Starting a journal just to help with future cycles (if this cycle proves successful) and to help others who may be interested in starting their own HST cycle. BODY STATS: Date: 18th August 2011 Age: 22 Height: 6'4 or 193cm Weight (lb): 184.8 Body fat %: 15.62% Body fat mass (lb): 28.87 Lean body mass (lb): 155.93 TAPE MEASUREMENTS (Inches): Chest: 38 Arms: 15 Hips: 37.75 Waist: 33.5 Thigh: 20.5 Calves: 14.25 Forearm: 11.5 Shoulders: 46.75 Neck: 15.25 Workout A: BB Squats Incline BB Bench Seated V-Bar Row Military Press Seated DB Curls Triceps Push down DB Side Laterals BB Shrugs Ab Crunch Machine Workout B Dead Lifts Dips Chin Ups Military Press DB Curls Triceps Push down DB Side Laterals BB Shrugs Ab Crunch Machine - Dips and Chin ups will be substituted with pull downs and assisted dips where my body weight exceeds my RM % for any given workout. - Military Press will be substituted with "Push Press" during the 5's and 3's. - V-bar cable rows are used over BB Row due to my back injury. Program will be performed to: 15/10/5/3 REP MAXES (lb's): 15RM - 22nd August 2011 10RM - 24th August 2011 5RM - 26th August 2011 3RM - Calculated from 5RM Squats: 15RM: 115.5 10RM: 136.4 5RM: 160.6 3RM: 171.6 Dead lifts: 15RM: 165 10RM: 198 5RM: 231 3RM: 244 Dips: 15RM: 166 10RM: 198 5RM: 231 3RM: 245 Chin ups: 15RM: 152 10RM: 180 5RM: 204 3RM: 216 Incline BB Bench: 15RM: 99 10RM: 126.5 5RM: 139 3RM: 148 Seated V-Bar Row: 15RM: 104 10RM: 124 5RM: 140 3RM: 153 Military Press: 15RM: 70 10RM: 82.5 5RM: 97 3RM: 103 DB Curls: 15RM: 22.5 10RM: 27.5 5RM: 33 3RM: 36 Triceps Push down: 15RM: 42.5 10RM: 52.5 5RM: 61 3RM: 65 DB Side Laterals: 15RM: 17.5 10RM: 21 5RM: 24 3RM: 26 Ab Crunch Machine: 15RM: 108 10RM: 128 5RM: 150 3RM: 159
Sorry, was intending to copy all exercises, sets and reps from my spreedsheet and comment on them as i go. However, it seems its not possible to do so for some reason or another. So it would take me to much effort to write everything up individually like i initially wanted and keep doing so consistently. I may just wait till the cycle is over and upload my spreadsheet with some notes attached to show the gains i've made during and any problems i ran into along the way that could give newcomers assistance with their programs.
Looks like you’ve got a good plan there. I’ll just toss in a reminder of the most important thing I’ve learned since starting HST. Eat!
