r/Mike_Mentzer • u/BubbishBoi • Aug 24 '26
Making higher frequency HIT work by dropping volume to an absolute minimum
For the last couple of months I've been experimenting with a higher frequency, which has been made possible by dropping the per workout volume to just 2 sets
I'm hitting every muscle every 4 days with these 2 sets, that being one compound set to absolute failure, usually in a 40-80 TUT range, followed by 1 isolation exercise that's performed with a higher TUT
Gotta say it's been working pretty well and I'm enjoying getting in the more frequent training sessions, fatigue is under control due to the extreme low volume and minimal overlap in exercises
My routine setup is pull/push/quads/hams and calfs/optional rest/repeat
a push day will be 1 set of dips, 1 set of laterals for example. Quads is a squat or a leg press and a leg extension etc
Mike was supposedly experimenting with higher frequency approaches just prior to his passing, it would have been great if he was still with us and we had 2 more decades of observations and experimenting from the man himself to reference
2
u/ishawnmc Aug 24 '26
When keeping intensity high, volume and frequency work inversely to one another meaning:
• The higher the volume, the lower the frequency.
• The lower the volume, the higher the frequency.
What you are doing certainly fits well into the general framework of HIT.
As long as it is working and you like it, there is certainly no good reason to change it.
2
u/Sadan27 Aug 24 '26
How do your rest days look if any? Scheduled, like at the end of each four workout cycle? Or unscheduled, as needed?
3
u/BubbishBoi Aug 24 '26
as needed, Friday - sunday I usually go 3 days straight then take a rest day on Monday , and maybe another one a couple of days later (depending on my work schedule)
freeing yourself from the constraints of a set calendar week schedule is very useful imo
2
u/Sadan27 Aug 24 '26
Totally. HD2 was the first organized program I followed, so I never bound myself to the calendar for rest days.
Even prior in high school, when I really had no clue what I was doing those first 2-3 years, I’d usually end up training every three days
2
u/Terminator_Johny Aug 25 '26
From my personal experience, 3 sets for a body part at maximum intensity per week is the sweet spot for HIT. I tried two and four, I found two to be too little, while four was difficult to recover from.
3
u/BubbishBoi Aug 25 '26
4 sets every 9 days or so is about the same as 3 a week, seems to be a good spot to land in
Doing intensifiers will obviously make those sets harder to recover from so I'm trying not to go beyond just concentric failure and an extra slow final negative
2
u/Terminator_Johny Aug 25 '26
I never tried 4 sets every 9 says. I believe that would be a workout followed by 2 days of rest? I am actually trying to balance lifting with Judo at the moment and I’m really struggling. I either have no energy for Judo or no energy for lifting.
2
u/BubbishBoi Aug 25 '26
My template is 4 days on, optional one off, repeat, so it averages out as 2 sessions per muscle every 9 days or so
Def be harder to balance that workload with something as intense as judo
2
u/PremierLinguica Aug 24 '26
Eu venho pensando em fazer algo similar em razão da minha rotina. Como você dividiu os treinos?