My First Time Doing HST...critiques welcomed...

Coscto

New Member
This is my first time doing HST. I'm 22 about 5'8" I would consider myself an experienced trainer, My ultimate goal is to compete in a natural bodybuilding show when i feel ready. I am doing this program looking for as much results as possible, looking to gain muscle, but for a while i will be cutting, so my main goal trying to lose fat to get into the single digit bodyfat %. I've always been a fan of increasing training frequency and i really believe this style of training will work great for me. I've read through the HST online book a couple of times and studied the concepts for a while, i did my RM assesment for 15's, 10's and 5's and tomorrow will be my first day of SD...I'll take a little over a week off then i'm excited to get started.

I tried to set up my exercises in the right order with antagonist pairings.




Here's my sample workout in order (w/o am/pm split):
  • Squats (everyother day) Sets: 1
  • Leg Press (everyother day) Sets: 1
  • Leg Extension Sets: 2
  • Calf Raises Sets: 2
  • Incline Bench Sets: 2
  • T-Bar Row Sets: 2
  • Dips Sets: 1
  • Chins (wide and narrow) Sets: 2
  • Military Press Sets: 1
  • Lateral Raise Sets: 1
  • Bent Over Lateral (rear delt) Sets: 1
  • Tricep Extension Sets: 2
  • EZ Bar Curls Sets: 2
  • Shrugs Sets: 1
Total sets per week:
  • Legs (9 sets)
  • Calves (6 sets)
  • Chest (9 sets)
  • Back (12 sets)
  • Shoulders (9 sets)
  • Tri's (6 sets)
  • Bi's (6 sets)
  • Traps (3 sets)
*I tend to go a little overboard on volume, so this program will be a test for me but I was wonder if you guys think i should add sets or decrease some sets (not including warm ups), for my first time doing HST. In the HST book Brayan says to..."do 2 sets per exercise during the 15s. Then do 2 sets during the first week of 10s, and 1 set during the second week of 10s. Then do 2 sets during the first week of 5s, and finish doing one set." Would it be ok to add another set of Dips and Military press?





My cals will be below matinence because my primary goal is fat loss...but slightly higher on training days, MWF. Higher carbs on 15's and 10's, and about 30% of calories from carbs on the 5's.

I'm really looking to get the most out of this program as possible so i was thinking about training 2x per day with the MWF split...i think that could be best for fat loss but it might not be best for my first time doing HST. And i will be doing cadio on off days.
 
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i have only done one cycle of 15s and found that a warmup plus one working set was usually enough, i started doing 2 working sets for some exercises like squats, but as the weight increased i dropped it to 1 for all exercises. if you havent done full body weight training before dont push it too hard straight away because it ends up taking a lot out of you, plus you're doing AM/PM split. stick to one working set per exercise i rekon - you could try 2 but when the weight gets closer to your RM you will probably want to drop it to 1. if you feel like you're not getting a workout do a few extra reps to get a good burn - thats what you want with the 15s. also try and concentrate on really good form.

when you get to 10s you should be able to do 2 sets, then with 5s and negs you should be able to do 3 sets. i'm currently on the 10s and it feels like the 15s have really helped me.
 
i have only done one cycle of 15s and found that a warmup plus one working set was usually enough, i started doing 2 working sets for some exercises like squats, but as the weight increased i dropped it to 1 for all exercises. if you havent done full body weight training before dont push it too hard straight away because it ends up taking a lot out of you, plus you're doing AM/PM split. stick to one working set per exercise i rekon - you could try 2 but when the weight gets closer to your RM you will probably want to drop it to 1. if you feel like you're not getting a workout do a few extra reps to get a good burn - thats what you want with the 15s. also try and concentrate on really good form.

when you get to 10s you should be able to do 2 sets, then with 5s and negs you should be able to do 3 sets. i'm currently on the 10s and it feels like the 15s have really helped me.