haha yeah cheers. Already designed a separate spreadsheet to keep my macros where they need to be so hopefully that wont be an issue. Now to start the fun. Week 1 workout 1: Workout A Reps: 15 Sets: 2 Workload: 75% Notes: Initially thought this workout would be a walk in the park. Definitely wasn't. - I kept the rep speed slower than normal in order to increase the time under tension. During the end of the second set of each exercise i ended up having to increase the speed to prevent hitting fatigue. I may have taken it a bit too slow as my second set of military press i ended up severely struggling to get the last rep. - Also during my second set of the Ab crunch machine i was only able to get 13 reps. Workout Length: about 45 minutes
Week 1 workout 2: Workout B Reps: 15 Sets: 2 Workload: 80% Notes: Workout went well and felt challenging throughout. Was happy overall. - Deadlifts probably felt the easiest in terms of strength left over by the end of the sets. But i was definitely short of breath by the end of each set and felt good lactic acid buildup in my lower back. Which was great. - I noticed if i look directly at the ground during dips rather then straight in front that it takes a fair amount of strain off my shoulder joints and makes for a better exercise. - Also again during my second set of the Ab crunch machine i was only able to get 12 reps this time. Not a big concern as it's just a second set. Although did have thoughts about taking it back to just 1 set and decreasing the rep speed as to gain more focus on time under tension rather then just being able to get 15 reps for both sets. Injury Notes: - I also noticed a clicking sound in my left elbow during cable triceps push downs. This is due to a tendon shifting back and forth when i raise the weight back up into starting position (Arms fully bent). So if this becomes an issue i might have to substitute that exercise. But will continue for the time being. Workout Length: 50 Minutes
Week 1 workout 3: Workout A Reps: 15 Sets: 2 Workload: 85% Fatigue Review: Workout was good, although i did feel early signs of fatigue approaching. I fear that the volume maybe to great considering i was unable to complete both sets for some exercises. I will monitor my fatigue level during workout 4 (This Monday). My next two workouts will be altered depending on my fatigue levels during workout 4 to: Fatigue: - 1 set for each exercise during workout 5 and 6 Fresh: - 2 sets for each exercise on workout 5 - 1 set for each exercise on workout 6 (This change is due to the early signs of fatigue I've experience during the first week of 15's) Easy: BB Squats Incline BB Bench Triceps Push down Hard: Seated V-bar Row Military Press DB Side Laterals BB Shrugs Incomplete: DB Seated Curls (15, 12) Ab Crunch Machine (15, 8) Notes: - My low-bar Squats were great, I found that by widening my grip past the default rings that it took less stress off my wrists and increased my form. Workout Length: About 1 hr
Looking good wobbles. I wouldn't hesitate cutting back volume on 15's since they are more for conditioning/preparation for the heavier loads to come. Those high rep sets on compounds take alot out of you so don't get discouraged if you need to cut back.
Yeah definitely. Just gotta play it by day I guess. But on the plus side, when i run my next cycle i should have a fairly good indication of when i can increase volume and when i should decrease it. So far i'm enjoying the 15's though =)
Week 2 workout 4: Workout B Reps: 15 Sets: 1 - 2 Workload: 90% Fatigue Review: Felt fresh going into the workout. However, I did start to notice that the increasing working load is taking a toll with the 2 sets of volume. I've made adjustments for my last 2 workouts of 15's, by reducing the volume on all isolation exercises. while still keeping the volume on some of the compounds that i've been able to complete without issues. Workout 5: Sets / Exercise 2 BB Squats 2 Incline BB Bench 1 Seated V-Bar Row 1 Military Press 1 DB Seated Curls 2 DB Side Laterals 1 Triceps Push down 1 BB Shrugs 1 Ab Crunch Machine Workout 6: Sets / Exercise 2 Dead Lifts 1 Assisted Dips 1 Close Grip Pull downs 1 Military Press 1 DB Seated Curls 1 DB Side Laterals 1 Triceps Push down 1 BB Shrugs 1 Ab Crunch Machine Notes: - I noticed on the assisted dip machine, that by crossing my legs and placing my hands at the halfway point of the bars while looking down. That there was virtually no tension in my joints and made for a perfect set. Easy: Dead lifts Hard: Assisted Dips DB Side Laterals Incomplete: Close grip pull downs (15, 10) Military Press (15, 9) BB Shrugs (15, 8) Altered Exercises: 1 x DB Seated Curls 1 x Triceps Push down 1 x Ab Crunch Machine Workout Length: 50 minutes
