Thread: High Intensity Training "HIT"

4. HIT Anecdotes


4.1 Who uses HIT?


High Intensity Training may seem a bit "radical" to some. It seems to run contrary to that of "prevailing wisdom", i.e., one must spend hours in the gym to attain peak levels of performance.


It should be remembered that HIT is based on the scientific foundation of muscular growth - OVERLOAD and PROGRESSION.


You probably haven't heard a lot about HIT - probably because it isn't widely advertised. Common sense doesn't sell. As stated previously, it isn't "magic" - it's just at downright hard work. It's a lot easier to sell the (so-claimed) routines of the bodybuilding "champions" and the supplements they supposedly take.


You can get a lot of repeat business from selling "magical" bodybuilding supplements. Selling a training philosophy will not likely reap you financial gain.


Here's a brief compilation of athletes, professional sports teams and collegiate level teams, etc., who use HIT.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sidebar:


These examples are not meant to prove that training in a particular style (as there are many variants of HIT) of HIT is "superior" based on win-loss records, poundages, physique contests won, etc.


All those are not "proof" of ANY strength training program's efficacy. These examples are just that - examples. They are also to be used as a resource for those who are seeking HIT strength coaches and players for the purpose of sharing information, etc.


It should be noted that science has not to this date found any set/rep/training protocol to be "superior" or "optimal". There are many claims made out there. They aren't substantiated. There are those who are quick to take credit for win-loss records, etc., and use these as "proof" that a particular program is "superior". Read Ken Mannie's article on The All P.U.B. Team of Strength Training.


Good athletes, good coaching, etc., wins games. PERIOD.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


HIT is used by a number of universities and professional teams - it certainly doesn't represent the majority of the programs but it's used widely enough to be considered a productive form of training. Different teams/programs have used HIT at different times. The teams listed reflect those that either used or are using HIT in the late 1990s.


The U. S. Military Academy has been using HIT since the early 1970's - despite having several different strength coaches during that time. Penn State and Michigan have been using HIT for practically the same time - although Michigan has had the same strength coach, Penn State has gone through several (Dan Riley now with the Washington Redskins, Joe Diange who was there on an interim basis and later went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chet Furhman who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and most recently John Thomas).


All these men advocated HIT at Penn State and in the present. Penn State and Michigan are also noted for having very successful sports teams.


In the NFL:


Pittsburgh Steelers

Minnesota Vikings

Cincinnati Bengals

Philadelphia Eagles

Arizona Cardinals

Washington Redskins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New York Giants

Carolina Panthers

(The Redskins since 1981 and the Bengals since the early ?70s).


In professional hockey, Stanley Cup Winners The Pittsburgh Penguins.


In professional baseball, the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres


In professional basketball, the Boston Celtics


1996 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team (gold medal)


At the collegiate level, HIT programs are used at


The University of Kentucky (except football)

Southeast Missouri State University

University of Detroit - Mercy

Michigan

Penn State

Villanova

Stanford

Michigan State

The University of Toledo

The U.S. Military Academy

Providence College

Western Kentucky

The University of Cincinnati

Drexel University (PA)

University of Miami (FL) -- basketball (M/W), baseball, track and

field (M/W)

There are bodybuilders, powerlifters, and athletes from all walks of life. There are regular people who are just seeking to get as strong as possible, and obtain the health benefits of high intensity training like cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, etc.


4.1 What are some Specific Examples of Athletes that use HIT?


The following examples illustrate what some elite athletes have achieved using HIT, and as well show HOW FAST gains can be made using HIT:


KEVIN TOLBERT - adopted son of Dr. Ken Leistner.


Was a 5'9" 220 pound running back at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Ran a 4.5 40.

Performed 20 to 23 reps with 375 lbs and 15 x 405 lbs in the bench press at a bodyweight of 230 lbs.

Benched 510lbs in a legal, competitive style.

Performed 30 x 600 lbs in the barbell squat at a bodyweight of 248 lbs.

Performed 30 reps of 450 lbs in the deadlift in the spring of 1985 at a Gold's Gym in Philadelphia - immediately after a performing a set of squats for 30 reps [weight unknown] taking only the time necessary to change the weight.

Tolbert's measurements were accurately measured as:


33" thighs

20 1/2" arms

52" chest

20" neck.

This man is an incredible physical specimen. At one time, he was said to be one of the strongest, massive 250 lb men on the planet.


