I have trained in the H.I.T. way before. It is brutal and right now I know I wouldn't be able to do it. I read the article that was linked and think that while this style can be good, it really only works like it did for Mentzer and others when you take a truckload of steroids.
Of course just about anything works then, just look at Paul Dillett.
The primary bulk of my personal training over the decades has been volume. When I do the strictest and final form of Mentzer's H.I.T., I literally cannot move for several minutes. I am exhausted and so sore that I cannot train for at least a week and even then am still extremely sore.
I've read online that Mentzer's favorite personal routine was the four day split and I liked that one the most but still I would be so freakin' crazy that no one would train with me and so I relied on the rest/pause method to achieve my desire sets and reps.
Mike himself stated that a natural cannot train and expect the same results as someone using steroids. While this is common sense, too many think otherwise and just destroy themselves. Drop sets are another way of getting around not having a training partner and machines make them easier.
I would get 325 or 350 on my lat pulldown machine and one time loaded it to that and my son helped me do negative close grip palms up pulldowns until I was ready to puke. Then I took off 50 pounds and continued with his assistance on the positive rep and did as controlled a negative for as many times as I could. Each time I reached total failure I dropped 50 pounds. This continued until I could do positive reps myself for as many reps as I could and then came the forced and negative reps.
One hellish set of close grip palms up pulldowns. Rest and then one set stiff-arm pulldowns to failure with a few forced reps and then immediately to barbell rows to failure.
Collapse on the garage floor in front of the fan and just lay there for minutes. Then the pec-dec done in the same fashion followed by machine bench presses done the same way. Collapse and when I could get up I was finished for the day.
I think this would take about 15 or 20 minutes. I trained delts and arms the same way after resting a day between. Since I am a gimp, I could no longer do my legs but when I could it was great fun as that was my favorite group of exercises.
But no steroids to aid in recovery and growth meant even with plenty of rest and food between sessions, I just did NOT get results as quick as I had hoped for. I was beating the crap out of myself. I like the Mentzer 4 day split the best but right now I am doing light weights for up to 10 or 15 sets per body-part.
As far as triceps go, I think that if you look at the average normal man who doesn't train, his biceps are far bigger than his triceps. This leads me to believe that while it does look better to have bigger triceps, just because they have three heads and the biceps have two does not mean the triceps are bigger in non-trainers.
I could be wrong. Again.
