What is "HIT"?

The acronym "HIT" stands for HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING. HIT simply means organizing your workouts so that they are:

1. HARD - as hard as possible IN GOOD FORM.
2. BRIEF - 1-3 sets of a few basic exercises performed in an hour or less.
3. INFREQUENT - No more than three times per week, often times two, or even one.
4. SAFE - HIT is meant to be extremely productive in terms of size/strength gains AND also has a built-in safety component. One of the fundamental goals of strength training is to act as INJURY PREVENTATIVE

HIT is a disciplined style of training which is based on the two universally known factors affecting muscular growth - OVERLOAD and PROGRESSION.

The reps should be done in a controlled fashion so tension is placed on the muscles. Some use a 2 second count for the concentric (lifting) phase while others use a 20 second count. The key is performing QUALITY repetitions to a point of volitional fatigue.

One set IS productive, although some high intensity advocates sometimes choose to perform more than one set. Some people may require additional sets. As a general rule, with of course some exceptions, one set performed in a high intensity manner will provide all the stimulation you need.