JUNIOR SEAU - San Diego Chargers all-pro linebacker. Workout as reported by strength coach John Dunn in the October 1993 issue of Muscle & Fitness. Unless otherwise noted all exercises performed for only one set:

Poundages

Neck Flexion (manual resistance) 12 -

Neck Extension 12 x 120lbs

Lateral Flexion (L) 12 x 120lbs

Lateral Flexion (R) 12 x 120lbs

Shoulder Shrug (barbell) 12 x 275lbs

Duo Squat (Nautilus) 15 x 525lbs

Seated Leg Curl 12 x 135lbs

Leg Extension 15 x 200lbs

Leg Press (Hammer) 15 x 855lbs (no misprint)

Hip Flexion 12 x 50lbs

Situps (on board) 25 x bodyweight (2 sets)

Back Extension 12 x 180lbs (2 sets)

Bench Press (dumbbells) 10 x 340lbs

Rear Delt 10 x 40lbs

Incline Press (dumbbells) 10 x 240lbs

Seated Row (Hammer) 10 x 120lbs

Seated Press (dumbbells) 12 x 200lbs

High Row (Hammer) 9 x 345lbs


Iso-Incline (Hammer) 12 x 455lbs


MITCHELL "KING KONG" SAMMONS

- 2X National Heavyweight Bando KickBoxing Champion

- Former running back University of Miami

- Olympic competitor in 1984 in the Shot and Discus


Ht: 6'2"

Weight: 258 lbs


Only accurate measurement available: 24" Neck


Incline Press: 405lbs x 1, 315lbs x 40

Leg Press: 1600 lbs x 1

40 yd Dash: 4.4 secs

100 yd Dash: 9.75 sec

16 lbs Shotput: 72'3"

Discus: 229'

Workouts:

Full body - low sets (2-3) for 8-10 reps for 4-5 exercises for upper body, higher repetitions for lower body. Trains approximately three times a week. Sometimes less if feels overtraining.

RAY MENTZER - ex-pro-bodybuilder, Mr. America:

January 5, 1983:
Weight: 253 lbs
Arm size: 19 3/4"


After training using one set to failure of eight exercises approximately six weeks later:

February 21, 1983:
Weight: 260 lbs
Arm size 20 1/8"
In noticeably leaner condition (exact bodyfat % not available)
Ray Mentzer's workout on June 15, 1983 (all Nautilus machines):
Duo Squat: 560lbs x 20
Pullover: 275lbs x 8
Behind-Neck pulldown: 200lbs x 9
Lateral Raise: 290lbs x 7
Overhead press: 200lbs x 11
10 degree chest: 275lbs x 8
Multi Biceps: 190lbs x 10
Lower Back: 400lbs x 12


MIKE MENTZER - Ex-pro-bodybuilder, Mr. Universe (1979), 1st runner-up, Mr. Olympia (1979). Made the best gains of his career using HIT. Here's a description of Mentzer's chest routine used on July 20, 1983:


1. Nautilus 40 degree chest: 300lbs x 6


NO REST,


2. Decline Press, negative only: 325lbs x 10


NO REST


3. 10 Degree Chest: 275lbs x 8


DORIAN YATES - Pro-bodybuilder, Six-time Mr. Olympia (1992-97)


Personally trained by Mike Mentzer. Has stated on the record that he made his best gains using HIT, and in fact uses LOWER VOLUME than Mike Mentzer did.


CASEY VIATOR - Ex-pro-bodybuilder. To this day the youngest man to win the Mr. America contest at age 18, under the tutelage of Arthur Jones. Viator in the early '80s supposedly trained with a much higher volume.


However, Mark Asanovich, Strength Coach of the Tampa Bay was in Gainesville, Florida in 1994 to attend a MedX Seminar and ran into Viator.


During lunch with Asanovich, Viator said that he was training for one of the Senior Men's National Bodybuilding contests. He was also doing some personal training in Charleston, South Carolina. According to Asanovich, Casey is "high intensity through and through" and "back" to training HIT.


DR. KEN LEISTNER


374 pound legal bench press at 152 lb bodyweight in 1987.

Leistner is shown in one photograph weighing a solid 230lbs.


The picture has him at that weight balancing a glass of water on his upper chest.


