For instance close grip lat pull downs for the back was his "favorite" biceps exercise. Dips for chest and triceps too...list goes on and on. It's effective for many but not many want to train less... identity is in the gym and smashing high reps and big weights...great for Instagram and bro's
now this is 1 of the best explanation i have heard in a long time, thanks!
This was a great video! I have definitely experienced the difference of recovery capacity of different muscles, definitely shoulders, arms, calves should be trained twice a week
You hit the nail on the head at 12:18 Mike. If my body feels good to go at day 2-3 of recovery, I’m fine with my next workout. I’ve actually gotten to a point where I wait until an hour before to decide whether my body is recovered enough😂 but I’ve found this to work.👍🏻
@TOMReefer Try writing down your numbers (with the time it takes you to do your workout) And then tell me if after 2 - 3 days if your numbers keep going up. Remember progressive overload...
Even if HIT was made popular for the sole purpose of capitalizing on marketing, I would rather spend 30 minutes in the gym two to three times per week and gain 8 pounds of muscle in a year (intermediate or advanced trainee) than spend two hours in the gym five times per week and gain 10 pounds of muscle....Life has so much more to offer...I do believe HIT produces better results though. Another thing is the studies do not show how hard the people using HIT trained. I've made good gains on both volume and Hit. The people who made good gains doing squats every day would not have been able to do so for long. Mentzer never said training with volume did not work in the short term. In fact, he said quite the opposite. The whole reason Arthur Jones came up with low volume training in the first place is because high volume training eventually leads to over training and not being able to recover. These guys never said you cannot make progress for a while on high volume training.
That's true, but that's kind of the opposite side of the coin. Like Dr. Mike has videos on volume where he specifically calls out the "squat every day" stuff as being unsustainable. His general opinion is that after a deload you are pretty sensitized to training and so you go down to something like 2 sets of 3 reps-in-reserve and maybe quads are twice a week while arms are 3 times a week. Then every session you add weight or reps or sets depending on how well you recovered from last time and you naturally end up closer to failure as the weeks go by. Then by the end of the cycle (say 5 or 6 weeks) you deload again and start a new cycle. You may end up going close to failure with a bunch of sets in the last week, but then you recover during the deload. And especially for the bigger muscles, you may find you don't need more volume and so you end up still with 2-3 sets by the end, while side delts you may have a bunch of sets near the end.
Very interesting video and I'm glad i watched it all the way through.
This is THE BEST FIICKING VIDEO on hypertrophy I’ve ever seen. Full of rational, well thought out, scientifically principled thinking to push you to your genetic potential without guessing what works. 💪👍
Been Doing HIT for 8 months now, every time i am increasing weight or increasing reps. Works well
How is muscle size following along?
@@DarkoFitCoachbeen doing it for 1 month and added 5 to 25 kg on my lifts yes i changed machines but neurological adaptations obviously taper off on machines taper off soon. I did high volume for a while and only made that much progress as a beginner , actually been training for 1 yr. Im not a one set guy but 4 sets a week per muscle plus myo reps on some sets lol.
For me (as a not so young buck)- hitting a group of muscles more often really has diminishing returns. It seems like the extended recovery time is great for me.
I started Mike's HIIT Training 7 weeks ago and it's been the best thing I could have ever done. I'm getting stronger than before, better gains and longer pumps. Not only that, I feel way better. Perhaps it's because I'm 57 but HIIT works much better. Stop overtraining.
now this one i was kinda hoping for never expected it to actually get here so fast ! NICE
I’ve been training off an on for 30 years. I’m in the best shape of my life NOW doing HIT training. The only difference is I only rest 2-2.5 minutes between sets. Best thing I’ve ever done! 💪🏾
amen to the extra rest. Was doing bro 60-second rests in between. Looked myself in the mirror and said "you're a single dad trying to get laid on Tinder. Rest and grow, bro."
@@rileyraspberries Mike said rest as long as you NEED between the sets. So it doesn't matter 1 min or 5 mins.
@@DuBstep115 right, I understood him. But I was buying into the concept of timed rest periods, and then you have to stress about watching the clock, and then if you rest too long you feel like that extra rep wasn't "real," and then you're mentally masturbating when you should be deadlifting. Or whatever.
@@rileyraspberries Luckily my PE teacher was a HIT guy and he told us when we were 15 about the rest periods. I have never clocked my rests. God bless Jouko, best teacher ever.
@@DuBstep115 makes sense, man. Lucky with your teacher, too! My dad had the Ellington Darden books laying around when I was a kid and that's how I picked up HIT.
Ellington Dardin, who has written multiple books on HIT and worked with Jones for years, prescribes whole body routines, taken to or beyond failure, 3x per week for beginners, with 10-12 sets or exercises total. The sets and number of workouts per week drop off progressively as you get stronger. It’s a well thought out approach and will definitely work. I can’t do whole body routines and I don’t train to failure anymore because I’m not a professional athlete of any kind and I just workout for fun and general health and fitness. No need to get so sore and exhausted I’m worthless the next day. For me anyway.
