clear up my mind of HST

S

S_F_H

New Member
Alright.. I read some kind of alot of HST but it seems that i havent read the proper ones... just to make sure I understood everything right, here are my thoughts on it...
I decided to start a HST cycle, my first one...

-First of all, i thoughts the 15s had to be done with one set and the 10s with 2 sets and the 5s with three sets...

-then, I saw that we could train iwth alternating exercises... the ABA-BAB formula... well I choosed an exercise for my bi for the workout A then another exercise for my workout B.. is that the proper way of using the alternate exercise? since i got to calculate 2 different exercises and my progressive load isnt as close as the "each 48 hrs" since its another bi exercise...

-Also, I read I had to choose 2 exercises for bigger muscle, such as back/chest/legs would that be true as well??

thx everybody!!
 
The 15s dont have to be trained with 1 set while the 10s for 2 and 5s for 3. This is simply an attempt to limit the amount of changing variables from rep block to rep block. This way you will have close to the amount of reps for each rep block (15s=15, 10s=20, 5s=15).

Personally I dont find this neccessary or even realistic at times. You will find that it will be pretty difficult to get your 5RM for three sets in the same workout. I also feel as though you would benefit from another set of 15s. So my humble advice is to do 2 sets of each exercise for all rep blocks.

As for the alternating exercises my advice is to not play around with it. It is much easier to track your progressive load with just one exercise.

You also do not have to choose two exercises for the bigger muscle groups. I am under the impression a lot of guys only do squats for legs during their HST cycle. Squats are a great compound exercise that hits pretty much the entire lower body, therefore it really isn't neccessary to do another exercise. However I don't think it would hurt to add leg extensions, leg curls or calf raises. Same goes for chest and back. Simply incline bench press, or barbell rows will definitely get the job done.

I hope that helps,

Joe G
 
Joe G pretty much hit the nail on the head.

You need to do as many sets "as is required". This will depend on a number of factors. Basically you will want to start low and then add sets slowly over time until you feel you are doing too much (i.e. excess fatigue and declining strength levels). At that point back off until you feel good again.

Plus, any number of life's stress' can impair proper recovery so play it as you go.

When alternating between two sets of exercises simply make larger increments so that you end up using your max after 6 workouts. Or, it is also ok to extend that block so that you get in more workouts with a given exercise at a given rep range. These are decisions that if taken in proper perspective will not make-or-break you. It is the principle of "progressive load" that you are applying. As long as you do that you will be fine.

Some muscle groups can use a couple different exercises to load well. Back, for example, allows for two different planes of motion. The architexture of the muscle itself reflects this (multipennate). So do enough exercises to effectively load all areas of the lat. Usually rows and pull downs/chins are sufficient to train the entire lat. The chest is a similar muscle and can be trained with more than one exercise assuming they accurately reflect the anatomy of the muscle.

So, I hate to sound like a broken record, but get the principles down, and then the methods will seem intuitive.
 
alright! thx a lot for those answers... but also, just wanna know something else... if 20pds is my max for 15 reps, for one arm bi curl exercise.. then 5% of 20pds is like 1pound, which would mean i would have to use 15pds (that works) the 1st workout, 16pds (gym doesnt have 16!) then 17 18 all the way up to 20... gym dont have 1 pound... how could i manage the progressive load then? using 15 for first 3 workout, then using 20 for the last 3??
 
You could either a) not work out an isolation exercise such as curls for biceps until the 10's or even the 5's b) change the exercise to a curling bar, you could do a bit more progression with those 2.5lb plates c) don't start the curls until day 3 of your 15's and then go 15-15-20-20

Just a few different ways you can go about doing that.

-Colby
 
right now most of my exercises for the 15s are set up that way....
example
workout 1-2 15
workout 3-4 20
workout 5-6 25

could this way be any good?? since my increment are so small for most of my exercises, I cant manage to increase properly... im having the same prob with shoulders since my max rep for 15s is 20, so going with 10pds for the first 2 workout might be useless, isnt it?
thx again!
 
I've done something similar to what you have and have achieved great results. I like to repeat my weights for isolation exercises sometimes. What you can do to compensate for the smaller increments which are not possible is to slow down the rep speed, and make it more difficult. What I'll do is squeeze really hard and focus on my stretch and you really can make any light weight as difficult as you desire. I hope this helps

thehamma
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
right now most of my exercises for the 15s are set up that way....
example
workout 1-2 15
workout 3-4 20
workout 5-6 25

could this way be any good??
thx again!
Click to expand...

That's perfectly ok.

Incrementing every workout isn't the focus really. Keeping the trend progressively increasing throughout the entire workout cycle is. So as long as you are progressively working up to your maximum loads, whether you repeat weights, zigzag, or follow an "honest-to-God" incrementation per workout, won't make much of a difference.

Regards and good luck!
-JV
 
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