A few routine and volume questions

C

citizenkris

New Member
Hi guys,

Several years ago I ran a bunch of HST cycles with great success, not sure why I drifted away from it, but I'm back to it now.

I'm planning on running pretty close to one of the sample workouts that Bryan has laid out here: http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_II.html

squat
romanian dead lift

incline bench
dips

cable row
neutral grip pull up

shoulder press
rear lateral

bar curl
triceps press down

shrugs
calves
abs


Based on what I've read on the main site and the forums, my plan is to do 1 set per exercise during the 15s, 2 sets on the first, and 1 set on the second during the 10s, and 3 sets each during the 5s, adjusting down as the loads get heavier, or depending on how the workout on that particular day goes. This should keep the volume pretty consistent throughout the cycle.

For the first 4 weeks I'm planning on doing the full routine, and maybe splitting it into an A/B for the 5s (with just one movement per muscle group, rather then the two laid out in the sample), I'll see how that goes once I start the 5s.

Any comments or suggestions, or validation that I'm on the right track?

The confusing point I've found regarding overall volume, is that a lot of the sample routines contain 2 movements per major muscle group. In some of the samples, it has you doing both during the same workout, in others it has you alternating (ie: dips one day, incline bench the next). However, the set and rep combination doesn't really change (1 set during the 15s, 2 during the 10s, 3 during the 5s). Depending on how the routine is laid out, with an A/B workout, or everything, the volume could pretty much be doubled. I figure with what I've got going, I'm sort of splitting the difference and after the first couple of cycles, I'll be in a better position to evaluate my volume tolerance these days.

I've got my rep range maxes, and I'm half way through SD, so I'm almost ready to go!

Thanks
 
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I think you’ve got a good plan. I had a lot of success starting out with a plan similar to yours including splitting the routine during the 5s.

As a general rule the best volume for hypertrophy seems to be in the 40-60 rep range per muscle group per workout. I would shoot for something close to that but when it gets very heavy I would drop down as low as 20 reps on some exercises. As far as volume goes a lot depends on how well conditioned you already are. The better condition the more volume you’ll need.
 
Thanks for the feedback - I've been weight training for about 15 years now, far from a beginner, but like most, don't have the size I want, but that's what keeps us going.

I've been following Lyle's general bulk routine for about the last year or so (with some UD2.0 stretches mixed in), so now I'm ready to start putting on some size again.

As for the 40-60 range per muscle group, I'm definitely going to fall short on that in the 15s and 10s if I'm only doing 1 set and then 2 sets + 1 set, I'll only be hitting about 30 reps, maybe a bit more for shoulders with the overlap from chest work.

If I split the workout for the 5s or the post-5s, I'll fall even further from that with only 1 movement per muscle group per day.
 
If you’ve been lifting for 15 year and doing a good job of it then I think you should consider a body part spilt and not a full body workout to get the volume you need to grow. Most research I’ve read indicates that veteran lifters need more volume per workout and that a frequency more than twice a week per body part doesn’t work any better than just twice a week if you’re very experienced.

I would be looking for a split that allows you to hit each body part twice a week using two or more exercises that get you to the 40-60 rep range per body part.
 
In Bryan's sample routine, he lists how many sets for each lift and which lifts to do warmups for. Let me dig it up for you real quick.
 
I think that is what is implied in the sample routine.

Overall, it's not really going to matter. Bryan's viewpoint on volume is outlined pretty clearly in the FAQ:

Increase volume if:

You are never sore
You are never tired
You are not growing

Maintain volume if:

You are slightly sore most of the time
You are tired enough to sleep well, but not so tired you lose motivation to train.
You are noticeably “fuller”

Decrease volume if:

You are experiencing over use pain, and strain symptoms in joints and/or muscles.
You are tired and irritable all the time, yet don’t sleep well.
Strength levels are significantly decreasing.
Click to expand...
 
Even with 20 years of lifting, full body method is the most optimal. There no such thing as a optimal rep range per bodypart. The body is a system, a unit. Rep ranges are traditional thinking not HST principle based. This is a very personal way of training. Everyone needs to figure out how their bodies deplete glycogen, recover and then synthesize protein. Thats whe Strategic Deconditioning comes in. Increase frequency before volume. Low volume high frequency will teach you a lot about your body. Its funny how people worry so much about reps/sets instead of the basic program laid out by Bryan. Do it and keep notes. Then adjust. Dont post questions without experience, that just shows weak ethic. This is for all even thos respoding with specific advice. Preach principles not tradition or personal experience.
 
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