Thanks for your help. What your saying makes a lot of sense to me. I'm sure i'll know much more once i start the program and i can make adjustments from there. I'll stick to your advice beacuse i don't want to overdo it on my first HST cycle. And if i were to do the am/pm split, i would divide the 2 set exercises into 1 set AM, 1 set PM. It might look something like this:

AM Split:

  1. Squat (1 set)
  2. Calf Raises (1 set)
  3. Incline Bench (2 sets)
  4. Chins (2 sets)
  5. Lateral Raise (1 set)
  6. Bent Over Laterals (1 set)
  7. Tri Extension (1 set)
  8. EZ Bar Curls (1 set)
PM Split:

  1. Leg Extension (2 sets)
  2. Calf Raises (1 set)
  3. Dips (1 set)
  4. T-Bar Row (2 sets)
  5. Military Press (1 set)
  6. Tri Extension (1 set)
  7. Straight Bar Curls (1 set)
  8. Shrugs (1 set)
*how many sets of lateral raises and rear lateral raises did you do for the 15's and 10's?
 
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yesterday was my first day of HST and i really liked it...I'm going to be following a T-T-S split because it just fits better with my schedule and allows me to do the AM/PM split.

My macro breakdown yesterday was: 240 protein/210 carbs/65 fats...next workout i would like to slightly increase carbs, cause i know in the book Brian recomends more carbs on 15's and 10's and 30% of you cals to come from carbs on 5's. Thursday I will shoot for 240 protein/240 carbs/60 fats.

-The supplements that I will be taking are: Creatine Mono, Fish Oils EPA/DEA and CLA (after every meal), coconut oil, Multi Vitamin, Extra vitamin D, WPI and MC protein with maltodextrin post workout. I'm also going to try to get some magnesium oil.

AM Split:

  1. Squat (1 set)
  2. Calf Raises (2 sets)
  3. Incline Bench (2 sets)
  4. Chins (2 sets)
  5. Lateral Raise (1 set)
  6. Bent Over Laterals (1 set)
  7. Tri Extension (1 set)
  8. EZ Bar Curls (1 set)
PM Split:

  1. Leg Extension (1 sets)
  2. Leg Curls (1 set)
  3. Dips (1 set)
  4. T-Bar Row (2 sets)
  5. Military Press (1 set)
  6. Tri Extension (1 set)
  7. Straight Bar Curls (1 set)
  8. Shrugs (1 set)
-I felt like a wuss doing the light weights but I slowed down my tempo and really concentrated on form and i was suprized that my muscles got that fatigued.
-Today is my off day so i will be doing 30 min of low intensity cardio on the tredmill.
-My next workout is thursday and i will also try to do the AM/PM split...My motivation and enthusiasm for training is back, I can't wait to get back to the gym and i'm excited for thursday. I think the SD was very important for me to recover in all aspects, now i'm more motivated than ever.
 
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I felt like a wuss doing the light weights but I slowed down my tempo and really concentrated on form and i was suprized that my muscles got that fatigued.
-Today is my off day so i will be doing 30 min of low intensity cardio on the tredmill.
-My next workout is thursday and i will also try to do the AM/PM split...My motivation and enthusiasm for training is back, I can't wait to get back to the gym and i'm excited for thursday. I think the SD was very important for me to recover in all aspects, now i'm more motivated than ever.

I know how you feel. The first couple of workouts really surprised me when I slowed down the tempo. I felt something in my chest I'd never felt before. And the great part is that I already feel stronger. After yesterdays workouts, I think I'm going to add 5 - 10 pounds to some of my lifts for the next 2 remaining 15 rep workouts.

Best of luck to ya!
 
I felt like a wuss doing the light weights but I slowed down my tempo and really concentrated on form and i was suprized that my muscles got that fatigued.
-My next workout is thursday and i will also try to do the AM/PM split...My motivation and enthusiasm for training is back, I can't wait to get back to the gym and i'm excited for thursday. I think the SD was very important for me to recover in all aspects, now i'm more motivated than ever.

