Done with Starting Strength, new to HST.

M

Myrrhman

New Member
As the title says, I just finished doing SS and I achieved a good foundation of strength. Now I'm ready to move on into another routine and I've read that HST is very good for mass, but I still don't know how it works. So far I got this routine in mind (3 times a week):

Legs
Squat

Chest
Bench Press

Back
Chins
Rows

Traps
Shrugs

Shoulder
Shoulder Press
Lateral Raise
Rear Delt

Biceps
Barbell Curls

Triceps
Triceps Extensions

Calves
Calf Raise

Abs
Weighted Crunches

Am I supposed to do 15 reps the first 2 weeks, 10 reps the 3rd and 4th week, 5 reps the next 4 weeks, rest week and then the whole cycle begins? Also, what exercises would you add/remove? Also, there's this article with another HST routine but it's very different and I'm somewhat confused http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw39.htm , should I do that instead? To be honest I never liked stiff-legged/romanian deadlifts and I rather do regular deadlifts instead. Same with split squats, I rather do regular squats instead.
 
That example on bodybuilding.com complicates the simplicity of HST. Your routine looks fine if they're the exercises you enjoy doing and you have grasped the layout of the typical 'vanilla ' HST routine . Repeating the same routine over the cycle enables you to monitor your progression in load more closely, and it would be useful to keep a log to help you do this. Have a read of the simplify and win thread. Work out your 15 10 and 5 rep maxes and have a go, you will see strength and size gains if your diet and training is in Check.
 
^^^

What he said.

You don't gotta do SL/Romanian if you don't want to. Regular Deadlift is fine, especially for someone who is fairly new to lifting (like myself) and is probably still perfecting form on full body movements like the Deadlift. Same goes for Squatting. Stick to the vanilla program (one featured on this site) for now.

In terms of the final 2 weeks after you do 5 reps, you can redo 5 rep mesocycle (I always push for a slightly higher PR on my compound movements, but that's not mandatory), or you can do negatives. Or if you feel completely burnt out after your first 5 rep mesocycle and/or your joints are on fire, you can SD.

Abs...I don't like weighted crunches; never liked them. Hanging from a pullup bar and doing a sort of captain's chair movement (bent legs, knees to stomach), or straight legs for the advanced movement (gotta have limber hamstrings and strong abs) if you can do it, AND isometric movement patterns like planks and side planks are probably your best bet for Abs. Tense your abs throughout, and for the hanging leg raise, make sure you're doing the movement at a controlled pace. You can also do negatives as well. They'll kick your ass, and feel like someone kicked you in the abs :p. You can alternate between the Concentric movement and Isometric movement per workout, if you'd like (one day hanging leg raise, next time you work out, planks).
 
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Are the 2 last weeks after my 5 reps mandatory? I would rather do 2 extra weeks instead of negatives because I'm not experienced with negatives. Could I just do 2 weeks of 5 reps, then do SD and start the cycle again? To be honest I'm more interested in mass gain than strength gain. I've been taught that 5 reps with heavy weight yield more strength than mass, and that anything between 8-10 reps yields the most mass.
 
In terms of strength:

You gain strength, and you can continue progressive overload. You've got to bump up your rep maxes each cycle, or you're going to end up working with the same weight. SD doesn't get rid of ALL adaptation to load so if you never progress, you will eventually plateau. That's why you bump up your lifts when you start a new cycle. So if you hit 65lb for 5 reps, and then start a new cycle, you plan your sub-maximal percentages like you're aiming for a higher rep max...like 70lb for 5 reps.

It is true that different rep ranges can train for different types of outcomes - you can train for strength, strength endurance, power, power endurance, or just straight up endurance. It comes down to the exercises you do, the explosiveness/speed of the exercise, and how many times you lift that bar up.

In terms of doing a 2nd mesocycle of 5 reps:

Remember that progressive overload means constantly increasing weight - and the rep ranges allow you to do so. You still aren't as adapted to the weights you use in your 5 rep max mesocycle as would be to cause stagnation in growth, so repeating the 5 rep mesocycle can end you up with more net growth throughout the cycle then if you were to just SD after your 1st 5 rep mesocycle (assuming you're not burnt out when you started the 2nd 5 rep mesocycle).

But it's ultimately up to you. If you just want to SD, then that's your prerogative. But generally, the rule is, when you get stronger, especially as a beginner like you and me, hypertrophy isn't too far behind.
 
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Thanks a lot for your help. Here's my last question: when changing from 15 to 10 and from 10 to 5 should I make less exercises? Is there a template of HST or anything similar out there? What I'm trying to say, 5 heavyweight weighted crunches or calf raises don't sound too helpful.

EDIT: Also, am I supposed to take a week off any training before starting a HST routine?
 
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Generally, you find your rep maxes and then take 9-14 days off before you start. You can plug your 5 rep max into a calculator, or you can find all of the rep maxes for more accurate numbers to go by.

As for abs, you can switch to another exercise like I mentioned: hanging leg raise, plank, etc, if you don't want to risk injury by doing 5 rep max crunches (that sounds like hell on the lower back), and/or you can up the starting repetitions and end up with your last cycle being 10s or 15s for your abs.

As for calves...somebody else has to answer that since I don't isolate my calves. I would assume it's the same rule with any isolation exercise - heavy weight low reps can be real hard on your joints when you're doing isolation exercises. You can do a 5 rep mesocycle for calves and see how you feel. Biggest rule of thumb is listening to your body. If your knees or ankles don't like 5 rep calf raises, then don't do 5 rep calf raises. And besides, you're still fairly new, like myself, so if you decide at this stage to drop calf raises altogether, it isn't going to kill you. Big focus should be on compound movements - Squat, Dead, Mil Press, Bench Press, Rows and/or Pullups/Chins.
 
With regards to the last two weeks - unless you haven't been eating enough, you should have gained a fair amount of strength during your cycle. As such, I recommend you attempt to increment beyond your 5 RMs each session until you hit new 5 RMs for each lift. You can then continue using those new 5 RMs for another week or two if you wish. Whatever your new 5 RM ends up being for each lift you can then use to plan out your next cycle.
 
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