Thanks for the idea on using the bar and leaning slightly into the rack supports for stability for calf raises. I found on the second set I was pretty much able to stabilize myself. It’s working out perfect with no back problems just holding the bar like I was at the top of a deadlift. I started at 210lb since that’s what I would have been what I was deadlifting today and 2x20reps was easy. I just used 2 25lb plates to gain a little extension on the calf raises.
Grunt11's Training Log
- Thread starter grunt11
- Start date
I figured out why the incline bench seem to hard yesterday. Instead of adding 5lb I added 15lb so I was only 5lb off my 10RM. I was figuring the bar at 35lbs instead of 45lbs. Oops!
Despite figuring this out I still decided to change over to alternating flat bench press with standing overhead press from now on since that is what I was planning for my next cycle and want to see how it goes.
I’ve seen some people alternate some sort of bench with dips and wonder if I would be better off doing that and then alternating standing overhead presses with upright rows? Consider I plan on working out 5-6 days a week alternating my splits each day rather than A.M. P.M.
Since my lower back pain has gone away part way through this cycle and I can now pick up even 45lb plates w/o any lower back pain I figured I would try some SLDLs since I think weak hamstrings contributed to my muscle strain. I only did 65lb 2x10 and it felt fine. I’m going to progress this very slowly and only every other day just to be careful but it looks promising.
I also decided that I would try inverted rows instead of supported one arm bent over rows. I both liked and disliked them in that I felt it much more in my biceps but didn’t have as much range of motion for my back. I think I will stick with them through the for the rest of the cycle to get a better feel for them as I might want to switch over to them for my first “real” HST cycle.
Despite figuring this out I still decided to change over to alternating flat bench press with standing overhead press from now on since that is what I was planning for my next cycle and want to see how it goes.
I’ve seen some people alternate some sort of bench with dips and wonder if I would be better off doing that and then alternating standing overhead presses with upright rows? Consider I plan on working out 5-6 days a week alternating my splits each day rather than A.M. P.M.
Since my lower back pain has gone away part way through this cycle and I can now pick up even 45lb plates w/o any lower back pain I figured I would try some SLDLs since I think weak hamstrings contributed to my muscle strain. I only did 65lb 2x10 and it felt fine. I’m going to progress this very slowly and only every other day just to be careful but it looks promising.
I also decided that I would try inverted rows instead of supported one arm bent over rows. I both liked and disliked them in that I felt it much more in my biceps but didn’t have as much range of motion for my back. I think I will stick with them through the for the rest of the cycle to get a better feel for them as I might want to switch over to them for my first “real” HST cycle.
To alternate or not to alternate... I don't alternate dips with bench. You can if you want, but you don't have to. My reason for alternating lifts is that I can only handle deadlifting once a week max, and squatting more than one or twice a week really takes a toll as well. Since my bench isn't very heavy (my one rep max is only 285lbs) I can easily handle that every workout day. That's why I alternate deads/squats but if you want more variation in your routine then that is fine too. Basically what I am saying is... it is your choice. I've shown you my rationale for how I do it, but that doesn't mean it is set in stone.
Just did my second to last day of 10s and hit all my 10RM goals with one more day to go. I usually take Friday off lifting so Saturday will be my last day of 10s.
Any recommendations on how to hit the last day since I already made my 10RM which I know were accurate because those are what I actually determined and estimated my 15s and 5s off of them. Should I just add the usual 5-10lbs or add it for the first set and if I make it with room to spare then add more for the second set?
Because I had to stop doing squats and deadlifts due to the strain I decided this week to stop alternating and do each exercise every day. Felt real strong until today when about half way through my routine I felt tired for the first time since starting HST. I will go back to alternating next week when I start the 5s.
My strain seems to be healing well. I was able to do squats with the bar today w/o feeling any tenderness or having to favour that leg.