Other official lifts:


Deadlift - 660lbs

Squat - 555lbs x 1, and 255 for 100

Bench Press - 455lbs

Note: Leistner would bench press ONLY ONCE PER MONTH.


There is also a picture of Dr. Ken doing overhead presses for reps with a 200 lb WOOD LOG.


GREG ROMAN - Foster son of Dr. Ken Leistner. Former 5'8" 235 lb noseguard for John Carroll


Trains 2 days per week, for a total of 9 exercises per workout.

One recent workout of trap bar deadlifts: 455lbs x20

Squatted 515lbs x13 with no equipment.

Bench Press - 475 lbs

FRANK SAVINO - 282lbs at 5'11".


Squat - 700lbs x 15

Bench Press - 375lbs x 15

Deadlift - 500lbs x 40

[Also trained by Ken Leistner using HIT]


BILL PICHE - My personal good friend, creator of the Cyberpump! Web page and author of the Powerlifting FAQ as well as articles in Powerlifting USA, HT Newsletter, Hardgainer and Master Trainer.


Competed as a powerlifter in the American Drug Free Powerlifting Association. Deadlifted over triple bodyweight - 600lbs at a bodyweight of 193lbs - which was ranked #49 in the nation in the 198lb weight class.


475lbx11 in the regular deadlift

195lbx1 (+bodyweight of 200lbs) - 5 sec negative chin-up

170lbx7 in one arm dumbbell row

STRICT barbell curl with a lift of 67.5kgs (148.5lbs) in Iowa State Championships.

Trained for the Iowa State strict curl contest by practicing singles once per week (about two sub-max singles). Main focus for biceps was working the back hard using negative chins. 1 set of 4-5 reps.


It should also be pointed out that Bill has trained pretty much exclusively in his basement using plain old barbells and dumbbells. This reiterates the point about the equipment doesn't really matter - just make your workouts hard and progressive.


JEFF REINEBOLD - Assistant coach of the CFL's British Columbia Lions reports these gains from 6 WEEKS of a HIT program consisting of 12-14 exercises, one set to failure:


[Sidenote: Kim Wood, strength coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, was also instrumental in setting up the program]


GLEN SCRIVENER - (265 lbs)


upper arm (R) 16 1/8 to 16 1/2

upper arm (L) 15 7/8 to 16 3/8

chest (expanded) 49 1/2 to 50

upper leg (R) 26 to 26 1/4

upper leg (L) 23 3/4 to 26

O. J. BRIGANCE - (224 lbs linebacker)


neck 17 to 17 1/2

upper arm (R) 14 3/4 to 15 3/4

upper arm (L) 14 to 15 1/8

chest 40 1/4 to 42 1/8

waist 33 7/8 to 33 1/2

upper leg (R) 22 1/4 to 25 3/4

upper leg (L) 24 to 25 1/4

Note: This training program was featured in two Vancouver, B.C., newspapers as well as two major TV stations.


JOHN WELDAY - strength coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL). Played football at Penn State. At one time was 6'2" and 260 pounds. Tom Montebell (National Fitness Institute and Exercise Center/Rockville, Maryland) reported seeing Welday use the entire weight stack during Leg Extensions on the old Nautilus Compound Leg Machine - WITH ONE LEG AT A TIME.


ROB DRIBBON - In the late 1980s, held the New Jersey State Teenage record in the bench press: 265 at a body weight of 132 (double bodyweight) in a sanctioned meet. Dribbon bench pressed twice per week (Mon and Fri) using a low amount of multiple sets. All other exercises were done HIT style (i.e., one set to failure using a 6-9 rep range followed quickly by several breakdown or negative reps). Trained 3 times per week. Wed workout was done all HIT - no bench press this day (did one set of negative only dips instead). Workouts without bench press rarely lasted more than 20 minutes.


TONY ALEXANDER - Princeton University, training partner of Matt Brzycki. Has trained exclusively HIT for about 3 years. Currently 6'1" and 235 pounds. Recently measured at under 11 percent bodyfat. Averages about 1 hour and 20 minutes of lifting PER WEEK.


