basic questions that confuse me

T

thomasmolko

New Member
Hi,
i'm really sorry but there are some questions i seem not to be able to find an answer for!!
First of all, people talk about getting stronger, BUT from what i understand, if you get your 15/10/5 RM in the beginning,
you stick to those weights so let's say my bench press for 15 RM is 80kg, i start with 55kg going up 5kg incr. till end of week two.
So after the first cycle, how can ppl say they are stronger if you stick with your RM's?

Secondly and VERY important, why is it so hard to find info on how to set up the next cycle after SD?
What weights to be used for the second cycle? Or is it staying with the same weights all the time and just do a SD?

I am very well aware that we are talking about non functional hypertrophy in hst and that strength is only secondary
but to me it just doesen't make sense.

I can't wait to start with my first cycle of hst, it's just a bit confusing for me that's all.

Thanx for your help,
tim
 
Have you tried using the search function yet? These exact same questions are answered at least a couple times every month or so. You should also read the FAQs because they explain quite a bit of what you are wondering about. Here is a thread from about a week ago that includes some of your questions in the answers, maybe reading it will help you understand HST a little better: http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?40885-Quick-HST-Question-For-A-Nooby
I would also recommend reading or rereading the HST articles as well. Bryan spells out most of what you need to know there, so if you haven't read those yet, then check them out.

Anyway, the way you set up your second cycle is (as described in the FAQs by Bryan) you either add a percentage to each RM or you retest your RMs just like you did prior to your first cycle. Retest them BEFORE you take your SD then use them to setup your new cycle, take an SD and start again.

Also, as described in the FAQs and the HST articles, it is unnecessary to train at maximal load at all times in order to develop strength. Just because you are sticking to your old RMs does not mean you will not develop strength. In fact, any intelligent strength training program will include a period where you go back a certain percentage of your RMs, then build back over a period of some weeks to your RMs before trying to push past them and set new ones. This is actually what I would recommend for you to do with HST - taking the last couple weeks of your cycle to push beyond your old 5 RMs each session until you reach new 5 RMs. Then use those numbers to lay out your next cycle.
 
Thanx for your reply Totentanz.
yes i did spend hours going through diff forums and did only find the answer to how much to increase the weights after the first
cycle. Yes it is described in the faq by bryan, but nowhere else, not on the description of the system and i did try the search function but nothing came up. Not even in the thread you posted, it DOES NOT tell me how much to increase after the first cycle.

Anyway, i know the answer now. I'm a poliquin trainer level 2, so not unfamiliar with training,
but maybe yes i am a little stupid...
The HST makes total sense to me and yes i do understand that it's all about non functional hypertrophy and not dealing with
athlets looking for strength. What i DO NOT understand is how ppl claim to be stronger after a cycle if the end weight is the same as you were able to do when you test your RM in the beginning.

That's all,
thanx anyway
 
What i DO NOT understand is how ppl claim to be stronger after a cycle if the end weight is the same as you were able to do when you test your RM in the beginning.
Click to expand...

Because people retest their maxes at the end of their cycles. They notice that they can now lift more, therefore they claim to have gained strength. I know you said you spent hours reading the site but did you look through anyone's training logs or anything like that? It might help see how people implement HST.
 
thomasmolko said:
Thanx for your reply Totentanz.
yes i did spend hours going through diff forums and did only find the answer to how much to increase the weights after the first
cycle. Yes it is described in the faq by bryan, but nowhere else, not on the description of the system and i did try the search function but nothing came up. Not even in the thread you posted, it DOES NOT tell me how much to increase after the first cycle.

Anyway, i know the answer now. I'm a poliquin trainer level 2, so not unfamiliar with training,
but maybe yes i am a little stupid...
The HST makes total sense to me and yes i do understand that it's all about non functional hypertrophy and not dealing with
athlets looking for strength. What i DO NOT understand is how ppl claim to be stronger after a cycle if the end weight is the same as you were able to do when you test your RM in the beginning.

That's all,
thanx anyway
Click to expand...

I've completed 2 HST cycles. Halfway through the 1st cycle, I noticed that the loads felt lighter to me. I began trying to push for new RMs at the end of the 10s. I did the same for the 5s. As I set up my 2nd cycle, I used the strength increases I felt during the 1st cycle as a base for the 2nd cycle.

For example, I was able to bench 5 lbs more at the end of the 10s than when I tested my 10RM initially. And I was able to bench 10lbs more than I tested initially when I got to the end of the 5s. This gave me a pretty good idea of what sort of strength increases I might have the 2nd go around - or at the very least, it gave me a goal for each lift.

However, I found that pushing for new maxes (above my projected new maxes) the 2nd time around was harder than the 1st. I worried I was aiming too high, but I hit every goal so I guess it all worked out.

I'd say 5 - 10 lbs increase is probably gonna be a safe bet for anyone relatively new (less than 2 years of serious training) to weightlifting.

But if you program it to hit X load on session 6 of the 15s and you can't manage an unbroken set of 15 once that date arrives, no harm done. Just get as many as you can and cluster the remaining. Keep notes on this and you'll know next time.
 
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