So far this first time through HST has been a great learning experience. I’ve found my body can still handle a lot more than I expected it could at age 50. That deadlifting has completely eliminated my sciatica from a lumbar disk rupture. That I’ve never actually been a “hardgainer” but rather as many say I was always an over/under trainer and definitely an under eater. That by spreading out my sets over the whole week that I can workout almost every day making lifting as attractive to me as running was, well actually more so since I can wear myself out in 30 minutes rather than 3 hours.
Any recommendations on how to hit the last day since I already made my 10RM which I know were accurate because those are what I actually determined and estimated my 15s and 5s off of them. Should I just add the usual 5-10lbs or add it for the first set and if I make it with room to spare then add more for the second set?
Because I had to stop doing squats and deadlifts due to the strain I decided this week to stop alternating and do each exercise every day. Felt real strong until today when about half way through my routine I felt tired for the first time since starting HST. I will go back to alternating next week when I start the 5s.
My strain seems to be healing well. I was able to do squats with the bar today w/o feeling any tenderness or having to favour that leg.
So far this first time through HST has been a great learning experience. I’ve found my body can still handle a lot more than I expected it could at age 50. That deadlifting has completely eliminated my sciatica from a lumbar disk rupture. That I’ve never actually been a “hardgainer” but rather as many say I was always an over/under trainer and definitely an under eater. That by spreading out my sets over the whole week that I can workout almost every day making lifting as attractive to me as running was, well actually more so since I can wear myself out in 30 minutes rather than 3 hours.
TunnelRat
Active Member
Yup, and you don't wear out as many shoes...
Yes, and I figure in 10 months I’ll have saved as much in shoes as it cost me to buy all my weightlifting equipment.Yup, and you don't wear out as many shoes...
I did my last day of 10s today and since I’m only working out 5 days a week I decided to combine my A and B routines into one to see what I could get for 10RM on all the exercises. I did the first set by adding the normal increment I was using and if that felt easy enough I add as much as I figured I could get 10 reps with for the second set.
Flat Bench 155x10
Wide Grip Pull Up 145x10
Incline Bench 125x10
Cable Row 145x10
Leg Curl 60x10 (took it easy because of the strain)
Leg Extension 60x10 (same as above)
Overhead Press 90x10
Upright Row 85x10
Shrug 225x10
Barbell Calf Raise 300x20
Bench Dip BW+75x10
Barbell Curls 70x10
I did supersets in the above combinations so with warm-up and cool-down everything took 59 minutes and I wasn’t rushed at all. Though for the first time in a while I had to turn the ceiling fan on.
I wish I could have done squats and deadlifts but I’m taking it slow on those so as not to re-injure myself.
Now I have a day off tomorrow and start the first week of 5s on Monday so I will go back to splitting the routine then. May even start to drop some things off like the Bench Dips and Curls.
I’m getting some good calluses on my hands from the calf raises which is nice and no problems with grip strength at all any more. It’s nice just to hold that weight in my hands again.
Flat Bench 155x10
Wide Grip Pull Up 145x10
Incline Bench 125x10
Cable Row 145x10
Leg Curl 60x10 (took it easy because of the strain)
Leg Extension 60x10 (same as above)
Overhead Press 90x10
Upright Row 85x10
Shrug 225x10
Barbell Calf Raise 300x20
Bench Dip BW+75x10
Barbell Curls 70x10
I did supersets in the above combinations so with warm-up and cool-down everything took 59 minutes and I wasn’t rushed at all. Though for the first time in a while I had to turn the ceiling fan on.
I wish I could have done squats and deadlifts but I’m taking it slow on those so as not to re-injure myself.
Now I have a day off tomorrow and start the first week of 5s on Monday so I will go back to splitting the routine then. May even start to drop some things off like the Bench Dips and Curls.
I’m getting some good calluses on my hands from the calf raises which is nice and no problems with grip strength at all any more. It’s nice just to hold that weight in my hands again.
TunnelRat
Active Member
It's okay to go slow on squats and deads. The iron is very patient.
When the 5s start to get heavy, it doesn't hurt to drop off some of the isolation exercises. You're still moving adequate tonnage with your compound lifts.
