A few noob questions

M

mftii42069

New Member
Hello everyone. I am planing on starting my first cycle of HST. After reading a fair amount of the FAQs and stickies, I have come up with this routine.

Day A..............................Day B
Squats............................Dead Lifts
Hamstring Curls............... Hamstring curls
Chins...............................Bent over rows
Inc BB bench.....................Dips
Military press....................Arnold Press
Crunch Pull Down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Declin Cruches
Skull Crushers...................Tri Pull down
Straight Bar curls...............EZ bar curls
BB shrugs..........................DB shrugs

I read that the idea is to keep it simple. I have a real fear of losing muscle and or strength that i have gained and this is about as simple as i feel comfortable with. I read that Alternating exercises is a good way to make sure u hit all the areas. My questions are:

1. When I am alternating these exercises, every other workout day, do i do the percentage for that specific exercise? For example, lets say my 15 rep max for straight bar curls is 115lbs and my 15 rep max for EZ bar curls is 95lbs, and i am on day 2, do i do 60% of EZ bar curls and the next time do 70% for straight bar curls or do i pick the lighter of the two exercises and always base my percentage off of that weight?

2. Is this routine simple enough? I would not consider myself a begginer. I have been working out for 2.5 yrs. For the first year, I was a complete noob and dont really count that time. The last year and a half, I feel that my knowledge and lifting ability has improved a good amount. I would say I am an intermediate lifter.

3. Can HST be done successfully while doing manual labor for a living? I do concrete. Some days are killer and somedays are cake. Thus, my physical exercise may be greater, as a whole, on my 50% day than my 60% day... I am laid off for about 4 months anyways, which is why i am trying this now.

Thanks!!!
 
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I would suggest doing a basic coumpounds only cycle to assess your tolerance to the workloads the first go round. The workout will be seem easy at first, but it gets tough as the weights progress. Your entire body is covered with this routine and it will allow you to fully recover between sessions.

Day A..............................Day B
Squats............................Dead Lifts
Hamstring Curls............... Hamstring curls (Drop)
Chins...............................Bent over rows
Inc BB bench.....................Dips
Military press....................Arnold Press
Crunch Pull Down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Declin Cruches
Skull Crushers...................Tri Pull down (Drop)
Straight Bar curls...............EZ bar curls (Drop)
BB shrugs..........................DB shrugs (Drop on DL day only)

When you find you RM maxes for each block use the following percentages for each workout of the minicycle. Many of the experienced lifters on the site have determined that any less than 75% of the RM for each cycle isnt ideal for hypertrophy

workout 1 75% A
workout 2 80% B
workout 3 85% A
workout 4 90% B
workout 5 95% A
workout 6 100% B

ideally you work out every other day or 3 days a week on this setup, but when you are working long days you can adjust your days as needed. You can also do a super condensed routine as such when you are drained from long hot work days.

Squat
Incline Bench
Chins

Hope this gives you some clarity and good luck!
 
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tdawg_33 said:
I would suggest doing a basic coumpounds only cycle to assess your tolerance to the workloads the first go round. The workout will be seem easy at first, but it gets tough as the weights progress. Your entire body is covered with this routine and it will allow you to fully recover between sessions.

Day A..............................Day B
Squats............................Dead Lifts
Hamstring Curls............... Hamstring curls (Drop)
Chins...............................Bent over rows
Inc BB bench.....................Dips
Military press....................Arnold Press
Crunch Pull Down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Declin Cruches
Skull Crushers...................Tri Pull down (Drop)
Straight Bar curls...............EZ bar curls (Drop)
BB shrugs..........................DB shrugs (Drop on DL day only)

When you find you RM maxes for each block use the following percentages for each workout of the minicycle. Many of the experienced lifters on the site have determined that any less than 75% of the RM for each cycle isnt ideal for hypertrophy

workout 1 75% A
workout 2 80% B
workout 3 85% A
workout 4 90% B
workout 5 95% A
workout 6 100% B

ideally you work out every other day or 3 days a week on this setup, but when you are working long days you can adjust your days as needed. You can also do a super condensed routine as such when you are drained from long hot work days.

Squat
Incline Bench
Chins

Hope this gives you some clarity and good luck!
Click to expand...

