First cycle routine

A

antonioxnil

New Member
Hi! I've been reading about HST for the past few days — main site and this forum — and decided to give it a go. Here's the routine I'm planning to start. Do tell, you experts of HST, if it is a good one. (I've been working out for the past two months after a hiatus of almost a year, having worked out for the previous two years or so with no results, mostly due to bad nutrition, I think. I'm not particularly fond of leg workout - quadriceps and hamstrings are big enough, although I have no glutes, it seems –, but I opted for a upper-lower split because I'd rather work out more than 3 times a week. Last week was deload week, so I intend to begin tomorrow with my first cycle. Also, I've just begun a cut, but don't intend to do cardio. An occasional medium-low-intensity soccer match or low-intensity tennis match may occur on the off-day. Additional question, if sub-forum appropriate: I bought creatine for the first time before realizing I should cut instead of bulk. Should I begin taking it now, on a cut, or wait to take advantage of the supposed initial pump for a bulk?)

A - Upper body
Bench press
Chin-ups
Dips
Lat pulldown
Arnold press
Biceps curl
Cable triceps pushdown

A - Lower body
Squats
Leg extension
Leg curl
Calf raise
Abs

B - Upper body
Incline bench
Barbell row
Dumbell pullover
Pull-ups
Shoulder press
Triceps extension
Dumbell biceps curl

B - Lower body
Squats
Leg Curl
Machine leg press
Standing calf raise
Abs

Frequency: A,A,B,B,A,A,rest,B,B...


I don't know how to integrate the deadlift in a upper-lower body split. Tips on that too?


Thank you in advance.
 
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Looks good. You should be bulking unless you are too fat. And if you need to lose weight and cut, don't bother with creatine. Its always better to bulk if you are trying to gain muscle size.
 
Thank you for the reply, Sci!

On fat: I think I'm too fat. I'm taking a guess, because I have only estimated it with the use of a formula and through mirror analysis (really in-depth stuff), but it seems to me to be too much fat. I'd rather clean bulk from a low bf state.

On creatine: since I'm on a cut, wouldn't it help prevent muscle loss (or more muscle loss)? My doubt about starting to use it right now has more to do with the possibility of the loss of the benefit of the initial pump when you start taking it for the first time and you're on a bulk. Do you have an opinion on that?

On the routine. The first workout was today and it felt good — it did burn (particularly the arms) and my muscles were pumped, although the pump might have subsided sooner than after a regular hypertrophy workout. One thing that bothered me, though (also because I don't think I've seen it mentioned in any post), was the workout duration. I took no more than 35 minutes, warm-up included. Is that a good number?

And I'm including the deadlift on the upper-body workout. Should I remove the squat from the lower-body one and replace it with the leg press, adding another leg exercise on the days I previously included the squat and the leg press?
 
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A question which has come up: should I do different exercises for the same muscles from workout to workout — ABABA...? Doesn't that go against the principles of HST, because of the increments in weight from A to B not being between the same exercises?
 
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Personal preference. Whichever you prefer. It won't matter in the long run. If you want more variety, then go and do alternating routines. If you prefer consistently, then do the same routine each time. It will not make a huge difference with your gains as long as you have set up a good routine.
 
New question: should I increment the number of sets from microcycle to microcycle? Say, from 2x15 to 3x10 and then to 4x5? There seems to be some divergence on this. I can take the load, I think. But is it beneficial?
 
Here's my actual routine, by the way:

Not AABBAA..., as previously stated. I decided to keep it simpler.

UPPER
Deadlift
Bench press
Chin-ups
Dips
Lat pulldown
Dumbbell pullover
Dumbell military press
Bicep curls
Shrugs

LOWER
Squat
Leg press
Leg extension
Leg curls
Calves
Leg raises
Crunches
Obliques
Plank
 
yes, if you can it is always better to maintain volume (total reps), though into heavy 5s, you may not be able to do 4 sets without killing yourself, so then do what you can.
 
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