CONTENT:

1. Introduction
2. Principles of HIT Training
3. Advantage of HIT Training over other bodybuilding programs
4. Training/body part split recommendation
5. Sample workouts
6. Additional Training Techniques used for HIT Training
7. Supplementation Protocol for Maximising HIT Training
8. A Note on Mental Strength to Finish
Introduction
HIT training, first popularised in the 1970’s by the likes of Arthur
Jones & Mike Mentzer, has come a long way in recent years.
Its evolution sped up exponentially during 6 X Mr. Olympia
Dorian Yates’ reign over the bodybuilding kingdom, and today
continues to be progressed by the likes of myself, other elite
bodybuilders and our hardcore disciples faithful to this training
discipline.

You can hear all kinds of positive and negative remarks about
the training methodology, but let me tell you the no BS truth:
this sh*t works, full-stop. It’s worked for me, it’s worked for hun-
dreds of hardcore lifters in my gym, and it will work for you, IF
you apply the principles in a sensible, strategic manner as out-
lined in this guide.

How do I know this? Simple: because I haven’t had an individual

to date who’s adhered to the principles of my HIT Guide fail to
add lean muscle and improve their physique in the process, as
well as their overall strength.

And while there are dozens, if not hundreds of other training

programs that may or may not do the same, I know that this
program works, and it’s a blueprint I know will work for you as
well. Let’s get straight into it.
 Core Principles
of HIT Training
The most fundamental principle of HIT training is:
Stimulate Muscle Growth & Adaptation WITHOUT Overstressing the
Body’s CNS (Central Nervous System) so much that it causes overtraining,
and therefore a lack of progression.

Let’s break this statement down into segments so that we can understand more clearly the goal and purpose of
HIT training, as well as its main advantage over other training systems.

Stimulate Muscle Growth & Adaptation: The fundamental goal of training, HIT training,
at its core, focuses on drawing on enough training intensity from you as humanly possible to trigger the maximal
stimulus for the body to rebuild new muscle tissue and adapt to the change enforced upon it.

Don’t Overstress the Body’s CNS (Central Nervous System): Any form of
training will impact the body’s CNS. The goal of HIT, however, is to minimise the impact on the body’s CNS while
still providing the best return for the body to grow and adapt via progressive resistance using our training time
efficiently, rather than wastefully.

If it sounds simple, it’s because it is. The beauty of HIT Training is that it simplifies the gross complexity and mad-
ness that exists in many programs today and reduces it to the core essential principles in a scientific, effective
manner that eradicates all the needless clutter. That bodes well for your chances of gaining muscle and overall
progress.
 H I T T r ainin g o v e r
g es of
Advanta building Programs
othe r B o d y
In a nutshell: it works!
OK, allow me to explain more in-depth.
Before HIT training came around, the common knowl-
edge in bodybuilding was “more is better”. More
sets, more reps, more training sessions,
more time dedicated to bodybuilding.
The theory behind this approach
was that it not only enhanced
muscular growth, but there
was an ideological appeal
to the bodybuilder’s ego as
well: if you weren’t “living
the lifestyle” (in the gym,
basically), then you clearly
weren’t cut out for the sport or
hardcore enough to succeed. And
while I have the utmost respect for
the likes of Arnold, Reg Park, and Serge
Nubret, etc., I’m convinced that these great
pioneers would have refined their methods if
they all would have been starting out today.
And why wouldn’t they? We know HIT training
works - the proof is in the pudding, and cer-
tainly there for all to witness at my gym day-in,
day-out.
The great contradiction
The problem with the previous approach to bodybuild-
ing was that it equated time spent in the gym as the
benchmark of intensity. We now know this isn’t true. A
more accurate representation of intensity is the abil-
ity to generate 100% mental and physical
force and effort into every set and rep
in the gym. When you’re training six
days per week putting in gruel-
ling two hour shifts, it’s simply
not possibly to apply 100%
mental and physical effort
and focus into every set
and rep.
HIT training is the solution to
the intensity conundrum, as it al-
lows the trainee to apply themselves
both physically and mentally for one all-
out, balls-to-the-walls set on each exercise
with nothing left in the tank. It ensures maxi-
mum intensity is allocated to the work done
in the gym, so that you maximise training ef-
ficiency and time spent in the gym.
HIT training is also far more effective in terms
of allowing your CNS to recovery effectively.
Despite the workouts being grueling and in-
credibly taxing, the intensity is applied to a reduced number of
sets for maximum effort, meaning you’re far more efficient with
your training. HIT training allows you to impose stress on the
muscles in the most efficient manner possible without need-
lessly prolonging the battering your CNS takes with high-vol-
ume workouts, allowing you to allocate more time and resourc-
es to recovery where the actual adaptation process takes effect.
A misconception arises when discussing these benefits is that
HIT training isn’t as difficult as volume training. Scratch that idea
from your head immediately - it is. If you follow the principles
of HIT training correctly, you’ll be maximising training economy
and having equally as punishing workouts. It’s just more reward-
ing to know that you will also free up more time away from the
gym to adhere to recovery. Remember, don’t fall into the trap of
thinking “more is better”!
And, from a non-bodybuilding perspective: the workouts are
very brief and infrequent, which allows you to free up more time
in your personal life for any other interests/responsibilities you
may have. This is a very welcome side-benefit from also follow-
ing the most effective training protocol ever created!