Firstly - welcome. It looks like you're doing your homework as you design the cycle, and this is a very, very good thing. In terms of the lighter loads - you will be amazed as time goes on the importance of the 15's to your overall progress. Yes, the loads are light, but the fatigue is implicit in the approach. If you can keep your ego in check, this part of every HST cycle will propel you forward. Never discount that!

Secondly - your enthusiasm is great! Enjoy the cycle - every part of it - and ask questions as they arise. This is one of the best forums online in terms of helping folks fully realize their goals - because you can ask questions and have a whole host of folks with a ton of experience assist.
 
thanks guys for chiming in...i will try to keep this log up to date on all my workouts, i think it's going to help me stay organized and on track. I appreciate your guys feedback, I really believe in this program and I'm a bodybuilder not a powerlifter so the light weight doesn't bother me because I know it's an important part of the program.
 
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Just finished my second week of my HST program and completed my 15's RM. I was able to do 3 out of 6 workouts with the AM/PM split going M-W-F and I found that splitting up the workout into an AM/PM (seen above) worked best for me. I had a little more strength on all lifts with the AM/PM split and it helped me recover better inbetween sets...This was the biggest thing that I took away from the 15's is that it takes a lot of muscular and cardiovascular endurance, maybe i'm a bit out of shape too. I tried to stick to 30-60 second rests inbetween sets but it was tough to recover and catch your breath, especially doing the entire workout and not doing the AM/PM split. On my 15's RM my strenth increased on most lifts, so when i hit 15 reps with my 15 RM weight i kept going and got up to 19-25 reps on some lifts until i went to absolute failure...not sure if that is the correct thing to do? However, on the incline bench (which is 2 sets) I wasn't able to get 15 on my second set (I got somewhere around 11) because I was fatigued by maxing out 15 reps on my first set...Other than that I was able to stick to the program fairly well. As far as changes in body composition I feel like it's been positive for the most part, I still really believe in this program. Alot of changes i'm sure were due to my inconsistant diet this last week. I had friends and family in town and my diet much worse than normal, so i might have put on some additonal fat due to the diet, but I've also noticed changes to my physique...My chest has always been a laggin bodypart, my delts have always been a good bodypart for me and sometimes they become too involved in chest movements...I've noticed that the width of my pecs isn't as rounded off as they used to be, and i used to do flys and pec dec movements pre HST...I've also never really done incline barbell presses (because my shoulders get too involved) and dips i've added them to this program so i'm not quite used to those movements yet and i don't know how much they're helping...pre HST i've mostly done the flat, decline bench, and a couple of fly movements, but i'll stick with the incline and dips for my first time with the program. Other than chest i would say that most of my other body parts have really improved, especially my legs...That's my summary for my first time through 15's and i'm excited to get back to the gym and start the 10's and hopefully my diet will be much better.
 
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Hey as far as diet is concerned you can look into a Ketosis type-diet... As it was suggested on here check out Lyle McDonald's work on http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

I've been on a keto diet Monday to Friday with refueling on the weekends and haven't seen any noticeable fat gain... I'm just finishing up 10s this week and I'm more than happy with the results so far.

How big are your spreads in weight from workout to workout? One adjustment I'll make next time around is to make sure that I have bigger spreads between workouts since I'm working close to 100% of my RM.

Keep it up!
 
Just wait. The end of the first week of ten's is when I really started to notice good things happening my first couple cycles. Enjoy!
 
