How it all started
I still remember the harshest time of getting discharged from the hospital with less than no hope for recovery from my self induced illness. Problems I faced were countless times of asking the same question, unpredictable migraines, lack of memory retention and not being able to remember who I am, what I was, are the ones with me my parents or not? Most painfully……Although my grandfather passed away that year, my mind lacked memory retention, the news felt like the first time, although I was the one who buried him myself in his final resting place. The experience was very much a formidable conundrum caused by my very own mistakes. Time kept on running and I saw my peers graduating and being employed while I faced sickness, countless drips & medication at the hospital for over three years with the delayed semesters at the university where I was studying.
It was me who stopped, not the time!
The Recovery & Getting Back Up
It was thanks to my family that I recovered but I still lacked independence due to memory retention and mobility, I was still on medication, wheelchair and bed rest because my brain’s cerebellum lacked the strength to function properly.
Definition of Cerebrum & its function: It’s the largest part of the brain, which makes up approximately 80% of its total volume, and forms the upper front portion of the central nervous system. It serves as the primary center for conscious thought, sensory processing, voluntary movement, and memory.
The doctors thought that I’d remain in this state forever.
During this situation (the hospitalisation phase), I had lost my weight, muscle mass, strength and definition which I used to retain when I was competing in district-based bodybuilding competitions. (from 2010 till 2019 from Hyderabad till Karachi)
What I lost was my physique (presented in the photos below), muscle mass & definition during the time when I was hospitalised. My weight fell to 69 kg while I used to weigh 75kg on stage and 78kg off season! (off season is the time when a bodybuilder is not preparing for a contest but is maintaining his/her physique and muscle mass along with improving his/her lacking muscle group) The castle of dominoes fell in its weight once the brick was pulled!
I never used PEDs nor any other strength enhancement drugs in my life!
Getting Discharged From The Hospital & Facing The University
After over four years of sickness, hospitalisation, medication, haltered semesters, loss of hope and purpose, I felt as if I had become nothing but a distorted reflection of myself in a crystal clear mirror. I needed a purpose, something meaningful and beyond my existence with a deeper meaning.
I decided to read books lying on my shelf collecting dust!
That was the time when I found a novel which a dear friend of mine wrote and gave it to me. That novel sparked curiosity in my mind, although it was a novel, reading it helped me develop a good habit of reading a book every year! That was the smartest decision to make since I was on a hectic medication schedule & bed rest when I was discharged from the hospital. After completing that book, I took out another book from my bookshelf titled “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles“. Without giving spoilers of what’s written in this book, what I learned was that having a purpose in life brings a deeper meaning to your existence. That was when I started to set goals in my life! A goal is a purpose, purpose brings meaning, & meaning brings desire & it drives energy for a task’s completion.
Graduating From The University & Getting Back To Gym
The purpose of completion made me think in a unilateral direction with multiple clusters. I divided my goals into three sections and named them on my study table, as mentioned in the table below.
| Types Of Goals | Their Names |
| 1- Long Term Goals | 1-To understand my family business, 2-experiment with workout programs 3-Financial Independence |
| 2- Mid Term Goals | 1-To Practice What I Know About Film & TV Production (upload new videos on Youtube & write blogs on WordPress) |
| 3-Short Term Goals | 1-To Graduate From Greenwich University Karachi with my specialization in Film & TV Production 2-Complete My Diplomas (Pakistan Institute of Management Karachi’s Diploma In Management & Leadership 3-PF Institute Level 2 & 3 Fitness Trainer Certification |
When I sat down to study, I glanced at the goals (especially my short-term goals) which I had set to achieve and started to work on them! As I started, I started with small steps. Small steps keep you sequenced with your path and with patience that is what makes your journey stable and successful. I managed to align my passion and profession altogether.
I had to clear my courses with straight As and I also wanted to keep my workout programme consistent. In this tunnel of abyss with humongous conundrum, I needed to manage both (the final semester of my master’s degree in university and my gym workouts).
That was when a thought clicked in my mind!
“Maybe I should change the way I workout?”
A thought can be your first step to change if you act upon it! Therefore, I started to scroll through the internet realm via my phone trying to find every useful piece of information on Google and YouTube. Surprisingly, I stumbled upon the YouTube channel of a dude with a dope moustache and best physique named “Mike Mentzer”.
From his channel, I got to know about the “High-Intensity Interval Training” program (H.I.I.T Exercise Program), which was founded by Arthur Jones (creator of Nautilus Machine) and later he (Mike Mentzer), followed and enhanced this training methodology. Their training programs were unorthodox and different compared to the mostly famous high volume workout programs preached since the Weider Brothers (Joe & Ben Weider).
Joe & Ben Weider: The Brothers Who Created The Gym Culture, Influenced The American Public Massively To Buy Gym Memberships of The Famous “Gold’s Gym”, Workout Plans & Supplements
The Weider brothers left their mark in the realm of fitness industry by revolutionising it. Joe Weider is recognised as the father of modern bodybuilding, creating “MR Olympia” contest in 1965, he built “The Weider Publishing & Supplement Empire including “Muscle & Fitness Magazine”, “Flex Magazine” & “Shape Magazine”. He also mentored legends such as “Arnold Schwarzenegger”! & Ben Weider co-founded the federation & served as IFBB President until 2006. He grew the federation internationally to over 150+ countries during his tenure and managed the diplomatic and administrative side of the sport. The Weider Brothers were the reason why gyms, fitness magazines & workout programs came into existence & it also brought “steroid abuse and body dysmorphia” thanks to misguided marketing for using artificially enhanced athletes for supplement advertising & endorsement. Although Mike Mentzer was also using PEDs, but he encouraged logical reasoning and promoted workout programs which can be managed by natural gym-goers who are tied up with life & responsibilities!
