Thoughts on Volume, Frequency, Genetics

[c3bodybuilding]

Casual, I could use your help with something. From some of the posts I read by you, and by Brian, Blade, etc on the HST board, I think I am a bit confused. Basically what I am trying to understand, is that you can train something like chest, and back on monday with low volume of course, but then you could train something like shoulders, and arms the following day, with little to no affect to the bodyparts worked the previous day? Or even work the same body part again?

I read on the HST board that you can even work each body part 6 times a week, but thats getting risky. I am curious to know more about this. I am not intending on working my body each part 6 times a week mind you, but I would like to learn more. You hear so many things about not working something like shoulders the day after chest, or not more than one body part a week. I would like some clarity on this, and you seem like the man to turn to. Any help would be great. Thank you so much.


ps. I had some problems with my pms, and just saw one, about you helping me set up my HST routine. I will get back to that asap. Sorry about the delay

 

[casualbb]

Sure, I'll address everyday training.

I'm gonna made an "outrageous" claim: Recovery is overrated. The conventional one-factor bodybuilding theory (supercompensation) says that when a muscle is worked, it needs to recovery fully before it grows. This has been shown to be incorrect through a multitude of studes, but I'll focus on a study done on rats because it can illustrate the point in an intuitive sort of way.

I don't have the abstract so I'll paraphrase it:
Essentially the rats had their gastrocnemius cut, to place the standing load entirely on the soleus. By traditional bodybulding theory, the soleus should not grow at all because there's no "recovery" time; the load is born for hours on end. Yet within weeks the soleus explodes in size and weight.

Now some dudes might be thinking "I've trained high frequency in the past and burned out, you NEED to recover!" The thing is, you don't need to "recover," as further loading doesn't exacerbate the muscle repair process. But, training frequently with high volume and ESPECIALLY to failure will bring about systemic overtraining and prevent gains. Training with high frequency is the key to fast gains, but it can be a delicate balancing act. Almost inevitably low volume is required, as well as a willingness to stop failure training.

I personally find that fatigue accumulates over the course of a rep range cycle and goes away when I hit the lighter weights in a new minicycle. So overtraining isn't quite so absolute as people make it out to be. You don't just wake up one day in an overtrained state; one can feel it coming on and adjust volume accordingly.

-casual

 

[c3bodybuilding]

Thank you, that is just what I was looking for! I find myself more and more interested in these things each day.

Where are you located by the way? You are one of the people on here, I would like to train with. I always seem to learn something new from your posts each day. Enough, that I am putting faith into HST. With DC, I was pushing it, but I do believe it was going to failure all the time, going to the edge each session. I have a feeling this is going to be a great experience for me.

 

[collegiateLifter]

Re: Re: Re: Thoughts on Volume, Frequency, Genetics

You're just generalizing that HST doesn't work for everyone. Considering that it is scientifically based on how muscles actually respond to training and grow, it'll essentially work if you have muscles.

this too is a generalization.

 

[endpoint]

rats as in the animals? and not humans?

 

[casualbb]

Correct. One might have a tough time finding volunteers for a human version of that

-casual

 

[Deak]

Casual, can you please tell us how you train(number of sets, reps, how many times a week, how many reps till failure do you stop etc)? And how much progress did you made? Am I the only one who is interested on how casual trains?
Tkanks.

 

[casualbb]

I really don't deviate much from the standard HST routine. I do the normal rep ranges of 15, 10, and 5. Exercise selection, all for one set:

Squats
SLDL
Calf Raise
Weighted Chest Dips
Weighted Pullups
Incline DB Press
DB Row (switching to BB row for next cycle)
DB Shrug (switching to BB shrug)
Upright Rows (switching to lateral raises...after reading up on this exercise I've decided I don't like the rotator cuff danger)
Standing DB Bicep Curl
Rear Delt Isolation

So that's 11 exercises, performed 3.5 times/week (every other day, however it works out). I may take two days off instead of one depending on my schedule.

Progress?
In the past 8 months of training this way I've added 20 lbs of bodymass, with probably around 15 of it being lean. For 2 of those months, I basically dicked around with eating and made zero progress. I find that my gains really depend on how willing I am to stuff myself consistently (I have trouble with it! ) I've traditionally been a hardgainer so I'm pretty pleased.

-casual

 

[endpoint]

Correct. One might have a tough time finding volunteers for a human version of that

-casual

Im not smart with these types of things.......but dont animals (well rodents) have different adaptive responses than humans?

 

[casualbb]

Im not smart with these types of things.......but dont animals (well rodents) have different adaptive responses than humans?

It depends. In the case of muscles they're pretty much the same. Humans and rats both evolved from some shrew-like thing millions of years ago.

-casual