Put your muscles through hell.
We’ve covered a lot of different training methods, all of them hardcore in their own right. The Hell Raiser Training program sounds like it could be one of the most brutal workout plans out there. If you haven’t heard of Hell Raiser Training then listen up. It’s a twelve week program meant to give you some massive muscle gains by putting you through some sweet, sweet torture.
The Gist
Invented by Tom Fuller, the idea behind the whole program is to push your muscles past their limits by performing a hell-centric rep. Yeah we know, you’re probably saying what the hell is a “hell-centric” rep. We’ll get to that in a moment. To begin with, you have to start by finding out what 80% of your 1 rep max weight is.
For example, if you normally max out with a 70 lb one rep curl – then you have to find 80% of that weight. You then perform curls with that 80% max weight (in this case 56 lbs) for 8 reps. This is when things begin to get interesting. After your regular reps you perform four additional reps. So what makes those extra 4 so special? Well, your training partner offers resistance by pulling down the weight you lift. You then slowly descend while your partner keeps light pressure for about five seconds.
The idea is to put your already burning muscles through that extra bit of torture. Fuller emphasizes that during the resistance phase that it is essential to allow for a steady descent on the way down. This way you’ll get the added burn. Once you’ve gotten through the first twelve weeks of training, Fuller suggests that you switch things up and perform the training every other week, incorporating different techniques in the interim for variety.
Day 1: Arms
• Close Grip Bench – 2 sets, 8 reps + 4 Hell-centric reps (HR)
• One Arm Machine Triceps Ext – 2 sets, 8 reps + 4 HR
• Lying DB Triceps Ext – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Standing DB Curls – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• DB Preacher Curls – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Reverse Curls – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Forward and Reverse Wrist Curls – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
Day 2: Legs
• Leg Press – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Leg Extension – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Hack Squats – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Hamstring Raises – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Standing Leg Curls – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Chest and Shoulders
• BB/Smith or DB Press – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Incline Smith or DB Flyes – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Pec Dec – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• DB or Smith Military Press – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Side Laterals – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Barbell Shrugs – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
Day 5: Back/Rear Delts/Calves
• Wide Grip Pull Ups – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• T-Bar – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Narrow Grip Pull Downs – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Reverse Pec Dec or Bent Laterals – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Calf Extensions – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
• Calf Raises – 2 sets x 8 reps + 4 HR
Day 6 & 7: More Rest & Relief
Have you done Hell Raiser Training before? Let us know your results in the comments below and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
