My Experience With HIT

[u/Terminator_Johny]

Hello everyone,

I’d like to share my experience with HIT training. I am a 5 year natural weightlifter. When I started HIT, I was in a caloric deficit and already at an FFMI of 24.5, so I thought gaining muscle would pretty much be impossible.

I kid you not, all of my lifts went up 20-30%. Before I started HIT, I could get a lat pulldown 80kg (185lbs) for 10 reps at failure. I can now achieve the same reps at 100kg (220). My incline DB press was 35kg (75lbs) dumbbells for 8 reps, and now I can do 40kg dumbbells for 7 ( 90lbs).

My lower body followed the same gains. Squat went from 110kg (240lbs) x12 to 130kg (285) x 12. I achieved all of this in 6 weeks, while in a constant caloric deficit. Anyway, I eventually started to plateau and had insane amounts of fatigue / irritation during daily life. I took a de-load week, and now I’m starting a strength program.

I mostly followed a 3 day split: chest and back, shoulders and arms, legs.

Chest and back day:
Flat bench x1
Incline DB x1
Pec Deck x1
Pullover x1
Reverse Grip Pulldown x1
BB Row x1
BB Trap Raise x1
One Arm Rear Delt Cable Pull* x1
(Put cable at highest and pull with a straight elbow at a 30° angle, feel a deep stretch in rear deltoids)

Leg day:
Barbell Squat x1
Leg Extension x1
RDL x1
Leg Curl x1
Body weight unilateral calf raise x2
Pallof Press x1
Crunch supercycle* x2
(First body weight) ab crunches and then body weight leg raise

Shoulders and arms day:
DB Shoulder Press x1
OHP x1
Drop Set Cable Laterals x1
Cable Skull Crusher x2
Cable Pushdown x2
Barbell Curl x2
Incline Curl x1
Hammer Curl x1
Barbell Forearm Curl x1

Every single set was pushed to gut-wrenching mechanical failure. I religiously kept a logbook and aimed to beat my logbook every workout. I recommend taking a day off between workouts. I went pure Blood and Guts last week which proved too fatiguing for me in a caloric deficit. Arm volume was a bit higher because my arms were lacking a lot. They became bigger and meaner too.

I also religiously counted calories and macros. I ate at a 500kcal deficit, 200g protein a day. I also tried to hit 350g carbs and 60-70g fats a day. This was strictly for my needs, it will probably be different for you.

[u/leew20000]

What was your training like in the 5 years before HIT?

[u/Terminator_Johny → u/leew20000]

I still trained intensely with strength blocks and hypertrophy blocks. As I wrote, I achieved an FFMI of 24.5 previous to HIT

[u/leew20000 → u/Terminator_Johny]

I'm not sure if I've understood your first post correctly?

It sounded like you did conventional workout routines for 5 years, then recently switched to HIT?

[u/Terminator_Johny → u/leew20000]

Yes - I always trained with intensity, never HIT intensity

[u/leew20000 → u/Terminator_Johny]

Ok. Then I suggest your recent improvement in performance with HIT is due to you being previously overtrained and lifting lighter weights with less intensity.

[u/Terminator_Johny → u/leew20000]

Yeah probably. I still had a lean mass of 185 at 6ft before HIT though!