Some recent performances achieved by Tony in January, 1999:


Trap bar deadlift 360x20. No belt. No warm-up


Hip Extension (Cybex): 350x20 (250-pound weight stack + an additional 100 pounds pinned to the stack)


Leg Curl (Cybex): 167.5x12


Pullover (MedX): 512x12 (256 each arm)


Seated Row (MedX): 456x12


Dip: BW+130x9


Shrug (on row machine with arms parallel to the ground): 420x12


Tony's workout on December 24, 1997:


MedX Leg Press (one leg at a time) 428/18

Cybex Hip Extension 288.75/20

Cybex Leg Curl 115/12

MedX Leg Extension 438

Barbell Bench Press 280/8

MedX Arm Cross 252/12

MedX Incline Press 440/11

Chins BW+50/7

MedX Pullover 456/11

MedX Seated Row 374/12

Manual Resistance External Rotation

Manual Resistance Internal Rotation

MedX Shoulder Shrug 334/11

Fat Bar Bicep Curls 97.5/10

Universal Tricep Extension 92.5/12


NOTES:


1. MedX Leg Press was done one leg at a time as Tony has exceeded

the limits of the 996-pound weight stack with both legs.


2. Cybex Hip Extension was the 250-pound weight stack (20 plates)

plus an additional 38.75 pounds pinned to the weight stack.


3. MedX Leg Extension was done for 90 seconds: a 30-second negative

followed by a 30-second concentric followed by a 30-second negative.


4. Barbell Bench Press was done without any type of warm-up or

warm-up set (nor were ANY warm-up sets done on ANY exercises during

this workout).


5. Chins were done with Tony's 235-pound bodyweight (approximate)

plus an additional 50 pounds attached to his waist.


6. Manual Resistance exercises for his rotator cuff were done as

part of his shoulder work due to a minor shoulder injury incurred the

previous weekend in a flag football game. (Tony's team won the league

title in that game.)


7. Shoulder Shrugs were done on the MedX Seated Row machine with his

arms parallel to the floor and pinching his shoulder blades together

(i.e., no movement at the elbows).


8. Bicep Curls were done using a fat bar with a 3-inch diameter.


UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN:


MIKE EVANS


6'4" 275 pound defensive lineman. Weighed 215 as a freshman.

8 x 360lbs in the Hammer Behind the Neck Press.

DESMOND HOWARD - Heisman Trophy winner. Four years of HIT at The University of Michigan and being trained using HIT with the Washington Redskins


DEAN DINGMAN - 6' 7/8" 290 pounds, 5.43 40 time.


TOM DOHRING - 6' 6 1/2" 290 pounds, 5.6 40 time.


[Sidebar: trained by Mike Gittleson, strength coach for Michigan. Wolverine


players train only 20-40 MINUTES, two or three times/week.]


WASHINGTON REDSKINS:


JIM LACHEY - 6'6" 300 lbs. Now with another HIT team, the San Diego Chargers.


JOE JACOBY - 6'8" 315 lbs. Former Redskin offensive tackle.


MATT MILLEN - of the Redskins, "They've always been the strongest team in the league."


[Redskins train pure HIT style]


Other random individuals:


KEVIN ALLEN - 6'5". Increased bodyweight from 312 to 330 in 10 weeks using HIT.


GREG HUNTINGTON - Penn State football. 6'4". Increased weight from 235 to 260 and decreased bodyfat from 17.1 percent to 16.7 percent in one summer using HIT.


KEN MOYER - 6'6" 293 Cincinnati Bengal offensive lineman (former University of Toledo Rockets - another HIT NFL team) performed 14 x 595 on the Hammer Leg Press.


MARCUS AMICK 6'1". Increased bodyweight from 258 to 265 and decreased bodyfat from 15 percent to 13 percent in a 10 week off-season HIT program. DOUG SPIDEL increased bodyweight from 248 to 255 and decreased bodyfat from 17 percent to 12 percent in same program. (University of Toledo)


ANTHONY MUNOZ - regarded by many as the BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMAN IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL.


Member of the Team of the Decade, 1980s.

100 reps with 400 lbs on the Hammer Leg Press

DARREN CARRINGTON - 6'1" 205 pound cornerback for the San Diego Chargers. Increased bodyweight 20 pounds since turning pro and training using HIT. Also now has 4% bodyfat.


CHARLES WOODSON (1997 Heisman Trophy winner. University of Michigan)


What the ACSM Recommends


The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in its position stand entitled "The Recommended Quantity and Quality Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness in Healthy Adults" recommends (based on all the available scientific literature) one set of 8-12 reps of 8-10 exercises for two days/week. Even though this is recommended for sedentary adults, it is still considered appropriate for athletes due to the fact that they can typically train harder.


