Hi all!

[MO75]

Hi all! I'm a newbie to HST, and although I have looked into it a bit, I do have some questions... I have been training properly for the last 9 months or so, and I have made some really good gains. The thing is, I'd like to make the maximum gains possible rather than just OK gains, if you see what I mean. And also, I'm currently training at the gym three times per week so that also fits my situation perfectly. So anyway, HST looks pretty good for my purposes. So I have looked into the reams of information, and have come up with the following program to get me started:

Legs: Squats
Chest: Bench press, dips
Back: Bent over row
Shoulders: Shoulder press
Biceps: Barbell curl
Traps: Shrugs
Triceps: Tricep pushdowns
Abs: Situps

From what I can tell, I now have to get my 15 rep maximum. For bench press, for example, I can tell you now this will be 25 kilograms on the bar. Then what do I do for my 10 rep max? Just add say five kilograms? Then the same for my 5 rep max? That would work out about right, anyway, 35 kilograms at 5 reps... But what I'm getting at is, is accuracy all-important, or is it more important to just be increasing the load at each workout?

Now, what do I do on week two of the program? The same as week one? But then on week three I go to the 10 rm? And then again on week five I go to the 5 rm, and so on?

Thanks!

 

[mikeh]

Hi MO75 and welcome,

First find your 15Rep Max, 10RM and 5RM for each exercise.
HST is a "2 week program" were at the end of each 2nd week you are lifting your Rep Max.

Here's an example of your BB bench:

(using your 25k + 21k bar= 46k)

--15's --
-----week 1-----|---week 2-----|
35.5, 37.5,39.5 | 41.5, 44, 46

Assume your 10 RM is (30k+21k bar= 51k)

--10's --
-----week 1-----|---week 2-----|
39.5, 41.5, 44 | 46, 48.5, 51

Assume you 5 RM is (35k+21k bar= 56k)

--5's--
---- week 1---|--week 2-----|
43.5, 45.5, 48 | 50.5, 53, 56

Hope this helps and let us know if you have more questions
Mikeh

 

[MO75]

Ok that clarifies things somewhat, but it does leave me with the following questions:

1) How did you calculate the differences in weights between workouts one and two, two and three, and so on? It seems to be around 5%, would that be a correct guess?

2) I notice that the last few workouts of week two (the end of the 15s) will actually be heavier than the first few workouts of week three (the start of the 10s). Is this correct?

3) There are some exercises that I would be doing, tricep pushdowns being the obvious example, where the increments on the machine at the gym won't allow me to go up such small levels. Should I just do another triceps exercise then?

4) 35.5 kilograms, minus the 21 kilogram barbell makes 14.5 kilograms, so 7 and a bit kilograms on each side. This is going to make me look terrible in the gym. Any ideas on how to do this program and keep my gym cred?

 

[Bryan Haycock]

Quote[/b] (MO75 @ April 15 2004,3:14)]

Hi MO75! Welcome to the "in" crowd.

Quote[/b] ]1) How did you calculate the differences in weights between workouts one and two, two and three, and so on? It seems to be around 5%, would that be a correct guess?

No need to use formulas or calculations. Just use 5-10 pounds for upper body muscle groups and isolation movements, and 20-50 lbs for leg pressing movements (e.g. squat, leg press, etc).

Quote[/b] ]2) I notice that the last few workouts of week two (the end of the 15s) will actually be heavier than the first few workouts of week three (the start of the 10s). Is this correct?

Yes, people call this "ziggzagging". It is just fine as long as this only occurs for the first 1-2 workouts of each 2 week block. If it will take more than 2 workouts to catch up to your previous weight loads, either use bigger increments, or start that block heavier.

Quote[/b] ]3) There are some exercises that I would be doing, triceps pushdowns being the obvious example, where the increments on the machine at the gym won't allow me to go up such small levels. Should I just do another triceps exercise then?

No, that isn’t necessary. Most machines have 10 pound plates. This is just fine. Most gyms also have little weights that you place on top of the stack that you use to add 2.5 or 5 lbs. If your gym doesn't have these don't worry about it. Just use 10 pound increments.

Quote[/b] ]4) 35.5 kilograms, minus the 21 kilogram barbell makes 14.5 kilograms, so 7 and a bit kilograms on each side. This is going to make me look terrible in the gym. Any ideas on how to do this program and keep my gym cred?

Well, first I would suggest you not worry about “gym cred”. After 10 or so years of dedicated training you will have all the gym cred you need. For, now just worry about growing as fast as possible.