good stuff man really impressed with the amount of detail your putting in to this I wish I could put in as much as that, your going well, I cant wait to read your further progress
Week 2 workout 5: Workout A Reps: 15 Sets: 1 - 2 Workload: 95% Fatigue Review: Just the usual fatigue that can be expected from the frequency HST demands. So went in feeling good. Definitely happy that i reduced the volume for this workout, otherwise would of mostly likely pushed into over training. Workout 5: BB Squats 2 x 50kg Incline BB Bench 2 x 42.5kg Seated V-Bar Row 1 x 100lb Military Press 1 x 65lb DB Seated Curls 1 x 22.5lb (each hand) DB Side Laterals 2 x 15lb (each hand) Triceps Push down 1 x 40lb BB Shrugs 1 x 105lb Ab Crunch Machine 1 x 102.5lb Easy: BB Squats - (maybe an extra 1 or 2 reps on the second set if i was lucky) Incline BB Bench Triceps Push down - (still want to keep workout 6 to 1 set volume though) Hard: Seated V-Bar Row DB Seated Curls BB Shrugs Ab Crunch Incomplete: Military Press - (12r clustered with a 10 second pause and 3 more reps) DB Side Laterals - (15r, 10r clustered with a 10 second pause and 5 more reps) Workout Length: 45 minutes
Week 2 workout 6: Workout B Reps: 15 Sets: 1 - 2 Workload: 100% Fatigue Review: Felt really good. Workout: Dead Lifts 2 x 75kg Assisted Dips 1 x 110lbs counterweight (the counterweight isn't accurate) Close Grip Pull downs 1 x 157.5lb (Was suppose to be 152.5lb but i misread it lol) Military Press 1 x 70b DB Seated Curls 1 x 22.5lb (each hand) DB Side Laterals 1 x 15lb (each hand) Triceps Push down 1 x 42.5lb BB Shrugs 1 x 110lb Ab Crunch Machine 1 x 107.5lb Easy: Dead Lifts - weight felt extremely light, probably could of repped it another 15 times. 1 minute rest between sets. Assisted Dips - probably could of added a second set in, but seeing as its only 15's Triceps Push down - Could of pushed past for another 2 reps most likely. Military press - Probably could of got an extra 2 or 3 reps out. Hard: DB Seated curls - wasn't a major struggle, but made for a good set. DB Side Laterals BB Shrugs Ab crunch machine (I've noticed a slight pain occasionally in my lower back, I'm thinking its due to the form and weight this exercise demands. However its nothing major atm, just worth noting.) Incomplete: Close Grip Pull down - 14 and 3/4 reps and couldn't figure out why it was heavier then i expected... until i got home and realized i had the wrong weight on. Workout Length: 40 minutes
Monthly Measurements Date: 18/9/11 Month Included: 1 week finding my max's for HST 1 week Strategic Deconditioning 2 weeks completing my first micro cycle (15's) Results: Weight:................... 190.3lb (unknown due to change of scale) Body Fat:................ 14.76% (-0.86%) Body Fat Mass:........ 27.22lb (unknown due to change of scale) Lean Body Mass:..... 157.18lb (unknown due to change of scale) - Body fat measurements are taken as specified from the jackson/pollock 3 caliper method: http://www.linear-software.com/online.html Tape Measurements (Inches): Chest:............ 38.75 (+0.75) Arms:............. 15.00 (+0.00) Hips:.............. 38.00 (+0.25) Waist:............ 33.75 (+0.25) Thigh:............ 21.50 (+1.00) Calves:........... 14.50 (+0.25) Forearm:........ 12.00 (+0.50) Shoulders:...... 47.00 (+0.25) Neck:............. 15.75 (+0.50) My goal: is to get to 172lbs LBM at 8% Body Fat. However, I'll most likely keep bulking till 176lbs so that when i do cut i have 4lbs of LBM leeway as i assume that during my 3-4 months cutting that i will lose a little bit of LBM. So i currently need 14lbs more LBM before i cut. The only exception to this plan will be if my body fat exceeds 18-20% in which case i will cut at that point. Evaluation: Pretty happy with the results so far, hopefully the next month will be even better considering there will be no SD. In addition, I'll also be increasing my macros to accommodate my weight increase to keep the weight gain consistent. Edit: New digital scale weight: 184.14lb I bought a new scale about 5 days after i posted, due to the repeated hacks i had to keep re-updating it as the post kept reverting back to before i updated. The progress above is still relevant, the only difference is my weight was incorrect due to my old analog scale.
