Centralized tracking of results with HST

M

mikeynov

Super Moderator
Staff member
Howdy all,

I've been thinking of the various things I like about HST, and one of my favorite aspects of this website in general is A) the positivity and B) the analytical approach many take towards tracking their progress.

In respect to B, we have a whole results thread where a fairly large number of people have documented their progress going back like 6+ years. I still enjoy reading through this to see how various people have implemented HST over the years, and how this seems to relate to their results.

I think this is an excellent start, but I was thinking that it would be extra awesome if a centralized database of the results could actually be compiled. This would not have to be terribly complicated, and would probably include pretty simple figures. Cool things could be done with this information, including very basic analysis on the numbers and how they relate to people's results.

Examples:

* Gain in lean mass
* Dietary factors (total kcals, protein, etc)
* Total number of exercises
* Total number of sets
* Duration of the program
* Presence of zigzagging or not
* Length of SD preceding cycle
* Training age (i.e. number of years spent lifting weights)

etc

While I'm not saying something like this could happen particularly soon, I think it would be pretty neat to have a central database of information that people could put their results into and, over time, compile some information about what "seems" to be working best for people, on average.

So, I'll ask the following question...

If such a thing could, at some point, be created, what sort of figures/information do you think would be most useful in said database? I.e. what sort of information would you like to be able to see concerning people's results and implementation of HST?
 
Yeah, I like the idea too. It'd take a fair bit of time and effort to set up (plus someone would have to host the db and make sure it was backed up regularly - I guess Bryan might be happy to host it here if we all asked him nicely?).
 
I have recorded most of my daily caloric intake broken down into macro nutrients along with estimated energy expenditure in addition to BMR calculations for the past three years. I have also written down the weights, time, mesocycle break down and SD duration for all of my 16 HST cycles. For the past year a a half, my diet has been broken down to include EFA's and fiber. For the past 6 months, my diet has been recorded including just about every piece of nutritional information that you can find. I have had great and bad cycles. I have gone through bulks, cuts, slow bulks, slow cuts, accidentally fast bulks and caloric waving. I have also tried extra routines along with my HST cycles such as 5x5, 10x3, HIT, Westside variants and other strength programs. I have practiced frequency (full body) at one through eight times per week. I have practiced AM/PM splits, large workout splits, simplified programs, specialized off-day routines and a variety of over 35 exercises. I have had injuries and surgeries to deal with. I have also had the effect of newbie gains, muscle memory, the repeated bout effect and other plateaus. I have gone from the lowest of 169 lbs to the highest of 250 lbs in less than 3 years. I started HST at about 169 at about 13.5% body fat to a weight of about 230 at about 15% body fat (although calipers and calculations tell me lower, when I compare this is what I can reasonably estimate it at). I have done HST with and without cardio. For the past four years, I have recorded what my body fat percentage was estimate at along with my weight.

You will receive this information cycle to cycle in this thread in the coming months.
biggrin.gif
 
Colby is a walking, talking database. Actually a walking, talking, lifting DB.
 
<div>
(electric @ Aug. 14 2008,12:04)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Colby is a walking, talking database. Actually a walking, talking, lifting DB.</div>
Yes I am - quite proud of it too!
 
I lost my diet data pre-HST cycle #8, but I have body composition data going back to 2004, and every cycle has been listed in detail on this website and tracked at home, so I'll try to provide one of these reports each week day.

Link to my review of my 1st HST cycle in September 05

* Gain in lean mass
About 9 lbs, lost 1 lb of fat, specifically:
BOC (beginning of cycle), Weight = 181, BF% ~ 14%, LBM = 155.66 lbs
EOC, Weight = 189, BF% = 13.08%, LBM = 164.28 lbs

* Dietary factors (total kcals, protein, etc)
Relatively simple slow bulk of about 300 calories over maintenance each day.  I cite the great gains due to muscle memory as I lost 30 lbs that spring in a severe cut.

* Total number of exercises
About 7 each workout, total of 13, split each day, worked out about 3-4x/week

* Total number of sets
15's ~ 10 per WO
10's ~ 14 per WO
5's ~ 21 per WO

* Duration of the program
About 2 months

* Presence of zigzagging or not
Yep and rather sharp as I went 70% of my RM's on every exercise, even curls

* Length of SD preceding cycle
Not sure, I think it was about 3 weeks in late May to early June of that year

* Training age (i.e. number of years spent lifting weights)
Age: 20
Experience: 1 year
 
Moving on to Cycle #2, lasted from September to November of 2005.

Link to the setup of my 2nd HST cycle

* Gain in lean mass
About 7 lbs with 1 lb of fat gained, specifically:
BOC (beginning of cycle), Weight = 189, BF% = 13.08%, LBM = 164.28 lbs
EOC, Weight = 196, BF% = 13.01%, LBM = 170.50 lbs

* Dietary factors (total kcals, protein, etc)
Similar to 1st HST cycle... relatively simple slow bulk of about 300 calories over maintenance each day.  No simultaneous fat loss, but gains can be still be cited to muscle memory as previous LBM high was 169.85 lbs in February 2005.  After this cycle, all gains can be attributed to HST.