Now, if you just can’t stand to have anybody see you using light weights, you can cut the number of increments down to 3 and repeat each weight load for 2 workouts. So it would look like this:

--15's --
----week 1----|--week 2--|
41.5, 41.5, 44 | 44, 46, 46

 

[Kate]

Hi, MO75, and welcome!

"1) How did you calculate the differences in weights between workouts one and two, two and three, and so on? It seems to be around 5%, would that be a correct guess?"

Probably close enough. There are exact numbers posted in the FAQs. I think 3 to 6% of 5 RM, but best not to trust
my memory...

"2) I notice that the last few workouts of week two (the end of the 15s) will actually be heavier than the first few workouts of week three (the start of the 10s). Is this correct?"

Yes!

this is called zig zagging. It offers several benefits, including a brief recovery of the CNS.

"3) There are some exercises that I would be doing, tricep pushdowns being the obvious example, where the increments on the machine at the gym won't allow me to go up such small levels. Should I just do another triceps exercise then?"

You could if you wanted to. If you really prefer a particular exercise, there is no harm in using slightly larger increments and repeating the weight. You are still following the general principles.

"4) 35.5 kilograms, minus the 21 kilogram barbell makes 14.5 kilograms, so 7 and a bit kilograms on each side. This is going to make me look terrible in the gym."

Well, I certainly do understand this one. My husband calls them my girly weight workouts and asks after my pink dumbbells! Seriously though, you won't have time to worry much about what others are thinking... you'll be too busy looking for a bucket on those high rep workouts. You will get a nice pump... I love the way that feels.

And after a few cycles when you are noticably larger, those that actually have noticed your "girly weights" will wonder why they have worked so well!

Happy hypertrophy!
Kate

 

[MO75]

Thanks for that! It all makes sense now. I have two weeks left on my current program, then I am going to start right in on the HST one. I'll keep you posted on my progress and if I have any questions I'll be back to ask.

PS - Just kidding about the gym cred, I don't really give two hoots what folks in the gym think. I'm just a bit surprised about the lightness of the weights in the initial stages of the program...

 

[Bryan Haycock]

Quote[/b] (MO75 @ April 15 2004,8:53)]I have two weeks left on my current program, then I am going to start right in on the HST one.

I would suggest you take 2 weeks of Deconditioning before starting HST.

 

[MO75]

Ah well, I go to sleep and wake up with more questions. It's good though, I do want to get it right from the start rather than end up bollocksing the whole thing up... So the situation is this: before I start I will have found out my 15, 10 and 5 rms by going to the gym and just seeing literally what weight I can do at those reps. Then I start my program (after deconditioning). Won't my actual 15rm have increased by the time I get round to doing the 15rm I found? And my 10 and 5 rms too? I mean, won't my strength have increased to the point where those figures are redundant at that stage? Really, at the 15rm stage it will only have changed slightly, but by the time I am up to the 5rms, won't it have fairly substantially changed? Or is this the purpose of the negatives?

btw, thanks, this forum is invaluable and the advice I'm getting is spot on!

 

[Kate]

Quote[/b] (MO75 @ April 16 2004,4:06)]Won't my actual 15rm have increased by the time I get round to doing the 15rm I found? Really, at the 15rm stage it will only have changed slightly, but by the time I am up to the 5rms, won't it have fairly substantially changed? Or is this the purpose of the negatives?

Most likely you will be stronger than the maxes you tested for, especially your first few times through. This is a nice "gift" you can put to good use several ways, including beginning your second cycle an increment heavier or extending the next cycle.

The main thing that drives hypertrophy is the incremental increase in load on the muscle. In a sense, your reps are just a function of the weight you are using. Working up to your maxes makes sure you are getting enough time under load.

Looks like you are heading in the right direction, MO75. Keep reading and asking question

but do your best to avoid overthinking this whole thing as so many of us do in the beginning.

Find your "recipe" and start cooking!
Kate

 

[MO75]