Week 3 workout 1: Workout A Reps: 10 Sets: 2 Workload: 75% Fatigue Review: Felt really good. Hate weekends, feels like forever before i can get back in the gym. Workout: BB Squats 2 x 47.5kg Incline BB Bench 2 x 42.5kg Seated V-bar Row 2 x 95lb Military Press 2 x 65lb DB Seated Curls 2 x 20lb (each hand) DB Side Laterals 2 x 12.5lb (each hand) Triceps Push down 2 x 40lb BB Shrugs 2 x 112.5lb Ab Crunch Machine 2 x 95lb Easy: BB Squats Incline BB Bench Seated V-Bar Row Military press DB Seated Curls DB Side Laterals Triceps Push Down Hard: BB Shrugs Ab Crunch Machine Incomplete: N/A Notes: - Everything felt very easy, which is most likely due to the zig zaging between rep ranges in order to maintain percentages, no big deal. - Rep speed was slowed to assist with time under tension while the weight was obviously light. Injury: - Low bar squats are starting to create slight wrist pain (nothing major yet) given the awkward position and lack of flexibility in my arms. As a result I'm incorporating a "shoulder dislocation" exercise with a broom stick. I'll be doing this pretty much everyday or when ever i feel like it and hopefully by increasing my flexibility the wrist pain should start to subside. Workout Length: 45 minutes
Week 3 workout 2: Workout B Reps: 10 Sets: 2 Workload: 80% Fatigue Review: Felt really good. Workout: Dead Lifts 2 x 72.5kg Assisted Dips 2 x 107.5lbs counterweight (the counterweight isn't accurate) Close Grip Pull downs 2 x 145lb Military Press 2 x 65lb DB Seated Curls 2 x 22.5lb (each hand) DB Side Laterals 2 x 15lb (each hand) Triceps Push down 2 x 42.5lb BB Shrugs 2 x 120lb Ab Crunch Machine 2 x 102.5lb Easy: Dead Lifts Assisted Dips Close Grip Pull down Military press DB Seated curls DB Side Laterals Triceps Push down BB Shrugs Ab crunch machine Hard: N/A Incomplete: N/A Workout Length: 40 minutes
Week 3 workout 3: Workout A Reps: 10 Sets: 2 Workload: 85% Fatigue Review: Felt really good. Workout: BB Squats 2 x 52.5kg Incline BB Bench 2 x 50kg Seated V-bar Row 2 x 100lb (was suppose to be 107.5lb, woops) Military Press 2 x 70lb DB Seated Curls 2 x 22.5lb (each hand) DB Side Laterals 2 x 12.5lb (each hand) Triceps Push down 2 x 45lb BB Shrugs 2 x 127.5lb Ab Crunch Machine 2 x 107.5lb Easy: BB Squats Incline BB Bench Seated V-Bar Row Military press DB Seated Curls DB Side Laterals Triceps Push Down BB Shrugs Ab Crunch Machine Hard: N/A Incomplete: N/A Notes: Instead of dropping the volume for workouts 4, 5 and 6 to compensate the progressive load like i did during my 15's. I'm going to try and utilize cluster sets to produce consistent volume (for the predetermined 20 reps per exercise), while minimizing overall fatigue that overlaps into other workouts. This will be achieved by stopping short of fatigue by 2 - 3 reps before a brief rest (15 - 30 seconds) and then executing the remaining reps needed. Eg: 1 x 10 1 x 7 + 3 Injury: I think i may have over done the shoulder dislocation exercise, feel a bit of a twitch in the tendon on my right shoulder. Dropping this exercise. Workout Length: 45 minutes
