another new HST fledgling

M

mjohnso2

New Member
Hey HST pros...
Just finished reading a bunch of the threads and getting really excited to use this program for the first time.  I have never really made significant gains in my life (size/strength) while working out somewhat consistently for the last 8 years.  This program is such a departure from everything that it gives me hope there is something out there that will work for me. *fingers crossed*

Ive seen you all help so much with everyones questions... I was hoping you can critique my first cycle to see if Im keeping the principles somewhat straight.  
OK here goes....

Week 1-2                            
Deadlift               (2 sets)  110 120 130 140 140 150
Flat Bench          (2 sets)     80  80 90 100 100 110        
Pullup (assisted)  (2 sets)   76 82 88 94 100 106          
lateral raise         (1 set)    12.5 12.5 15 15 17.5 17.5
EZ curl                (1 set)     35 35 40 40 45 45              
Rope Press         (1 set)     30 40 40 50 50 60  
situps                 ( set)       flat bench

Week 3-4        
Deadlift             (2 sets)  140 150 160 170 180 185  
Flat Bench          (2 sets) 100 110 110 120 120 130    
Pullup (assisted)(2 sets) 100 106 112 118 118 124      
lateral raise      (1 set)      15 15 17.5 17.5 20 20    
EZ curl             (1 set)       40 40 45 45 50 50
Rope Press      (1 set)       50 60 70 70 80 80              
situps              ( set)        Decline bench

Week 5-6      
Deadlift             (1 set)    165 175 185 195 205 215  
Flat Bench          (2 sets) 120 130 140 150 150 160  
Pullup (assisted)(2 sets) 124 130 136 142 148 154
lateral raise      (1 set)     17.5 20 22.5 22.5 25 25
EZ curl             (1 set)       50 55 60 60 65 65                  
Rope Press      (1 set)       70 70 80 80 90 90
situps              ( set)       Decline bench with weight
     

Volume: 2 sets of the first 3 excercises during 15's and 10's & 3 sets during 5's except for Deadlifts which will be 1

***couple clarifications:
   I have added the lateral raise due to a shoulder impingement I have.  (Doc says it will help when I start lifting heavier)

   I added the arm iso's as they dont tend to get as much work as the other muscles when doing complex movements. I was thinking this will keep my bi's/tri's on par with those other muscles.

I took Lol's advice on making your 15's start at 75% of max and I also adjusted the weights to help a bit with the zig zag as I think it was a pretty big swing originally.

After spending the last two weeks on this forum, and reading till my eyes crossed, Im still not sure if this is a good start or if I may be missing something.  Any thoughts and opinions are appreciated. Thanks!
 
Squats? I know they suck, but they work. Also, I thought the same as you with arms but honestly I have not done any arm isos for two cycles and my arms have never been bigger. I think isos are only important once your arms have size to help shape and define them. Unless you already have big arms that you just want to have more pop to them, I'd ditch the isos. Kill yourself on another set or so of compounds instead. You'll see the benefit. I promise.
 
My immediate thought is that your routine is composed of almost entirely upper body exercises, with the exception of deadlifts.

Deadlifts are an excellent exercise for the posterior chain, but if you had to only do a single lower body movement, it would DEFINITELY be full squats. And I'm unclear why you're only selecting one lower body exercise - why are you?

The other point worth noting here is that, unless your strength is pretty low in deadlifts, being able to pull off a deadlift variant thrice weekly will be pretty tough on the lower back, imho.
 
as mikeynov said why no squats,if you cant try alternating deadlifts with leg-presses etc, and on your wk 5-6 you do this for deadlifts
165 175 185 195 205 215
but on wks 3-4 you do this
140 150 160 170 180 185
why are you starting so low on wk 5-6
rock.gif

why not do this
180,185,190,200,205,215,
your goint to SD for 9-14 days after why not push it a bit.
 
Thanks to you all for the quick response!

Well I originally had 15 excercises I was going to do before reading into the program more. At least Im motivated!
biggrin.gif

I ended up dropping everything down basically to 1 excercise per bodypart to consolidate the amount to around 8. That was really my only line of thought for just using the deads.

Also, Blades post on "selecting excercises" said there was no need to do squats & deads in the same week & even then, one should alternate between the two. Maybe I interpreted that incorrectly?

Either way I added 2 sets of squats to the mix this morning and I officially hate you all.
wink.gif
Just kidding... After the squats, I planned on 2 sets of deads, but I was too worn out after the first one & got nauseous on the way home. (Im assuming squats does this to others right?) stupid legs...

I also dropped the arm iso's and will be officially holding Rattle104 responsible for my arm growth from here on out. (Rattle... it was welcome change after adding those squats... thx)

Hey Faz... the numbers for 5-6 just worked out that way using 10lb increments. I did that since I read to use 10-20lb increments for legs & also some zig zagging would be ok for CNS recovery and good for hypertrophy vs strength. I also though of making my week 7 a test week to find my new 5/10/15RM. If you think that would still be ok, Im up for it.

So... putting this all your head together, maybe this could be good?

-Squats: Mon & Fri (luckily, I already tested my RM on these)
-Deads: Wed
-bump my wk 5-6 deads weight to: 180,185,190,200,205,215,
-no more arm isos

...or maybe putting deads & squats on the same days, but skipping the deads on Wed?

...or maybe squats Tue & deads Mon/Wed?

...or maybe I just sit at home with a Billy Blanks DVD & resistance tubes and call it a day?

I figured this first cycle would mainly be for me to figure things out so thanks a bunch for helping me along....
 
You should try alternating deads with squats. You do deads on a workout, squat on the next and so on. You use both and don't kill yourself while doing it.
For weight increments I personally use my RM on the last day and 75% of that value on the first day. Then I subtract the last value from the first, divide by 5 and that's the increment I use. Of course the values have to be rounded to feasible weight configurations. I just don't mind if zig-zag is happening or not. If things look strange you probably miscalculated your RMs.
 
Also, Blades post on "selecting excercises" said there was no need to do squats & deads in the same week & even then, one should alternate between the two. Maybe I interpreted that incorrectly?

When Blade says don't do squats and deads in the same week, he's referring to the big guys who move heaven and earth with their deadlifts and squats. That likely won't be a problem for you (or me) for a while yet.

Either way I added 2 sets of squats to the mix this morning and I officially hate you all.

You are supposed to hate us all. It is the desire for vengeance that gets you to the gym...

After the squats, I planned on 2 sets of deads, but I was too worn out after the first one & got nauseous on the way home.

You're not supposed to be worn out and nauseous on the way home. You're supposed to have to lay on the floor and vomit right there in the gym.
ghostface.gif


Looks like you're on the right track...
 
Thanks electric... I like the easy math.  Looking at my deadlift numbers, that works out to be about what they look like right now when rounded off


Thanks for the advice TunnelRat... Im just not sure if I should be angry with you or hire you as my trainer...  
rock.gif
*must think*
 
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