Hi,
I just found this forum as I was searching on info on HIT. I belong to a Paleo list group and it was mentioned there. It sounds interesting and I have read a few articles, but what I have been unable to find is how many exercise/reps I do. How long to you rest inbetween sets or do I? Does anybody have any insight or a sample routine?

Thanks,
Kristina

Check out the stickies here and in the beginner forum. They helped me out a bunch.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) refers to cardiovascular training (running, biking,etc), usually. True HIIT requires (after a warm-up phase) alternating ~15sec of as-fast-as-you-can-possibly-go, with ~45-50sec of a lower-paced recovery. These are the intervals, and you do as many as you can, working your way up to 10. Then finish with a long cool down at a lower intensity......I like to do about 15-20min here, for a total session of ~30minutes.

Trying to do a lifting workout this way would not be a good idea....... better to go at a slower pace, with heavy (for YOU)) weights, and usually begin with (example)either 3 sets of 8-10 reps, or 5 sets of 5 reps.

A great site for learning about weight training (and great stuff for advanced people, too) is www.stumptuous.com

Hello Dane,

HIT is totally different from HIIT!!

While you correctly define HIIT (a cardio technique), HIT is a weight training technique.

Hello Kristina,

I stumbled on HIT about 1,5 year ago . I found it thought provoking and working very well.

There is some variation in the number of reps possible.

What I do is a variant I found on German board: 7 or 8 exercises, each of 1 set with generally 2-6 reps.

It works like this: After adding weight I start with 2/3 reps, each week I do 1 rep extra until I reach 6 reps. Then I add weight (mostly 2 kg) again.

I do it once a week, it takes about 45 minutes. Complete with a small warming up 7-8 min, stretching 20 min, I'm ready in 1h 15min.

The once a week thing is based on German research indicating the muscles need much more then generally advised in the gym. It should be 7 to 10 day's maybe even longer. I also found later Mike Mentzers theory about giving muscle much longer to recover and grow then is usual, maybe weeks instead of days.

My wife is doing this also and we like it very much. The weekly routine is managable and short enough for a busy life.

If you would like to do more day's, then divide the bodypart-exercises over 2 or 3 day's but keep each big muscle group trained only once a week.

Good luck!

Forgot: I do the lifting SLOW. 4 seconds up, rest 2 seconds, 4 seconds down.

Proper and safe execution of the exercise will get you way further then quick and dirty!!

Ahhhhhhhhh! I haven't heard of this, then. Thanks for the info!

Very cool - thank you for the info. I had read about Mike Mentzer and found some other sites through the paleo group, but none mentioned number of reps, etc. I have been lifting since 1996 and was doing mostly low weight high rep, but now I alternate between that, basic high weight/low reps, or a routine that a trainer once did with me. I do 4 sets - the first has about 11 reps, then a 1 minute break, next set has about 8 reps, another minute break, then a set of about 4 or 5 reps immediately (no rest) followed by a set of 25 to 40.

However, the HIT sounds very interesting and something I might try. I have also reduced my cardios from 6 a week to 3 a week. I was probably "burning muscle" with all that cardio. Do you mind telling me how much cardio, if any, you do or maybe your wife? I read on one of the HIT sites that they don't have any cardio equipment at their gym. Could you also tell me how many exercises you do per body part? Depending on what type of workout I do, I typically get in 4 to 5 for the larger muscle groups and 3 to 4 for the smaller muscle groups.

Thanks again,
Kristina

Dane - thank you for the info. I am actually interested in HIIT as well but not sure that I would still need it with HIT. It's something I would like to explore. Before weight lifting I ran every day and now I get so bored with cardios. We'll see...

I did and try to pick up again now the wheater gets nice: 2x 1.15 hour of bicycling a week, 1 h tennis, walking about 30 min at lunchbreak.

My wife is running 2 times a week, about 8 and about 15 km . She uses her bike very much for everything I take the car for

I do one compound exercise per major body part, take exercises from www.bodybuilding.com I ad some isolation exercises for arms now and then. After about 12 weeks, I have some weeks of lower intensity higher rep exercises for change, but am alway happy as soon as I can go back to real HIT.

I use variation for the 12-week periods, but bench press, squat and deadlift returning every other period. calf raise, bent over rows and fly's are also very regular in my scheme.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=241735

This is interesting, the post mentions research on lifting slow, heavy and in short total time (=HIT).

But also HIIT as time efficient cardio with the same benefits as hour long cardio.

I personally experience HIT is not only time-efficient, it keeps you growing muscle and feeling good all the time...Yes!

OK, I think I get it. Let me know if I got this right.

-Once a week (or twice if I split it up) you work out every body part.
-You do one exercise per body part
-You do only one set per exercise.
-At first you add weight that allows you to do 2 or 3 reps - slowly
-The following week you keep the weight the same but do one additional set
-After you have reached 6 reps you increase the weight so that you are back down to 2 to 3 reps

Any rest between sets/exercises?

BTW, do you have a link to that German site you mentioned? I grew up in Germany and actually German is my first language. I would love to read it.

Thanks again,
Kristina

Yes, you got it, only sometimes I have 2 exercises for a bodypart.

(For instance, Squat and Deadlift are sometimes together in my scheme, both for legs, back and belly, but they target some muscles differently.)

Because mostly I exercise with someone else I have a couple of minutes rest in between. The concentration on proper execution is the most important, being too tired would be against that.

http://www.bbszene.de/board/viewfor...1610a2531c26cd8

This Thorus has composed a developing set of 'HIT-richtlinien' where I got most of my info from. Very useful.

Also I started my own homegym inspired by people on this board. Bench, Squat rack, bar and adjustable dumbbells. That is all you need for a long time!

Only adjustable dumbbells would be ok to start with, it´s that simple!