So about this HST stuff

[Lestat]

I think I'm gonna give it a crack..

I've been doing a standard 3 or 4 day split for over two years now.. one or two body parts per day... work each part one day per week... hit a plateau I can't seem to bust.

So for this HST I am going to use this week to figure out my 15, 10, and 5 rep maxes for about 20 different exercises.

Once I start the first two weeks and am doing the 15 reps.. the weight is going to be incredibly low for the first few workouts.. even with a 5lb increment (which is low for exercises like bench)... It seems as if I won't even really be getting a workout with weight that low..

Question.. do I go to failure even if it means I can go well over the designated reps for the week? say I am on the 3rd workout of my 10 rep two week cycle.. do I blast out extra reps if possible or just do the 10? I think based on the system I just do the 10.


Also the site talks about skipping the 15 rep two week cycle.. how should I know if I should do that?

Brian

 

[casualbb]

I'm glad you've decided to give it a shot; I'm a big fan. Let me give you some tips.

We've found that it works best with increments that are around 5% of your 5RM. This will result in some zig-zagging, or repeated weights, as you begin a new rep cycle. That is totally okay. It'll allow you to recover from any potential overtraining symptoms.

This means, indeed, that early in the cycle you will be using weights that are relatively quite low. This is by intention! You must trust that the small weights will cause growth, and believe me they do.

It is ESSENTIAL that you take 9-12 days off AFTER finding your RM's but BEFORE doing the cycle. Your body will have conditioned to the 5RM load and we need to reverse that before the light weights at the beginning of the cycle will work.

You should only be going to failure a maximum of three times the entire cycle, one each time you hit a rep-max day at the end of each microcycle. In reality, though, you probably won't hit failure on those as you'll be stronger by the time you get there. It's important that you don't push it (that goes for number of reps; stay within the guidelines), and most importantly, don't overestimate your RM's, it kinda buggers the cycle.

You can skip the 15's if you don't feel any joint-strain-type injuries. I wouldn't recommend that, as I find I grow noticeably during the 15's and it elongates your cycle.

If you have any questions, please ask. Also, go ahead and post up your exercise selection for critique.

-casualbb

 

[casualbb]

Oh! Before I forget, are you planning to do HST alternating style? Some people like to alternate an A and a B plan, both fullbody. Is this what you had in mind?

If you're planning to do all of those 20 exercises each training session that's way too much! I want to iron that out now so you don't potentially waste time in the gym finding RM's for exercises that I'll tell you to drop later anyway.

-casualbb

 

[Lestat]

No,

I wasn't planning on doing all 20 exercises each day.

The figure of 20 came from the fact that I wanted to find out my maxes for a couple of exercises per bodypart, because the plan says to switch up some things frequently, like biceps.

Off the top of my head here are the exercises I was going to use:

Incline Dumbells
Squats
Deadlifts
Pull downs (I don't have a way to weight myself for chins)
Seated Rows
Dips
Tricep Press Machine
Hamstring Curls
Dumbell Shoulder Press
Shrugs
Lateral Raises
Straight Bar Bicep Curl (standing)

I'll do my abs on my own, and throw in some chins from time to time just becaues I don't want to neglect them totally.

Brian

 

[casualbb]

That sounds like a solid routine. Let me know if you have any more questions. There are some redudant motions you could drop or alternate, namely dips and tricep press, and incling press and shoulder press.

Also, a lot of guys find that deadlifting and squatting each time is too much for the lower back. You might be able to handle it, but don't be afraid to alternate them if you feel you should.

-casualbb

 

[Zyglamail]

I would be very interested to hear your progress lestat. The results often claimed by a beginning lifter dont mean jack to someone who has been lifting diligently for years.

 

[valerie]

HST was most effective for me. I have been training for 5 year. The STRATEGIC DECONDITIONING is essential to the success of the program. Would recc taking a least 9 days off. This is hard for most of us, but for the program to work you must do this. Would go for 10 days off if you can. Good luck and the HST site is the best place for accurate info on this-valerie

 

[Lestat]

I would be very interested to hear your progress lestat. The results often claimed by a beginning lifter dont mean jack to someone who has been lifting diligently for years.

I am committing myself to a full 6 week "cycle" of it, and as long as I see SOME type of gain i will do another 4 weeks of it (skipping the 15 rep period).


After that is complete I will evaluate the program in its entirety.

Like I said before, I'm in a bit of a plateau here, so if this can bust it and give me some solid gains then I'll praise it. If not, well then, you'll hear about it on here too.

I know what you mean though, a beginning lifter is going to make great strength and size gains on ANY routine.. even just bodyweight exercises like dips, pull ups, push ups, etc.. I need a routine that will continue to take people above and beyond what is easily attainable.

 

[Lestat]

I just thought of something though Zyg...

I was planning on dabbling with some new "supplements" in the upcoming weeks. Nothing major, but enough to really taint the results of this "experiment."

Simply put, I am pretty sure I could make some sure gains regardless of my routine with these new supplements.

We'll see..

 

[casualbb]

If you're interested in judging the worth of the program, I'd hold off on the "supplements."

If you would like to go through with the supplements, there are some things you should know.

First of all, HST when combined with prohormones or AAS produces not only enormous size gains but also strength gains. Guys can gain 15-20 lbs LBM in a cycle, and then feel tempted to push their strength levels. This can result in bad soft tissue injuries. So if you're going to do something like that, stick to the weights you've set out beforehand and don't push it even though the weights will probably feel easy.

Secondly, your gains will probably be limited by food intake. So overeat like a crazy mofo. I mean like 4000-4500 calories/day.

-casualbb