4.3 A "Real Life" HIT Anecdote


The following is a very recent local true life story of a good friend of mine, Dave, who has switched to training HIT and in particular the Super Slow protocol. Dave received his PhD in Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, and is also an amateur kickboxer who has been lifting weights for years (thus it would not be wise to tell him his gains are "psychological").


The following is an excerpt of a letter Dave sent to Matt Brzcyki:


"I am an old engineering buddy of Robert Spector and he suggested that I send you a note. Over the last little while, Rob has been raving about the "super slow" strength training techniques that you have described to him, so I thought that I would give it a try. I started training in this manner for the last 4 weeks. I have to admit that it felt strange only working out twice a week or once every five days. I thought from my surprising increase in weight that my lack of usual aerobic exercise, such as kickboxing, jogging, was making me fat. However, my girl friend, the old pinch test, and my "reduced-calories-for-recently-less-active-guys" diet suggest that this is not the case. I believe that I have gained about 7-8 pounds over this period. I started with 40% less than the usual weight and can now use almost what I used with Darden's "2 sec up 4 down" training prescription!"

I personally went through a similar experience awhile back as have others I've met in "real life" as well as on-line.

4.4 Other HIT Anecdotes

My fellow Torontonian, John Little, used to write a monthly column in the British version of FLEX magazine. Little told a story about a neighborhood training partner of his who developed 19" arms doing 20 sets/bodypart, 6 days/week workouts. The bodybuilder soon became burned out and disappears. Two years later the guy with the big arms suddenly resurfaces at a local gym. In a matter of weeks he's bigger than ever with arms that are called "too big" by some onlookers. "And he's training differently," say all the local bodybuilders.

"As it turned out," writes Little, "he was indeed training differently. In fact the difference in his training could quite accurately be described as revolutionary. He was not heading in the direction of more work. In fact, he was so far down at the opposite end of the volume scale that Ellington Darden would have kissed him! He was now training a mere three times a week and performing a total of 6 sets/workout for only one set/exercise"

True story.

Another story:

In one of the Gold's gyms (going back a few years, obviously) there was a trainee performing set after set of cable crossovers in an effort to increase his pectoral size. He was about to do his 15th set when Mike Mentzer entered the gym. Those were the Mentzer heydays and he was a pretty awesome specimen, so the trainee stopped his workout to observe what Mentzer was doing. Mentzer proceeded to perform slow, controlled movements on the Nautilus Chest Flye until he reached positive failure, and then immediately went on to the Nautilus Decline Press with no rest between. The kid watching was awestruck. After this Mentzer's pectorals were pumped enormously. After shaking his head in disbelief the kid went back to performing his next set of cable crossovers.
__________________

4 to 6 - 6 to 9 - 2 to 3 Minutes - 30 to 40 Minutes - 5 to 7 Days
Max-OT follows a specific and proven set of parameters that are key to maximizing muscle growth. These specific parameters are the underlying core of Max-OT's physiological impact on muscle. If you remember one thing from this lesson remember this - a muscle will only adapt (grow) if it is forced to do so. The mechanics of Max-OT's are designed to force muscle to grow each and every workout. As far as I am concerned, if you aren't growing from each workout you're wasting your time. In a nut shell, but nowhere near complete, you can summarize Max-OT like this:

1. Each workout should last approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Train only 1 or 2 muscle groups per workout/day.
3. Do 6 to 9 total heavy sets per muscle group.
4. Do 4 to 6 reps per set.
5. Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets. (STR)
6. Train each muscle group once every 5 to 7 days. (ITR)
7. Take a 1 week break from training every 8 to 10 weeks.

