How To Formulate Your Own HIT Routine


High intensity training will build the maximum muscle mass in the minimum amount of time it is done right, learn how to put together your own HIT routine.

A good rule of thumb is one exercise for small bodyparts and two for large bodyparts. Some people will need less and for a gifted few even more is needed. It's up to you to figure out what amount of exercise you need.

For a beginner, 3 full body sessions per week is enough without overtraining but as one becomes stronger and more advanced the tollerance of exercise decreases. The heavier the weight, the more difficult it is to endure the exercise.

People with more experience in lifting (more than 2 years), who have already developed a sound foundation in muscle strength, will begin to see their strength gains diminish. They discover their workouts are more difficult to perform than when they started and get more difficult as they progress. They also tend to discover that they need at least 5 days or more in between bodypart workouts in order to get more fully recuperated. This is why many have resorted to a split routine but one has to be cautious about not falling into the trap of more is better".

Intermediates, might get away with doing each bodypart twice a week, but as they progress they may notice to that they can no longer tolerate this frequency. Many, as I recommend should work their bodyparts 3 times every 2 weeks instead.

Beginners can use the intermediate program and do it 3 times a week but just choose one exercise per bodypart. Example:

Chest: Bench Presses and Inline Presses
Delts: Military Presses
UpperBack: Lat Pulldowns and Barbell Rows
Traps: Dumbbell Shrugs
Lower Back: Stiff leg Deadlifts
Triceps: Dips
Biceps: Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls
Forearms: Wrist Curls
Abs: Crunches
Quads: Squats and Leg Presses
Hamstrings: Leg Curls
Calves: Standing Calf Raises

Generally, it is recommended that you work your largest bodyparts to your smallest.

Intermediate Routine

Squats
Leg Presses
Leg Curls
Bench Press
Incline Presses
Lat pulldowns
Barbell Rows
Military Presses
Dumbell Shrugs
Dips
Seated incline Duinrabell Curls
Standing Calf Raises
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
Wrist Curls
Crunches

Day One/Day Two

Squats
Leg Curls
Incline Presses
Dips
Barbell Rows
Shrugs
Seated Incline d-b curls
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
Leg Presses
Bench Presses
Military Presses
Lat Pulldowns
D-b Curls
Wrist Curls
Calf Raises
Calf Raises
Crunches
Crunches

Both Days affect the entire body and it's definitly more tolerable for intermediates and advanced trainees. These days should be alternated to fit your recovery cycle: Read above.

When assembling your routine you should definitly consider the overla that exercises have over each other. Military Presses HIT the upper pecs and front shoulders, well, ... so do Incline Presses. Stiff legs HITs the hamstrings as well as the lower back So by just adding a Quad exercise that pretty much HITs your upperlegs. Muscles are intertwinde and interwoven they work together. This is why the big mass movements such as Deadlifts, Squats and Bench presses have allways been the kind of mass builders. You shouldn't think of your exercises as bodypart exercises but as general body exercises. For example: Bench Presses works your delts, pecs,triceps and forearms. Even your biceps are hit to some degree. Barbell rows HITs your traps,lats and biceps,brachialis and forearms Squats Hits your whole legs. You can probably eliminate all arm exercises and still develope nice arms just by doing the basic exercises. By thinking of exercises thIs way you can be confident to cut back when you know that you are overtraining.

For Example:

Day One/Day Two

Squats
Bench Pressses
Dips
Barbell Rows
Curls
Calf Raises
Crunches
Deadlifts
Military Presses
Close-Grip Bench
Lat Pulldowns
Curls
Calf Raises
Crunches

This routine still HITs your entire body. SEE, YOU DON'T NEED A LOT OF BODYPART EXERCISES TO HIT YOUR MUSCLES.

Here is an even more abreviated routine:

Day One/Day Two

Squats
Bench Presses
Barbell Rows
calf Raises
crunches
Deadlifts
Dips
Under grip Lat Pulldowns
Calf Raises
crunches

This routine here can be very productive when you use a lot of intensity and focus on your lifts. Notice How I always keep the big 3: Squats, Bench presses and Deadlifts. In order, to progress at the most fastest rate it is recommended that you do all 3 or atleast 2 of these movements. Remember, only 1-3 sets each, all done to all-out failure, and an emphasis on progression.

If you have any questions about Mike Mentzer or High Intensity Training email us and we'll get back to you with an answer as quick as we can.

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