After reading Mr Francis’s article on H.I.T it’s obvious he is not an advocate.
However the clear cut black and white logic that Mentzer’s H.I.T presents, Mr Francis has ignored for what seems to be because he doesn’t favour Nautilus equipment.
Well netiher do I for that matter but the purpose of H.I.T is Strength gains through short intense exercise IT IS NOT THE WEIGHTS OR NAUTILUS MACHINES CAUSING IT.
The gains in performance we have seen with our atletes over the last 3 months have been nothing short of miraculous. We are talking about young men who were fit and strong already increasing their strength (on average) by 220%, 40 yard by 0.37 and bodyweight 24lbs with no increase in bodyfat.
We use only old fashioned body weight calisthenics which we added resistance to when the reps got too high (no shitty machines) e.g a weight belt for dips.
The point of me writing this is that the “H.I.T crowd” are mostly bodybuilders so are not interested in athletic performance (the sarcev quote…) but for those who are like us the H.I.T PRINCIPLES remain, just apply them to sport-specific movements.
To argue the HIT arguement we all need to understand the role of training adaptations with respect to periodisation of training. Unless you are familiar with most of Charlie’s philosophy and methods it will be hard to see where he is coming from. Especially, if you have seen good results from Short, Intense abreviated workouts AKA Heavy Duty etc etc…
Taking that there are many schools of HIT the one size fits all policy taken by most cannot be applied.
Eventually I will complete and publish my article on the matter to try and put the arguements from both sides into an easily understandable format.
The suggested article was as annoying as it was interesting, it at least gave me an idea to why someone would oppose the unarguable logic of H.I.T; and that is, they are not doing H.I.T.
Concerning the hockey goalie - If you are always over trained then you are not getting sufficient rest in between workouts or your training is too long in duration.
Concerning the Michigan coach - He too is over-training his athletes through his lack of knowledge of H.I.T, not beacause of H.I.T. You cannot conduct a High intensity strength session then in your 4-7 days of recovery, practice your sport skill (unless its golf) your recovery days require just that…recovery…no running.*
Please understand that being English I have no knowledge of either American football or Hockey or of the day to day requirements of it’s athletes.
If anyone reading would like to offer their comments, do.
Seanjos
*Dynamic flexibility training is the exception as a 10 minute session will not affect recovery ability enough to constitute over training.
There are many threads here separating out the elements of High (CNS demand) and Low intensity training (Muscular demand).
Over here, HIT means training to failure by high intensity means (almost always weights), non stop, year round, no change.
I would classify bodyweight cals to depletion as low intensity muscular endurance, even though it’s tough as hell. Along those lines, you might check the archives here for the “depletion push-ups” that we use. That might be closer to what you’re actually doing, from what I can tell.
Interesting religious-style rhetoric, but nothing more. Without anything more than trite responses, i do not understand what is your intention of posting. If you wished to discuss this principle rather than preach, you would have already presented data without the self-righteous “HIT is my savior” attached. Considering your lack of other posts, it seem like your intent is that of an internet troll.
These particular athletes I have been with for three months and started them on a heavy duty program immediately. There was no need for a prepatory period as they were appropriately conditioned for the demands of H.I.T.
We are not training endurance, the reps do not go over 10 (except on the squat).
As I mentioned in a previous post resistance is used to keep the reps low, my example was dips and a dipping belt (weightlifters belt chained to one or two plates)
How much weight are you adding? I know at least 20 kids at my school who can get into the 20+ rep dip area (full ROM) with a 45lb plate. I can’t imagine using what would have to be well over 100lbs (for 10 reps) for pro athletes on dips and still calling the exercise safe.
in 3 months you put 24lbs of lean muscle to an already well conditioned athlete?
these numbers are amazing.
they are so amazing that i find it hard to believe. Can you prove them?
I would love to see that program. It must be the greatest program ever. will you post it here?
So, what have we learned?
That highly trained athletes will knock off .37 over 40y in 3 mos by doing a HIT session and then not running for 4 to 7 days. (In 3 months that’s as few as 12 workouts.)
That these 12 HIT workouts are solely responsible for any improvement, with no contribution from what was done for the rest of the year beforehand.
That, by extention, HIT will work the same way in the future without that preparatory work, which, presumably, won’t be repeated, as it wasn’t HIT.
That HIT can consist of reps of 10 and that a highly trained group is challenged by 10s starting with bodyweight- (your statement earlier: We use only bodyweight exercises to which we add weight when the reps get too high… the reps do not get over 10 except with the squats")
That, with the “rigours” described above, they gained an average of 2 pounds of lean muscle per workout.
I guess I’m unable to grasp the “Black and White Logic of HIT” from what you’ve put forward thus far.
How fast were they before? Every “speed camp” in America makes claims like that- and it’s true- as long as they start with a group that’s slower than Molasses rolling uphill.
How was their strenght tested if they’re not using weights?
Ok - so what do we mean by “Fit and Strong Already”? My athletes are fit and strong already. So - from what you are saying - with one of my 195lb sprinters who is already fit and strong, benching 375lbs and running a 4.2 second 40 yard dash - your program - using only bodyweight - would allow him to bench press 825lbs and run 3.83 in a 40 yard dash. Of course, I’ve never thought of adding a weight belt for his dips - maybe that’s what my program has been missing???
“And, if you come to my real estate seminar next week, I can make you millions of dollars so you won’t be loser all your life.” Tom Vu - Real Estate Scammer
Yes, but Tom had all those babes on his cruiser!
BTW, as soon as we get the secret formula here, we’ll know how Ben could have benched 1000lbs and squated 1320 lbs. what simpletons we’ve been to miss this, when it was in front of us in “black and white” the whole time.