The 5s are finally here, “Woo Hoo” (I prefer the 5.6.7.8’s cover)
Since this first time through was only suppose to be an experiment (so far quite successful) I decided it was time to simplify. So I dropped all the BS and am cutting back to one push, one pull, and one squat exercise 5x5 for each workout:
A/B
Dead Lift / Squat
Flat Bench / Shoulder Press
Pull Up / Cable Row
Barbell Shrugs / Barbell Calf Raises
Except for the Dead Lift and Squat I’m starting with my 10RM weights. The Flat Bench felt heavier than I expected at first but by the 3 set I found the groove and things seemed about right. I scared myself with the Pull Ups. Even when I did the 145 for my 10RM I was using the lat station on my power rack. I knew it was adding some friction but didn’t realize how much until I did my first real pull up an ended up with the bar down to my nipples.
I was going to alternate Leg Extensions and Leg Curls because of the strain but decided instead to alternate between light Dead Lifts and Squats. I decided to start with 3x15 for these mainly to get to the point where I feel comfortable doing normal 15s after my SD. For now I’m starting with one set at BW then one with just the bar and then one with 95lbs. I plan to increment 10lbs/workout and I am also squatting down until my butt is as close to the ground as I can get it and not exploding off the bottom as I use to. So far so good except I have the feeling my glutes aren’t going to like me tomorrow since they‘ve had a two week SD. I hate to think what it’s going to feel like to start the 15s after doing 9+ days of SD for every exercise.
Because the Dead Lifts are so light I also added Barbell Shrugs and Calf Raises. I want to maintain my grip and core muscle strength and figured doing these would help accomplish that until I’m ready to up the weight on the Dead Lifts again.
I’m still planning to work out at least 5 days a week maybe 6 depending on how I’m progressing. I really hate not exercising every day because it helps me sleep and keep from getting cranky.
Since this first time through was only suppose to be an experiment (so far quite successful) I decided it was time to simplify. So I dropped all the BS and am cutting back to one push, one pull, and one squat exercise 5x5 for each workout:
A/B
Dead Lift / Squat
Flat Bench / Shoulder Press
Pull Up / Cable Row
Barbell Shrugs / Barbell Calf Raises
Except for the Dead Lift and Squat I’m starting with my 10RM weights. The Flat Bench felt heavier than I expected at first but by the 3 set I found the groove and things seemed about right. I scared myself with the Pull Ups. Even when I did the 145 for my 10RM I was using the lat station on my power rack. I knew it was adding some friction but didn’t realize how much until I did my first real pull up an ended up with the bar down to my nipples.
I was going to alternate Leg Extensions and Leg Curls because of the strain but decided instead to alternate between light Dead Lifts and Squats. I decided to start with 3x15 for these mainly to get to the point where I feel comfortable doing normal 15s after my SD. For now I’m starting with one set at BW then one with just the bar and then one with 95lbs. I plan to increment 10lbs/workout and I am also squatting down until my butt is as close to the ground as I can get it and not exploding off the bottom as I use to. So far so good except I have the feeling my glutes aren’t going to like me tomorrow since they‘ve had a two week SD. I hate to think what it’s going to feel like to start the 15s after doing 9+ days of SD for every exercise.
Because the Dead Lifts are so light I also added Barbell Shrugs and Calf Raises. I want to maintain my grip and core muscle strength and figured doing these would help accomplish that until I’m ready to up the weight on the Dead Lifts again.
I’m still planning to work out at least 5 days a week maybe 6 depending on how I’m progressing. I really hate not exercising every day because it helps me sleep and keep from getting cranky.
Last edited:
Third day of 5s and second at the A routine (Dead Lift, Flat Bench, Pull Up, dropped the Shrugs) and it was a great day.
I have no willpower. I started real light on the Dead Lifts like I was suppose to and progressed up to 135 in about 50lb increments. Felt so good I added another 50lbs then another 20lbs and another 20lbs until it was at 225 and knocked out 10 easy reps. 225lbs was my 10RM when I started. I decided at that point not to push it any farther since I was quite happy I could do it w/o any pain in my thigh.
