Critique my HST cycle

[imported_hod001]

Hey guys,

Please critique the following HST cycle. Notes:
-9 days of SD
-I am planning on keeping volume constant for the first 6 weeks by doing 1 set of 15's, 1 set of 10's + 1 set of 5 and 3 sets of 5's. Last 2 weeks I plan on simply doing 1 set of 5's trying to lift as much as possible.
-Weights are in KG's.
-I added a column with workload for each week because I want to know how much my body is handling(I added 50kg to the dip and chin weights for the formula, since for these I'll be lifting a lot of bodyweight too)

The total volume is probably somewhat higher than most trainees use, this is intentional, I really want to turn up the volume to see what this will do for me while eating a load of calories.


Background info on me:

I just cut down from 68kg to 62kg @ 1,74m, estimated BF % = 11-12%, 24y old.  Genetically speaking, building muscle has always been a problem for me, I have always been skinny and weak- although I can gain fat easily.

I have been training for about the past 3 years, although during the first 1,5 of those I mainly tried the 'regular' 1x a week bodypart splits and mainly got a lot of injuries and never progressed much.

The last 1,5 years I think I have done usefull training although not for mass:  high frequency full body workouts, 3-5x a week, although using low volume/workload- like 4 sets of 8 reps each week per bodypart. All free weights, the big movements. I thought that I would be gaining LBM automatically when getting stronger, but this didn't really seem to be the case for me...

Right now I am still skinny, but do not consider myself weak for my size. I really think I need to use more volume and a hypertrophy based program like HST to gain muscle. I believe that I have a solid strength base and should be able to gain a good amount of muscle with the right program and caloric excessive diet.

Experts, please critique if guys see any flaws in the my logic or the cycle I designed!




Edit: save the attachment, rename it .xls and open it with excel... that should work!

 

[bluejacket]

im no expert but ill give a few brief thoughts.

if adding muscle has always been a problem and you feel you gain fat easily put that knowledge to work for you. prev. poor results could have been b/c of inconsistant or improper diet or w/o and this time things could be diff. but............dont just load up on the cals b/c the result will most likely be the same.

this isnt to say you shouldnt bulk or have a cal surplus but if you really feel the above statement is true eating way over maint. will gain you muscle but it may be overshadowed by some serious fat gain. by your #s you dont sound overly skinny/light for your height so gaining wgt (any wgt) for the sake of filling out your frame shouldnt be a priority at this stage. a nice consistant 500cal surplus (with macros in order) leading to around 1lb or so a week gain should serve you well.

personally, i dont comment much on indiv. w/o progs. others are better at it and you know you better then i do. after 3yrs im guessing youve got a pretty good handle on what does and doesnt work for you and any input from me on that would prob. just muddy the water.

apologies in advance if i read too much into your "load up on the calories" comment.

good luck

 

[colby2152]

I agree with bluejacket. You may need to count calories just to make sure you are not getting too many. Maximize the efficiency of your diet by eating clean foods that consist of mostly unsaturated fats, EFA's, low-GI complex carbs, and of course, high protein. The thermo genesis effect of a high protein diet should be good to keep some of the fat away. The essential fatty acids (EFA's) will keep you even more lean, help your joints, and reduce inflammation. Low-GI carbs are better than their counterparts for the same reasons.

 

[Avi1985]

We have the same problam. We both skinny, having problams to gain muscle, getting more fat easily, and too rush when bulking and cutting. My advice for you is to make sure your rate beetwen protein, carbs, and fats is right for you. Eat enough vegetables. And dont bulk more than 200-300 grams a week. More than 250 grams a week its just a fat you gain.
Good Luck

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