While each method of training has its own following there also those that use both. In this article I will talk about methods that will help all the followers of HIT and Volume plus those in between.
Many people that train using HIT have the opinion that something just isn't right with those guys that spend day after day in the gym doing endless sets of every lift under the sun.

A common opinion is the volume guys don't understand the "scientific" approach to building muscle, and just don't push themselves hard enough to get the job done in a few sets.

Many volume guys on the other hand look at the HITers as not being as devoted as they are, and truth be told, maybe a little lazy. They figure if you really want it you'll do as many damn sets as required as many days of the week as possible. It doesn't interfere with life, "it is life!"

While there are lot's of "in between" trainers that do moderated versions of one or the other training styles, the HIT guys and volume trainers make up an extremely large segment of the training populace.

Both of these almost diametrically opposed training styles have a large following for the simple reason they are both very effective for those that are suited to each method.


Stuck In A Rut


While most new trainees end up sampling a good variety of different training modes while learning what works best for them, many never get past the "same old, same old" they learned through haphazardly watching everyone else do the same thing.

This is especially true of guys that start with volume if you don't mind me saying so. Even those that experiment often experiment around an extremely narrow portion of "what seems to work for them."

In a good majority of the cases this is well and good if the trainee has found a system that works for them, but a waste of time and energy if they are spinning their wheels making little or no progress from week to week.

What I'm going to discuss in this article are those trainees that play both sides of the fence; I am also going to go over some ways that may make volume and HIT more agreeable for those that strictly choose one or the other.

To say that volume work is responsible for the largest percentage of the top physiques is an understatement. But by and large, volume training tends to overtrain the average person.

What many average Joes find is that doing a little gear (or these days, some of the more effective pro-hormones like ([insert your product]) makes them no longer average.

For many people, gear/PHs can greatly increase the trainee's ability to recover from sessions that would have left them hopelessly overtrained while clean. Knowing this, many methodical lifters train HIT, or low volume while clean, and then gradually ramp up the workload when "on." They then ramp the volume back down as the cycle ends.

My usual rule of thumb for people that don't have either a lot of gear experience or overall training experience is to pick a routine that you KNOW is effective for you while training clean, and then let the gear amplify the results.

Doing this as a planned approach makes a lot of sense for most trainees. This approach is especially beneficial to those of you who are still getting to know how your body responds to different stimuli.

All newbies out there reading this take heed. One of the biggest mistakes people make is getting on a cycle, believing that now they can train "just like the pros," and overtraining so badly they hardly grow.


I have seen COUNTLESS people blaming their lack of progress on "bogus gear," when the truth of the matter is they never had a chance on their newfound six day a week 20 sets a body-part routine.

Even the most dogmatic HITer has to admit that SOME people, even those that respond well to HIT while clean, often don't grow as well as they do when combining a volume approach with good gear. And if it works...


Transitioning From HIT To Volume


Okay, so what if you are the type of lifter that trains clean (at least most of the time)? Here are some approaches that can allow the HIT (or low-volume) trainee to get some potentially productive volume work into his routine without too much of a chance of overtraining.

Conversely, I will recommend some approaches that will give you volume guys a break from endless sets and stalled poundage, and should usually spark some new growth in the process.

The simplest method, and the one most often used in a haphazard way is to do either a high volume or HIT routine until progress stalls, at which point you can slowly work into the higher/lower volume routine, or do a sudden switch.

Given the choice I like the "quick switch" to the new format, as it tends to result in better gains. The problem with how this is usually carried out is that the trainee waits WAY too long before it finally occurs to him that he is truly stuck.

And, by then the trainee has not only wasted valuable time, he has also managed to make his body less apt to be responsive.

Better ways of making this transition start with having a game plan in place with some structure to the switch. Additionally, it is wise to be truly aware of what your body is telling you. This will allow you to transition from one training mode to the other without becoming totally burned out on either method.