Question for veteran lifters only (2 or more yrs)

Omega_man

New Member
Hello veteran lifters ,
I have been looking over your web site & must say, I am impressed with what I have read so far. What I would like to know is, who here used to lift using the conventional splits, etc.. and changed to HST. Have you found that HST is able to yield consistent results cycle after cycle, where other methods always resulted in an eventual plateau. I, like many, constantly run up against plateaus. From what I have read, HST looks like it may be able to avoid this & experience gains on an ongoing basis.
Thx,
HST believer
 
Omega

I have lifted with all kinds of different types of training.

However I must say my best gains were with HST, the only program that tells me exactly how much I will be lifting at the end of 8 weeks, and enable me to get there!

HST however will only produce consistent results if the principals are followed consistently, the lifting parameters but specially the nutrition side
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I have been convinced for three years, and don't believe that changing to anything else will benefit me at all!
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The help I got and the learning I accomplished so far are out of this world, best of all IT IS FREE!

There is a lot of knowledgeable people here, kinda difficult to distinguish experts from others! A true great site.

No BS either, as it carefully scrutinized, research too is scrutinized carefully, specially at Dans site, .

Dan's research site - a gold mine of knowledge
 
I have been weightlifting for about two and a half years (the past year and a half I have been adiment about it though) I lifted what I thought was conventional training or HIT for the first year and a half. I kept on hitting plateaus and felt that something was wrong with my training. I was then led to Power Factor training by a friend which gave me some strength gains, but diminishing returns as far as hypertrophy. Six months ago, I found HST and I have been hooked since. As Fausto said, as long as you commit yourself to the HST principals and eat right, you will gain muscle over and over with HST. Jump on the bandwagon and try it yourself.

-Colby
 
I've been lifting for about two years now. Did a year and a half with traditional split routines, high volume, low frequency, always to failure.  I grew the first six months and then had very little progress the next year. I thought it was an intensity issue and pushed even harder, more volume, assisted reps after failure, etc. Poundages stagnated during that year and I became severely overtrained.  Conversely, I'm just finishing my first cycle of HST, which I extended for 14 weeks due to the fact that my poundages continue to increase! Growth over the last 3 months has been phenomenal. I'll never go back to a traditional routine.
 
omega man (one of my favorite films btw) go to general training section..thread what age..there are a lot of guys ages and what they think of hst on there :D
 
11 years of training. 3 with HST

I will say it by far the best and instead of telling you the exact same reason everyone else has said which is so true i will tell you why I personally like it outside of the principals.

My theory in college was I was going to do a split routine and never workout more tha 3 days a week b/c I felt one day I will be married, have a career and kids and I still can keep up a 3 day routine, so I never ventured outside of 3 day routine.

I still insist that 3 day routine is best in the world in my opinion and HST is the perfect 3 day routine. Everyone in the world should be able to make time to workout 3 days a week.

Now that being said I like HST for a 3 day routine b/c it hits the entire body ever training session so if by chance you happen to miss a day during the week of training b/c of other obligation you still haven't neglected any bodypart. Everything gets hit with even treatment.

I have found that old split routine are hard to stay commited to with frequency unless you are just a bodybuilder.

Long story short, if you are a normal guy with a "LIFE" you cant be HST it gets in you the gym and out with great results!

And this is my opinion with 11 going on 12 years of lifting expierence.
 
Ditto the above 4 posts.
Been lifting 3 years seriously, I don't bother looking at other programs anymore.
2 cycles of HST - 5 lbs LBM the first time 5+ the second, after more than a year of trying anything but not gaining.
 
After nearly 6 years of serious lifting, I have to face the fact that as you approach your genetic limits, growth will slow. That being said, I wasn't growing at all when I first discovered HST. I had been killing myself for a year and a half without gaining an ounce, and couldn't figure out what was wrong. After reading the research, it was pretty clear. My first year with HST was my most successful. And while my growth has now slowed significantly, I remain convinced that the principles are sound. I have yet to see any compelling evidence to refute them. It is not just a good program, its the only logical step if hypertrophy is your goal. :)
 
Been lifting for a while, about 4-5 years is right. On and off, though - simply because of the annoying plateaus.

HST gets the science down right. Before, people like pro lifters, trainers, even the "gurus" would tell you "nobody really knows how muscle grows"... but now, thanks to modern research, we do. And using that little bit of knowledge we have and applying it to training, we get to remove most of the unintentionally misleading old "myths" of bodybuilding. So yes, understanding the principles right and applying them right, you will definitely be able to avoid plateaus and keep growing unitl you reach your natural ceiling.
 