As you can see there is a small bit of leeway in each of these rules. A very small bit. Max-OT is designed specifically around these parameters. To be completely successful and get the maximum benefits from Max-OT you must follow these rules exactly as they are presented. You cannot adapt the rules you like and discard the ones you don't. Each parameter depends on and works with the other parameters. Each workout should last approximately 30 to 40 minutes. If your workouts are lasting more than 40 minutes something is wrong. In fact, they should be much closer to 30 minutes than 40 minutes. Now I understand there are situations at certain gyms - crowds - that make this a tough proposition, but it's very important that your workout is completed in this duration of time. If that means finding another gym to train at then start looking. If you are training with more than one workout partner and this extra man is stretching your workout then you need to make adjustments - lose the third wheel. This imposed time limit fits neatly into Max-OT's fundamental principle - Intensity. Max-OT defined intensity is "Maximum muscle overload in the minimum amount of time." The Max-OT 30 to 40 minute workout offers the following benefits: It's much more feasible to maintain maximum mental and physical intensity for 30 to 40 minutes than for 90 minutes. In fact, after 30 minutes mental focus and intensity start to decline rapidly. Training for 30 to 40 minutes maximizes hormonal spikes related to high-intensity training. Max-OT training maximizes key hormonal output based on intensity and duration. Training for 30 to 40 minutes optimizes the "anabolic-window" high-intensity training provides. Going beyond the 40 minute threshold places you outside the optimum hormonal response time. Training beyond 40 minutes increases the risk of over-training and increases catabolic hormone secretion. As you drift outside the "anabolic-window" you enter a detrimental "catabolic" phase. Training beyond 40 minutes decreases anabolic activity. So as you can see, there are physiological advantages to keeping your workout in the 30 to 40 minute range. And there are definite physiological disadvantages to training beyond 40 minutes. Max-OT is all about efficiency. You'll see the word efficiency used many times throughout this course. Train only 1 or 2 muscle groups per workout/day. Max-OT training involves maximum muscle fiber stimulation and overload in a minimum amount of time. In order to accomplish this, adjustments must be made to achieve these objectives within the desired "optimal-time" parameter. Training one muscle group per workout is paramount to the Max-OT principles as it optimizes key physiological and psychological high-points designed to extract the greatest effect from your training. Every time you train the Max-OT way, you leave the gym fully confident that you performed a workout that will result in muscle growth. The Max-OT "one body-part per day" principle takes advantage of the "duration of maximum intensity" that occurs both physically and mentally when you train. By pre-establishing in your mind that you will only be training 1 muscle group you are able to generate much greater mental focus and intensity. This psychological "edge" directly and favorably impacts physical intensity output. Bottom line, you train each muscle group much harder, achieve greater muscle fiber contraction, greater overload, and spark more muscle growth by establishing 100% physical intensity and 100% mental focus.

Do 6 to 9 total heavy sets per muscle group. For each muscle group you train Max-OT principles stipulate between 6 and 9 total "heavy" sets. That's total heavy sets. No matter how many exercises you do, you will only do between 6 and 9 total heavy sets per muscle group.

What's a Max-OT "heavy" set? A Max-OT heavy set is a set done with a weight that will allow at least 4 reps, but no more than 6 reps. This is very important and fundamental to Max-OT.

What's a Max-OT set? A Max-OT set is a set performed to "positive failure" with a heavy weight for 4 to 6 reps. In other words, a warm-up set is not a "Max-OT set". It is a warm-up set and that's it. So don't count your warm-up sets as part of your 6 to 9 sets per body part. This is important.

What is "Positive-Failure"? Positive failure is when a set is performed to the positive limit of muscle exhaustion. In other words, you are done with a set when you are no longer able to complete a rep on your own. This positive-failure should occur between the fourth and sixth rep. Max-OT does not employ forced reps beyond maybe partial help on the last rep of a set. Contrary to what most have been led to believe, forced reps are counter productive to building muscle. They artificially fatigue the muscle, deplete muscle energy stores, and produce non-progressive overload just to name a few. How many times have you seen people in the gym training and one guy's spotting another and yelling in his face to do two more reps when he really should have stopped two reps ago. Do not do forced reps.

Do 4 to 6 reps per set. This is the heart of Max-OT. You will do 4 to 6 reps on virtually all lifts. There will be some lifts that you will do a little more reps on, but only a few. The 4 to 6 rep range is important and critical to success of Max-OT. We will go deeper into the understanding of this further in the course, but for right now you need to ingrain this "4 to 6 reps" into your mind.

What is meant by 4 to 6? When I say to do between 4 and 6 reps, this means that you will use a weight that is light enough to allow you to getat least 4 reps, but is also heavy enough to where you cannot do any more than 6 reps. If you can't do 4 reps, then the weight is too heavy. If you can do more than 6 reps, then the weight is too light. This is important and is critical component of Max-OT. 4 to 6 reps is the "ideal" rep scheme for building muscle. It allows maximum muscle fiber overload and maximum muscle fiber recruitment.

Intensity

A big advantage (aside from the physiological benefits) is that it's much easier to mentally focus your energy on a set of 4 to 6 reps than it is on a set of 10 to 12 reps. Knowing that your set will be short and intense will allow you to generate maximum mental intensity, maximum muscle contraction, and maximum muscular force. Max-OT, in itself, is a more productive muscle building approach that literally acts synergistically with each technique, component, and principle to exponentially accelerate your results. Once you understand that heavy weight is the most influential stimulus for muscle growth, you will continue to strive for greater overload. You will continue to get bigger and stronger in less time.

Rest 2 to 3 Minutes Between Sets - STR. Max-OT, as its name inspires, is all about maximum intensity and maximum overload for maximum results. Building on the principle of lifting with maximum intensity and overload for 4 to 6 reps, between set recovery is very important. I call this "Short Term Recovery" - STR. As you perform reps with heavy weight many physiological reactions are taking place to make all this happen. Muscle contraction takes cellular energy, oxygen, chemical reactions within the cells, and a host of other molecular activities. As each rep is performed you deplete your muscles' capacity to contract with the same force as with the first rep. By the time you get to the 5th rep you have tapped out your muscle intracellular energy capacity. This is Max-OT. It's pushing a muscle to this extreme that produces results. Recovery between sets allows you to repeat this process until enough overload volume has been performed to stimulate and force new muscle growth. The idea of maximum recovery between sets is to maximize your muscles ability to lift maximum weight during the next set. Notice the word "maximum" used a lot here? Between set recovery should last about 2 to 3 minutes. This amount of time allows the muscle to recover its intra-cellular energy stores and flush any lactate out of the muscle that's hanging around from the previous set to restore its anaerobic capacity. Now between set recovery will vary between individuals. Some people just recover much faster than others. As I pointed out earlier you want to strive for is recovery that will allow you to lift the maximum amount of weight for your next set. For some this is 90 seconds, for others it's the entire 3 minutes - sometimes even longer. It's important to be fully recovered before your next set because your ability to maximize the overload on the muscle will directly reflect in the muscle growth it produces. This critical between set recovery phase (STR) is exactly why Max-OT does not incorporate "super-sets", "pre-exhaustion", or other fatigue inducing techniques. We'll get deeper into later, but realize right now that fatigue does not build muscle - overload builds muscle. Fatigue simply fatigues. Once a muscle is fatigued it can't be properly overloaded. Most all lifters confuse fatigue with overload. This will take some logical thinking on your part to separate the two - again because of all the miss-information published in the magazines. Things like "feel the burn" are not what building muscle is about.

Train each muscle group once every 5 to 7 days. Here we go from "immediate" between set muscle recovery (STR) to "intermediate" recovery (ITR) - the recovery between training sessions of the same muscle group. Example: The time between one leg workout until your next leg workout. This is very, very important and one of the major components responsible for facilitating the muscle growth process. Recovery. How many times have you heard this word? Do you really understand what it means and what impact it has on muscle growth? I can answer that with one word -everything. Complete recovery of each muscle group after a Max-OT training session before the same muscle group is subjected to overload again is of equal importance to the overall results as the actual training itself. Recuperation is everything. There are many things you can do to enhance recovery. Nutritional advances have made this a "no-brainer" and almost foolproof process. We will get into that in greater detail later. Right now we are primarily concerned with the "time" between workouts to allow for full muscle recovery. Most training programs have you training way too often. This habit is to hard break. Building muscle is an "excess-endeavor". You always want more. This being a major motivation, it's against normal thought to - do less to get more. The muscle growth process does not occur in the gym. Let me repeat, muscle growth does not occur in the gym. Muscle growth occurs during the recovery period - the critical time between workouts of the same muscle groups. As a result of overload, muscle must adapt to compensate for future overload. This recovery period is the time when muscle is recuperating, growing, and becoming stronger in preparation for more overload. Adapting. If a muscle is not allowed to fully recover between workouts muscle growth will be impeded, over-training will occur, and muscle breakdown will be inevitable. You will become stagnated. Muscle mass and strength will more than likely decrease. Energy levels will dwindle, appetite will lessen, and motivation will disappear.

