Well, is it?
You’re turning this almost into a Dr. Mike Israetel forum where you pose a question in the title and then just post a video. A little weird, but I’ll bite… again lol
“Best” Is very subjective. Everyone’s volume, intensity and frequency are going to differ, especially because there’s a decent bit of range in terms of those variables that will give you positive muscle gain adaptation. Quantifying Best is very difficult and certainly impossible to say at the moment in regards to objective measurement, particularly when I believe that it even varies within the same person Month to month, week to week and probably even day to day.
I say as long as you’re beating your logbook numbers session to session, you’re moving in the right direction. That’s really probably the most important thing. If you’re not, then you may need to play around a little bit with your volume or frequency, or take a look at your recovery and try to clean up your sleep and nutrition. Measurements and photos are also a good way to track progress.
I think HIT, with its big focus on logbook progression and set quality make it an excellent place to start for many people. There’s a reason that it’s still a popular method for muscle growth and is even being used right now by well known coaches such as Christian Thibaudeau and Paul Carter and Jordan Peters. I think Thibs actually has a new low volume, high intensity Hypertrophy program that he’s going to be dropping here on T-Nation soon. I’m pretty sure we’ll all staying tuned and excited for that!
3 Likes
Yep, I do like Dr. Mike Israel, but for me, HIT is the only thing that has worked, warts and all. I do notice that Dr. Mike is on the juice, which sucks because I would want to see how far he can progress naturally on his program.
3 Likes
If HIT is the only system that works for you as you state…then it’s the best
2 Likes
Really? I’m waiting for it!!!
1 Like
Grow Muscle? Probably not… for MOST people. BUT, is it a highly efficient way to safely improve Strength and Fitness and not spend hours in the gym? Most Definitely!!
4 Likes
So long as one doesn’t take it to a dogmatic extreme (such as max intensity all of the time, or use ridiculously brief and infrequent type workouts, etc.) it can be very effective or at least provide enough benefits for most of the population in an efficient manner.
2 Likes
The best way to grow muscle is to learn how your body responds to different stimuli, and continue using what works best - for your development (or goal).
Adherence to science and keeping a focus on progression in strength may lead you in the right direction, in my opinion.
For some reason, I also believe you need to believe in the chosen methodology - for progression to happen.
But, in the end, we all face ourselves in the mirror - looking at the perfect individual response to the balance in between frequency, volume and intensity. That is the result of experience.
1 Like
My response:
-Answering your question.
-My personal experience with HIT and SS.
-My opinion on Mike Israetel’s video.
As others have pointed out, the best system, is the one you keep making progression with and experience growth. Doesn’t matter if it’s HIT, HVT, statics, pilates, and so on.
I like Dr. Darden’s HIT than Drew Bayes SS. When I did HIT I had some muscle growth and people made good remarks. I experienced no gains with SS. People asked if I had stopped lifting and eating.
Dr. Israetel highlights great recommendations and principles of HIT into one’s own training. High quality reps, doing less sets if you can’t recover or have better growth, cutting junk volume, and doing HIT if you personally enjoy it.
2 Likes
Jeff Cavaliere (Athlean-X YouTube guy) has been on a HIT bent lately himself. Any more on when the Thib program is dropping? I’m very interested to see what it’s going to be, given his recent emphasis (read: Hammering) on High Frequency training…
1 Like
It sounds like it’s finished and sent in to the T-Nation editors to format it and make it look pretty according to Thibs on his Question of Strength livestream. I think it’s a 3 parter and he’s still working on the last two portions. From his description, it sounds like it’s going to be super detailed and in-depth. I’m very excited to see it!
2 Likes
Heya,
These HIT threads just keep coming, and I admit, never been a big fan of HIT. Can someone gain muscle, strength, and do so using it, yes. Will the vast majority of actual bodybuilders gain more muscle/strength using other methods, I think that decades of results speak for themselves.
The examples usually given (Yates, Viator, Mentzer) got there BEFOREHAND using other methods, than had their own agendas in being proponents.
Take care.
1 Like
Certainly. But the antithesis of this is as follows: How many of you normal human beings ran yourselves into the ground trying to do the mega-set routines in the magazines or the books of Arnold, Franco, and Frank?! I know I did.