Recommen d ed Tr ainin g P rotoco l/ Sp lit

In almost all instances, I advise following a 7-day training protocol
based around the standard working week and set days allocated
to various body parts. There are only some circumstances which
I’ll allow my clients to deviate from this, such as work/family com-
mitments that make adjustments necessary. For the rest of us, the
following protocol shouldn’t be manipulated.

Ideal Training Split:

Monday:
Chest & Biceps
Tuesday:
Legs
Wednesday:
Rest
Thursday:
Shoulders, Traps & Triceps
Friday:
Back
Saturday & Sunday:
Rest or Abdominals/Stretching/Mobility work
With this split, you are hitting each body part once per week, with
a days rest after the two largest - and most demanding - body
parts that dip into recovery reserves (legs and back).
 Sample Workout Routine
Below you’ll find a classic outline of one of my typical HIT work-
out that I’ve used myself personally many times in the past and
with clients. You can adopt the same routine if you like or choose
alternate exercises that you think work best for your individual
body mechanics - it’s up to you. The most important concept,
is to maintain intensity whichever exercise you choose - that’s
non-negotiable!

MONDAY: CHEST & BICEPS

Incline Dumbbell Press or Smith Machine
Shallow Incline Press:
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (6-10 reps)
Barbell or dumbbell preacher curl
Decline Barbell Press or Flat Dumbbell
Press (Alternate each workout):
1 Warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (6-10 reps)
Shallow Incline Flyes:
1 Warm-up set - 1 Heavy set to failure (10-15 reps)
Standing Barbell Curl:
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (6-8 reps)
(Alternate each workout):
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)
Alternate Dumbbell Curl:
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)

Dips:
1 set to failure with bodyweight - 1 set to failure with added
weight (8-10 reps)
TUESDAY: QUADS/HAMSTRINGS/CALVES

Leg Extension:
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (12-15 reps)

Squats:
*as many warm-up sets as necessary to get you to max weight -
1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)

Leg Press or Hack Squat (Alternate each

workout):
*as many warm-up sets as necessary to get you to max weight -
1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)

Lying Leg Curl:

3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (6-10 reps)

Barbell or Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift

(Alternate each workout) :
1 warm up - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)

Glute Ham Raise:

3 sets of bodyweight to failure

Standing Calf Raise or Toe Presses on Leg

Press:
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (10-12 reps)

Seated Calf Raise:

2 Warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)

Bodyweight standing calf raise:

1 high-rep set to failure
 THURSDAY: SHOULDERS/TRAPS/TRICEPS
Dumbbell or Barbell Presses: V-bar Pressdown:
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (6-10 reps) 3-warm up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (10-12 reps)

