HIT Training Example: Massive muscle growth in minimal time?
HIT training example. What if there was a legal alternative to doping?
Suppose you want to achieve measurable muscle-building results within DAYS instead of WEEKS or MONTHS without spending hours in the gym.
In that case, there is only one training method for you: high-intensity training or high-intensity or HIT training.
Although many bodybuilders have already successfully implemented the method and its scientifically proven effectiveness, HIT is still an insider tip.
Wrongly.
Here you can find out what’s behind the suspicious hit abbreviation.
But before we go into media, let’s think about how your body notices that it should build more muscles.
Simple answer: by being overwhelmed.
And he says to himself, “hey, I’ve reached my performance limit here obviously. What I have isn’t enough.
I should build up muscles to be able to cope better with the next load”.
What is HIT training?
What defines training success? There are essentially three factors.
When you understand what’s behind them, you’ll understand why high-intensity training works so incredibly well:
- training volume
- training intensity
- nutrition
Training volume means how often and for how long you train your body.
Training intensity is the amount of stress, i.e. how much you use your organism and muscles – regardless of the training duration.
And nutrition ultimately provides your body with the building blocks it needs to build up muscles after the training stimulus and to adapt to your organism (keyword “super-compensation“).
Protein is a core building block for your success.
You can play with these three levers and achieve a similar result: for example, you can train a lot, but not very hard, and neglect your diet to some extent.
You can also swallow hormones, supply your body with protein and co., and train less frequently and moderately.
Not necessarily the healthiest option, but it also leads to – short-term – training success.
Most strength athletes choose the first variant and spend a lot of time in the gym.
High-Intensity Training (HIT Training) goes the third way, namely that of training intensity.
How long does a HIT training session last?
With HIT, on the other hand, you use your muscles to the maximum in just one set per muscle group. A single set is enough if you go to your limit.
The stimulus is set, and your body goes into super-compensation.
How long does a training session last?
30 minutes is enough because the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th sentence is omitted. The goal of setting a training stimulus is achieved after one set.
Super Slow: How slow do I do a HIT workout?
The speed of each repetition of an exercise is one of the core elements of HIT training. Slow, correctly executed repetitions are the program!
As a guide, you can remember 7-15 seconds per repetition.
This avoids momentum forces supporting the movement and allows your muscle to be fully utilized, says Mike Mentzer, bodybuilding advice from the first man to win a perfect score in the Mr. Universe competition.
I myself have had good experiences with 10 seconds per repetition: 5 seconds for the contraction, 5 seconds for the return. Tip: use a clock at the beginning to correctly estimate the time span.
You should take a 3-minute break between exercises.
Advantage of HIT training: Your risk of injury decreases
The slow reps have a second key benefit: you use lighter weights. They are about 10 percent below what you usually train with for volume training.
Since you want to cut a good figure, especially outside of the studio, you can handle that.
By the way: a lighter weight puts less strain on your tendons and joints – the risk of injury decreases!
Another advantage: if you are aware that you only have to do one set and then you are done with the exercise, it is easier for you to push yourself to the limit.
How do you find your stress limit?
Very simple: With the HIT, you only stop when you can’t do a repetition anymore. Imagine someone holding a pistol to your head and saying, “Don’t stop until you can’t anymore.
Otherwise, I’ll pull the trigger”.
If it’s no longer possible, hold on for another 10 seconds, so you’re using your muscles to the maximum.
Who is HIT training suitable for?
HIT training is definitely not a training method for beginners. The prerequisite is that you master the exercises properly.
Therefore, I recommend High-Intensity Training to advanced strength athletes who have been training regularly in the gym for at least 6 months and are healthy.
In addition, HIT requires greater motivation in training than in volume training.
Since you only have one set of training, you need to be able to push yourself to the limit. If you can do that, HIT is worth a try for you!
Other success factors in HIT training example
When talking to my clients, I often notice that they invest a lot of time and energy in their training but overlook other much more important success factors or do not consider them so important.
This is a fallacy!
A beautiful, muscular and powerful body is created 70% in the kitchen and only 30% in the gym or during training.
At least as important as the training plan
- A goal that inspires you.
- Nutrition that tastes good and keeps you fit.
- Regeneration – this includes sufficient sleep and a healthy stress balance.
HIT training example – saves time!
If you already have experience in muscle-building training, you can try HIT training.
HIT is for advanced users – and it saves time!
The fact is: You save time.
One set per muscle group once a week is enough.
In the beginning, there should be at least two, later, three or more days of regeneration between the training sessions.
You don’t train again until your muscles are fully recovered. So it’s better to train a day too late than too early!
I trained according to the HIT principle for a few months in 2011 and never spent so little time in the fitness center as in these months.
After making good progress initially, however, I reached a plateau after a few months.
The HIT training was a nice change and a great way to save time.
I have had good experiences with three training days per week (3-part split) — the HIT training book from Mike Mentzer.
In the meantime, however, I’m training again in a classic way according to the volume principle.
On the one hand, because I enjoy it more. On the other hand, because I’m constantly making progress with it.
I don’t recommend HIT training for fitness coaching, but if you’re in the mood for a change – give it a try.