Ellington Dardin has a reasonable tip that helps some. 3x week full body with one of them NOT to failure.
"It's just fun" is so true. I'm constantly remembering how fun it was to do DC training back in the day. Learning the importance of beating the logbook was the biggest takeaway though. :)
Great video and discussion, thank you.
I just started HIT for the past 2 months and I definitely agree it is amazing for certain muscle groups. My chest is a weak point and it has been amazing for that specifically, but for accessory lifts I have been doing a more standard 3 sets with the final set to complete failure. Just felt those needed more volume and listened to my body.
The downsides weren't really downsides 🤷♂️ and the good thing was is that you didn't even un-promote it and just hit on basically listen to your body in terms of recovery.
Thank you Mike! I really appreciated what you had to say.
I'm new at lifting and discovering HIT before discovering High Volume...so I don't know any different but I chose HIT because I still wanted to make lifting fun but even more so I wanted to focus on avoiding injuries that could really affect my quality of life
Not reaching as good of MRP and gaining noticeably higher amounts of fatigue ARE downsides. They might not be for you, or I mean as significant, but they are downsides. Just like many of those upsides may not necessarily be upsides so much for everyone, because people are different
Thanks a lot for putting this video together, really great interpretation of the whole issue and how it's evolved and how to integrate all the different 'systems' into a personalized adaptive system that is based on what works best for the individual and can change on the short or long term based on the needs and results of the person. I guess that why you made your app hehe ;)
I do the Jay Vincent HIT style training. Very intense 5 second eccentric and 5 second concentric rep time 8-15 reps . I warm up set then 2nd set all out momentary muscle failure. Different ways to do it. Upper/ Lower or full body. You can add rest pause and drop sets after awhile . Mainly train twice a week and sometimes 3 based on recovery. Very intense and easy on the joints especially for me being 60 years old. I love the mental challenge of going to complete momentary failure.
Mentzer is changing the world of workout way more today than ever before. People want to work smarter and they listen to people like Yates and co and wanna do it without PEDs and the HIT is the one method to work the natural way. Mentzer was a genius and the people who are paid by the muscle business hate him even more today. RIP Master Mentzer, the world is a better because of people like him and Dorian Yates.
Wdym he wasn’t endorsed he literally publicly endorsed the whole Arthur jones Colorado experiment scam just to sell nautilus equipment (and apparently didn’t even do HIT to get where he was it’s something he came up with later on in life) I fw him but the more you research the guy the more you realise lots of shit was total bs (in fact even yates did a different version of it, made more sense that way tbh) still respect the guy but too much bs too
Keep adding Rest days until you dont have to go the Gym anymore 💪
Dr Mike,
Your discussion contained many accurate points regarding H.I.T., especially between 2:00-5:00!
Thank you for making the same point I've made in my videos by mentioning how the studies are "short term" @11:58.
Overall, a pretty great, unbiased sounding evaluation of H.I.T. with you mentioning your personal 8 year run using it.
unbiased? lol
I've been training for 4 years and since I've been training like mike my strength is growing rapidly and despite body dismorphia, I've been told my body is thicker and looks fuller. Everyone is different.
HIT has been doing incredible things for my progress, but I did notice that my forearms are being burnt out 3/4 into my workouts and ive noticed my muscles heal at different speeds. As someone who's vert skeptical of HIT critics, this was a fantastic video. Gave it credit and constructive criticisms. Wish Mike Mentzer was still alive. I bet he'd adjust his theories based on the new evidence.
Break it up differently and take more days off if needed.
Hmm
From what I have felt from trying the HIT style, with the rep tempo to failure, isometric hold at peak contraction, and lowering weight only technique shown by Mentzer is that muscle building is a function of both tension, time under tension, and recovery. Mentzer seems to pay a lot of attention to time under tension and rest, and holds tension as more of a constant through mind muscle connection. Furthermore I have found his system to work especially well for people just getting into fitness since he says to only workout in total once a week and it takes a month to hit the whole body. This combination of time under tension and recovery is nice as not only a way to ease into more frequent workout, but also develop mind muscle connection, and allow for more muscle recovery. Which in turn builds adherence to fitness protocols. Personally I find it nice as a technique with only warm up set weight for deload.
Love your presentation and speaking style. Very engaging
I’m 56. And my joints are always a problem. But NOW after several months of low volume and HIT style lifting and joints feel so much better and healthier. I’m so pleased. Cut back my volume makes so much sense. Like anything you will have wear and tear BUT if you take a more conservative approach you can build repair the joint. I hope I’m right 👍😀
A decent video. Most guys are looking to put on a bit of muscle and maintain a good physique. We are not aspiring IFBB pros, we are not "enhanced" gym rats. We have jobs and wives and kids and hobbies. The advice of 3 sets of quads 2x per week (and similar for all other body parts) is absolutely off the table. I am not lifting every day. I am not going to center my life on recovering from that kind of frequency/volume. I have things to do. Lifting is one of many different activities that I engage in on a weekly basis.
