# MonStar's H.I.T. Journal!



## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

Decided to jump back on HIT (High Intensity Training), after researching a bit more and considering how I am training now, etc. When I honestly look at everyone in gyms I have been to, the guys who are mindlessly pumping away with high-volume routines rarely EVER look any different. Always using the same weight, always looking the same, never really progressing at all. I do not want to be stuck in a rut like them. 

I am going to be following a basic push/pull/legs split.  

Wish me luck guys!


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## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

Thursday; 11-11-2004

*Legs*

Great to be back on HIT! I was going to say f*ck it and just not try HIT but for whatever reason I completely changed my mind. I looked at a few HIT books at Border's Books & Music and just read a little bit more, and I was sold. I couldn't wait to get in the gym today and do some high-rep squats! 

*Squats:* *315 x 19!*

*Nautilus Leg Extensions:* 220 x 15

*Smith-Machine Calf Raises:* 285 x 16

*Nautilus Crunches:* 180 x 19 

Hit a new PR today for squats! Last time around I did 315 for 17, today in the gym I hit 315 for 19. A truly exhausting set of 19, holy sh*t. I was completely out of breath and energy after the set. I realized today though that I perform MUCH better in a balls to the wall leg workout when I have some food in me! Last time I did the squats I had just eaten a banana before my workout, and nothing else. Food before high-rep squats to failure is crucial! 

Diet: 
M1- cottage cheese + peaches
M2- tuna salad sandwich
M3- Swole preworkout
M4- whey protein + 1% milk 
M5- chicken quesadillas 
M6- 2 BBQ chicken breasts, mashed potatoes 
M7- 2 glasses of wine, apple martini, mudslide  
M8- peanut butter 

I went to Dave & Busters in Philly tonight, I had to have a little fun so I included some liquor! 

Sleep: 8.5 hours.


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## CowPimp (Nov 12, 2004)

I don't think I have ever surpassed 12 reps on squats.  I couldn't imagine the lactic acid burn from that.  Ouch.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

*CowPimp:* Ouch is right bud, lol. After like 10-12 reps of 315 on squats I am just pretty much wiped out. Huffing and puffing and taking about 10-15 seconds between each rep up to 19. I was absolutely burned from that set of 19. But it felt great, as soon as I caught my breath though, honestly. I think I like HIT a lot more than I even realize, lol.


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## soxmuscle (Nov 12, 2004)

Your routine is excellent, excellent.  I just want to say a few things regarding it.

I have the same problem, I tend to want to be at the gym more and more, and can't get the thought out of my head that if I am working out three times a week it will make me bigger than working out four or five times a week.

What I have done, and I am not saying its perfect, I am not saying its even good because I'm guessing DD would tell me its horrible, but I still think it fits my needs and there are many HIT principals involved.

When I first bought the book, from the moment I opened it, I knew I was not going to fully switch to what the book recommended.  The reason I bought it wasn't for that.  I bought the book so I could take some ideas and principals from HIT supporters and get a routine that best works for me.

My point being that if your going to keep fluctuating back and forth between high volume and HIT routines, I say just create an HIT routine that fits your needs and fits what your goals are and fits what you are trying to accomplish.

If your feeling good one day, hell, try another set of bench.  Ya know what I mean?  just something to ponder.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

*soxmuscle:* Hey bud, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. Yeah I mean I am glad that I jumped back on the HIT bandwagon---for whatever reason I was having a tough time dealing without being at the gym all the time mentally. But honestly I am just going to find other ways to occupy my time. I mean spending an hour in the gym every single day isn't good for me mentally, I don't think. I need to find other things to do with my time. So I think HIT is a good thing at this point in my life. This way I can also really get a good solid assessment of the program, I want to be on it for a few months, for sure. 

What book did you get by the way?


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## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

Friday; 11-12-2004

*Rest*

Nice to have a rest day today, I was absolutely exhausted to be honest. I barely had any sleep last night because I went out to Philly with my girlfriend last night---so that was a lot of fun. Had a little too much to drink though, but oh well. I had a great time. I am going to limit my drinking to only a couple of drinks, and only one night per week. That's just a must for me, I think. I ended up drinking a mudslide and a martini as well, so obviously there's a good bit of sugar and fat in each.  

Diet: 
M1- cottage cheese + pears 
M2- whey protein + 1% milk
M3- grilled chicken, rice
M4- grilled chicken taco salad
M5- MRP bar
M6- grilled chicken sandwich
M7- peanut butter 

Sleep: 5.5 hours.  

BTW, I wanted to add that I started ETS the day before yesterday! This is the supplement that I am trying for chris mason, as a guinea pig. I take 4 capsules daily and I am still finishing up some 6-OXO. So I'll post my noticeable results, frequently.


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## Luke9583 (Nov 12, 2004)

Good luck w/ the supp Monstar


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## soxmuscle (Nov 12, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> What book did you get by the way?


