Any advice for arms? (&my HST experience)

[Lifting N Tx]

<div>
(quadancer @ Mar. 19 2007,17:58)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">jGood post Ab, and that leaves some of us with the unasked, unanswered question of what we should do when switching between the two programs. I specifically refer to HST and the 5x5's so many of us do.
I have thought about it but haven't seen the light come on yet. Obviously, an SD is required before HST. But going from HST to 5x5?
My guess is a deload is all that's needed.</div>
Yes, that is a good post by abarlament, and well said.

I think that you're correct. Just do a deload. The Madcow versions of 5x5, if that's what you're using, take a few weeks to get to your maxes, but don't start nearly as far submax as a HST routine does.

As an aside, I'm using a bit of zig-zig in my current HST routine, as I've noticed that working near failure (like at the end of a 2 week cycle) seems to drain me. So I want a slight break before having to strain much in the next two weeks. I don't want accumulated CNS fatigue over the cycle to hinder me at the end. I'd say that's an example of deloading, though it's less common to use reduction in load for a deload, and it's a very short deload.

So I've used both deloading and an SD for this cycle.

 

[quadancer]

IMO, the number of exersizes you are doing have a lot to do with CNS drain in an HST cycle. When I was doing 13 exersizes, I pretty much stayed with the vanilla program, but when I went to linear progression, I literally had to drop half of them, which allowed me to simply repeat any weight that I didn't get a full set of in good form the next workout. If I had still been doing all 13, I doubt that would have worked, and I'd have had to deload as you (and I) did, with a zigzag.

 

[colby2152]

13 exercises... Wow, I did about 11 exercises once and I had to do very low volume for each exercise, while zig-zagging pretty badly. I am now down to 5 exercises each workout, and the workout is so much better.

 

[quadancer]

I vehemently agree with you Colby! OTOH, I will not be doing just 4 exersizes this cycle as I've been doing with the 5x5, since it's a hypertrophy cycle, not strength. My lats have shrunk a bit, my conditioning needs work, joints some lactic relief, and so forth - so I will probably be doing around 6-7 exersizes; haven't set it up yet. I doubt I'll ever do like 12-13 again, unless it's just for the 15's and perhaps 10's.

I also have to consider that I'm doing rotators and abwork at the end of my workouts now, but I don't really consider them part of it.
If it doesn't make me grunt, it ain't workin' out!