Perhaps the pendulum swung back too far in the other direction? It certainly did with the minimalist routines promulgated by McGuff, Baye, and late-period Mentzer. But, without the questioning of “norms” provided by Jones, Darden, and (early-mid) Mentzer, we’d all be at the mercy of the Bro Culture Gym Addicts.
The path now, for us mere unenhanced mortals, is to try to find the happy median between Intensity and Volume to effectively train. Can I grow best using by-the-book HIT? Maybe not. But I can still make great gains using 2-3 dense-intense workouts per week, that last no more 25-30 mins each.
3 Likes
Heya,
As always, do what works best for YOU, there can be no doubting that. I am not the “norm”, been lifting 50+ years, competed in powerlifting (350+ lbs SHW), and bodybuilding (325 off season/285 or so stage). Have been on gear since 18, and my use was VERY heavy…so yeah, not the “norm” in any way. (On TRT+ use now at 61)
For the casual lifter, whole body HIT is certainly better than nothing, but these threads propagating it as the “best” for powerlifting, muscle growth, etc. are just getting to be beyond any thing generally accepted in those competitive communities.
Just another “tool” in the toolbox, but to keep trying to make it something it isn’t after all these decades is getting tiresome, and your
is what defines the top of the powerlifting/bodybuilding world. You don’t think Yates, Mentzer, Viator weren’t exactly that for the majority of their careers?
Early-mid Mentzer was NOT what you think it was, and there are tons of well known folks who have said so. Every single competing bodybuilder who trained with those folks did more than HIT, they themselves have said so. Of course, later on Mentzer…we won’t go there.
On one hand you want to hold them up to be this, and than tear them down to be that…which is it? Again, for the casual lifter, I have no issues with using HIT, if it works for you, do you the best you can.
I hope you continue to improve, in whatever method you choose.
Take care.
1 Like
Coming from someone who has been on gear since they were 18
Laughable
2 Likes
I couldn’t agree more with this @simon_hecubus! Maybe we should underline the phrase unenhanced trainee in favour of HIT?
I know from personal experience that 5 years of high volume Weider training was much less beneficial in terms of strength and hypertrophy than 1,5 years of HIT - 20 years later with a gap of aerobic like (other) training in between. I will always wonder what could have been - with HIT exposure on my younger self? My bad, I never learned about HIT in the 90-ties.
Lately, I have come to realize the truth lies somewhere in between, but that strength development is a driver of hypertrophy for me.
That said, I will never forgive the Weider administration for my lost years better spent on HIT. It’s not the methods that were wrong - only the belief in (message of) incredibly high junk volume. “If you only train hard enough, you can look like Arnold” comes to mind.
1 Like
Heya,
Not sure what’s laughable?
I competed at the highest levels in powerlifting, bodybuilding…check.
(I guess you don’t understand the amount of drugs, food, and decades of training that entails, but hey, you got that whole putting someone down for what this website was created for thing down pat…lol. You know, just like the guys who we all talk about, but I don’t see you calling Arnold or others…laughable.)
Made the transition to TRT (+) at 50 after retiring and am enjoying my 60’s in better shape than anyone I’ve seen anywhere…check.
(Still the strongest guy in my gym, 6 month check-ups and as always keeping my nutrition on point, but again, I’m supposed to be what according to you that the strength guy in college started the whole deal…sad, embarrassed, what?)
I’m literally the luckiest man in the world, married to the love of my life, kids, grandkids, more great memories than any one person should have, more success than I ever could have imagined, and I love lifting/working out, hearing those plates clang…gets me all fired up…still.
Double check.
It’s just all so laughable, that I guess I should have waited till you said it was OK to get on gear (were you born than?), or not at all? TRT is gear, is that ok to you? You’re 100% anti-gear? How about HRT, which my wife is on, you against ALL hormones? (progesterone, etc.)
I guess the only folks that should post anything here (Yes, the place was started to talk about steroids and working out), are drug tested naturals from last week? But we can idolize and bring up bodybuilders from the past like Arnold, Mentzer, Viator…oh wait, they ALL started gear use before I did…how laughable…check.
Take care.
Congratulations on all your worldly accomplishments
1 Like
That was quicker than I was expecting! I’m excited to check it out