The New High Intensity Training by Dr. Darden.  The stories are excellent, and so far I've learned quite a bit from the book in general.  The only thing I've disagreed with so far is that he suggests full body workouts, and that is not something I am willing to do.  If I ever did adopt HIT completely, It would be in the push/pull mold as yours is.


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## Duncans Donuts (Nov 12, 2004)

> If your feeling good one day, hell, try another set of bench. Ya know what I mean? just something to ponder.



Once you toss on extra working sets, it isn't really HIT.  It's volume to quasi-failure, which could easily contribute to fast and relentless overtraining.  I'm not saying that's bad per se, but it isn't really traditional style intensity training.

Good work Mike, I hope you at least do it for a month.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

*Luke:* Thanks bud, I really appreciate it. Honestly I hit legs heavy and intense yesterday and my legs aren't even that sore today at all. Which is almost impossible considering I did high-rep squats to failure. ETS may be some serious stuff!

*soxmuscle:* I was reading that book yesterday in Border's actually and for some reason I was not all that impressed. I didn't get a chance to fully read it but I just preferred the articles I have read by Mike Mentzer, etc. But I am going to give HIT a full run for it's money, lol. Not more than 1 workset per exercise, and that workset is going to be at least to positive muscular failure, if not slightly past failure. 

*DD:* Completely agreed bud, I think that once you start to change up the basis of the program you end up defeating the purpose. I mean that's like when I see people doing HST or GVT and then they change the basic principles, what they're doing is no longer the program.


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## Rocco32 (Nov 12, 2004)

LOL Mike. Glad your back on HIT! Congrats on the PR!


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## PreMier (Nov 12, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> When I honestly look at everyone in gyms I have been to, the guys who are mindlessly pumping away with high-volume routines rarely EVER look any different. Always using the same weight, always looking the same, never really progressing at all. I do not want to be stuck in a rut like them.



You are confusing hypertrophy training with diet...  Plus you are comparing "normal" gym people(the ones that drink every weekend, eat cheese burgers and pizza) with those that do it right.  Dont think that a style of training is wrong, because some cant hack it.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 12, 2004)

*rock:* Hey man, lol, thanks for stopping by bud. Yeah I definitely was happy about my PR though, that's for sure. 

*Jake:* You do you have a point though, but honestly, I don't see anyone not doing low-volume style training to be honest. Everytime I am in the gym guys are pumping away with moderate weights doing set after set after set. Never changing the weight or going all out at all. But then again, my gym is a lot of highschool kids.


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## PreMier (Nov 12, 2004)

All I am saying is low volume training isnt necissarily better, because all the 'dumb' people at the gym do hypertrophy based routines.  Take LAM for instance.. he does anywhere from 20-60 reps in a set, and he is on his way to 260, and 8% bf.


Nice PR by the way.  Thats intense, and I am sure that you will do well with HIT.  Just stick with it for a bit.


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## chris mason (Nov 12, 2004)

Cool Mike.  You should start to see the effects in terms of reduced DOMS and increased recovery within 4-5 days.


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## Robboe (Nov 12, 2004)

PreMier said:
			
		

> Take LAM for instance.. he does anywhere from 20-60 reps in a set,




Seriously?

Regularly or irregularly?


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## PreMier (Nov 12, 2004)

TCD said:
			
		

> Seriously?
> 
> Regularly or irregularly?


http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=38173&highlight=lam


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## Robboe (Nov 12, 2004)

60 reps is fuckin' nuts.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 13, 2004)

*Jake:* I don't think that all of the 'dumb' people in the gym train high-volume at all. It just seems I more often than not, in my personal gym experience, see the guys who always train with the same weights, keep the same physique, mindlessly mind away with a high-volume routine. 

*Chris:* Hey bud, thanks for stopping by. Honestly I can say that ETS is definitely not a gimmick, that's for sure. My leg workouts (especially heavy squatting) always gives me ridiculous DOMS the following day or two. My legs are barely sore at all. My glutes are a little sore, but nothing too bad at all. 

*TCD:* I concur, lol, 60 reps per set is friggin' nuts.


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## CowPimp (Nov 13, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *TCD:* I concur, lol, 60 reps per set is friggin' nuts.



Not 60 reps per set.  He does 15-20 reps on most of his sets, and 60 reps per exercise over the course of 3-4 sets.  Still, that's quite high.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 13, 2004)

*CowPimp:* Like you said bud, either way, 60 reps is pretty damn high no matter which way you see it.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 13, 2004)

Saturday; 11-13-2004

*Push*

Got into a car accident last night, so I couldn't drive to the gym today to workout. I was forced to do a short workout in my basement. But honestly, it was exhausting! 

