High Volume vs HIT

[the trainer]

I have always being a high volume workout guy from as long as I can remember But I feel like switching it up, for you guys who have done high intensity training how do you compare the results to high volume training.

[Marty Champions]

if you keep worrying about this crap youll make this post once a year for the rest of your life , continuing the cycle indefinitly in misery

[the trainer]

if you keep worrying about this crap youll make this post once a year for the rest of your life , continuing the cycle indefinitly in misery

what are you talking about arnold was a high volume guy while dorian was a hight intensity guy I just want to see what the average dude experience is with these kind of workouts.

[Viking11]

I get much better workouts and results from more intense, heavier, less frequent training. Note- this may have a considerable genetic component. Apparently have genes for explosive strength and almost none for long term endurance.

[Eric2]

Try it and find out. I used HiT for a few months and received pretty good results. However.....Here is what I think. I was quite a bit younger than I am now,I had already been a regular solid trainer some some years in a row. I was already in great shape. I feel that going from volume training to Hit was going to provide results no matter what do to the fact that your body needs a change up in training to produce continuous gains in either duration of reps and sets or pure strength. My best results in size and strength came from 3 days per week at 40 min of total time in training per session.

[The Scott]

HIT/HD are good.  Over the last 39+ years I have trained volume and Heavy Duty.  The first time I tried Mentzer's way was in '77 or so and it didn't work at all for me, so back to volume.

That meant spending 2.5 hours a day (sometimes twice a day) 6 days a week in the gym.  That sucks.  It also meant eating like every meal was the last supper.  That sucks too.  A few years ago I decided to give HD another try and low and behold it worked!  I began to get bigger and stronger and I was only spending maybe 15 minutes in the gym every two or three days.  I had my son help me out and he said it was too much for him to want to train this way.  I had a brief but thorough warm up and then did two working sets of two different exercises to total failure and with his help, beyond. 

My joints really took a pounding and I gradually modified HD/HIT to fit my needs.  I now train between 2 and 4 times a week, up to 9 sets per body part.  Sometimes heavy sometimes light, depending upon how I feel.  If I need another days rest, I take it!  If I need two more days rest, I take it.  I listen to myself, my body.  Days I feel stronger I put more into it, or so it feels.  Other days I train just as hard but if compared to my good days it wouldn't look it.  But each time I lift I give my best and always keep in mind to push myself hard, but not over the cliff.

I like doing a single set or maybe two of light weight and high reps (20 to 50) some days.  Other days I will do things like negative chins or dips with a weight around my waist. Single reps of negatives five consecutive times followed by those one or two high rep sets and I am done.  At this point in my life I may have nothing to prove but I do have something I want to keep.  Looking and feeling the best I can via regular exercise. 

And a life outside the gym.  Mike Mentzer showed us we can have a life and still train hard and look and feel pretty good.  My sessions last between 15 minutes and 45 minutes.  I wouldn't go back to 2.5 hours a day, six days a week for anything other than having my youth restored.   Once that happened I would resume training as I just outlined.

I hope this proved helpful.  All the best!

[the trainer]

Thanks for the replies guys I am going to give HIT a shot starting tomorrrow.

[kh300]

I've been doing DC for close to 10 years. I'll do volume when I cruise. Volume training is so damn boring. Once you get used to using a log book and making it your bitch its hard to go back to just wandering around the gym looking for light weights.

[whitewidow]

I think HIT is better,you will burn fat without and replace it with muscle. I like this training style because you don't lose much weight. You can stay pretty much the same weight but still get fucking shredded especially if you are on a low carb diet. The body will use fat for energy and the end result is you lose alot of fat and gain a shitload of muscle.

[galain]

I've been doing high volume for selected body parts for the past few months - chest, back and shoulders mainly.

The pump is cool but it takes a lot of time.

Always had very good results on a low volume high intensity programme, but I'm getting older and find that training this way now leaves me with some joint pain.

[calfzilla]

Both will work but volume is better for your joints and safer as far as preventing muscle tears. I've done both but in my 30s now so mainly sticking with volume. It's cool doing hit and getting stronger but at a certain age I think a lot of us start thinking about health and use volume to get a good pump and squeeze. Mind muscle connection of peace.

[whitewidow]

Both will work but volume is better for your joints and safer as far as preventing muscle tears. I've done both but in my 30s now so mainly sticking with volume. It's cool doing hit and getting stronger but at a certain age I think a lot of us start thinking about health and use volume to get a good pump and squeeze. Mind muscle connection of peace.

