Recent content by Downward Spiral

If you're squatting properly, you should be recruiting your hamstrings a good deal. If squats aren't doing anything for them, then you should check your form. A few sets of leg curls wouldn't be a bad idea after you reach a squat of 1.5x bodyweight or more, though. It's just an estimate, but by...

What about the 10's? How did your volume look through each phase? I'm assuming the numbers you gave us were for the 5's.

Oh, and I'd think that "popping" look is due to metabolic work and less overall volume.

You do 4 sets for chest and back during the 15's?

Yes, let's all listen to Arnold. My friend is 5'4". I'm 5'11.5". I think 10 lbs. of LBM on us is going to be worlds different. Oh, another friend of mine only trains his arms (don't even ask) - 10 lbs. LBM is gonna be different on him, too.

Which exercise have you found to be most effective for developing your chest? I'm going to assume it's dips. Vicious touted these highly. A runner up would likely be incline bench presses. Flat bench doesn't seem to be a great chest developer.

How much metabolic work is usually recommended? I'd guess just a single set for 15 reps. Does anyone even do metabolic work for the legs? I see the arms and chest as the prime candidates. Metabolic work induces a kind've "temporary" hypertrophy, correct? That being so, wouldn't it...

That's the most idiotic statement ever.

You're incorrect. In the end, increasing your maxes is the only way to continue to grow. SD allows your muscles to become susceptible to lighter weights once again. This effectively increases the range between your starting and finishing weights for each cycle. If you bench 180 lbs. for five...

Stick it out to the end. Make sure you're eating enough to facilitate growth.

Do you run through the typical 15, 10, and 5 rep phases, or have you devised something different?

You haven't gotten good results? Perhaps you should take a look at your diet, and not your training. You should be gaining some form of weight if you're eating enough, be it muscle or fat.

No. What Bryan is suggesting is this: If your first cycle you start with 95 lbs. and end at 115 lbs. during the 15's on the squat (5 lb. jumps, real weak), then when you run your second HST cycle, you bump up your RM for the 15's. At the same time, you keep your starting weight the same. Let's...

Your muscles aren't growing while you decondition.

From what I understand, the best way to induce hypertrophy is to increase your strength in a hypertrophy-friendly rep-range, while eating an excess of calories. This will increase sarcomere hypertrophy. The only thing one would really need outside of this would be a set or two of metabolic work...