HIT Low-Volume Strength
One brutal set per exercise, taken to absolute failure. The Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates school of training, with minimum volume and maximum intensity.
The selected Rackd catalog has 15 programs, 448 exercises, and 11 progression systems. This page covers one program's structure.
RPE
Pick the load by how hard the last rep felt.
Who this is for
Lifters who've put in time on higher-volume programs and want to see what one truly all-out set can do. People with limited recovery, busy jobs, poor sleep, or low appetite, who cannot run six days a week of PPL.
HIT (High Intensity Training) is controversial. Some lifters thrive on it, some plateau. Run it for 8 weeks honestly before deciding which group you're in.
Structure
Three full-body sessions a week, every other day. One working set per exercise, taken to true concentric failure (the rep where the bar literally stops moving).
Day A: Squat 1×6-10, Bench Press 1×6-10, Bent Over Row 1×6-10, Calf Raise 1×10-15. Day B: Deadlift 1×5-8, Overhead Press 1×6-10, Lat Pulldown 1×8-12, Curl 1×8-12. Day C: Leg Press 1×10-15, Incline Press 1×8-12, Cable Row 1×10-12, Triceps Pushdown 1×10-12.
One working set means one set after a thorough warm-up. Warm up properly: 50% × 10, 70% × 5, 85% × 3, then the working set.
Progression: hit the top of the range, weight goes up next session.
How to run it in Rackd
Rackd's HIT mode hides the multi-set rep field on your working sets and prompts you for the rep at which the bar stopped. That's your record for the lift, the single number that determines whether you progressed.
Rest 3-5 minutes between exercises. The set is short, the recovery isn't.
Notes
- "True failure" is harder than it sounds. Most lifters stop 2-3 reps short the first few weeks. Push through that.
- Rest days are non-negotiable. One set to failure recruits more fibers than 3 sets at RPE 8, so recovery has to match.
- If you stall two weeks in a row, take a full week off. Come back, retest the working weight, restart progression. That's part of the program, not a sign you're failing.
- HIT is not for everyone. If you're more sore than you've ever been after week 2, that's normal. If you're still that sore at week 6, run a different program.