HST seemed to fit my criteria very well, with the ironic exception that I’m not trying to get huge. The main reason I tried HST is that it professed to be gentler on your joints. But even those of us who simply want to maintain a strong, healthy physique will admit that a bit of extra size and definition wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
BACKGROUND: I’m a 45-year-old ectomorph and self-described hardgainer. ‘6,0”, 170 lbs. Lifting for almost 2 years, starting with a full body beginners routine, then 5x5, then push/pull split.
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS: Fairly clean diet, 5 or 6 meals per day, non-fat milk, no soda, very few snacks. I’ll knock back a couple of Jack Daniel’s on a Saturday night, but no heavy drinking or smoking. I fall short of the 1g of protein per lb. guideline, but manage to get around 140 or so. Plenty of water throughout the day. Supplement with whey protein, multi-vitamin, flaxseed oil, and glucosamine/chondroitin.
OBJECTIVE: Like most, to add muscle and lose fat. Unlike most, I’m not looking for slabs of muscle, and fortunately I don’t have that much fat to lose. A little gut fat is about all. So, I suppose losing that and gaining some lean mass and definition is the goal.
ISSUES: Impinged right rotator cuff from years of throwing baseballs to my son, who’s now a college athlete. Surgery to my left knee last summer from a biking accident (bicycle, not motorcycle – pretty embarrassing).
EQUIPMENT: Dumbbell set 5 to 50 lbs., EZ curl bar with 170 lbs. of plates, chin up bar, multi-station home gym, recumbent bike.
ROUTINE: Due to the above considerations, I do not lift what most would consider heavy weights. For example, I maxed out at 50 lb. dumbbells on incline bench in the 3x5s. For me, that was plenty. It felt like I got a proper workout without tearing up my shoulder. If and when I can safely lift more weight, I’ll go heavier.
I believe in doing the so-called vanilla routine when trying anything new, in order to give the program a fair chance to work. So, I lifted on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 45 minutes per session. I started out with 2 sets of everything, but decided to do 3 sets of 5s, since I could. I did the following exercises in this order:
Aerobic warm up with 7 or 8 minutes on recumbent bike. Full body stretch. One warm up set in all compound lifts.
Incline Dumbbell Bench
Seated Cable Rows
Pullups
Dumbbell Squat or Deadlifts (alternating)
Military Press
Dumbbell Shrugs
Dumbbell Curls
Barbell Triceps Extensions
Standing Calf Raise
Abs (Cable Crunch & Leg Lifts)
RESULTS: Small but noticeable size gains, which is all I was hoping for after 1 cycle. These are my only visible gains since the obligatory newbie gains. I had been stagnant on 5x5 and a push/pull split for nearly a year. And my strength did go up slightly – I found myself hoisting a bit more weight than my predetermined maxes, and the last 2 weeks of 5s did indeed make it easier to lift weight that was at first difficult to lift.
RECOVERY: Better than ever. My sore right shoulder definitely feels better than it has in years. No pain during or after lifts. Left knee is coming along too, so for now I’ll continue babying it with lighter weights during squats and deads.
CONCLUSION: First HST cycle was a big thumbs up. I figure if a thin, middle-aged guy lifting relatively light weights can show strength and size gains on this program, anyone can. I wish I’d started this 20 years ago. Better late than never, I guess.
NEXT: I’ll do 9 days of SD, then go into my second HST cycle. I’m planning on hitting the same body parts with different exercises, i.e. DB Shoulder Press instead of Military Press, Chins (palms in) instead of Pullups (palms out), EZ Bar Curls instead of DB Curls, etc. Depending on results, I may then alternate these with the 1st cycle exercises in A/B fashion for the third cycle.
QUESTIONS: Should I alternate Decline Press with Incline? Any problem with using the low pulley on the home gym for Deadlifts and shrugs? I’ll probably do two sets of 15s, two 10s, and three 5s in my next cycle. If there’s some reason why I should go with the popular 1/2/3 set scheme, please comment.
Thanks.
BACKGROUND: I’m a 45-year-old ectomorph and self-described hardgainer. ‘6,0”, 170 lbs. Lifting for almost 2 years, starting with a full body beginners routine, then 5x5, then push/pull split.
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS: Fairly clean diet, 5 or 6 meals per day, non-fat milk, no soda, very few snacks. I’ll knock back a couple of Jack Daniel’s on a Saturday night, but no heavy drinking or smoking. I fall short of the 1g of protein per lb. guideline, but manage to get around 140 or so. Plenty of water throughout the day. Supplement with whey protein, multi-vitamin, flaxseed oil, and glucosamine/chondroitin.
OBJECTIVE: Like most, to add muscle and lose fat. Unlike most, I’m not looking for slabs of muscle, and fortunately I don’t have that much fat to lose. A little gut fat is about all. So, I suppose losing that and gaining some lean mass and definition is the goal.
ISSUES: Impinged right rotator cuff from years of throwing baseballs to my son, who’s now a college athlete. Surgery to my left knee last summer from a biking accident (bicycle, not motorcycle – pretty embarrassing).
EQUIPMENT: Dumbbell set 5 to 50 lbs., EZ curl bar with 170 lbs. of plates, chin up bar, multi-station home gym, recumbent bike.
ROUTINE: Due to the above considerations, I do not lift what most would consider heavy weights. For example, I maxed out at 50 lb. dumbbells on incline bench in the 3x5s. For me, that was plenty. It felt like I got a proper workout without tearing up my shoulder. If and when I can safely lift more weight, I’ll go heavier.
I believe in doing the so-called vanilla routine when trying anything new, in order to give the program a fair chance to work. So, I lifted on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 45 minutes per session. I started out with 2 sets of everything, but decided to do 3 sets of 5s, since I could. I did the following exercises in this order:
Aerobic warm up with 7 or 8 minutes on recumbent bike. Full body stretch. One warm up set in all compound lifts.
Incline Dumbbell Bench
Seated Cable Rows
Pullups
Dumbbell Squat or Deadlifts (alternating)
Military Press
Dumbbell Shrugs
Dumbbell Curls
Barbell Triceps Extensions
Standing Calf Raise
Abs (Cable Crunch & Leg Lifts)
RESULTS: Small but noticeable size gains, which is all I was hoping for after 1 cycle. These are my only visible gains since the obligatory newbie gains. I had been stagnant on 5x5 and a push/pull split for nearly a year. And my strength did go up slightly – I found myself hoisting a bit more weight than my predetermined maxes, and the last 2 weeks of 5s did indeed make it easier to lift weight that was at first difficult to lift.
RECOVERY: Better than ever. My sore right shoulder definitely feels better than it has in years. No pain during or after lifts. Left knee is coming along too, so for now I’ll continue babying it with lighter weights during squats and deads.
CONCLUSION: First HST cycle was a big thumbs up. I figure if a thin, middle-aged guy lifting relatively light weights can show strength and size gains on this program, anyone can. I wish I’d started this 20 years ago. Better late than never, I guess.
NEXT: I’ll do 9 days of SD, then go into my second HST cycle. I’m planning on hitting the same body parts with different exercises, i.e. DB Shoulder Press instead of Military Press, Chins (palms in) instead of Pullups (palms out), EZ Bar Curls instead of DB Curls, etc. Depending on results, I may then alternate these with the 1st cycle exercises in A/B fashion for the third cycle.
QUESTIONS: Should I alternate Decline Press with Incline? Any problem with using the low pulley on the home gym for Deadlifts and shrugs? I’ll probably do two sets of 15s, two 10s, and three 5s in my next cycle. If there’s some reason why I should go with the popular 1/2/3 set scheme, please comment.
Thanks.