I like whats going on here! I have done 5 working days for HST, means im still in the 15's reps. Now i got a problem :( I did a surgery to my 2 toe's today morning, and I will not be able to go to the GYM for a week, What stuff can i do at home for me to continue HST without stopping my schedule? or is it okay to rest for a week (as in waiting for my toes to heal) then get back to gym and continue where i stopped at?
One more question, In between workout days, I do High intensity cardio, as in 25 minutes of a 80-90% heart rate, usually 170 bpm.. is that good thing? or i should be in the fat burn zone?

a little about me: I'm 21 years old, I lost 10 kg's of FAT during the last 10 weeks, I lost 2 kg of muscles during the first 8 weeks, then at that time i started HST and 2 weeks later i gained 1 kg of muscle and lost 3 kg of FAT at same time.. I'm very strict in my diet, and my GYM schedule. I do my workouts 6 am takes me 1 hour maximum to finish off HST.

Thanks,
Yasser

P.S if u liked my results of losing this much fat, PM me and i can tell you whats my exact diet, Cause im thinking if it worked out well for me to sell my recipe :)
 
I like whats going on here! I have done 5 working days for HST, means im still in the 15's reps. Now i got a problem :( I did a surgery to my 2 toe's today morning, and I will not be able to go to the GYM for a week, What stuff can i do at home for me to continue HST without stopping my schedule? or is it okay to rest for a week (as in waiting for my toes to heal) then get back to gym and continue where i stopped at?
One more question, In between workout days, I do High intensity cardio, as in 25 minutes of a 80-90% heart rate, usually 170 bpm.. is that good thing? or i should be in the fat burn zone?

a little about me: I'm 21 years old, I lost 10 kg's of FAT during the last 10 weeks, I lost 2 kg of muscles during the first 8 weeks, then at that time i started HST and 2 weeks later i gained 1 kg of muscle and lost 3 kg of FAT at same time.. I'm very strict in my diet, and my GYM schedule. I do my workouts 6 am takes me 1 hour maximum to finish off HST.

Thanks,
Yasser

P.S if u liked my results of losing this much fat, PM me and i can tell you whats my exact diet, Cause im thinking if it worked out well for me to sell my recipe :)

You said you had to have surgery on 2 of your toes? Are you on crutches? If I were you and can get around with crutches, I'd make it to the gym and do upper body stuff. I broke 3 toes last year and still did everything I normally do except run and jump rope. Granted, your situation could be more serious than mine.

If you can't get out and don't have weights at home, maybe you could rest the next week or so and start the whole cycle over after you fully heal? The additional deconditioning might make your HST cycle more productive when you restart.

I'm not a big believer in the 'fat burning zone' thing on treadmills and ellipticals. 10 minutes at very high intensity is going to do more for you than 20 minutes of low to moderate intensity, in my opinion.
 
You said you had to have surgery on 2 of your toes? Are you on crutches? If I were you and can get around with crutches, I'd make it to the gym and do upper body stuff. I broke 3 toes last year and still did everything I normally do except run and jump rope. Granted, your situation could be more serious than mine.

If you can't get out and don't have weights at home, maybe you could rest the next week or so and start the whole cycle over after you fully heal? The additional deconditioning might make your HST cycle more productive when you restart.

I'm not a big believer in the 'fat burning zone' thing on treadmills and ellipticals. 10 minutes at very high intensity is going to do more for you than 20 minutes of low to moderate intensity, in my opinion.

Thanks, I got your point about additional deconditioning.. the thing is i cant move around alot during this week, and the antibiotics im taking weakens me (feeling dizzy, tired and pain of my toes come and go), thats why i guess it would be better to take this week off. :)

Thanks again,

For cardio I am just scared to lose muscle doing high intensity, but I usually do it.. but before going to gym for cardio I eat alot of meat or drink protien shake. :)
 
For cardio I am just scared to lose muscle doing high intensity, but I usually do it.. but before going to gym for cardio I eat alot of meat or drink protien shake. :)

Do metabolic conditioning stuff with weights (keep it intense and short - under 15 minutes, preferably under 10 minutes) or tabatas if you want to do some conditioning. Those methods give you the best bang for your buck. If you like to run, do sprint intervals - but keep the sessions short. There is no reason to do 20 - 60 minutes of cardio unless you are training for long distance running or biking or something.
 
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