I loosely follow HIT training, as described by Mentzer. I do not look like a bodybuilder. I do not want to look like a body builder. I have a masculine physique that is good enough. I achieve this with 3 twenty minute lifting sessions a week. I look better and healthier than the vast majority of men my age. Good enough for me.
For all the guys who are wondering what they should do, be it 3x10 twice a week or whatever, carefully consider your personal goals against the goals of someone who makes a living off of fitness advice or who really centers their life on the gym. Do you make your living off of selling fitness advice? No? Are you now or aspiring to be an IFBB pro? No? Do you want to manage a career, family and the like? Yes? Then don't worry about what is maximally effective. Figure out what is good enough for you and do that. It probably will be some variation of HIT / Mentzer training.
Same here. I'm just a regular guy trying to stay fit. If I can accomplish that with less time in the gym, that leaves more time for everything else in my life.
Well said
This comment doesn't make much sense. Just because you're limited on time doesn't mean you have to train to failure.
Speak for yourself I just wanna get massive lmao. Wouldn't be watching science based shit if I didn't want to train as close to optimally as possible. That would be a waste of time
This is a masterpiece that should be taught in all sports and science degrees. Thanks a lot Mike.
lol
mega lol.. in marketing degrees maybe
This is the golden vid for training.
Never wanted to try HIT straight out, but Mike made me make a lot of progress by going for more intensity and preventing junk volume.
I just get a kick out of people who think Mentzer didn’t train “normally” a lot as well. He had books to sell. That’s why he was so adamant publicly about his training style.
Pretty much. Most people who swear HIT is magic were blindly doing 4x12 on a million exercises at rpe 5. For months and months without bothering to switch anything up. They then watch some Mike mentzer clips, clean up their technique, get real about their intensity and become more efficient. They reactively add work based on feel instead of blindly doing tons of volume. They then mistake it for HIT being the holy grail, and that they were “lied to”. Dude, you just finally started proper training lmao
Yeah, most likely this. 1 rir isn't EASY either, just much more recoverable. To failure means the next set gets maybe 70% of the reps, and that's crazy. Really burning out your neurons to the muscles and you need to rebuild all those neurotransmitters and such
Good job 👍🏼 when you first started out with the video I thought you were gonna be kind of a little know it all snob, but I stuck with it, your video was good because I've been playing around with the HIT technique with not good success, your breakdown and nuance that Mike Metzer or anyone else who advocates HIT never explains made perfect sense and has reinvigorated my confidence to augment HIT to join with my previous routine.
Hoping to get your thoughts on two approaches to training: Mike Boyle’s Joint By Joint method and Gray Cook’s Functional Movement Screen.
Many thanks for taking time to comment on these! 🤙
mentzer did speak AGAINST drop sets because he considered them counterproductive and not an increase in intensity (because you are dropping weight=less intensity), but he recomended negatives after failure
How is dropping weights and doing more reps after you physically couldn't do any more with the last weight less intense? It is classified as a high-intensity method
@@zjljlzll4568It is a high intensity technique, however in practice drop sets just don’t feel that hard or brutal. Whereas a rest pause set DC style is so taxing!
@@zjljlzll4568 Mentzer put it in this way: if you are lifting less weight its less intense. what you are adding is VOLUME.
@@zjljlzll4568Mike's logic was drop sets causes to much fatigue and interfere with recovery.
@@NewDarkKnightUnlike negatives? Or any other intensity method? lol. You must be misquoting, the whole idea of Mike's system was to destroy the muscle fully so that it would NEED all those days of recovery.
Always a fan of Mentzers, but what people often fail to notice is that Mike gained most of his muscle mass before he was even introduced to HIT via Casey Viator to Arthur Jones. Look at pictures of Mike even in his teens, a number of years before he discovered HIT, he was already close to his maximum size (albeit not conditioning). But as I say, big fan still.
So was Dorian Yates but got better and bigger (his exact words) after meeting Mike and instilled a 1 balls out set. Again tons of DY explicitly stating this and said if high volume worked for him he would have still been doing it 🤷
Not correct. Mike gained over 25lbs of muscle after switching to HIT. That's ALOT.
@@1seanv most people have never actually read Mike's book or watched the countless videos of him describing his results etc. It's unfortunate
Simply doing what Dorian talks about -- pausing at the end of the set for fifteen seconds and lowering it slowly, and prioritizing recovery is going to do a ton. Overtraining is a real thing. Think about energy systems. You can do aerobics for hours and days, but only about 45 minutes close to the aerobic threshhold (tempo runs). Alternately, you can do 2 -3 ish minutes of all out effort, but the longer/harder they go the more tired you'll be before the next explosion. Finally, you can go really all out for about 10 seconds. The more you redline your body the more you'll force adaptation, but equally, you'll need more recovery. Stimulus/fatigue ratio, no shit. HIT isn't the only game in town, but it's got a bunch of enlightening points.
Dorian,viator,mentzer all did volume routines and ALL were pumping grams of shit...... absolutely irrelevant how they trained... . If you take grams of shit u could do push ups and get jacked