Great reply, thank you for the advice!!!
 
tdawg_33 said:
I would suggest doing a basic coumpounds only cycle to assess your tolerance to the workloads the first go round. The workout will be seem easy at first, but it gets tough as the weights progress. Your entire body is covered with this routine and it will allow you to fully recover between sessions.

Day A..............................Day B
Squats............................Dead Lifts
Hamstring Curls............... Hamstring curls (Drop)
Chins...............................Bent over rows
Inc BB bench.....................Dips
Military press....................Arnold Press
Crunch Pull Down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Declin Cruches
Skull Crushers...................Tri Pull down (Drop)
Straight Bar curls...............EZ bar curls (Drop)
BB shrugs..........................DB shrugs (Drop on DL day only)

When you find you RM maxes for each block use the following percentages for each workout of the minicycle. Many of the experienced lifters on the site have determined that any less than 75% of the RM for each cycle isnt ideal for hypertrophy

workout 1 75% A
workout 2 80% B
workout 3 85% A
workout 4 90% B
workout 5 95% A
workout 6 100% B

ideally you work out every other day or 3 days a week on this setup, but when you are working long days you can adjust your days as needed. You can also do a super condensed routine as such when you are drained from long hot work days.

Squat
Incline Bench
Chins

Hope this gives you some clarity and good luck!
Click to expand...
agree with the above,but as its an A/B workout i would prefer to start about 85% to 90%.
 
So, would u do a percentage for each workout? Like on the first A you would do 85% and on the first B day you would also do 85%? Then the following 2 workouts would be 90%? Sorry for the questions, just really want to get this right. I hate messing things uo due to user error.... Just ends up being wasted time. Thanks!!!!
 
mftii42069 said:
So, would u do a percentage for each workout? Like on the first A you would do 85% and on the first B day you would also do 85%? Then the following 2 workouts would be 90%? Sorry for the questions, just really want to get this right. I hate messing things uo due to user error.... Just ends up being wasted time. Thanks!!!!
Click to expand...

yes thats correct
 
The goal is hypertrophy (I assume). Therefore you want to start as low as you can while being able to induce hypertrophy in order to prolong the program without having to SD. Which is why it has been said to be around 75% (but not lower then 70%). Then incrementing every workout. So in saying that, it seems rather silly to start at 85% and do so in a format of:

Monday:
Workout A
85%

Wednesday
Workout B
85%

Friday
Workout A
90%

Monday
Workout B
90%

..
..


If at any time during any workout it feels way too light or easy of a workout. Simply make it harder while sticking to the structured program and not going above the set percentages. You can do this by increasing volume, drop sets, increasing time under tension during reps etc. Just be sure to stay away from CNS fatigue as much as you can.
 
Ok, thank u for the replies. If i have to do the same percentage for my a and b days, i would have to start out at 85%, correct? Otherwise it would not fit into 2 weeks. Could u also start at 75% and increase 5% each workout, regardless of whether it is day A or B? This is confusing... Thanks in advance!
 
Here are 2 layouts of A/B Split routines. Hope this helps.

15’s
Workout 1: 75% A
Workout 2: 80% B
Workout 3: 85% A
Workout 4: 90% B
Workout 5: 95% A
Workout 6: 100% B
10’s
Workout 1: 75% B
Workout 2: 80% A
Workout 3: 85% B
Workout 4: 90% A
Workout 5: 95% B
Workout 6: 100% A
5’s(first 2 weeks)
Workout 1: 75% A
Workout 2: 80% B
Workout 3: 85% A
Workout 4: 90% B
Workout 5: 95% A
Workout 6: 100% B

5’s (weeks 3&4) Keep trying to add weight each session if possible to your 100% RM for the duration of this 2 week cycle. Only add weight to an exercise when you can complete all the sets/reps. It’s ok torepeat the same loads at this time because the weights are heavy enough that RBE (repeated bout effect) won’t be an issue.
Workout 1: B
Workout 2: A
Workout 3: B
Workout 4: A
Workout 5: B
Workout 6: A

　
15’s
Workout 1: 80% A
Workout 2: 80% B
Workout 3: 90% A
Workout 4: 90% B
Workout 5: 100% A
Workout 6: 100% B
10’s
Workout 1: 80% A
Workout 2: 80% B
Workout 3: 90% A
Workout 4: 90% B
Workout 5: 100% A
Workout 6: 100% B
5’s (first two weeks)
Workout 1: 80% A
Workout 2: 80% B
Workout 3: 90% A
Workout 4: 90% B
Workout 5: 100% A
Workout 6: 100% B