Seated Side Laterals: Lying Barbell or behind the head dumbbell

1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (10-12 reps)
Rear Delt machine or Bent over Dumbbell
raises (Alternate each workout):
2 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (12-15 reps)
extension (Alternate each workout):
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)
1-arm reverse grip cable pressdown:
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)

Barbell or Dumbbell Shrug

(Alternate each workout):
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps)
FRIDAY: BACK
General Notes:
Pullover Machine or Dumbbell
Generally, the first exerci
Pullover (Alternate each workout): se of the workout gets
sets as it’s the beginnin 3 warm-up
3 warm-up sets - 1 heavy set to failure (10-12 reps) g of the workout (after
stretching/mobility wo an y necessary
rk)
After the first exercise,
Underhand Grip Close grip pulldown: other exercises typically
warm-up set unless sta require 1
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (8-10 reps) ted otherwise (i.e. de
sq ua ts) adlifts and
Warm-up sets reduce
Reverse grip barbell row: the chance of injury an
to fire motor units, etc. d allow you
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (6-10 reps) allowing peak perform
comes to the main wo ance when it
rking set
Do as many warm-ups as
Overhand grip cable row you feel necessary on ea
to comfortably work at ch exercise
(Shoulder width grip): maximum poundage -
my arbitrary numbers if do n’t just use
1 warm-up set - 1 heavy set to failure (10-12 reps) you feel you need more!
Warm-up sets are neve
Deadlift: r to be taken close to
are simply to prep the bo failure; they
*However many warm-up sets as needed to get to max dy for the main working
prudent that they don’t set, so be
weight - 1 heavy set to failure (6-8 reps) dig into your energy res
main working set. erves for the
Additional Training Techniques
In this chapter, I’ll cover some of my favourite training techniques that can be used on oc-
casion to extend the intensity of working sets or to impose additional stress on the target
muscle group during an exercise.
Rest-Pause
Use a weight where you would hit failure at around 6-8 reps. Rack the weight, count to 15-20
seconds (whilst breathing and filling up the lungs); rack the weight back out and shoot for
another 2-3 reps; rack it, and again, count to 15-20 seconds, then rack back out and shoot
for another 1-2 reps. 2 rest-pause sets/racking of the weight is the most I would shoot for.
Forced Reps
Once you’ve hit failure, have your training partner spot and assist you to squeeze
out another 1-2 reps. Make sure it’s ASSISTANCE (minimal touching of the bar,
merely guiding it up) and NOT the other person doing all the work.
If you haven’t got a reliable training partner, then forced reps are going
to be difficult to implement into your training. Experience tells me that
the average person in the gym isn’t going to understand the concept
of HIT training effectively or be a good spotter, unless there is some-
body reliable in the gym you can trust.
Negative Reps
After completing a regular set to failure (and even after adding
some forced reps into the equation), have your training partner
lift the weight back into the starting position, and then lower it as
slowly as possible, focusing on the eccentric contraction/portion
of the lift. This technique works especially well on curling exercises
and presses, particularly machine variations.
Personally, I wouldn’t go above 2 negatives combined with forced
reps, as it can be an extremely strenuous technique to the CNS. I’d ad-
vise you to use this sparingly, only when you’re really trying to up the intensity
and thrash a muscle group.
Drop Sets
An evergreen classic in a bodybuilders arsenal, drop sets are performed by
completing as many reps as possible to failure, and then dropping the weight
by approximately 50%, before hitting failure again on the reduced weight. For
added torture, a triple drop set can be an effective way of stressing the mus-
cles past failure, while being easier on the joints, tendons and ligaments com-
pared to the aforementioned HIT training techniques.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
It is very important to get stronger, and progress your pound-
age’s on your exercises .A stronger muscle will equate to a big-
ger muscle ,if all of the other variables: Nutrition, Rest and Sup-
plementation are in place.

For example, if you can bench press 100kg for 6 reps to absolute
failure. Your next workout, you should aim to get 7 reps with
100kg. Next workout, 8 reps etc. Once you reach around 12 reps,
add a small amount of poundage, and basically repeat the pro-
cess.

