What Happens for Next Cycle?

Discussion in 'Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST)' started by the RK, Dec 20, 2005.

  1. the RK

    the RK New Member

    After a HST cycle, if I decide not to max out again, can I use the SAME exercises from the previous cycle, or should I mix it up?  If I use the same exercises, how much should my increments increase, or do I use the same maxes and increments from the first cycle?

    One more thing... when people say to continue with the 5s for 2 more weeks instead of doing negatives, what exactly does that mean? If my increments for the 5s are 50-70, does that mean I do 50-70 again or keep going with say 70-90?
     
  2. faz

    faz Active Member

    if your maxes have not increased stay with the previous maxes they might increase next cycle..the extra 2wks of 5s use your max weight for two wks..ie..if your max weight is 100k for 3sets of 5  then do that for the extra 2wks..i like to do 2sets of 5, and on the 2nd setdo a metabolic set  :D also if you can up the weight slightly then do it that will also give you a new max.
     
  3. the RK

    the RK New Member

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the reason behind SD was that you didn't have to increase your maxes because your muscles became deconditioned to the old maxes, therefore the old maxes would once again be efficient for the new cycle.
     
  4. Downward Spiral

    Downward Spiral New Member

    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 reps, and a year later you bench 180 lbs. for five reps, I can bet your chest won't have changed significantly.
     
  5. the RK

    the RK New Member

    But you can't keep increasing your maxes forever. There will come a point in time where you simply cannot lift more. What then?
     
  6. faz

    faz Active Member

    rk you are not wrong but most people do up some of there maxes but you will still gain muscle if you dont here is a quote from blade..

    Granted, any form of exercise will alter patterns of protein synthesis and degradation. But a muscle cell can only grow significantly if some degree of tissue microtrauma occurs. This is brought about when the load is sufficient to strain the cell membrane and its integral structural and contractile protein structures. This signals cellular messengers of various kinds including calcineurin and MAPKs and their associated nuclear counterparts.

    Now, if you are training without the aid of exogenous hormones, you will eventually come to the limit of your voluntary strength if you have used the principle of progressive overload. Obviously, at this limit you will be training at 100% effort. And essence, your progress has also reached its pinnacle. The muscle is absolutely tuff as shoe leather (so to speak) and you can no longer add more weight to get it to grow further. What do you do? Well, you can do what thousands of people do and simply beat your brains out using the same weight workout after workout for months or even years on end. As long as your level of conditioning (resistance to microtrauma) stays the same, and the level of weight you use stays the same, your muscles will stay the same. Big or small, they will stay the same.

    SD is simply a method that allows (not “tricks”) your muscles to continue to grow, using weights that your muscles have seen before. The method is simple, the science is complicated, the results are significant. :D
     
  7. colby2152

    colby2152 New Member

    You are right - you can't, but I am sure you are far away from reaching your genetic limit when it comes to hypertrophy or strength. For now, either retest your maxes right before you SD or estimate your new RM's by increasing them 5-10%.

    -Colby
     

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