HighIntensity.net View Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Topic

Hey all- haven′t been on the boards in a while, but decided to check back in and look around.
I have a question: I′ve been using HIT for a number of years and last summer wanted to add some intensity to my workouts. I decided to try rest/pause and I′m very happy with the results. I actually lowered my workout frequency to once every 2 weeks due to the toll the workouts took on my body. But after 5 months of it, I felt a bit taxed, in general. So I went back to doing regular reps on my exercises. The thing is, my reps haven′t really gone up since the last time I did regular reps. An example is deadlifts. I was using 270 pounds for 4 reps before starting rest/pause. In the 5 months or so or rest/pause, I got up to 315 pounds (did 315, 305, 295, 285 for my rest/pause reps). Deadlifts are now only up to 6 reps with the 270.
The point I′m making is I guess I thought my strength gains in the rest/pause would have translated into more in the regular phase of my training. I know I′m not putting up tons of weight, but it was certainly more than I had been using. My body is much more muscular since starting in rest/pause and I can′t wait to try it again after some time off. Maybe what i′ve been doign is training my body to do a specific duty, IE: one rep with a heavy weight, one with a slightly less heavy weight, etc. And this didn′t contribute very much to my "normal" routine.

BTW, I′ve read all Mentzer′s books and swear by HIT- it′s the only thing that has gotten me to the point I′m at now.

Hey jedimaster,

That′s cool about the rest-pause workouts. I′ve been thinking about bumping intensity with them too, but I think I′ll do some regular to true failure workouts for a little more time. I had been doing NTF for a while and began yurning for higher intensity.

I could see 3 things maybe happening for you.

1) You′re mainly fast twitch fiber, and you′re better equipped for lower reps.
2) You′ve had great myofibril growth, which increases your strength, but you′ve actually LOST some sarcoplasmic growth (or not grown at the same rate), so you can′t do higher reps.
3) The brain needs to relearn how to optimize your strength with that weight/reps.

I agree with you that HIT is by far the best training method out there. It′s just in the finer details where we can tweak a program like Heavy Duty.

Darrell

Thanks for the reply! I really do seem suited to low reps and heavy (for me) weights. I′ve always petered out on higher reps- even in high school, I wasn′t a good distance runner, but I could outdash some of the smaller, skinnier (more of a runner′s physique, not to insult anyone) guys.

Hmm- I′d hoped for more feedback.

OK- just got done with doing reps for a workout last night. Bicep curls stayed the same. Tricep pressdowns wwent up quite a bit- I wonder if certain bodyparts respond better to rest/pause.

Arms are now 18.5 inches, which is decent- but I lack peaks on my biceps. I wonder if I′ve reached a point where I should do concentration curls for a while? Like Mike said- build the mass, then worry about the details?