Then came the surprise. As I picked up my weight belt to tie some extra weight on for the Pull Ups I suddenly realized I had done the entire Dead Lift session w/o the belt. I was afraid to even look at the bar w/o the belt on when I started a few weeks ago because of my ruptured disk and now I didn’t even think to use it.
The Bench (@ 160lbs) and Pull Ups (@BW+5) progressing. Bench a little tougher than the Pull Ups but then I’ve always had a stronger back than chest.
I dropped the shrugs since I didn’t see any point in continuing them if I can start Dead Lifting normal weights again.
I have no willpower. I started real light on the Dead Lifts like I was suppose to and progressed up to 135 in about 50lb increments. Felt so good I added another 50lbs then another 20lbs and another 20lbs until it was at 225 and knocked out 10 easy reps. 225lbs was my 10RM when I started. I decided at that point not to push it any farther since I was quite happy I could do it w/o any pain in my thigh.
Then came the surprise. As I picked up my weight belt to tie some extra weight on for the Pull Ups I suddenly realized I had done the entire Dead Lift session w/o the belt. I was afraid to even look at the bar w/o the belt on when I started a few weeks ago because of my ruptured disk and now I didn’t even think to use it.
The Bench (@ 160lbs) and Pull Ups (@BW+5) progressing. Bench a little tougher than the Pull Ups but then I’ve always had a stronger back than chest.
I dropped the shrugs since I didn’t see any point in continuing them if I can start Dead Lifting normal weights again.
Last edited:
TunnelRat
Active Member
When you get up past 300 lbs or so, the belt begins to be more of a factor.
Shrugs help you grow little bumps on your shoulders next to your neck. They look cool...
In the past I usually only used the belt when I was lifting in the 1-3RM range.TunnelRat said:
Yes they are already coming along quite nicely as are my shoulders. My neck length has “shrunk” noticeably and my shoulders are wider.TunnelRat said:
As much as I’d like to Dead Lift on all 3 “A” workouts each week I’m thinking I might be better off alternating Dead Lift > Rack Pull > Shrugs or something.
TunnelRat
Active Member
I usually do rack pulls (when I do them) for more than I can deadlift. Thus rack pulls put even more strain on my CNS than deads do.
I seem to recall Lol suggesting that RDLs can be substituted in for deadlifts sometimes.
I finished my first week of 5s today and feel really good. Simplifying was clearly a good thing.
Dead Lift 3x5 @ 250lbs
Flat Bench 4x5 @ 165lbs
Pull Ups 5x5 @ BW+10lbs
Calf Raises 5x10 @ 300lbs
I’m quite pleased with the Dead Lift progression considering that the day I think I strained my thigh I couldn’t even pull 250lbs off the ground and had to drop back down to 225lbs.
Flat Bench is petering out. I only made 4 sets of 5 and then just barely. At first I thought I wasn’t going to get the last rep of the 4th set and then I looked over and realized I hadn’t set the safety bars after the Dead Lifts which meant getting the last one or dumping the bar to the side. That little extra motivation did it. Pull Ups are also reaching their limit at BW +10 for 5x5 but should be able to go higher with fewer sets. I won’t be dropping below 3x5 next week for anything but maybe the Dead lifts. I’ve pegged the Calf Raises at 300lbs for now but mostly because I need to build up better calluses on my hands since I prefer not to use gloves.
Another lesson learned:
I can manage Dead Lifts 3 days a week during the 15s and first week of the 10s but need to drop down to 2 times a week during the second week of 10s and first week of 5s. Have to see how the second week of 5s goes and if I should further drop down to once a week.
Dead Lift 3x5 @ 250lbs
Flat Bench 4x5 @ 165lbs
Pull Ups 5x5 @ BW+10lbs
Calf Raises 5x10 @ 300lbs
I’m quite pleased with the Dead Lift progression considering that the day I think I strained my thigh I couldn’t even pull 250lbs off the ground and had to drop back down to 225lbs.
