Growing a decent amount of muscle could be one of the hardest things you ever try to do – that’s a fact. People who have gained more than 10 pounds of muscle will quickly tell you about how difficult it is and how hard training can be.
HRT: Animal Hellraiser claims to be the best way to do this – let’s see if it is really that bad.
Table of Contents
About the Author – Tom Fuller
Becoming a fitness legend requires one of two things – preferably both. First, you have to be pretty darn smart and know what you’re doing. Two, you have to be as jacked as you can possibly be.
In the case of Tom Fuller, it’s both.
Tom has more than 29 years of experience in the fitness, bodybuilding, and supplement industry. (That’s a lot of years!)
In that time, Tom has actually done quite a lot with his life, with accomplishments including:
- Senior sales executive for Universal Nutrition
- AnimalPak.com trainer
- National-Level competitive bodybuilder
- Bachelors in Business Management
- Blue Belt in Shinsho Kempo Jujitsu
- Purple Belt in Chinese Kenpo
This is certainly a situation of walking the walk while being able to write a short story about the walk as well. Tom has been mentioned or written about by various publishing companies.
Primarily, his insane training methods get people talking…
Animal Hellraiser Overview
You might have been led to believe that volume is the key to progress in terms of growth. Some – especially older generation folk – like to argue the opposite.
They strongly believe doing a few insanely hard sets is all you need, such as the training style you’ll see in the HRT: Animal Hellraiser Training.
- Fitness level: Advanced
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Workouts per week: 4 workouts per week
- Average workout duration: 40 – 60 minutes
- Equipment needed: Full gym
- Goal: Build muscle
Tom is referred to as “Rage” by many, and this nickname is reflected in his training plans. The HRT plan is no different, as you will be pushing your limits at all times.
Sure, workouts are limited to only 4 per week, but they’re going to be proper intense and give even the definitely-not-possible RSP Chiseled a run for its money…
- Day 1: “Guns” – Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms (nothin’ like a killer arms workout!)
- Day 2: “Wheels” – Quads, Hamstrings
- Day 3: Chest, Shoulders
- Day 4: Back, Rear Delts, Calves
This is a very classic training split used by bodybuilders in the 80s and 90s. It’s also definitely influenced by individuals like Dorian Yates.
But with such low frequency, is Tom going to make up with volume and intensity?
Animal Hellraiser Training Details
Here’s what you need to know about Tom Fuller’s Animal Hellraiser Program:
What The Hell Is a Hellcentric?!
Boy, is this going to be hard to explain … and even harder to do. Try to stay with me while I grab some ice for us to bathe in after these sets.
A Hellraiser is an intensifier that will completely annihilate the muscles you are training, so be sure to approach them with respect.
- Step 1: Have your lifting partner apply pressure on the bar as you begin to lower it.
- Step 2: Halfway to the bottom, start pushing/contracting back to the starting position (your lifting partner still applies pressure).
- Step 3: Once at the starting position, lower the weight to the bottom of the lift (your lifting partner still applies pressure) over a 5-second count.
- Step 4: Don’t cry.
This is one “Hellcentric” rep that relies heavily on the eccentric part of the rep (the lowering part).
You might want to smile and think, “I bet that’ll be only one or two a session,” but you would be very wrong. You will be doing these on almost every single set, and you can “afford” to do that because you only have two sets per exercise…
Only 2 Sets Per Exercise?
Yup, you will (for the most part) only be doing two sets per exercise during HRT. This style of training is called “high-intensity” and relies heavily on you using some big ‘ol weights.
You will also be practicing a lot of progressive overload over the course of the next 12 weeks. This means you should be aiming to get stronger week to week. Of course, this should actually be very easy if you eat enough calories and protein and rest enough.
The only problem with this is you have to make sure every single set is done to the extreme. You have to remind yourself that you only have two sets prior to doing them, and you simply cannot miss them.
Failing is not an option when the volume is this low.
The Biggest Pro of HRT
It’s fast, simple, and effective.
Because the volume per session is quite low, you get a lot done in a short amount of time. It also relies heavily on progressive overload, which we know is the best and fastest way to get absolutely jacked.
The Major Con of Animal Hellraiser
Most people will absolutely hate this.
Jay Cutler (legendary bodybuilder and creator of the Living Large program) once said, “you have to be a little messed up in the head to do this [bodybuilding training].” Most people will simply not enjoy training like this – hard, grueling, and trying to get better every week.
HRT: Animal Hellraiser Training – Final Thoughts
HRT: Animal Hellraiser Training is really a throwback to the training style of golden age bodybuilders – or the original mass monsters, at least. It fits the personality of the supplement companies Tom works for perfectly.
This is going to be a hard and grueling 12 weeks, but by following both the nutrition and general tips he provides, it could be a very rewarding process.
This program is not for everyone. If you do not like pressure or challenges, move on.
If you do, welcome. Grab some smelling salts; we’ll be waiting.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
