Help, answer my question please.
- Thread starter WilliamBD
- Start date
Welcome to HST.
In theory, you should take a week before your SD to reestablish your new 15, 10 and 5 rep maxes and then work backwards to find your starting weight...typically about 75% of your max. In practice, most of us who have been doing HST for a while, pretty much can guesstimate from our previous cycle how much weight we can add. If we find part way through a micro cycle that we guessed a bit off, we adjust and go forward. Or, if we guessed too high, worst case is we only hit 4 reps on our last set. If we guessed low, just rep out on your last set. No big deal either way. Working at your exact rep max on your last set is not as critical as one might assume. You can even add an extra day if you want to.
BTW, have you read Totz's ebook that is available on the forum front page?
Happy lifting.
O&G
In theory, you should take a week before your SD to reestablish your new 15, 10 and 5 rep maxes and then work backwards to find your starting weight...typically about 75% of your max. In practice, most of us who have been doing HST for a while, pretty much can guesstimate from our previous cycle how much weight we can add. If we find part way through a micro cycle that we guessed a bit off, we adjust and go forward. Or, if we guessed too high, worst case is we only hit 4 reps on our last set. If we guessed low, just rep out on your last set. No big deal either way. Working at your exact rep max on your last set is not as critical as one might assume. You can even add an extra day if you want to.
BTW, have you read Totz's ebook that is available on the forum front page?
Happy lifting.
O&G
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you for the info. And I just finished reading the ebook. I'll definately apply that info for future cycles. I was also wondering why I don't see anyone using a cycle where the number of reps drop weekly (15,12,10,8,6,3). Wouldn't that allow for more efficient progression?
Bulldog
Active Member
It isn't necessary and just makes things more complicated.
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That setup keeps you closer to your maxes which increases fatigue over the course of a cycle. Not necessarily a bad thing but for most people, managing fatigue is more important. There isn't really any good reason to do weekly versus biweekly, it doesn't make anything more efficient or effective, as progression over the course of the cycle is what is important.
I also think jumping from 6RM to 3RM in the space of a week is going to throw you off on too many exercises, your progression is too unknown for that. Do you go 3RM -2 increments, 3RM-1 increment, 3RM ... ? Or do you space from 6Rm to 3RM in equal increments ... ?
Same applies from 8 to 6 and 10 to 8 etc.
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
... is an often misunderstood and misinterpreted but usually invaluable saying.
Same applies from 8 to 6 and 10 to 8 etc.
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
... is an often misunderstood and misinterpreted but usually invaluable saying.