Flat Bench is petering out. I only made 4 sets of 5 and then just barely. At first I thought I wasn’t going to get the last rep of the 4th set and then I looked over and realized I hadn’t set the safety bars after the Dead Lifts which meant getting the last one or dumping the bar to the side. That little extra motivation did it. Pull Ups are also reaching their limit at BW +10 for 5x5 but should be able to go higher with fewer sets. I won’t be dropping below 3x5 next week for anything but maybe the Dead lifts. I’ve pegged the Calf Raises at 300lbs for now but mostly because I need to build up better calluses on my hands since I prefer not to use gloves.
Another lesson learned:
I can manage Dead Lifts 3 days a week during the 15s and first week of the 10s but need to drop down to 2 times a week during the second week of 10s and first week of 5s. Have to see how the second week of 5s goes and if I should further drop down to once a week.
TunnelRat
Active Member
That's a good weight for calf raises. Calves are tough -- we walk on them all day long -- it takes a lot to stimulate them. Most guys do calves with way too little weight on the bar.
I like to use the same weight for calves that I do for deadlifts. It helps me to remember what the right increment is.
I like to use the same weight for calves that I do for deadlifts. It helps me to remember what the right increment is.
I upped the weight a while back at your suggestion plus using the barbell helped keep my grip strength improving while I wasn’t able to Dead Lift.
I was also matching the weight on my Calf Raises to my Dead Lift but then I decided to up to 300 to help prepare for a shot at a 300lb Dead Lift by the end of this cycle. Not sure if I’ll make it this time around but I felt really strong today doing them.
Still working on the second week of 5s and learning a lot.
I have or am hitting the wall on strength gains in some lifts which is hard to take coming from a power-lifting mindset but then this is HST and not SST. Specifically I could only get 4 reps @170 on the Flat Bench for 2 sets so I called it at that point. On the third set of BW+15 Pull Ups I only got to 4 reps before breaking form. Stopped at 250 again on the Dead Lifts and only did one set as my back is still feeling the 3 sets from 2 days ago.
Part of it may be that I changed things up again to do some more experimenting and instead of having 2 full days between these lifts I only had 1. I may also have overestimated my 5RM on some lifts since I calculated them based on my 10RM. And the last one lead me to starting the 5s with my 10RM rather than zig zagging. Then it could also be overtraining since I am hitting this 6 days a week. I’ll try to sort out these factors in the next two weeks.
Some good news is that my Standing Shoulder Press is progressing faster than expected.
One reason I changed things up was to add in Dips. I keep reading about how great Dips are but have never been able to do an unassisted Dip so I’ve left them out. Well last night just for the hell of it I tried one and it was much easier than I ever expected. So tomorrow they will be my chest exercise and I’ll see how it feels trying to do 5RM @ BW.
I also changed things up to add in some isolation stretching movements and some peak contraction isolation movements to see how these feel. I figure these will also take a toll on my strength but then it’s primarily Hypertrophy I’m after right now with strength increases a bonus and I wanted to see what sort of effect these have.
I have or am hitting the wall on strength gains in some lifts which is hard to take coming from a power-lifting mindset but then this is HST and not SST. Specifically I could only get 4 reps @170 on the Flat Bench for 2 sets so I called it at that point. On the third set of BW+15 Pull Ups I only got to 4 reps before breaking form. Stopped at 250 again on the Dead Lifts and only did one set as my back is still feeling the 3 sets from 2 days ago.
Part of it may be that I changed things up again to do some more experimenting and instead of having 2 full days between these lifts I only had 1. I may also have overestimated my 5RM on some lifts since I calculated them based on my 10RM. And the last one lead me to starting the 5s with my 10RM rather than zig zagging. Then it could also be overtraining since I am hitting this 6 days a week. I’ll try to sort out these factors in the next two weeks.
Some good news is that my Standing Shoulder Press is progressing faster than expected.