*Machine Chest Presses:* Stack x 20

*Machine Pec-Deck Flyes:* 150 x 21

*Machine Military Presses:* 120 x 10

*DB Lateral Raises:* 40's x 16

*Cable Pressdowns:* 80 x 16

I have a Paramount universal machine in my basement where I did most of this workout. I started off with vertical chest presses, hit the whole stack for 20. That set was without a doubt to failure. Moved onto some pec-deck flyes, hit 21 reps, pecs were on f*cking fire! Then some overhead presses, and some lateral raises. DB lateral raises were intense, my side delts were on fire! Finished up with some pressdowns in the Paramount machine, holy sh*t, my triceps hit complete failure. 

Diet: 
M1- tuna salad sandwich, mixed fruit
M2- Swole preworkout
M3- whey protein + 1% milk
M4- turkey & cheese croissant, mixed fruit
M5- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
M6- MRP bar
M7- 1/2 turkey & cheese sandwich
M8- grilled chicken & cheese taco 
M9- MRP + 1% milk + peanut butter 

Sleep: 8 hours. Woke up once though and had trouble getting back to sleep.


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## Luke9583 (Nov 13, 2004)

Fuqi'n car accidents  sorry dude.  Looks like you're getting alittle more sleep...  Notice any difference?


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## Luke9583 (Nov 13, 2004)

That HIT stuff looks interesting.  I'd like to try it sometime


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## JerseyDevil (Nov 13, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Squats:* *315 x 19!*


Mike as you know, today was my first time squatting 225 x 20.  Couldn't even imagine 315 x 19.  Great job man!


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## M.J.H. (Nov 13, 2004)

*Luke:* Hey man, yeah it wasn't even really a car accident, I just ended up hitting a curb, which kinda' sucked. Busted up my front end of my Celica, but whatever. I am getting back my Prelude in a couple of days---so at least I'll have some kind of transportation. HIT is great so far bud, I think that you should definitely look into it. 

*JD:* Hey man, yeah those squats are definitely insane bud, I absolutely love them though! Even though they do kick my friggin' a*s, they're addicting. When I decided to stop HIT I felt like I wanted to go back and do some heavy high-rep squats, to failure. I have no idea why. Thanks for the support bud!


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## CowPimp (Nov 13, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *Luke:* Hey man, yeah it wasn't even really a car accident, I just ended up hitting a curb, which kinda' sucked. Busted up my front end of my Celica, but whatever. I am getting back my Prelude in a couple of days---so at least I'll have some kind of transportation.



Into Japanese sports cars eh...  Are you into modding your cars too?


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## M.J.H. (Nov 14, 2004)

*CowPimp:* Yeah bud, I am very into car modding. My Prelude is actually in the process of getting a JDM engine swap, along with an automatic to 5-speed conversion. Car modding and working out are my 2 hobbies.


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## M.J.H. (Nov 14, 2004)

Sunday; 11-14-2004

*Rest*

Nice to take a rest day today, because I had absolutely zero time to get to the gym. I am a little pissed that yesterday I didn't get a chance to get to the gym, I felt like I had an insufficient workout in my basement. Whatever. Tomorrow I am going to be hitting my back and biceps in the gym, so we'll see how that goes. I am almost trying to get DOMS because this ETS stuff I am taking has almost completely eliminated my soreness. Kinda tough mentally because I am so used to being sore after a good workout.  

Diet: 
M1- cottage cheese + mixed fruit 
M2- breaded chicken parmesan 
M3- MRP bar
M4- turkey & cheese sandwich
M5- tuna salad sandwich
M6- ?

Sleep: 7 hours. Barely 7 hours, lol, had to get up for work.


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## CowPimp (Nov 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *CowPimp:* Yeah bud, I am very into car modding. My Prelude is actually in the process of getting a JDM engine swap, along with an automatic to 5-speed conversion. Car modding and working out are my 2 hobbies.



We should meet half way and have a race on route 50.


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## chris mason (Nov 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> Sunday; 11-14-2004
> 
> *Rest*
> 
> ...


It is wild shit isn't it (the ETS)?  That is why I think it is the perfect supplement for the HIT style trainee (it works for all styles, of course).  You can beat the shit out of your muscles and not get that soreness that holds you back from training for an excessive period of time.  It also enhances overall recovery, thus you can train _harder_,_ more often_.  This can only serve to enhance the results of your training.  

As an aside, we have reached an agreement with Bodybuilding.com and they will be carrying ETS on their site within the next couple of weeks.  I am VERY excited about this as it will bring ETS to a whole new audience.  ETS is going to be the next creatine, mark my words!


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## M.J.H. (Nov 14, 2004)

*CowPimp:* Yeah man, I'll let you know. I am currently in the process of getting my modding back into full swing, I have a Wings West kit going on, 18" wheels, and I am also getting some 5% black tint. So after that I will probably get into the engine modding, we'll see. 

*Chris:* Great to see that you're so excited about ETS bud, I agree, I am surprised at how dramatic and soon I have noticed the progress. I have virtually no DOMS at all---and after squatting 315 for 19, I expect some serious, almost seriously painful, DOMS the following day. I had a little bit of mild soreness but nothing too major at all.


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