Bodybuilding.com - HIT It Hard: My Experience With The HIT Program!

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H.I.T. It Hard! My workout program, my results and more tips!

H.I.T. It Hard!

Are you sick and tired of spending countless hours overtraining in the weight room? Tired of cranking out 15+ sets per bodypart? Well I have a solution for you... and guess what? It's totally free and won't give you bitch-tits, roid-rages, or nasty acne.

It's called H.I.T, and it's not some new miracle supplement. H.I.T stands for High Intensity Training. Popularized by champion bodybuilders like Mike Metzner and Dorian Yates, H.I.T emphasizes the belief that "Less is More". In some H.I.T workouts as few as 6 sets can be used to absolutely blast the whole body.

When I first read about H.I.T on a website, I was absolutely puzzled how anyone, even the genetic super-freak; could make any kind of gain with such few sets and excercises. I had to try it. So I abandoned my 3-day split I had been using for the past few months (which had seemed to plateau greatly in the past few weeks) and adopted a H.I.T workout.

So Monday after school I hit the weight room. First place I went was straight to the Squat Rack. My friends I lifted with gave me a weird look. "Lew, why aren't you benching?" Monday had been Chest and Triceps day for almost an eternity. I told all of them it was a new workout.

I cranked out 2 very intense sets of 20 squats, with only 45 seconds between sets. Next I moved to deadlifts, busting out 2 more sets of 20 with the same amount of rest. I was already whipped and had done 2 excercises. Next, I went and Flat Benched 2 sets to failure, and then one set of dumbell presses on incline. I finished the workout off with a little bicep work, 2 sets of barbell curls, and 2 sets of tricep extensions.

The whole thing took 45 minutes and I was dead. I could barely walk, wanted to puke, and I think I was slurring my words like I was drunk. The next morning I woke up with what I believe to be the BEST soreness of all time. Every damn muscle group had a good soreness to them.

Anyway, after 3 grueling weeks on this workout, only 2-3 times a week, I have gained 8 pounds of solid muscle, added 3/8 inch to my arms, and a HUGE amount of strength on my core lifts. My bench went from 215 to 240, Squat from 275 for 2 reps to 315 for 2 reps, and deadlift from 265 for 2 reps to 320 for 2 reps.

This H.I.T workout is a definite killer, and should especially be used for breaking plateaus from complicated 3, 4, and 5 day splits. I believe the gains are so great because stress is put on the whole body at once, and the basic core movements are used. I also am including a few sample workouts, and even a H.I.T split.

All core excercises (squat, bench, deadlift) should include a quick warmup set. 45 seconds between sets and 1 minute between excercises. Concentrate on good form, and load on that weight. Sometimes I will throw in a set or two of lateral raises if my shoulders need some work.

Squat - 2x20
Leg Extension - 1x20*
Deadlift - 2x20
Flat or Incline Bench - 2 sets to failure
Dumbell Press Or Dumbell Flyes - 1x8*
Barbell Curl - 2x8**
Tricep Extension - 2x12**
*-Done if muscle does not seem to be worked to full potential
**-Can be substituted for your favorite bicep or tricep excercise

3 Day H.I.T Split

Day 1 - Thighs, Shoulders
Squat - 2x20 (You can go heavy if you like, instead use 3x6)
Leg Press - 1 set til failure (Done immediately after last set of squats)
Leg Extension - 1x20
Dumbell Shoulder Press - 2 till failure
Lateral Raise - 2x15

Day 2 - Chest, Tris
Flat Bench or Incline Bench - 1x10, 1x6
Dumbell Press - 2x8
Tricep Extension - 2x8
Close Grip Bench - Press-2x8

Day 3 - Back, Bis
Deadlift - 2x20 (Again like the squat go heavy if thats what you like, I prefer high reps)
Lat Pulldown - 2x8 (get a good stretch and alot of negative on these)
Rows (Seated, Bent Over whatever you like best) - 2 sets to failure
Barbell Curl - 1x8
Preacher or Concentration Curl - 2x10

The main thing to focus on when doing a H.I.T workout is INTENSITY! I cannot stress that more. You will not benefit at all if you can rack the bar after 20 reps and you know you could crank out 10 more. Push yourself to the limit. Remember whatever you put into your workouts is exactly what you are going to get out of them. The other thing I would like to say concerns progression. Every other workout you need to throw a bit more weight on the bar. This will also help you make great gains.

Well, Keep it Real, and H.I.T it hard!

Zach Lewis