HIT Your Back!

From the golden era of bodybuilding to the days when there was a shadow over the sport to today, bodybuilders the world over have used HIT, or high-intensity training, to try to take their physiques to the next level.

It began in the 1970s with Arthur Jones, who was the creator of Nautilus equipment. Many bodybuilders of that era spent two or three hours in the gym every day, believing that a higher volume of sets and reps was the formula for muscle growth. Jones believed that brief, intense all-out effort that was focused on a single set, followed by an intensity booster like drop sets or rest/pause would do the trick.

Following Jones’ lead was the late Mike Mentzer, who promoted HIT to the bodybuilding masses of the late ’70s and into the ’80s as Heavy Duty. Mentzer wrote books about his bodybuilding philosophy and how it could help the novice lifter.

[story continues…]