Ok, so in four weeks time I will be starting my HST program - I have two weeks left on my current program, one week to establish RMs and one week of SD (sorry, don't want to do more than that as I'm desperate to get started on HST&#33. These are the exercises I will be doing (probably in this order, when possible):
Chest: Bench press, dips
Legs: Squats
Back: Cable rows
Shoulders: Shoulder press
Biceps: Barbell curl
Traps: Shrugs
Triceps: Tricep pushdowns
Abs: Situps (weighted)
I’ll do this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then Tuesday and Thursday I’ll go for a half hour jog around the park for some cardio.
Any comments/advice?
And here is a typical day’s eating for me (which I will follow through my HST program). I use Splenda as my sweetener, and use NoSalt for salt, so sugar and salt aren’t an issue in my diet…:
Brekky: 1 bowl of malt cereal, 1 coffee (double strength), 1 protein shake (Holland & Barrett Soy protein shake, made with semi-skimmed milk)
Morning snack: One sandwich – two slices of thick granary bread, with deli meat, usually sliced beef, and Philadelphia Extra Light cream cheese
Lunch: Two of the same bloody sandwiches…
Afternoon snack: Another sarnie (clearly need some variation here…)
Post workout: A protein bar (which also has flax seed oil and other good stuff in it, so it looks pretty good to me)
Dinner: A big bowl of pasta with Bolognese sauce (home made), a sprinkling of parmesan cheese (or something similar in nutritional makeup, possibly a chicken and pasta dish, or chicken and rice), and maybe two or three slices of bread (same bread as before)
Before bed: Another protein shake, as before
I also supplement with creatine, 5 grams daily
Looking through this, I eat a shedload of bread (10+ slices most days), mostly for the convenience. Should I be sorting this out? Maybe I could put a bit more energy into making different lunches…
My aims really are to get a bit cut for summer, but I also wouldn’t mind keep growing a bit around the chest/shoulders… I know it’s difficult to lose fat and grow at the same time, but I think I am still in the beginner gains stage (after 9 months of working out), so I think maybe I can get away with it for a little bit longer. As well as starting HST, which sounds like I should be making good gains from. If not, I would like to just get cut then, really…
Btw, I'm male, 29 years old, 6' 2" and around 190 lbs...

 

[mikeh]

Have you added your diet up and looked at calerioes per day, gms of protein, carbs and fat ?

Here is a few suggestion (taking your meals and swapping a few around)

##############

Brekky: 1 bowl of malt cereal, 1 coffee (double strength), 1 protein shake (Holland & Barrett Soy protein shake, made with
semi-skimmed milk)

Morning snack: A protein bar (which also has flax seed oil and other good stuff in it, so it looks pretty good to me)

Lunch: One sandwich – two slices of thick granary bread, with deli meat, usually sliced beef, and Philadelphia Extra Light cream
cheese

Afternoon snack: Another sarnie (clearly need some variation here…)

Pre Workout:: Protien shake

Post workout: Protein shake with Splenda as my sweetener (see below)

Dinner: A big bowl of pasta with Bolognese sauce (home made), a sprinkling of parmesan cheese (or something similar in
nutritional makeup, possibly a chicken and pasta dish, or chicken and rice), and maybe two or three slices of bread (same bread
as before)

Before bed: Another protein shake (which also has flax seed oil and other good stuff in it, so it looks pretty good to me)

I also supplement with creatine, 5 grams daily

############

Here's a more links to help you out
pre_post nutrition (note after section)

and from FAQ diet and nutrition

 

[imported_dkm1987]

Be sure your post workout and bedtime snack both contain high amounts of slowly digested proteins. Either Cottage Cheese, Peanut Butter, Milk or Eggs. If you are into powders, use cassein protein mixes as HSN Driver or another that is higher in cassein than whey. Your pre workout should be in the form of Whey.

A Peanut Butter Malted works great at Bedtime.

 

[MO75]

Well, just wanted to post my thoughts on my HST program so far. I feel really strange about it. I have basically done four workouts so far, so am into the second week of my 15s. I know people say the 15s kick your arse, but I feel fine. Before my HST program I was doing a split program designed by the gym instructor, and I start to suspect that I was basically training my butt off - now I feel that going to the gym is not such a big hassle. So anyway, I'm not feeling knackered, I'm a little bit soreish but nothing too major, not like when I was doing the split program. Really, I just feel a little bit "tight", so it seems that my muscles are actually responding to the HST in some way.
I haven't measured myself, but I feel a little bit leaner, perhaps, if anything. I have been doing a couple of extra cardio sessions per week, so I suspect that is making the difference... I'm looking forward to the 10s, when I should see some visible growth (if I've done the program right...). Although when I stood on the scales the other day I noticed an extra kilogram there that wasn't there two weeks ago, which was interesting.
One thing I love about it at the 15s stage is that instead of focusing on pushing out the hugest weights you can possibly do at the expense of good form, you can really slow it down and just focus on form. It kinda makes you realise how you were not doing a lot of exercises properly just for the sake of lifting heavier weights...
The biggest thing, though, is that I feel like I'm cheating. I go to the gym, arrive and see people there, I do my 30 - 40 minute workout lifting "tiny" weights, and then leave before they are even halfway through their programs. Everyone looks at me like, "Lazy b*&^$rd, why do you even bother?" And I just laugh to myself and think, "God, I hope this works..."