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Hit 101 training part 2
Volume vs. Intensity
Half the weight you say? Actually you start HIT with about 25% of your Max weight. This form of lifting will be completely foreign to anyone already accustom to body building. It is embracing when preformed in public (I know) and a strong ego is necessary in the beginning until a person realizes that HIT is truly a miracle for growth stimulation. Who says so? Arthur Jones the originator of HIT and Mike Menzer the perfecter of HIT, Dorian Yates (Mr. O) and the second place 2013 Mr. Olympia Kia Green to name just a very few and me…so you are in good company. Let the geeks squawk, talk and laugh at the big idiot with 20 inch arms playing with baby weights! (You may have witnessed this at one time but did not understand?)
Quick Nuts and Bolts: One working set…are you crazy!!! One set?!?!?
In our 200lb max bench scenario: this person would set up with 50lb for a “warm up” (however there is no warm up or warm down in HIT). You are not doing warm up (even though that is going to happen) you are “training” yourself for your “working set”. It is CRITICAL to remember this is “INTENSITY” not volume training. If you lose your concentration you lose the growth effects. So each rep of each set is performed with perfect precision and form each a perfect copy of each other…hence the reason for the light weight for perfect static control. (Personal note: I invented the “hydraulic” lift method in 1980 (I still have the tape I made for beginners as proof) where I envisioned myself as a hydraulic press machine…perfect speed up and down with NO FORCE OR MOMENTUM.) Note: If you can use heavier weights in perfect form…go for it! I’m always up for a laugh!
So…the “monster” 50lb bench press goes down in 4 full seconds and back up for a full 4 seconds with a 2 min “STRAINED CONTRACTION” at the top…repeat for 10 or 12 reps (I like to do 2 seconds at top and bottom). THEN: With no more than 30 seconds (less is better here also) you go to 40 or 50% MW or around 75 or 100lbs and repeat, do not worry about failure just do clean reps…THEN: Take a breath or two but try to not go over 60 seconds and at this point you do your “working set” with a weight around half your MW looking for 6 to 8 SUPER CLEAN PERFECT HIT REPS to failure. If you hit 10 reps stop and do the last set again with a bit more weight that will cause failure. A spotter is OK to get a few forced reps but cheating is a waste of time and energy. This is a guide line…not a law. So play with it but NEVER give up your form for ballistic momentum lifts. Take the weight back down if you start to cheat and start the set over (that is the HIT law!) You want the last set a few reps short because it will help you judge your next work out for gains. If you hit 10 then you add weight to fail again and so on…forever…
EVERY MUSCLE CAN BE DONE IN 2 TO 5 “STATIC HIT” SETS.
Some muscles take more some less training and I won’t go into that here. This is an example to begin with and can be modified as you learn more about your ability to do HIT sets and the poundage’s you can perfectly preform them with. CONCENTRATION and INTENSITY will be key to not fall back into the old mode of fast or ballistic style lifting and trust me…you will be fighting the urge to ballistic the last lift like crazy! DON’T DO IT!!! I mean…if you want to do both OK…but learn to do HIT perfect then go back to weight "slinging" if you want. I believe after you learn HIT you will not go back to the old way and will see all the wasted efforts going on all around you in the gym. It is sad really… Mike was Dorian’s trainer and Dorian once said: “We are like beacons shining in the night and not one person sees us…no one gets it!” So trust me…if you even read this article you are one of the very few to take a real interest in HIT!!!
Bottom line: This work out is helpful in preventing over training but CAN also over train you. If you are like me, you can’t stay out of the gym so working out a schedule is kinda tough for true addicts like me and probably you! I will try to post some work out programs in another post. STAY RESTED my friend!!!
For more info you can go to the wonderful marvelous You Tube and look up Mike Menzer or Dorian Yates or Kia Green. There are work outs and seminar vids there and I have watched everyone!
Thanks for reading and good luck with your HIT program should you decide to try it.
