Bryan and hit powerlifting

[jay]

hello to everyone out there i am new to this forum and it is good to be around like minded lifters.i was told about this forum by dopra66 from the raw forum.he told me i should get a hold of
Bryan he would have lots of info on hit style training for powerlifting.
so Bryan are you out there brother.

[Doug Parrish]

Bump.

[Doug Parrish]

Bump.

[pitbull]

Jay,
Let me know what questions you have before Doug really gets hurt for bumping his head.

[jay]

i would like your thoughts on my new routine.

squat 1 set of 6-10 reps
bench press 1 set of 6-10 reps
deadlift 1 set of 5-8 reps
seated behind neck press 1 set of 6-10
bentover row 1 set of 6-10
chinup 1 set of 6-10
situps 1 set

all done to failure or close to.routine done 1 a week.the one thing i am concerned about is maybe to much work on 1 day. just came off my first meet .my lifts were squat 430 bench 235 dead 430.

[pitbull]

Jay,
So are you doing just one workout per week? I see what your lifts where, but how has your progress been on this? What did you start with as 1 RM and how long was you on this cycle of training?

[jay]

no i have been resting since my last competition.i am just thinking of starting this routine once i get back to triaining which will be next week.i was thinking of doing that routine 1 day a week. i am on the road most of the week for work so this would work well for my lifestyle and would get me lots of recovery which i need. what kind of routines do you think work well for powerlifters who use hit style training.

[pitbull]

Generally 3 days per week works the best, but more rest is needed the more advanced you get. Usually the one day per week workout is Heavy Duty form by Mentzer. Is that what you are refering to?

[jay]

yes i was thinking more on the mentzer style type routine.also what is the best way to train for someone who wants to improve a 1 rep max.should it depend on the type of muscle fibers in ones body.low reps for fast twitch or high reps for slow twitch.

[pitbull]

I would not recommend Mentzer for powerlifting, though it would be good for overall health and fitness. I am sure someone smarter than me can modify it for that purpose.

Here is my workout right now. Maybe that will help you a little.

Mondays:
Deadlift
Bent-Over Rows
Chin-Ups
Shrugs
Curls
Crunches
Sit-Ups

Wednesdays
Bench Press
Decline BP
Incline BP
Tricep Pressdowns
Calf Raises
Leg Raises
Knee Raises

Fridays
Squats
Leg Press
Front Squats
Hack Squats
Hyper-Ext
Side Bends

I do a rep range of 4-8. If I get over 8 reps, I gradually increase the weight next time. If I cannot get at least 4 reps, I significantly lower the weight. Every time I have tried to add more "volume" to my workout, I end up with some type of injury.

[jay]

that seems like alot for a hit style trainer. how long do you train on that routine before you change it up or take a layoff.

[pitbull]

Keep in mind that my workouts last about 30-45 minutes. That is about the right duration for a workout. Also, some HIT workouts I have seen have as many as 16 exercises, such as Darden, in them. You will find a lot of diversity in HIT. For example, my workout has 4-5 exercises as well as two ab ones to finish it. That is it. Short and to the point.

I "reboot" my workout every meet. For example, I am only up to using 175 yesterday on deadlift since I am only a few weeks into the new training cycle which should gradually take me to the NASA Power Sports Nationals in March.

[jay]

yes there are alot of variations.the darden style of hit is way to much volume i mean if a guy takes a set of squats or deadlifts to total failure its pretty hard to do much of anything else in a workout.i read an article the other day about ultra abbreviated workouts. for example day 1 squat day2 bench bentrow day3 deadlift and behind neck press. what are your thoughts on this style of routine.

[pitbull]

I have seen that work. That is similar to what I am doing, but with more than one exercise. Also, I would put the behind the neck press with BP workout, since it hits the triceps and deltoid more than your back muscles.

There are two main things you need to remember with HIT:
1. Make sure that your workouts are brief, infrequent, but effective.
2. Make sure that you have plenty of recovery - rest and proper nutrition.

[vince148]

I am no expert on HIT training, but I do know something about trying to train just one day per week. I had just started chiropractic school (1978). I had to go to Georgia and I didn't have a car. So for the first quarter, I could get to the gym only one day a week. Well, in the first meet that I lifted in, about 4 months later, I herniated a disc in my low back.

Here's what I see as the problem trying to "train" one day a week. Your muscles grow and respond according to the load placed upon them. If you do everything in one day, you may need 2-3 days to recover. But for the rest of the week, there is no load on the muscles, so whatever gains you made on your one day of training, after the 3rd day, you begin to regress. Then you try to place another heavy load on the joints and connective tissue 7 days later. I believe it's a recipe for injury.

If in fact you can only train one day a week, I would at least try to do some other supplementary and hypertrophy stuff during the week. Otherwise, I think you're an injury waiting to happen.