asdfzxcv's HST journal

[asdfzxcv]

No cardio/conditioning today,still a bit tender from yesterdays deadlifts.My entire back is sore,but the other bodyparts are not as sore as they were the other day.I think next week I should be ok to start light conditioning on the off days.Diet has been good so far,I may add in some more whey to boost up the protein a bit just to make sure I avoid losing muscle.Lost 2-3lb in the past 10days,which is a good rate given some of it would of been initial water loss.Not much change in body composition yet,although the veins in my arms/legs are becoming a little more prominent.Also the fat around my waist is starting to feel softer and not as dense.I will take measurements every sunday to keep track of progress.

 

[djeclipse]

No cardio/conditioning today,still a bit tender from yesterdays deadlifts.My entire back is sore,but the other bodyparts are not as sore as they were the other day.I think next week I should be ok to start light conditioning on the off days.Diet has been good so far,I may add in some more whey to boost up the protein a bit just to make sure I avoid losing muscle.Lost 2-3lb in the past 10days,which is a good rate given some of it would of been initial water loss.Not much change in body composition yet,although the veins in my arms/legs are becoming a little more prominent.Also the fat around my waist is starting to feel softer and not as dense.I will take measurements every sunday to keep track of progress.

Post some pics.

 

[asdfzxcv]

Believe me there is nothing pretty to look at lol.I think I will stick to posting measurements for now as I am a bit ashamed of my body comp and I dont yet feel comfortable with posting up picks.Nothing personal I am just very shy with that kind of thing,after being 270lb+ fat you kind of get that way.

 

[djeclipse]

That's ok. My pics are horrable also, I have made some size gains but my beer gut remains... It's just a stronger beer gut now, lol.

I am looking forward to following your journal as I may try some HST after my run of 5x5.

 

[anotherbutters]

I'm enjoying HST, especially now that I'm cutting. I feel like my strength and size aren't changing, but because of all the rep changes, I don't notice that I'm standing still. If I was doing the SF5x5, I'd probably be stuck on the same weight every week. HST keeps things moving. It's a neat trick!

 

[asdfzxcv]

That's ok. My pics are horrable also, I have made some size gains but my beer gut remains... It's just a stronger beer gut now, lol.

I am looking forward to following your journal as I may try some HST after my run of 5x5.

I like it because its kind of similiar to 5x5 with the full body workouts and emphasis on weight progression.I am definatly going to continue my 5x5 runs after I get my bodyfat down to an acceptable margin as I have ignored the remaining fat for too long.Also this gives me some time to focus on anaerobic conditioning with the higher reps and bar complexes on off days(see previous page).Hopefully next time I do the 5x5 I will been in better overall condition and be able to carry on successfully for a while as I am definatly no where near the end of single factor progression.

 

[asdfzxcv]

HST,15rep cycle,workout 3,date 17/3/06 bodyweight 197lb

Chins
5xbw
5xbw
5xbw
Took it easy on these today and went for 15 total reps.I may try adding 2.5lb in micro weights each week to provide extra resistance.

Squats
15x170
15x170
Felt a lot better on these today,got both sets without racking the bar.Felt easier then the 155 on mondays workout,had a bit more endurance today.Second set was a bit tricky from rep 9 onwards,but was never in doubt of getting it.

Overhead/Push press
15x80
15x80
Upped the weight on these today and got them all.Again these felt somewhat easier compared to previous sessions,despite the increased load.Will try for 85lb next session.

Bent over rows
15x100
15x100
Still tricky and exhausting,but getting slightly easier.My back was still a bit sore from wednesdays deads,so that probably contributed to the challenge.Will try for 105lb next workout for my 15rep max

Bench press
15x100
15x100
Too easy,these were a pushover today.I think I could manage an extra 10-20lb on these easily.I dont think I am going to have much trouble with these so they can stay at the end of the workout.

Summary
Overall I am happy with todays workout,all sets were completed without any major issues.I think my body is starting to adapt itself to the higher reps,as I seem to have a bit more endurance.Next week I will add in some conditioning lifts on the off days in order facilitate active recovery and additional fat loss.
So far I have been feeling good overall,despite being in a calorie deficiet I feel like I have a lot of energy throughout the day and during workouts.I have removed most of the milk out of my diet and replaced it with chicken breast and more whey.Milk is great,but I feel like it bloats me up a bit despite being tolerant to lactose.I will see how the reduced milk intake effects my body comp out the coming weeks.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Nice, glad everything went well. It sounds like, as you said, your conditioning is returning/improving and that Monday's difficulty can mostly be attributed to the week off and novelty of 15s.

 

[asdfzxcv]

Nice, glad everything went well. It sounds like, as you said, your conditioning is returning/improving and that Monday's difficulty can mostly be attributed to the week off and novelty of 15s.

After the first workout I was a little bit concerned about increasing weight over the 15rep phase,but I think my body is adapting now so it shouldnt be to much trouble.I am curious to see whether the endurance gained during the 15/10rep phase will transition over to the 5s and allow me to do more reps with heavier weights.

I know this probably has no real relevance in practical application but whilst browsing the HST site I happened to find a ''Max size indicator''.I know that its probably a load of crap but I entered my stats and it says that my maximum ''natural'' size at 6'4 is 226lb at 8% bodyfat,not too shabby given the bodyfat I suppose,but not exactly gigantic for my height.
http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/maximum-size-calculator.html

Nevertheless,It made me think about how much different I would look with 20lb less fat and 40lb more lean mass.I think if I got there using strength training methods I would build a formidable strength base as well along the way.I have no doubt that my frame could hold 250+,but I am looking more for strength and general functionality then outright size.I think if I hit 230lb at a bodyfat less then 10% I would be fairly pleased sizewise and just focus on performance.

 

[djeclipse]

I used the calculator and it said that my 8% fat bodyweight stats were

183lbs
45.5" chest
16" arms (already there)
12.8" forearms (already past that.)
Neck size 15.8 (see above, lol)


I think it's BS. And I don't ever see me being under 10% body fat anyway. I have no desire to get that riped.