When I say small, I’m talking the smallest plates your gym
has. Use 1kg plates for smaller exercises such as curls,
2.5kg plates for larger exercises such as deadlifts. The
smaller/lighter the plates the better. Do not try and
add too much weight. Powerlifters for example, have
been known to use small magnets of 500g to add
to their lifts, to encourage the body to slowly adapt.

Keep a record of your lifts and set goals before your

workout of breaking them!

REPETITION SPEED
Reps should always be slow and controlled on the
negative portion of the rep, and explosive on the
positive, but still under control. No bouncing or
jerking of the weight. Imagine compressing a
spring and letting it go. Compress, then boom!
If I had to put a number on the rep speed,
I would say for me personally, I hit 3 seconds
on the negative, then explode up in 1-2 sec-
onds. Be very conscious of the negative con-
trol. Most of the muscle fibre damage oc-
curs on the negative part of the rep!
CYCLING OF TRAINING /
OVERTRAINING
Continuously hitting your body week after week with HIT will
eventually lead to over-training, and hitting a plateau (or even
regression). Due to the intense nature of the workouts. You must
cycle the training and add in weeks where you back off with the
poundage’s and the intensity. They are also known as “De-load”
weeks.

A back off / de-load week would involve cutting back the

poundage’s by around 50% and just taking it easy in the gym.
This will give the CNS (central nervous system), joints and
tendons a break, and also the mind! HIT can be very tax-
ing mentally as well as physically. Everyone has a differ-
ent level of recovery ability,so you must look out for the
signs of over-training creeping in.These can include:

• Lack of progression in reps /

poundage’s
• Decreased motivation
• Lack of appetite
• Poor sleep
• Feeling irritable
• Sore joints and tendons

I personally push for approx

5 - 6 weeks HIT style, then
add in a de-load week.
Additional Training Tips
to Maximise Training Intensity
I want to add a quick note on maximising training intensity, since
it’s the fundamental principle and cornerstone of HIT training.

Intensity isn’t just derived from physical attributes; it starts

with the mind. Before my workout, I will go some-
where quiet, listen to some music that gets me
fired up and mentally rehearse the workout
ahead. I will go through all of the exercis-
es, sets and reps before I even set foot in
the gym.

t h e w o r k o ut, stay
During ,
d o n t h e t ask at hand
focuse h a t for after-
c h i t - c
saving the e mind strong
,
. K e e p t h
wards i l l follow.
b o d y w
and the
 Supplementation Tips to Enhance
the HIT Training Manual
Before we finish, I want to add a few quick notes on supplementation and how it can be used to produce an extra 5% of your over-
all gains when applied correctly. This is important to me because I’m the type of guy who believes in anything that will give me a
competitive edge, and while 95% is down to hard work and effective nutrition, if supplementation can amplify an additional 5%,
then I’m game for it.

Atomic Bomb: EAAmmo:

An obvious shoe-in to increase train- To be used pre & post-workout
ing intensity and focus, decrease to provide the body with muscle
intra-workout fatigue and enhance sparing, growth-inducing amino
nutrient delivery during workouts. acids. While drinking amino acids
Consume one serving 30 minutes intra-workout is popular, due to the
before training, and get ready to brief nature of this HIT training pro-
rock ‘n’ roll. gram, I prefer to simply consume
them pre & post-workout for con-
venience.

Concluding Thoughts
You now have in your hands a powerful training protocol that can be used as a weapon in the gym to deliver unstoppable results in
size and strength. The question is, are you willing to apply yourself both physically and mentally to maximise your potential? Or do
you want to go back to “average” with the rest of the wannabe’s sitting on the sidelines simply talking about what could be?

ur se lf wi th th e “1 00 % or Nothing” mentality,
Apply yo ngth gains are
s, mu sc le gr ow th an d st re
and succes
inevitable. Get to it.
www.MaxxMuscle100.com
@maxxmuscle100
@maxxmuscle100
@maxxmuscle100