Not true,you just have to be smart and use weights you can control. Both will work. I think it dosn't hurt to rotate training styles every month or two.

[calfzilla]

Not true,you just have to be smart and use weights you can control. Both will work. I think it dosn't hurt to rotate training styles every month or two.

Rotating training styles is good, agreed.

[NotMrAverage]

I've always been more into HIT doing it Dorians style. Volume style is easier though...most people will puke the first times doing HIT. Doing legs esp. I was training with Dorian fo a while and that dude is hardcore all the way. Make sure to have a spotter!

[phreak]

I have never trained high volume in my life. How does one do something like that? Just picking a light weight and endlessly pumping out set after set?

[Marty Champions]

what are you talking about arnold was a high volume guy while dorian was a hight intensity guy I just want to see what the average dude experience is with these kind of workouts.

what do you think happens hmm lets find an expert

[Rhomboids]

I have always being a high volume workout guy from as long as I can remember But I feel like switching it up, for you guys who have done high intensity training how do you compare the results to high volume training.

I've done HIT since 1995.  Three weekly workouts, never more than 45mins.  Nowadays it's 3 days for an hour.  But half of that time is stretching and warming up.  Never found a reason to change it.  I can't go heavy like when i was a teen or early 20s but i still don't do high volume. 

[Griffith]

My training is mostly based on Max-OT but I like volume as well.

[Simple Simon]

I've been doing DC for close to 10 years. I'll do volume when I cruise. Volume training is so damn boring. Once you get used to using a log book and making it your bitch its hard to go back to just wandering around the gym looking for light weights.

Lol, what a waste of time for a bodybuilder.

[Melkor]

I think it really depends on your individual preference and genetics. Ive always been amazed at how two styles of training, at completely opposite ends of the spectrum, can both result in amazing (and often fairly similar) physiques. Immediately that reasoning alone would seem to advocate HIT considering that you get more out of less.

But in truth it takes a certain type of trainer to really make HIT work - one who can forget about training and not be obsessed about most of the time but has to be able to shut off every other part of their life as soon as a session begins. I think most people think that they can go in for a HIT session and really give it their all, go 110%. But in reality a true Mentzer type HIT program doesn't work for most (myself included) simply because they do not reach the required level of intensity. I think Dorian's style was a little bit more lenient in that he would use multiple exercises for a body part, so this might be a better style for most to use who go down the HIT route.

For me (and Im sure this would be the same for most trainers) a period of HIT should be included at some point, simply for a change of pace, but also for a trainer to discover exactly how intense they are capable of becoming.

[Damios]

Depend of what is for You  High Volume and HIT.

For example Chest

Incline Barbell Press: 4 sets x 10-6 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers: 4 sets x 12-10 reps
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets x 15-12 reps

1/2 sets per exercises to positive failure, in isolation exercises drop sets, slow reps, etc. Is it for You High Volume or HIT type of training?  

[Vince B]

I've done HIT since 1995.  Three weekly workouts, never more than 45mins.  Nowadays it's 3 days for an hour.  But half of that time is stretching and warming up.  Never found a reason to change it.  I can't go heavy like when i was a teen or early 20s but i still don't do high volume. 

And I bet you haven't changed the size of your muscles, either. Why not try something different. Like training arms every 3rd day for about an hour. See if you can gain an inch on your arms. If you can then apply what you know to other body parts but don't do too many parts on the same day.

[falco]

I have never had the recovery hability to do volume training.
Mentzer style was always my thing, maybe not so minimalistic but very few sets of compound exercises.

[Viking11]

Depend of what is for You  High Volume and HIT.

For example Chest

Incline Barbell Press: 4 sets x 10-6 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers: 4 sets x 12-10 reps
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets x 15-12 reps

1/2 sets per exercises to positive failure, in isolation exercises drop sets, slow reps, etc. Is it for You High Volume or HIT type of training?  

.  To my mind thats high volume. I did legs, chest and abs yesterday. Did 2 more sets than you have listed. Total. Warmups  with lighter weights included.  Will go again in 2 to 4 days. To me thats HIT/ low volume.

[Viking11]

And I bet you haven't changed the size of your muscles, either. Why not try something different. Like training arms every 3rd day for about an hour. See if you can gain an inch on your arms. If you can then apply what you know to other body parts but don't do too many parts on the same day.

Ok haven't done high volume since 1979. Didn't grow on it then. Stopped at 185 lbs. currently sitting at 262 lbs. You do the math