Week 4 workout 4: Workout B Reps: 10 Sets: 2 Workload: 90% Fatigue Review: Started to feel short of breath coming to the end of session although muscle fatigue was fine. I used a bit of clustering this workout so I'll be interested to see how that effects my fatigue during workout 5. Workout: Dead Lifts 80kg x 10 80kg x 10 Assisted Dips 97.5lbs x 10 97.5lbs x 10 counterweight (the counterweight isn't accurate) Close Grip Pull downs 162.5lb x 10 162.5lb x 7 + 3 Military Press 75lb x 10 75lb x 10 DB Seated Curls 25lb x 10 25lb x 6 + 2 each hand DB Side Laterals 15lb x 10 15lb x 10 each hand Triceps Push down 47.5lb x 10 47.5lb x 8 + 2 BB Shrugs 135lb x 10 135lb x 8 + 2 Ab Crunch Machine 115lb x 10 115lb x 7 + 3 Completed: Dead Lifts........................ Medium Assisted Dips................... Easy Military press...................Medium DB Side Laterals.............. Medium Clustered: Close Grip Pull down....... DB Seated curls.............. Triceps Push down.......... BB Shrugs...................... Ab crunch machine.......... Workout Length: 40 minutes
Week 4 workout 5: Workout A Reps: 10 Sets: 2 Workload: 85% Fatigue Review: Good. I pushed some exercises to or close to failure on some cluster sets. But i still feel pretty good. Will see how the fatigue holds up for the last workout of 10's. Workout: BB Squats 60kg x 10 60kg x 10 Incline BB Bench 55kg x 10 55kg x 9 + 1 Seated V-bar Row 120lb x 10 120lb x 9 + 1 Military Press 77.5lb x 10 77.5lb x 10 DB Seated Curls 25lb x 10 25lb x 10 each hand DB Side Laterals 17.5lb x 10 17.5lb x 7 + 3 each hand Triceps Push down 50lb x 10 50lb x 7 + 3 BB Shrugs 142.5lb x 10 142.5lb x 8 + 2 Ab Crunch Machine 120lb x 10 120lb x 8 + 2 Completed: BB Squats........................ Hard Military press................... Medium DB Seated curls............... Hard Clustered: Incline BB Bench............. Seated V-Bar Row........... DB Side Laterals.............. Triceps Push down.......... BB Shrugs...................... Ab crunch machine......... Workout Length: 45 minutes
Week 4 workout 6: Workout B Reps: 10 Sets: 2 Workload: 100% Fatigue Review: I gave myself an extra day rest between workout 5 and 6 as otherwise i would have been fairly fatigued on Friday. Notes: This workout was all over the place and missed out on doing my last exercise because some random guy was hogging the dead lifts for my whole session and the gym eventually closed at 12pm being Saturday. I eventually had to work in with him to get my sets done which unfortunately slowed me down due to his social talks and overly long rest times. Workout: Weighted Dips (3.75kg + BW) x 10 (3.75kg + BW) x 10 Close Grip Pull downs 180lb x 10 180lb x 7 + 2 Military Press 82.5lb x 10 82.5lb x 10 Triceps Push down 52.5lb x 6 52.5lb x 6 52.5lb x 5 DB Seated Curls 27.5lb x 10 27.5lb x 7 + 2 each hand DB Side Laterals 17.5lb x 10 17.5lb x 9 + 1 each hand Dead Lifts 90kg x 10 90kg x 10 BB Shrugs 150lb x 10 150lb x 6 Ab Crunch Machine Unable to do, ran out of time. Completed: Dead Lifts........................ Medium Weighted Dips................. Easy Military press.................. Medium Clustered: Close Grip Pull down....... DB Seated curls.............. Triceps Push down.......... DB Side Laterals.............. BB Shrugs...................... Workout Length: 60 minutes