* Total number of exercises
Same as 1st cycle.. about 7 each workout, total of 13, split each day, worked out about 3-4x/week

* Total number of sets
The number of sets per mesocycle has been fairly consistent in my entire HST career.  Number of total sets depends on exercises of course:

15's ~ 10 per WO
10's ~ 14 per WO
5's ~ 21 per WO

* Duration of the program
About 2 months

* Presence of zigzagging or not
Same as 1st HST cycle... Yep and rather sharp as I went 70% of my RM's on every exercise, even curls

* Length of SD preceding cycle
17 DAYS

* Training age (i.e. number of years spent lifting weights)
Age: 20
Experience: 1 year
 
Mikey

That is one technical thing that will smarten up this website even more, you planning on designing it and running it?
rock.gif
 
<div>
(Fausto @ Aug. 28 2008,3:51)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Mikey

That is one technical thing that will smarten up this website even more, you planning on designing it and running it?
rock.gif
</div>
If I had the means to I would consider it, but I don't have much of a background in database management/organization, so it'd probably need to be handled on the technical end by somebody else.

However, the principle strikes me as a very sound idea. Creating a database of people's progress so you can track what seems to be &quot;working&quot; seems like a really, really good idea.

It's at least light years ahead of generalized, number-free anecdote.
 
Mike,

It will be easier for me to compile this data in Excel. I can post it here as a PDF link for all to view once it is done. The following information will be provided, if applicable:

Age at Beginning of Cycle:
Prior Lifting Experience (years):
Prior HST Experience (years):

Beginning Date:
Ending Date:
Length of Cycle (Days):
Length of Cycle (Weeks):
Prior SD Length (Days):
Frequency (Full Body per Week):
Frequency (Lifting Sessions per Week):

Number of HST Exercises per WO:
Total Sets per 15's:
Total Sets per 10's:
Total Sets per 5's:
Supplemental Strength Cycle:
Number of Other Exercises:
Total Sets of Other Exercises:

Beginning Weight (lbs):
Beginning Body Fat%:
Beginning LBM (lbs):
Ending Weight (lbs):
Ending Body Fat%:
Ending LBM (lbs):
Change in Weight (lbs):
Change in Body Fat%:
Change in LBM (lbs):

Caloric (kcals) Intake:
Caloric (kcals) Balance:
Protein:
Carbohydrates:
Fat:
Alcohol:
GLA:
EPA:
DHA:
Omega-6 to Omega-3:
Protein (g/lb):
Protein (g/lb LBM):
Fiber:
Protein to Carbohydrate Ratio:
Macronutrient Percentages (P-C-F):

Zig-Zagging, Average % Drop From End of One Mesocycle to Beginning of Next Mesocycle:

I think this will also be very helpful for me to see what works best for me. My body fat percentage numbers are very underestimated in late 2006 through even this year, so I will probably adjust them a few points. Those starting numbers are fairly spot on. I know that at the end of the summer of 2006, I was definitely 12% body fat. After that, everything went to hell when it came to my body. I am still recovering.
biggrin.gif
sad.gif


-Colby
 
Mike,

Please email me at crs245@gmail.com, so that I can send you information. I have routine, weight, and body fat percentage (based on weight and waist) information dating back to 2005. I lost some of my diet info, so I only have data going back to the end of January 2007 with the exception of April-May 2007.

I hope this information helps.

-Colby
 
mikeynov I think its a great idea...I'm just hesitant to jump in with any promises because of time constraints.

-bryan
 
The database idea is a good one. My wifes uncle owned several gyms and we discussed just such an idea.

Basically a web site capable of logging all aspects of a bodybuilders routine. Lifts, diet, supplements, rest, etc. Along with their goals. The members would be encouraged to log their information and could easily query the data to monitor results.

We had discussed linking in the gym equipment to automatically log each persons lifts repititions and weights. We even toyed with the idea of developing special barbells and dumbells that could count repititions. Also there would be weight racks and lifting mats that tracked the amount of weight loaded onto them for freeweight movements. You simply tell the weights when you were starting and finishing a set of movements. Each station would let you identitfy what type of lift you were performing if it was not a machine lift.

All of this would be tied to an ID badge that identified each member so it could properly track the data. The exit of the locker room would have a weigh in mat that you would cross over to weigh in each visit.

Several cool ideas came out of this. One was a ticker on the gym wall that gave recognition to an idividual who had reached a specific goal. So and so lost twenty pounds. Whoever was able to bench press 225# for ten. Whatever.

The other cool thing was that the software would interview a new member to find out their current fitness level / experience along with this auto magic logging equipment. Ascertain the persons goals and search the database for the most optimal results of members who had the same set of goals.

It would then give them a set plan of action to follow for those goals as a template to follow and the member along with a trainer could then work towards fine tuning and fulfilling those goals.

Pretty cool stuff. This might be a little more ambitious than what you all had in mind but searching the database for results even if it was just in Access or Excel would be very useful as well.
 
<div>
(colby2152 @ Sep. 10 2008,1:32)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Mike,

I never received an email.

-Colby</div>
Somehow I missed replying to this. My apologies, sir, sending the email now.
 
Sweet! I like the idea, Mike!

Some ppl are just as fanatic as me! (But I think Colby is probably the worst...
laugh.gif
)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top