“Precise is better.” Mike Mentzer.
Now Let’s Get Back To The Topic:
H.I.I.T stands for “High Intensity Interval Training”, it means that your workout routine and exercises should be brief, intense & infrequent. In short, your exercise volume should be low, but its intensity should be high. For example, if you’re doing 3 sets of bench press for 10 reps with a gradual increase in weight, instead of doing those 3 sets for 10 reps, you do one intense set of 10 to 15 reps with slow and deliberate movement, using weights heavy enough that you don’t need to exceed further because precise is better.
“By heavy, it means that the weight should be heavy enough to stimulate your targeted muscle within that rep range by prioritising slow & deliberate movement combined with intensity”
If you’re working out alone like me, then you should reduce the weight by 10% to avoid injuries!
Since I was training in splits, this is how I finally built my exercise program based on his philosophy!
| Days | Muscles | Sets & Reps |
| 1-Monday | Push Pull (Chest, Back & Arms) Abs | 1 Set 6 exercises 1-chest 2- back 3- biceps 4- triceps (2 exercises) 5- forearms 6- lower back extention) 10-15 Reps for major muscles 6 abs exercises (50-60 reps) supersets with bodyweight |
| 2- Wednesday | Abs & Cardio | 1- Set 8 abs exercises 50-60 reps for each, bodyweight exercises in superset fashion |
| Friday | Legs & Shoulders | 1- Set 4 exercises 2 exercises for legs + one exercise for shoulders & shrugs + calf raises 20 reps for legs & 15 for shoulders 6 abs exercises with 50-60 reps bodyweight exercises in superset fashion |
for now ignore the table above until I recommend you to follow it!
The rep ranges for abs are higher because, I used to train abs in higher volume when I used to participate in bodybuilding contests. Back then, I still used to do 6-8 abs exercises for 50-60 reps in superset fashion for each section of abdominal muscles. But I used to do it frequently from Monday till Friday. Nowadays, for abs, I still do 50-60 reps in superset fashion after training the major muscles on Mondays & Fridays. As for Wednesdays, I do eight abs exercises targeting each section of abdominal muscles. As for Tuesdays & Thursdays I prefer to walk.
Now let me tell you how I came to understand Mike Mentzer’s H.I.I.T after doing lots of trial and error.
The Beginning: Trials, Errors & Success:
When I was developing my first Mike Mentzer inspired HIIT workout plan, I didn’t know where to begin and how! My mind couldn’t wipe out the high volume philosophy because, as I said, I’ve been following that high volume workout routine for over two decades. Due to this reason I ended up developing a plan which was pretty much the condensed version of high volume workout plan.
The screenshots below are of the first experimental workout plan which backfired!
Experiment-1: The Trial & Error
What I did was divide 3 sets of 10 reps each into 2 sets of 15 reps each, which resulted in pretty much the same level of workout volume. In short, the experiment backfired because quantity remained the same!
Experiment-2: The Error Turned Into Success
When the experimental program finished, I pulled out my exercise journal on my phone’s notes app. I figured out that I was missing out on the true nature of this experimental program. I began to scroll yet again & finally, after researching enough, I found the missing piece of this jigsaw puzzle!
Now, I felt relief as I figured out a plan that was in accordance with my schedule & goals. I was able to create balance in my studies, hobbies & life’s responsibilities. This time, with conformity, I developed a workout program that fits the bill for H.I.I.T. The correction needed was reduction in volume (sets and reps) with an increase in the intensity of the exercises.
Monday: Push Pull & Abs Workout Program Chart
I divided my major workouts into compound exercises with a blend of isolation movements. With this strategy, I was able to give attention to the targeted muscle groups unconditionally without compromising the theme of high intensity interval training.
Wednesday: Abs & Cardio
On Wednesdays, I do 8 bodyweight abs workouts in supersets; for this reason, the routine remains interesting. I prefer a combination of structured muscle mass and definition, with this concept being the core idea, I added an additional day to target abs. On Wednesday, I do 8 abs exercises following the same superset fashion.
Friday: Legs & Shoulders & Abs Workout Chart
Friday is international leg day! This is when I do legs & shoulders workouts (upper & lower body). Legs are the major muscles in the human body they are what help you with sitting down, standing up, walking & running. They are the primary pillars of strength, and you must not ignore this muscle group just because no body looks down. When training legs with shoulders, both muscle groups don’t compete with each other, nor will there be any interference between muscle groups, which mostly occurs when you train chest with triceps or back with biceps. The risk of overuse of a muscle group is also eliminated in this plan.
Sets & Reps Required: Conclusion
Congratulations on reading till here! Now let’s discuss sets and reps clearly. Mike Mentzer insisted on doing one all out set for each exercise instead of doing 3 sets for each exercise. The reason behind it is to prioritise intensity over volume. The tables that you have read earlier are how I created the exercise regimen following his concept. If you are tied up with responsibilities or if you’re tired of your old routine, you should try H.I.I.T you won’t be disappointed. The reason why I studied this plan was that I was tired of the Weider Mentality of volume fetish. I weigh 88 kg with muscle mass, definition and 6 packs following this routine & trust me, no steroids were abused in my life. Even when I used to compete in such contests, I have remained 100% natural