One reason I changed things up was to add in Dips. I keep reading about how great Dips are but have never been able to do an unassisted Dip so I’ve left them out. Well last night just for the hell of it I tried one and it was much easier than I ever expected. So tomorrow they will be my chest exercise and I’ll see how it feels trying to do 5RM @ BW.
I also changed things up to add in some isolation stretching movements and some peak contraction isolation movements to see how these feel. I figure these will also take a toll on my strength but then it’s primarily Hypertrophy I’m after right now with strength increases a bonus and I wanted to see what sort of effect these have.
Ok anyone who says that HST is not a workout can kiss my gluteus . . . .
My arms and shoulders are starting to feel like they’ve been hammered with a meat tenderizer when I wake up in the morning but I’m not losing strength though in some areas the gains have slowed. On the plus side I found a picture from when I was in the Corps and was only really doing upper body workouts and my arms and shoulders are at least as big as they were then. Difference is this time it’s taken about 6 weeks while back then it took over 6 months. The nice thing is that working out makes everything feel good again, well at least when the pain from incorporating loaded stretches and pulses subsides.
The Dips went amazingly well today. I only did 3 sets of 5 @ BW but felt like I could have done 10 easy. I’m so glad that I can now actually perform them and figured out a way to do it with my equipment. I tried chairs in the past but it was to unstable. This time since I have two Olympic bars I raised the safety bars on my power rack up to about shoulder level and placed the Olympic bars across them forming a “V.” I start by using a 2-stepper to get up high enough.
So with that I think I’ve finalized my exercises for my first real HST cycle after I SD.
A
Dead Lift
Flat Bench
Pull Up (wide grip)
B
Squat
Dips
Chin Up (close grip)
C
Calf Raises
Standing Shoulder Press
Cable Rows
I will start out 6 days a week on Saturday with A, Sunday B, Monday C, Tuesday A, Wednesday B, Thursday C, Friday off. Then as things get heavy I will drop one “C” day switching to 5 times a week starting on Saturday A, Sunday off, Monday B, Tuesday C, Wednesday A, Thursday B, Friday off. I’m pretty sure when I hit the fives I will also stop Dead Lifting twice a week dropping them from the Wednesday workout but keeping them on Saturday.
As I progress through the 10s and almost certainly the 5s I will start adding in some loaded stretching and peak contraction isolation movements as I see fit based on the outcome of trying them out right now
My arms and shoulders are starting to feel like they’ve been hammered with a meat tenderizer when I wake up in the morning but I’m not losing strength though in some areas the gains have slowed. On the plus side I found a picture from when I was in the Corps and was only really doing upper body workouts and my arms and shoulders are at least as big as they were then. Difference is this time it’s taken about 6 weeks while back then it took over 6 months. The nice thing is that working out makes everything feel good again, well at least when the pain from incorporating loaded stretches and pulses subsides.
The Dips went amazingly well today. I only did 3 sets of 5 @ BW but felt like I could have done 10 easy. I’m so glad that I can now actually perform them and figured out a way to do it with my equipment. I tried chairs in the past but it was to unstable. This time since I have two Olympic bars I raised the safety bars on my power rack up to about shoulder level and placed the Olympic bars across them forming a “V.” I start by using a 2-stepper to get up high enough.
So with that I think I’ve finalized my exercises for my first real HST cycle after I SD.
A
Dead Lift
Flat Bench
Pull Up (wide grip)
B
Squat
Dips
Chin Up (close grip)
C
Calf Raises
Standing Shoulder Press
Cable Rows
I will start out 6 days a week on Saturday with A, Sunday B, Monday C, Tuesday A, Wednesday B, Thursday C, Friday off. Then as things get heavy I will drop one “C” day switching to 5 times a week starting on Saturday A, Sunday off, Monday B, Tuesday C, Wednesday A, Thursday B, Friday off. I’m pretty sure when I hit the fives I will also stop Dead Lifting twice a week dropping them from the Wednesday workout but keeping them on Saturday.
As I progress through the 10s and almost certainly the 5s I will start adding in some loaded stretching and peak contraction isolation movements as I see fit based on the outcome of trying them out right now
Last edited: