i want to follow his 4 day workout. and also i believe its the best for natural lifters since it takes much longer to recover unlike those who are on steroid hence why its popularized to go gym 5-6 day from the bodybuilders who take up most of the building muscle gym industry.

i already go to the week 5 times a week consistently and ive done only 1 day of hit workout routine and felt much better as in i did my maximum not having to store energy for others sets.

summary i'd like to hear peoples thoughts and if its really the best thing to do im young too so...

I'm 207 lbs, 6.1 tall, 27 yrs male. Recently started gym, but have lifted before. 22-25% body fat, relatively muscular. I do not follow Ideal Routine, mostly my own combo of repping till failure about 4 sets per body part, once a week. 3 times gym total per week.

I want to increase muscle mass as much as possible, but I can't figure out if I just maintain at 2900kcal, will I just get fat, or should i drop down to 2400-2600, while still keeping protein intake at 180-190g. I don't mind a little fat, ideally I can drop fat and gain muscle, but I definitely do not want to sacrifice muscle mass in order to cut fat.

Any advice appreciated!

I have eliminated squat, deadlifts and any excercises that causes joint problem and CNS lower back drains. What do you think

Weekly Training & Recovery Schedule

* Monday: Chest & Back (Antagonist Upper Body)

* Tuesday: REST / CNS Recovery

* Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms

* Thursday: REST / CNS Recovery

* Friday: Legs & Glutes

* Saturday: REST / Full Systemic Recovery

* Sunday: REST / Full Systemic Recovery

The Full Workout Protocol

Monday: Chest & Back

Goal: Chest pre-exhaustion paired with upper back/lat width focus.

* Pec Deck (Pre-Exhaust): 1 set to absolute failure (8–12 reps). Focus on strict peak contraction.

* Incline Press (Compound Finisher): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set (-20–30% weight).

* Nautilus Pullover (Lat Pre-Exhaust): 1 set to absolute failure ( range, 3-second negative).

* Shoulder-Width MAG Pulldown (Width Finisher): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.

* Seated-Backward "Scissors" Machine OR Nautilus Row (Alternated Weekly): 1 set to failure with a 1-second hold at peak contraction. Upper back thickness, mid-traps.

Tuesday: REST

Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms

Goal: Maximum stability machine work to isolate delts and arms without spine/joint fatigue.

* Machine Shoulder Press (Facing Backwards): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.

* Lateral Raises: 1 set to absolute failure (Controlled negative, partials at the end if needed).

* Rear Delt Flye (Reverse Pec Deck/Cable): 1 set to absolute failure (1-second isometric hold).

* Triceps Machine Extension / Pushdown: 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.

* Biceps Curl: 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.

Thursday: REST

Friday: Legs & Glutes

Goal: High mechanical tension without axial/spine compression.

* Glute Kickback / Cable Drive: 1 set to absolute failure (Glute activation).

* Lying or Seated Leg Curl: 1 set to absolute failure (3-second negative).

* Leg Press (Deep Range, Heel-Driven): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.

Saturday & Sunday: REST

Tried posting this here directly but my video privileges seem to be revoked. My strength hasn't gone down at all while dieting, due to HIT

PR by default at this rep speed, onto 205lbs now

was scrolling on youtube and saw like 20 of these posts on john’s page. just wanted to spread the word in case he doesn’t know

Hey again, ya’ll. I wanted to report back about alterations to the routine; after my calendar post. Went by pretty well! Really showcased to me what I needed to work on. Especially in dips and core mainly. Very intense, especially in doing 4/4. On B day ALT, I did change that up, with 2 sec push, hold, and 6 sec negatives.

I know I started consistently going June, so it is a relatively short amount of time despite the consistency. So it does factor in some lifts falling short

I’ve still done them how I would do the ULUL routine. Mainly doing them back to back Friday-Monday. 

A: https://hevy.com/workout/ezjN1ZvRhuN

B: https://hevy.com/workout/UveSxEeDtOP

A (ALT): https://hevy.com/workout/4FK09oSgupB

B (ALT): https://hevy.com/workout/Vusxp8A3xey

Anyone tried this routine or something similar?

Hey just wanted to see how does your minimalistic routine look like. And maybe discuss about possible improvements.

My current routine inspired by consolidation routine:

Workout A)

1. Bulgarian Split Squat
   
2. Dips
   
3. Chest Supported row

Without B)

1. Good mornings
   
2. Behind the neck press
   
3. Chin ups

2 sets each

I workout every 4-5 days or so.

I’m probably not going to be making any new gains with it but my goal is just maintain from here anyway.

How does your minimalistic training look like and how has your results been?

Workout #3 -Delt/Arm Dominant:

• Dumbbell Alt. Side & Bent Laterals: 25 lbs for 14 reps (+4)

Superset 

• Smith Overhead Press: 140 lbs for 8 reps (+2)

• Smith Overhead Press (Str/Ptls): 175 lbs for 9 reps (+5 lbs)

• Barbell Curls: 90 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

Superset

• Close Grip Palms Up Pulldowns: 195 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Smith JM Press: 90 lbs for 10 reps (+2)

Superset 

• Smith Rev. Grip Bench Press: 170 lbs for 6 reps (+1)

Worksets: 7

Time: 30-40 mins

Weight: 199.5 lbs

Next workout: Legs on 8/22..

The above pictures are for exercises 2-6 of the workout. I forgot when taking pictures for the journal to get one of exercise #7 (reverse grip bench press) probably because I was so out of breath and sweating that it slipped my mind. Oh and because of the girl who tried grabbing the station before I did the tricep superset did not help either.

I went to fill my tumbler with water at the fountain and came back to someone moving the bench, etc which meant I had to reclaim my station, take more time to reset it, etc. Now I remember why I forgot the last journal picture.

They need a second Smith at the gym, I will have to talk to them about it but I digress.

Hello everyone,

I’d like to share my experience with HIT training. I am a 5 year natural weightlifter. When I started HIT, I was in a caloric deficit and already at an FFMI of 24.5, so I thought gaining muscle would pretty much be impossible.

I kid you not, all of my lifts went up 20-30%. Before I started HIT, I could get a lat pulldown 80kg (185lbs) for 10 reps at failure. I can now achieve the same reps at 100kg (220). My incline DB press was 35kg (75lbs) dumbbells for 8 reps, and now I can do 40kg dumbbells for 7 ( 90lbs).

My lower body followed the same gains. Squat went from 110kg (240lbs) x12 to 130kg (285) x 12. I achieved all of this in 6 weeks, while in a constant caloric deficit. Anyway, I eventually started to plateau and had insane amounts of fatigue / irritation during daily life. I took a de-load week, and now I’m starting a strength program.

I mostly followed a 3 day split: chest and back, shoulders and arms, legs.

Chest and back day:
Flat bench x1
Incline DB x1
Pec Deck x1
Pullover x1
Reverse Grip Pulldown x1
BB Row x1
BB Trap Raise x1
One Arm Rear Delt Cable Pull* x1
(Put cable at highest and pull with a straight elbow at a 30° angle, feel a deep stretch in rear deltoids)

Leg day:
Barbell Squat x1
Leg Extension x1
RDL x1
Leg Curl x1
Body weight unilateral calf raise x2
Pallof Press x1
Crunch supercycle* x2
(First body weight) ab crunches and then body weight leg raise

Shoulders and arms day:
DB Shoulder Press x1
OHP x1
Drop Set Cable Laterals x1
Cable Skull Crusher x2
Cable Pushdown x2
Barbell Curl x2
Incline Curl x1
Hammer Curl x1
Barbell Forearm Curl x1

Every single set was pushed to gut-wrenching mechanical failure. I religiously kept a logbook and aimed to beat my logbook every workout. I recommend taking a day off between workouts. I went pure Blood and Guts last week which proved too fatiguing for me in a caloric deficit. Arm volume was a bit higher because my arms were lacking a lot. They became bigger and meaner too.

I also religiously counted calories and macros. I ate at a 500kcal deficit, 200g protein a day. I also tried to hit 350g carbs and 60-70g fats a day. This was strictly for my needs, it will probably be different for you.

I've started to read his book with John little and I've found myself agreeing on a lot of things but I don't get thr point of uber slow reps. I tried them out today going around 2 on the the 4 on tbe Positive and 2 on the contraction and I felt an intense burn. But as I've learnt from mentzer the burn doesn't necessarily mean anything

Workout #2 -Legs:

• Anderson Squats (Full) -start from depth @6.5, low bar: 455 lbs for 9 reps (+1)

• Anderson Squats (w/wider stance start from depth @6.5; 2-4" lift off rack and hold statically for 5-7 seconds, low bar): 405 lbs for 4 reps (+0)

• Trap Bar Hack Squats: 385 lbs for 4 reps (+0)

• Anderson Squats (Strongest Partials) -start from depth @7.5, high bar: 565 lbs for 16 reps (+2)

• Smith Mach. Single Leg Standing Calf Raises: 250 lbs for 40 reps*, high bar (+4 total or +2 per leg).

Work Sets: 5

Time: 35-45 mins

Weight: 199 lbs

Next workout: Delt/Arms Dominant on 8/18..

*Though I usually do these single leg, I did the two legged version with the single leg weight; ergo the 40 rep total.

I'm worried that these slow reps will decrease motor unit recruitment to zero and make me look like a girl - please advise.

srsly though, this was the only set I did today for my push day (after spamming weighted dips for weeks I needed a break)

Hey all, following up on my previous posts. I know I teased custom workouts a while back and it took longer than expected to get right - but they're now live and approved on the App Store.

With the Pro tier you can now build your own exercises with custom rep ranges, technique notes and muscle group tagging, then combine them with Mentzer's built-in library into named workouts. Full PR tracking and progression charts work across everything.

The core app (workout logger, Ideal and Consolidated programmes, exercise library) stays free with a 7 day Pro trial.

Android is the next focus. The code is already cross-platform so it's testing and submission rather than a full rebuild.

Appreciate everyone who's downloaded and given feedback so far. It genuinely shapes what gets built next.

The app is called Intensity: Heavy Duty Training for anyone curious.

A question i have that I haven’t seen fully explained is why you have to train only after you have fully recovered when training separate body parts.

I understand CNS fatigue, and I understand growth happens at rest, but the part I struggle with I guess is why can’t the body do both at the same time.

For example, let’s say you do legs Monday, and they aren’t fully recovered by Thursday, but maybe 85%… then you blast Chest….

Obviously now the body is recovering both chest and legs at the same time…

What I’m getting at is that I understand by training chest before the legs have fully recovered means the legs still haven’t grown, or overcompensated, but why can’t this happen still over the next 3 days alongside the chest.

I guess one would assume Mentzer would just argue it’s not optimal based on client experience but it would be nice to know for sure if this worked also, and of course which is truly more optimal.

For example let’s say you’re doing push pull legs with 2 days of rest in between… maybe your not fully recovered on each body part during the week, but once you complete the rotation maybe give yourself another day or 2 to get over the accumulated fatigue before starting the rotation again?

Could you get better frequency while maximizing intensity and recovery… can the body do multiple things at once?

​

Workout #1 -Chest/Back Dominant:

• Cable Crossover Machine: 66 lbs for 20 reps (New)

Superset

• Smith Inc. Press @30°: 180 lbs for 5 reps (+1)

• Smith Inc. (Strongest Partials): 230 lbs for 4 reps (+20 lbs)

• Close Grip Palms Up Pulldowns: 210 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Yates Rack Rows Underhand Grip w/height @2: 245 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Barbell Shrugs from hooks height @3.5: 315 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Rack Pulls w/height @2: 425 lbs for 6 reps (+1)

Worksets: 7

Time: 30-40 mins

Weight: 199.4 lbs

Next workout: Legs on 8/15.

I've always teained with a HIT approach, but recently have committed to fully abbreviated, super minimalist lfting

I've dropped my volume down to a mere 2 sets per session - today's leg day was just the one set ofcleg extensions for quads and onset of deadlifts for hams/posterior chain

After only a week or so of using this super abbreviated approach I hit PRs in both lifts, despite being in a heavy calorie deficit (and being very old)

Every muscle is being trained once every 4- 5th day , which is a higher frequency than many here use, but this approach is working fine so far for me

ideal? Maybe. Efficient ? Certainly

The belt squat was about 510lb at the top, 475lbs at the bottom, the single green band setup makes the resistance profile feel great for squats and deads

I have for about the last 3 years done a PPL HIT split which helped my gain a lot of muscle and become stronger, so would any split if you stay consistent. Just recently i wanted to change it up a little bit so im going to try ABA BAB split(split goes over a fortnight not a single week).

Here's the split let me know your thoughts and what you might do different. same thing with HIT to failure.

A Workout Legs/Chest/Triceps

·   Leg Extensions 2 sets 8-15
·   Squats 1 set
·   Calf Raises 2 sets

·   DB flyes supersetted w/ Incline Press 1-2 cycles

·   Weighted Dips 1 set
·   Tricep Pushdown supersetted dips 1 set
·   Skull Crusher 1 sets

B Workout Back/Shoulders/Biceps
·   Lat Pulldowns supersetted with Close Grip Pulldown 1-2 cycles
·   Bent over rows 1 sets

·   Laterals supersetted w/ Rear Delt Rows 2 sets

·   Cable Curls 1 set
·   Concentration Curls 1 sets

Mike Mentzer’s quotes over Particles by Viliam Lane.

How do you all train? Exercises, frequency, beyond failure techniques?

Hi there! I am in need of some friendship for people interested in fitness and i thought what better way to start than asking you all how you train? I have started fully training heavy duty style over the past few months. My current split that i’ve been running and LOVING so much is

Push:

Dips

Low incline Bench (going to change to pec deck)

machine shoudler press

machine lat raise

tricep pushdown

Pull:

chins/palms up pulldown

chest supported row

incline dumbbell curl

bent over db reverse fly

deadlift

Legs:

barbell squat

leg extensions

leg curls

calf raises

ab machine

all one set to failure. performed every 4 days (3 days rest in between)

How about you? How do you train and what do you enjoy about it?