MIKE MENZER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjUpCx5pv5w
Half the weight you say? Actually you start HIT with about 25% of your Max weight. This form of lifting will be completely foreign to anyone already accustom to body building. It is embracing when preformed in public (I know) and a strong ego is necessary in the beginning until a person realizes that HIT is truly a miracle for growth stimulation. Who says so? Arthur Jones the originator of HIT and Mike Menzer the perfecter of HIT, Dorian Yates (Mr. O) and the second place 2013 Mr. Olympia Kia Green to name just a very few and me…so you are in good company. Let the geeks squawk, talk and laugh at the big idiot with 20 inch arms playing with baby weights! (You may have witnessed this at one time but did not understand?)
Quick Nuts and Bolts: One working set…are you crazy!!! One set?!?!?
In our 200lb max bench scenario: this person would set up with 50lb for a “warm up” (however there is no warm up or warm down in HIT). You are not doing warm up (even though that is going to happen) you are “training” yourself for your “working set”. It is CRITICAL to remember this is “INTENSITY” not volume training. If you lose your concentration you lose the growth effects. So each rep of each set is performed with perfect precision and form each a perfect copy of each other…hence the reason for the light weight for perfect static control. (Personal note: I invented the “hydraulic” lift method in 1980 (I still have the tape I made for beginners as proof) where I envisioned myself as a hydraulic press machine…perfect speed up and down with NO FORCE OR MOMENTUM.) Note: If you can use heavier weights in perfect form…go for it! I’m always up for a laugh!
So…the “monster” 50lb bench press goes down in 4 full seconds and back up for a full 4 seconds with a 2 min “STRAINED CONTRACTION” at the top…repeat for 10 or 12 reps (I like to do 2 seconds at top and bottom). THEN: With no more than 30 seconds (less is better here also) you go to 40 or 50% MW or around 75 or 100lbs and repeat, do not worry about failure just do clean reps…THEN: Take a breath or two but try to not go over 60 seconds and at this point you do your “working set” with a weight around half your MW looking for 6 to 8 SUPER CLEAN PERFECT HIT REPS to failure. If you hit 10 reps stop and do the last set again with a bit more weight that will cause failure. A spotter is OK to get a few forced reps but cheating is a waste of time and energy. This is a guide line…not a law. So play with it but NEVER give up your form for ballistic momentum lifts. Take the weight back down if you start to cheat and start the set over (that is the HIT law!) You want the last set a few reps short because it will help you judge your next work out for gains. If you hit 10 then you add weight to fail again and so on…forever…
EVERY MUSCLE CAN BE DONE IN 2 TO 5 “STATIC HIT” SETS.
Some muscles take more some less training and I won’t go into that here. This is an example to begin with and can be modified as you learn more about your ability to do HIT sets and the poundage’s you can perfectly preform them with. CONCENTRATION and INTENSITY will be key to not fall back into the old mode of fast or ballistic style lifting and trust me…you will be fighting the urge to ballistic the last lift like crazy! DON’T DO IT!!! I mean…if you want to do both OK…but learn to do HIT perfect then go back to weight "slinging" if you want. I believe after you learn HIT you will not go back to the old way and will see all the wasted efforts going on all around you in the gym. It is sad really… Mike was Dorian’s trainer and Dorian once said: “We are like beacons shining in the night and not one person sees us…no one gets it!” So trust me…if you even read this article you are one of the very few to take a real interest in HIT!!!
Bottom line: This work out is helpful in preventing over training but CAN also over train you. If you are like me, you can’t stay out of the gym so working out a schedule is kinda tough for true addicts like me and probably you! I will try to post some work out programs in another post. STAY RESTED my friend!!!
For more info you can go to the wonderful marvelous You Tube and look up Mike Menzer or Dorian Yates or Kia Green. There are work outs and seminar vids there and I have watched everyone!
Thanks for reading and good luck with your HIT program should you decide to try it.
MIKE MENZER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjUpCx5pv5w