1 Quick question to ppl who know about HIT

Louno

New Member
Is it ok to use hit for strenght gains ?

i been doing hst for 1 year and i gained mass (125lbs to 158lbs) so it works but my strenght is lacking and i feel like i need to improve it in order to continu hst...

So i decided to switch to another program that would allow both, i still want to gain mass but id like some decent strenght gain to go with it.

I guess there are other programs but Is HIT okay for this?
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hitworkout.htm
 
Forget HIT...

Go with a 5x5 program, or Lyle's bulking routine over @ Bodyrecomposition.com or Dan Hrt @ Hypertrophy-research.com...but do not go NEAR HIT.
 
Like Jester said... I'm sure HIT would give you strength gains, but 5x5 or any of the other things he suggested would likely work a lot better for strength gains.
 
Hi Louno,

If you've never tried HIT before you could give it a go for a month or two. Some people make some very noticeable strength gains using the system. However, be warned that training to failure on a frequent basis (ie. every set of every exercise) can fry your CNS. Some people seem better able to deal with this than others. I found that I got colds quite a lot. However, I did make some pretty good strength gains.

I am a little surprised that you say that you would like more in the way of strength gains seeing that you have increased your body mass by 33 lbs. That seems quite a bit to me. Do you know how much of that is lean body mass? What kind of poundages are you able to lift now compared with when you started on HST? I ask because it may be that you would not make any faster improvements in your strength if training under another system.

I am only on my first HST cycle so I can't comment much on my own strength improvements so far. I'll just say that I beat my previous 15RM on several exercises with two workouts to go! (I shouldn't have done it really but it just felt so light! ). I'm going to continue to increase the poundages in those exercises for the remaining workouts of the 15s. So without even getting to the heavy stuff, HST is giving me pretty good strength increases.
 
Well, i want to gain mass too... in fact this is my primary goal its just that it seems hst works alot better for mass than strenght...

I looked into 5x5 and it seam a bit complicated but mostly it looks like it takes alot of time, one thing i like about HIT is that u only do 1 rep of each exercise, so its very quick and u get to use more exercise...

Tot and Jester, I am wondering why " i shoudnlt get near hit" from what i read alot of people make decent gains with it. And say its the best...

Lol , all that i gained was lean muscle because i had some fat before and i have less now than i had before im sure i could have gained more but im eating only 100-200 calories over maintenance so minimise fat gains and it worked...

The past 2 or 3 cycles it seams my strenght didnt progress at all, usualy it did but not that much, i made some very nice slow strenght gains in general with time, especialy pull ups ( couldnt do 1 and now i can do 11 and im heavier but i wasnt training them in hst way all the time, everytime id be in the weeks of 5s,id do 3 set and try to do the most i could, to failure ).
On the other hand i didnt get any much stronger in my biceps, i followed hst , at first i was able to do 25 lbs , now i can do 30lbs ( 35lbs if i cheat a lil but only with right arm, left arm suck )

Anyways all this to say that i just want to try something else see how it works on me, HST is very good for mass in my opinion but isnt all that good for strenght.
 
5x5 is VERY easy to set up if you know your maxes.

Monday:
5x5 Squat - same weight all sets
1x5 Bench - one work set, can do few warm up sets to get there
1x5 Row - same as bench

Wednesday:
5x5 Squat - 80% of Monday weight
5x5 Deadlift - same weight
5x5 Military - same weight/5x5 Incline ~ 80% of Friday Bench
5x5 Chins - same weight

Friday:
1x5 Squat - same principle as Monday Bench
5x5 Bench - same weight
5x5 Row - same weight


When you can do 5 sets of 5 for a weight, increase it.

Aim to hit your 1x5RM in week 3 or 4 and hit a new PR the next week.


HIT breeds injury and bad form.
 
louno if you want you only need 1set hst ..
for strenght just do a compounds only cycle
and use smaller increments like 2 or 4lbs good luck :D
 
Well i chose HIT, my friend wanted to try it.
i like it so far, because its real quick even with 12-13 different exercise im out in 45mins.
Its a bit hard because you have to get to failure on each set so at the end of the workout im tired
 
are you doing that routine from BB.com? If so, that ain't HIT, at least not Stuart McRoberts HIT.
Squats 1 X 8 - 10 reps - great (try 20's with a weight you can do for 10!)
Leg Extensions 1 X 8 - 10 reps - drop these add deadlift or SLDL
Leg Curls 1 X 8 - 10 reps - drop these
Dumbbell Pullovers 1 X 8 - 10 reps - drop these, arguably - a waste of time
Barbell Overhead Shoulder Press 1 X 8 - 10 reps - great
Seated Rows 1 X 8 - 10 reps - OK, chins do this, alternate
Bench Press 1 X 8 - 10 reps - either this or dips, try alternating
Barbell Bicep Curls 1 X 8 - 10 reps - drop these
Tricep Extensions 1 X 8 - 10 reps - drop these
Weighted Pullups 1 X 8 - 10 reps - great
Weighted Dips 1 X 8 - 10 reps - alternate with BP
Standing Calf Raises 1 X 8 - 12 reps - ok, may need to drop later
Abs - 1 X 10 - 15 reps - OK, may need to drop later
 
Mathey,

yes im following that routine, except i cant do Barbell Overhead Shoulder Press because i cant seem to be able to do that movement for more than 5 rep it kinda hurts, even with low weight, the movement doesnt feel natural/good to me at all.
why should i drop all the other exercise? i like the Dumbbell Pullovers, why is it waste?
 
Eventually, you'll burn out doing all that to failure...I suppose for now, while it's "easy" you can continue to do everything, but I would start dropping some of the accessory stuff that will just slow progress in other areas. Towards the end, I would be focusing on the squat, dead, bench/dip, oh press and chin/pullup to failure, with curl, calf and ab work thrown in on occasion. As you go along, you'll likely want to add extra days of rest between workouts, and maybe even divide the full body into a 2 day split.
For the OH barbell press, can you substitute with a OH dumbell press, or even an Arnold type press, it may feel more natural to you.
If you are doing the pullovers for ribcage expansion, I wouldn't bother, from what I've read, it's a myth at best.
Give it a try, different things work differently for different people. Most of all, keep us posted...oh, and happy birthday!
 
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