I never fully got the point until a few years ago when I had to reduce the volume and frequency of my training due to severe tendonitis in both shoulders. During this time, Dorian Yates's popularity led to the increased demand for infomation on "HIT". Mike Mentzer unveiled his new approach to HIT which opened my eyes to such issues as Individual Tolerance to exercise. I came to the conclusion the much the same way a redheaded person has low tolerance to sunlight, I had a low tolerance to exercise. I recalled how during Marine Corps bootcamp, I lost 30 pounds but only 1 inch on my waist. But 1 set per bodypart? Yes. And, get this, I only train each bodypart ever 14 days. I also learned that hardgainers such as myself should avoid intensity techniques such as forced reps like the plague. Positive failure is sufficient to induce muscular growth. The whole thing is centered around strength gains. Muscle and strength gains are a result of adaptation to a stimulus. Once you have stimulated muscular growth, which can be accomplished with only one set, anything more is not only pointless but counterproductive. The "Pump" that Arnold compared to an orgasm contributes nothing to muscle growth. Shape training, in which many bodybuilders hit a bodypart from a variety of angles in order to change a muscle shape is simply not possible. The curvature of a fully developed muscle is determined by one thing: genetics. So, doing preacher curls for lower bi's, concentration curls for bicep peak and so on is again not only pointless but counterproductive. I will acknowledge though that differences in body structure mean that a certain exercises may be productive for one person and totally ineffective or awkward for another. A good example of this is a friend of mine. He has a long upper leg and a relatively short lower leg. Squatting is a very awkward movements for him but he does well on the leg press. I , like Mark-Anthony (Editor-in-Chief of this website), believe that heavy compound movements are the only way to build mass. A word of caution though, falling in love with one particular movement is a major cause of joint problems and tendonitis, so switch compound movements every 2nd or third workout. Also, keep a journal. Record the weight used and the number of repetitions on a particular exercise. Always strive to increase weight and/or reps from workout.

My actual workout breaks down like this:

Week 1) Monday: Chest/Shoulders/Biceps/Calves.
Friday: Thighs/Hamstrings/Glutes
(pre-contest only)/Abdominals.

Week 2) Wednesday: Lats/Lower back/Traps/Triceps

That's it. My entire 14 day training cycle. 1 set per bodypart after warm-up. Will this approach get you bigger than the standard workout regiment? It may result in an additional 1-2 pounds of muscle on an already mature physique. The maximum amount of muscle your physique can carry is mainly determined by genetics anyway, so no training method will take you past your genetic threshold- period. But the real beauty of HIT is threefold: 1) You WILL actualize your genetic potential in a fraction of the time required by conventional training. 2) You only train 1 hour in a 2 week period do you have time for things that are really important like your spouse and your kids. 3) Increased muscle retention during contest training. Nobody looks their best on contest day. Why? Lets see. They increase the number of sets they do. Increase their cardio. Increase their posing. Increase their stress and they DECREASE their calories. To make an analogy, it is like quitting your part-time job and supplementing your income with your credit card. I take a different approach. I do cardio in the offseason to stay in shape and keep my metabolism revved up but I quit when I start dieting for show. This approach is tailor made for the small bodybuilder or one that flattens out or loses muscle easily. Conditioning is the name in my game. Your level of conditioning depends on two things: 1) How much fat you lose and 2) How much muscle you KEEP in the process. This approach maximizes the amount of muscle you keep.
Give HIT a fair try. Once you get past the mental part of only training 20-30 minutes a week, you will realize that this is the most effective and convenient way to maximum muscle growth and the most effective way to prepare for a show.




John Davidson is the 2000 NABF Florida SuperNatural Overall Champion. He can be contacted at platehed@comcast.net