5’s (weeks 3 and 4) Keep trying to add weight each session if possible to your 100% RM for the duration of this 2 week cycle. Only add weight to an exercise when you can complete all the sets/reps. It’s ok to repeat the same loads at this time because the weights are heavy enough that RBE (repeated bout effect) won’t be an issue.
Workout 1: A
Workout 2: B
Workout 3: A
Workout 4: B
Workout 5: A
Workout 6: B
 
I have been doing to 80 80 90 90 100 100 way. Also, i am doing a 12 8 4 rep routine. It seems like it is pretty tough. I was actually unable to complete my 12 reps on inc bench on my 100% day. Is that a big deal? I got 10 reps. This workout is much harder than i had anticipated... Which is good:)
 
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It could be that your RM was overestimated or you simply just had a bad day. If you notice this with several exercises, then that means you aren't recovering between sessions and may need to reduce volume. Other signs to look for are: feeling sore all the time, being overly tired, insomnia, irritability. It's probably just one of those so so training days, but just keep an eye on it.

PS: If this is a reoccuring theme on your 100% max days try adding an extra day of rest between them. I haven't tried this setup before, but I would have difficulty doing two 100% max days that close together. Make sure to stop short of failure as well to avoid burning yourself out. Good Luck
 
You are a good guy and i appreciate the advice you have given me, thanks friend!

The one problem area that I have had since i started lifting has been my chest. I was able to complete all of my other 100% exercises, including dips but dips include a little more triceps than inc bench, dont they? I figured out all of my maxes for 12 reps prior to starting this cycle. Where the problem may lie is that I screwed up on my first day of the cycle. I did 2 sets of 12 on my first day... I am thinking that maybe that had something to do with it. I did take an extra day rest prior to my 100% days. I have a really hard time adding strength and weight to my chest. Not sure y but its been a constant problem. I hate it!!!
 
Everyone has areas that they excel and areas that they struggle. It's not an advantageous angle for the chest muscles to push from so you can't do as much weight or progress as quickly as you can on dips and flat bench. It will just take time, but you will get there. Genetics unfortunately play a role in your build, so you just may not be destined to have a barrell chest (I'm definitely not), but that doesn't mean you can't make the most of your potential. Keep putting in the work and it will pay off! Good Luck

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
 
What tdawg said is exactly my experience. My Chest development has always sucked however by sticking with Chest Dips and Incline Presses I actually got a positive comment on my peck development here on this forum, something I never ever expected. First you need to find what exercises work for you and then stick with them. Also keep in mind that except for isolation movements like Flyes, most chest exercises rely heavily on Triceps, Delts and even Lats, so one of those muscle groups may be what’s holding you back strength-wise.
 
Well, maybe you guys could help me figure out what exactly is going on. When I was doing Max ot, here are the numbers i did on the exercises that pertain to the muscle groups you were talking about. The goal with Max ot is to get between 4-6 reps. I did the best I could to get exactly 4. Each set is done to failure. I am 5'8" and weighed between 168-171lbs that week.

Inc BB bench 235x5 230x4 220x4
Flat DB bench 95sx4 90sx5 85sx5
Dec bench 205x6 205x4 200x4
The program called for 3 sets of inc 2 of flat and one for dec but i upped them to 3 because my chest is hidious!

Lats
Rows 190x4 185x4 180x4
I did other exercises for lats but they werent compound movements.

delts
BB shrugs 325x11 325x7
Hammer smith machine shrugs 435x12 435x10

Triceps
skull crushers 95x4 87.5x4 80x4
V bar Pull down 97.5x4 90x5 85x4
1 arm Overhead tri ext 25x6 20x6

I just finished my second 90% day, which includes Inc bench. My 90% for Inc bench is 200lbs and i struggled to get the last rep of my second set. I am supposed to get 220 on my 100% day, which is never going to happen. Especially considering that I still have my other day to do which includes dips. I have no problems with any of the other exercises, including dips... I have had to readjust some of the numbers because the calculator doesnt seem to be exact for me but I will be very close to all of my other numbers. I am getting a bit discouraged and feeling like i am losing strength. Any ideas? I know this is a big read and probably something i will have to work out myself but lots of people have been very helpful on here, so i figured its worth a shot. Thanks for the replies!!!
 
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