I've been lifting for over 30 years and have trained using HST for the last 2. I wouldn't keep using it if I didn't like the results! It works at least as well as other methods (drastic understatement there!) and my body feels much healthier. I actually look forward to every workout.
 
I've been lifting since I was a kid, about 18 years and HST is the most effective way. I'm bigger and stronger than I was when I bulked when I was 22. The strength gains are good, but not as good as HIT, though in the long run I'll be able to lift heavier thanks to all the new muscle. My squat went from 415x5 to 500x5 in 10 months. With HIT I probably could have hit 540x5, but I would not have grown.

HST principals are the only way to go.
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I just wanted to "thank everyone" for their honest opinion of HST. Your response's are exactly what I expected, which I am happy to say. It's nice to know HST isn't just another fad or reinvention of something we've all tried before. I've made good gains over the many years, but I always know there is a plateau waiting around the corner.
Unfortunately, due to the holidays etc..., I won't get a chance to start until sometime early next year.
I'm already working on getting an idea of my 15, 10, 5 max's.
Looking forward to "No more plateaus".
Omega
 
Hello again,
Next question is about routines. I have looked over the HST web site & found an assortment of them. It would be great if I could get routines from those of you who have done a few cycles and believe after trial & error, feel they have worked out one that works better. This could possibly cut my learning curve in half.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thx,
Omega
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PS: I would be looking for a 3x week (MWF) but not an am/pm split. Thx
 
Omega

I doubt whether you will find a routine to satisfy you as an individual we are all so different! :confused:

HST has no rule regarding this, there are some suggestions, yes, pick the best compounds and make a routine out of them, make it simple with about 5 to 6 exercises, throw in curls and skull crushers from 5 onwards, that is about it.

The best routines seem to include 2x p/day split either push/ pull or upper/lower or even whole body twice with different exercises.

A good selection would be:

Squats/Deadlifts or SLDL's/calf raises/Chin ups (weighted - at least from 10's onward)/bench and/or dips (weighted also as for chins)/Military press or seated press.

Alternatives are Leg press/Rows (high and low)/Flyes and peck decks/lateral and bent over raises/Curls (any kind but specially on inclined bench)/Skull crushers, d/b overhead extension or o/h cable extensions.

To name a few, the choice of how to put them together is very much up to you.

Good luck
 
do you want a split routine or 3x a wk full body
i do 3x a wk.... it depends on the equipment you have available
but mostly compounds is best something like this m.w.f.
squats
db bench
chins
shoulder press
shrugs
skullcrushers
seated curls
:D
 
Hi Omega,
If this is your first cycle, I'd suggest that you keep it simple. 3x a week (MWF), full body workouts (mostly compound exercises) just to get the hang of it before you attempt to make any adjustments. You can always refer to the sample HST program laid out by Bryan on this site to get an idea about exercise selection. You can even opt to try it out as it is, unmodified.

Best of luck,
Dimitris
 
Omegaman,
Here is an Excel file you can download - I use as a log to keep track of days, lifts, weights, body weight etc. Just fill it in as you go. The different sheets are different cycles, all in one file.
It also shows the excersices I currently use although not necessarily in that order.
I do a 3x a week routine with it.
You can customize it if you like, it's pretty simple.
 
Hi Lean,
Thanks for the spread sheet. It should be a big help.
I also found another useful spread sheet that calculates the poundage's based on the increments that are chosen. It also uses %'s, however, there is an add-in needed for excel (should be on original disks, sheet uses MROUND) for the %'s to work right. The attached file has not been modified in any way as I still need to get my max's.
Thx for the help!
Omega
 
My imput,
   I'm 50 and for years! I did 2 body parts 12 sets per, Or did 3 on 1 off. After finding this (HST) only 6 month or so ago. I realize how many years I waisted! My wife sais I've gotten bigger since we got married 5 years ago.
 
I've done 6x upper-lower, 3x full boy, 6x full body and 4x full body...

Personally I favour 4x full body.

I stick to a 2x

Dips/bench variety (DB, BB, incline so far)
Rows/chins (all grips tried)
Deads/leg press/squats
DB press/military

and a single of:

DB curls
Skulls
Shrugs

Tempted to work in 2x High pulls on every second workout now. Already doing RC work, just cos I love the lactic acid flush.

Stopped doing calves, they're waaay big enough as is.

Personally I like the extra day (4th workout). 6x full body is crazy, you need to eat and sleep for a lifestyle.

I get too restless on the 2 day rest for 3x fullbody, and my results so far have worked best for 4x full body - strength, general fatigue and efficiency of bulking.
 
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