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Hi guys,

Finally after waiting for months (because of lower back problems), I have started using HIT.
I am now using Mike′s Ideal Routine from High Intensity the Mike Mentzer Way. I am not using it long enough to be sure that I am making steady progress. In the past I always used volume methodes, but I am sure I am not going to make that mistake again.

There is one thing I would like to ask you guys. Since there are so many days off, between workouts I feel kinda small. Is is now almost 14 days since my last Chest/Back workout and it almost feels like I don′t have a chest at all. Im am used to having some kind of tension in the mucles (I always had that when I did volume training and even when I did full body workouts like Arthur suggests 2 /3 days a week).
The lack of tonus in the muscles makes me feel quilty and unsure. It makes me wanna workout again, but I know I should not, and I dont′t!
How should I feel about this lack off tension. Is a it a sign that the muscles are now fully recovered and a threfor positive thing? Or is it a sign of shrinking muscles?
Do you guys recognise this? What am I to think?

Thank you, I hope my English is good enough to understand all of my questions
Zico (the Netherlands)

Hi Zico. Welcome.

I too, have noticed that my muscles appear somewhat "flat" many days after a workout. I think this is actually because inflammation/energy storage is down in the muscle. When doing volume training, the muscles are in a state of constant inflammation from damage and trying to repair. It′s not actually muscle tone, it′s just fluid buildup. That′s my theory at least, because volume trainers loose a HUGE amount of size just from a 1 or 2 week layoff. After doing HIT for almost 2 years now, my overall size has increased BEYOND the inflammed size I had with volume training, even though the muscles seem flat. AFTER a workout, I′m MUCH bigger now than I was with volume training because of the pump, swelling, and inflammation.

HIT will give you REAL muscular size, size that is actually functional. Volume training will give you "temporary" or "transient" size, which can leave overnight. This is why some people are so scared to miss a workout while volume training, because they think they′ll loose all their muscle. It′s actually fluid retention they are loosing, so they′re right, they ARE loosing size, it′s just they never had REAL muscle to begin with.

Darrell

Remember, use YOUR best frequency. Mike′s recommendations were for examples. If 14 days is too long for you, there is NO reason to wait that long. But if you DO need that long, then all is fine 🙂

Az

Zico, yes I also thought that on the ideal routine theres too much emphasis on lower body, and like you said chest/back gets trained every 14 days, and legs every 7 days. But this is what Mike found worked best with a higher volume program like this with more exercises.

My advice to you is to go straight into the consolidation routine. Although its called a consolidation routine, your chest getS hit a lot more frequently then the ideal. Believe me your chest will grow huge on this program, better then the ideal. Dips in my opinion is the best pec exercise you can do.

I know I tell this to everyone, but Mike actually wanted everyone on the consolidated routine, but used the ideal as more of a program to attract people as the volume is slightly higher people would be more inclined to try it.

Thanks for the replies!

So dafortae, if I understand you correctly the flattening of the muscles could be expained as "the muscles actually being recovered " since there is no longer any inflammation going on and fluids are down. To be short: its all positive and I should not worry about the fact that the muscles are soft.

Krome thanks for the advice, but I think I am not ready to go and use the consolidated routine. I have only just started HIT. It sounds like you have spoken to Mike in person, since you tell that he wanted everybody to use the consolidated routine, is that so?