What is HIT?

What is High Intensity Training (HIT)?

High Intensity Training (HIT) is a method of strength training emphasizing a high level of effort with relatively brief and infrequent workouts. Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones defined and popularized HIT in the 1970s, often summarizing its philosophy as: “Train harder, but train briefer” or “Train harder, but train less often.”

Nautilus Inventor Arthur Jones

Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones at the Nautilus television studios in Lake Helen, FL

Train Harder…

The most fundamental principle of exercise is overload: placing a greater demand on your muscles than they are accustomed to, to stimulate increases in muscular strength, size, and improvements in the other general, trainable factors of functional ability (metabolic and cardiovascular efficiency, flexibility, bone and connective tissue strength, body composition). The harder an exercise is, the closer it is performed to the point of momentary muscular failure, the greater the degree of overload and stimulus for improvement.

In a HIT workout exercises are almost always performed to momentary muscle failure—the point at which it is impossible to continue positive movement with good form. Training to momentary muscular failure ensures that all muscle fibers in the targeted muscles have been recruited and stimulated to grow bigger and stronger.

Train Briefer

The greater the effort you put into a workout, the shorter it must be to avoid overtraining. Most modern HIT workouts consist of one set of five to ten exercises and require less than thirty minutes to complete. Some consolidation workouts may include as few as three or four exercises and take less than ten minutes.

The optimal volume of exercise varies between individuals depending on genetics, goals, age, and other factors. Athletes in training and people with physically demanding jobs may require even less exercise to avoid overtraining.

Some people believe low-volume HIT workouts are only effective for beginners, claiming that advanced trainees need more volume. However, as individuals become more advanced and learn to exercise harder, a reduction in training volume is often necessary to avoid overtraining.

Train Less Often

After a hard workout, your body needs time to rest, recover, and produce the increases in muscular strength, size, and other adaptations stimulated by the workout. Exercising too frequently and getting too little rest interferes with recovery and adaptation, leading to overtraining and a lack of progress—or even regression.

Most people achieve the best results with just one or two HIT workouts per week, and those who recover more slowly may benefit from even less frequent training. Enhanced trainees—those using performance-enhancing drugs—can recover from and adapt to a greater training volume and frequency. However, they still do not require significantly more than this for optimal results, typically benefiting from only three to four workouts per week.

6x Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates puts Drew Baye through a blood and guts shoulders and triceps workout

6x Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates puts Drew Baye through a HIT shoulders and triceps workout at the Kissimmee Muscle Gym

General Guidelines for High Intensity Training

The following are general guidelines for HIT. Specific workout volume, frequency, and exercise selection should be modified to fit your body and goals.

  • Training Frequency: Beginners should perform no more than three workouts per week on non-consecutive days, and most will respond better to only one or two weekly workouts. Advanced trainees may need to work out less frequently, not more.

  • Training Volume: Perform one set of one or two exercises for each major muscle group in a workout (fewer exercises for full-body workouts, more for body-part workouts in a split routine).

  • Number of Repetitions / Time Under Load: A wide range can be effective, but for a balance of muscular strength, size, cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning, and safety, a repetition range resulting in a time under load between 60 and 90 seconds is recommended as a starting point.

  • Progression: Beginners should increase the weight for an exercise by about five pounds or five percent (whichever is less) when the upper target repetition number can be completed in good form. More advanced trainees should progress by smaller increments, and very advanced trainees should increase the weight by as little as one pound or one percent (whichever is less).

  • Repetition Speed: Move slowly enough to maintain strict control over your body position and path of movement, and reverse direction smoothly between lifting and lowering. Avoid fast, jerky movements.

  • Range of Motion: Full-range repetitions, partial (hard-range) repetitions, and statics can all be highly effective when performed correctly.

Casey Viator assists Mike Mentzer with forced reps on a Universal chest press machine

Casey Viator assists Mike Mentzer with forced reps on a Universal chest press machine

Example Workouts

Basic full-body workout with Nautilus machines:

  1. Leg Press
  2. Pulldown
  3. Chest Press
  4. Compound Row
  5. Overhead Press
  6. Hip/Back Extension
  7. Abdominal Flexion
  8. Calf Press
  9. Neck Extension or Wrist Extension
  10. Neck Flexion or Wrist Flexion

Basic full-body workout with free weight and body weight exercises:

  1. Squat
  2. Chin Up
  3. Bench Press or Parallel-Bar Dip
  4. Bent Over Row
  5. Standing Press
  6. Stiff-Legged Deadlift
  7. Weighted Crunch
  8. Heel Raise
  9. Neck Extension or Wrist Extension
  10. Neck Flexion or Wrist Flexion

Full-Body or Split Routines?

Split routines include multiple workouts targeting different body parts or muscle groups. This can be a better approach for people with certain muscle groups that take longer to recover. There are many ways to organize split routines; some of the most common are:

  • Upper and Lower Body
  • Pushing and Pulling
  • Upper Body Pushing, Upper Body Pulling, and Lower Body

For examples of both full-body workouts and split routines read High Intensity Workouts or join the HIT List Forum and read the HIT workout template posts.

Machines or Free Weights?

Although HIT is often associated with machines due to its promotion by Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones, it can be performed effectively and safely with any type of equipment—or even just body weight. Your results depend far more on how you exercise than on what equipment you use.

Although HIT is often associated with machines due to its promotion by Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones, it can be performed effectively and safely with any type of equipment—or even just body weight. Your results will have far more to do with how you exercise than what equipment you use.

Bodybuilding or Strength Training?

HIT is not exclusively for bodybuilding, strength training, or any single factor of fitness. When properly performed HIT is effective for achieving a variety of fitness, health, and physique goals.

Key Takeaways

  • Train with a high level of effort, close to momentary muscular failure.
  • Keep workouts brief and infrequent to optimize recovery and adaptation.
  • Customize training volume and frequency based on your individual needs.
  • Focus more on how you train, not the equipment you use.
  • HIT can be adapted to build strength, muscle, cardiovascular fitness, or aid in rehabilitation.

References:

Carpinelli RN, Otto RM, Winett RA. A Critical Analysis of the ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training: Insufficient Evidence to Support Recommended Training Protocols. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 2004;7(3):1-60

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