Heavy Duty/HIT

[Cuthbert]

A lower volume routine would probably work very well for you, especially if you can't realliy handle a higher volume workout at this point.

You might just need a week off too.

 

[IJ26]

Try DC training from the sticky above. You can get the workout done in 40 minutes. Ive been on it for 14 weeks now and the gains keep coming

 

[Debaser]

but for advanced lifters- strength gains come from volume & varying intensity.

I wouldn't go that far...

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

A lower volume routine would probably work very well for you, especially if you can't realliy handle a higher volume workout at this point.

You might just need a week off too.

I can handle the high volume, I just don't have time.

 

[Dave949]

Keep in mind...and this is just a suggestion and entirely IMHO, you don`t have to follow H.D., HIT or DC routines to the absolute T. You can use either of their basic fundamentals or principals and do a lil tweaking and tailoring to the workout to suit your needs but structuring your routine based on the core of their overall principals.............

 

[guldukat]

Keep in mind...and this is just a suggestion and entirely IMHO, you don`t have to follow H.D., HIT or DC routines to the absolute T. You can use either of their basic fundamentals or principals and do a lil tweaking and tailoring to the workout to suit your needs but structuring your routine based on the core of their overall principals.............

Right.

Plus, other than DC, which is still "configurable" but has its guidelines for very good reasons, "HIT" and "Heavy Duty" refer to a lot of different workouts.

For example, I know of at least six variants Mike Mentzer endorsed as Heavy Duty, and you could change quite a bit of that around without violating any of Mike's rules. Except in his later years, when he became somewhat rigid (a result of the fact he faced an onslaught of oftentimes unnecessarily cruel criticism), Mike used to be very amenable to switching things around. There was no ONE Heavy Duty training program.

Even moreso, HIT refers to perhaps hundreds of different workouts in hundreds or more combinations. I cut my teeth on that stuff, so over the past 10.5 years I've seen so many HIT variants I've about lost track.

I think a lot of people have the idea that HIT is simply doing what Arthur Jones recommended: 1 set to failure of 12 different exercises, covering the entire body, 3 times a week (usually on Nautilus stuff).

Not so. Dr. Ken Leistner has his own brand of HIT. So does "Maximum" Bob Whelan. No one ever accused those two of being weak, FWTW.

I think HIT is most useful for what it eventually led to, though: things like HST. I haven't tried hypertrophy-specific training myself, yet. But with some tweaking, it is, at its core, a very sophisticated, periodized HIT-type workout.

The main criticism I'd level at HIT is actually two-fold:

1--that it focuses too much on set counts. I'm a one set guy, myself, but I certainly recognize the value of a good 5x5;

2--while it allows for week-long layoffs here and there, it's too intense to do all the time. Some periodization would've been nice...I've heard authors like Pete Sisco and John Little scoff at that, noting that periodization was predicated on drug cycling. That's partially true for some guys, but it's simply NOT the case that we can train hard all the time for months on end.

Their rather plastic understanding of overtraining is what led to all of this. That, and all the HIT guys practically worshipped Art Jones...had Arthur ever advocated training lighter for some periods, you can bet that every HIT "Jedi" since would assert as much.

As a result, I bet HIT wouldn't be near as reviled by most bodybuilders, either. Once you get beyond that one work set stuff (itself not set in stone), many guys see the merits of some of the routines.

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

Which routine do you guys think is better?

I've been reading some Arthur Jones stuff.....

Here's what I've come up with:

Mon/Wed/Friday.
10/10 TUT. All sets to failure. 6-10, go for 10 reps but anything over 6 is good.

1 Minute rest between sets.
2 Minute rest between supersets.

1x20 Squat
1x10 Stiff Legged Deadlift
1x10 Front Squat

1x10 Incline DB press
Superset
1x10 Decline db press
1x10 Machine Flyes

1x10 Deadlift
1x10 T-Bar row
1x10 shrugs

1x10 Seated DB Press
1x10 Seated side lateral
Superset
1x10 UpRight rows
1x10 Standing Lateral Raises

1x10 Preacher Curls
Superset
1x10 Incline DB curl
1x10 Seated BB curl
1x10 Standing alt db curl

1x10 Behind neck DB extension
1x10 Close grip bench
Superset
1x10 Dips

That or:

Basically the same thing, still to failure, same rest times, etc. But, a little less volume.

2 exercises for each muscle group rather than 3 or 4. So I'll alternate between the exercises below.

Squat
Stiff Legged Deadlift
Front Squat
Hack Squat
DB leg curl
Lunges

Decline db press
Incline db
Incline Press
Medium grip flat
Machine Flyes
Weighted Push ups between chairs


Deadlift
Tbar rows
Good mornings
BB rows
Pull ups
DB rows

Shrugs
Standing lateral raises
Seated dumbell side laterals
Military Press
Upright rows
Arnold Press


Preacher Curls
Incline DB curls
Seated bb curl
standing db curls

Behind neck db extension
Lying db extension
Close grip bench
Dips

 

[casualbb]

Hmm I'd opt for the lower volume, but way too many exercises! For biceps for instance... a curl is a curl. You can vary the amount of stretch but other than that, four different exercises isn't going to add very much except some training log headaches. You can certainly get away with two exercises per bodypart or do three if you want to be safe.

 

[Singleton]

I don't like HST much either. Here's why:

Some days, I can't get a good rise in body temp. Maybe my elbow hurts. I want to go lighter and use different exercises. I know that the following WO, I'll come back strong.

Well, with HST, you have to stick to the same fucking exercieses at the given weight.

I'm probably gonna go back to what worked best for me. That is, doing 3 sets to failure per WO. Doing some stretching and pumping sets too. If I feel like doing a light WO because my joints hurt or whatever, then I do a light WO. A light WO is better than no WO.

I didn't do a good job of making the HST principles mine, so I don't like HST.

 

[Dave949]

I'm probably gonna go back to what worked best for me. That is, doing 3 sets to failure per WO. Doing some stretching and pumping sets too. If I feel like doing a light WO because my joints hurt or whatever, then I do a light WO. A light WO is better than no WO.

Which goes back to the best workout ever developed. Its called INSTINCTIVE TRAINING.
All roads lead to Rome.........