Recuperation

As you can see, recovery between workouts is absolutely critical for muscle growth success as well as for optimal health and well being. This is why a major component of Max-OT training is to optimize recovery between workouts. Allowing 5 to 6 full days between training of the same muscle group is essential for full and complete recuperation. Recuperating fully leads to maximum muscle growth. Incomplete recuperation leads to muscle and strength breakdown. As I said earlier, most training programs have you training far too much. The days of training the same muscle group on Thursday that you trained on Monday are long gone. Max-OT takes the elements of intensity and overload and maximizes the recovery the implementation of these two growth promoting elements requires. Every element of Max-OT is designed to potentiate and synergistically work with the program as a whole. The longer recovery time is necessary to allow for full recovery from the higher than normal muscle fiber stimulation that Max-OT generates. Max-OT style training places much greater demands on muscle recovery. Greater muscle fiber stimulation and maximum recovery will lead to maximum muscle growth and strength increases. This is what Max-OT is all about.

Take a 1 Week Break From Training Every 8 to 10 Weeks. Make no mistake about it. Max-OT is a brutal form of training. It's heavy. It's intense. It's result producing. It encompasses a total approach. It's not just the training part of the equation. It's the mental approach, the nutritional approach, the timing aspect, the exercise techniques all rolled into one. Understand that muscle growth and strength enhancement doesn't happen by accident. All in all, muscles beyond maturity do not want to grow. You must force a muscle to grow. It must be subjected to a stimulus that compels it to adapt and grow. There must be a reason for a muscle to grow or it won't. And, the more effectively you nurture this growth the greater the results you will experience. As I discussed earlier, recuperation is of vital importance to muscle growth. Recuperation will determine how well your muscles respond to Max-OT training. There are 4 important "time-spans" of recuperation:

1. Short Term Recuperation (STR) - Between sets.
2. Intermediate Term Recuperation (ITR) - Between workouts.
3. Muscle Specific Recuperation (MSR) - Between identical workouts.
4. Cyclical Recuperation (CR) - Between Max-OT Training cycles.

Taking a week off from training every 8 to 10 weeks is very important for overall recuperation and muscle growth. Many people have a psychological barrier to taking time off from training. They feel like they are going to shrink. Not so. In fact, with Max-OT, after your week off for CR you will usually come back bigger and stronger. This week off allows your body to repair and grow. It is literally recovering from 8 or 10 straight weeks of heavy training. Fed properly, your body during this CR phase will be in a very high "anabolic" state. Muscle growth and repair will be constant 24 hours a day. One very important thing, well, actually two. Do not do any type of strenuous aerobic or anaerobic activity during this week. You don't have to be a slug, but refrain from any exhausting or physically taxing activities. This is a recuperation week that is a key element in Max-OT. Also, you should consume plenty of lean protein during this CR as well. When you take a week off from training you still need to eat and supplement properly for growth to occur. In fact, is vitally import during this phase.
__________________

Delts struggling? Try this for a few weeks.

I have read things like this before. This is a NON DC shoulder routine. I would only do this once a week. Someone with better recovery might be able to do it on a rotating routine of 3 sessions in 2 weeks.


You can use whatever equipment you have handy. The movements are what really matters. If you can't do upright rows substitute for slow rep shrugs or Kelso rows.
warm up rotators, light sp work 1x20


Delt Blast: One NASTY SET!
Smith Shoulder Press 8-12 reps
Upright Rows 8-12 reps
Smith Shoulder Press 6-8 reps (less reps cause of fatigue)
Upright Rows 6-8 reps
Smith Shoulder Press 4-6 reps
Upright Rows 4-6 reps
21's (dumbell laterals done in 3 directions)


STRETCH. DONE. You can drop the weight if you need to as the sets progress because of fatigue as well. It all depends on what you can do.
Again, there are lots of routines. This is just one.
__________________

Swissball Dumbell Skullcrushers (that's a dumbell in EACH hand) do as many reps as you'd like but in a higher range of 12-15 reps. Then go straight to tricep pushdowns. Don't lock out. Smooth and controlled reps. 5 cnt up...5 cnt down. Same idea for reps. Once you are done STRETCH! Take a dumbell like a one arm dumbell overhead ext and just let the dumbell hang for about 30 sec each arm.


Repeat for 2 more sets.


Last thing:
JM Press or Rev Grip Press for high reps. 1 set. 15+ reps. Stretch. If you hit 30 reps great.
There is nothing magical about this routine. Just another idea. Skullcrushers are the best tricep exercise that I know of. I totally recommend them. The swiss ball is just more comfortable than the bench.
__________________