HST For Cutting

dax07

dax07

Member
I just finished a short bulking phase but I had to cut it short due to a lack of appetite brought on by new medication. I figured this would be an optimal time to start another cutting phase and to get my body fat % to a record low of 5%. I planned on doing a traditional HST lay out where I will do a full body workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, along with a cardio session on all days, 2 sessions on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. I will follow a 7 week cycle consisting of 2 weeks of each rep block (15, 10, 5) and then 1 week of negatives, continuing 5 rep on exercise where a negative would not be beneficial. My exercises look like this:

Flat Bench
Squat
Chin Ups
Dips
Deadlift
Shoulder Press
Seated Rows
Calve Raises
Weighted Crunches
Tricep Extension
Preacher Curls
Hamstring curls (light)

Every exercise is given a light warm up set, then a moderate set, followed by the real set where I use my designated weights for the specific workout. 15 rep block will have 1 "working" set, 10 will have 2 sets and 5 will have 3 sets.
My cardio plan is to wake up every morning and do 45 minutes of a slow paced jog or a brisk walk at an incline keeping heart rate between 140-150 bpm (while on an empty stomach) and on my non lifting days to do a 2nd cardio session later in the day.

I am open to critics and would like some helpful advice.

BTW my current stats are
Male
Age 20
175lbs (~80kg)
8%-12% BF (getting checked today in a Bod Pod)
Been lifting since 15.
 
Yes I planned on doing all those exercises on Monday Wednesday and Friday. Is that a bit too much?
 
dax07 said:
Yes I planned on doing all those exercises on Monday Wednesday and Friday. Is that a bit too much?
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It is. The primary goal for cutting is to preserve lean mass. In order to do so, you need to lift heavy. Compounds are best and isos aren't really necessary.

Flat Bench or Incline Bench
Squat/Deadlift/SLDL - alternate these each training session.
Chin Ups
Dips - shoulder press will work tris
Shoulder Press
Seated Rows
Calve Raises - not really necessary
Weighted Crunches - not necessary unless you want larger abs
Tricep Extension - not necessary, but I do them
Preacher Curls - not necessary if you're doing Chins
Hamstring curls (light) - not necessary if you replace with SLDL

This looks better to me since you hit all the major muscle groups and should take less than 60 min. If you finish in 40 min. then go ahead and do some accessory work. But, if your goal is fat loss, it's not really necessary.

Chest - Flat Bench or Incline Bench (could alternate)
Legs, Hams, Lower back - Squat/Deadlift/SLDL - alternate these each training session.
Biceps - Chin Ups
Shoulders - Shoulder Press
Back - Seated Rows

After looking at your stats, you really are a candidate for a lean bulk up to 15% BF, then cut and repeat until you get hyooge and lean.
 
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Ah I see thank you for the help my friend. Now, since I am suppose to lift heavy does that mean I should not do the 15 and 10 rep weeks but instead do only 5 rep blocks and negatives?
 
dax07 said:
Ah I see thank you for the help my friend. Now, since I am suppose to lift heavy does that mean I should not do the 15 and 10 rep weeks but instead do only 5 rep blocks and negatives?
Click to expand...

According to those more savvy than me here, skip the 15s & 10s and do the 5s for as long as you can progress the weight, then 3s, then negatives. Intensity is more important than volume for fat loss. But I would take advantage of all that test you've got and add mass.
 
Why do you want to get down to 5% bodyfat when you are only 175 lbs? Unless you are shorter than 5'10 or so, that's not a terribly high weight that you should be worried about "the fat" at only 8% bodyfat. In order to get down to 5%, you are going to have to sacrifice some amount of lean mass, there is no way around it. Just doesn't seem worth it at only 175, you'd probably end up 160 tops @ 5%, which... you know, abs on a rail thin dude are like big boobs on an obese girl, they don't count. Just sayin.
 
5% is pretty ridiculously low ... unless you're planning a 6mth cut, or Zyzz style roid'ing, I can't see it happening with any significant size attached ... even then, 12mths would be better to get some actual size first.
 
I really don't have THAT much to lose. I am trying to cut as much as possible for about 2 months unless I drop below 165. I always let the mirror be my judge anyways I am not too concerned with stats. But, I would bulk at the moment its just that my medication makes my appetite too low to get in all the calories I need for any significant growth. If I can be 165 and still benching over 315 I would be happy haha. That's a lot of relative strength, I could possibly even break the current lifting record at OU. Wishful thinking..
 
Have you tried eating higher calorie foods? Peanut butter, full cream milk, pizza, steaks w/cream based sauces etc ... ?
 
Quick update. My current stats are:
Age 20
Weight 177lbs or 82kg
Height 71" or 1.8m
BF% ~13% (just checked today using 3 different types of tests, perk or being an exercise physiology student)

My new goal is to break the bench press record at the college gym. For the weight class 160-180lbs I must bench more than 365.
My plan of action is to cut down until I am hella ripped 5-6% BF, then lean bulk up to 180lbs, unless I can bench over 365 then it doesn't matter about my weight as long as it is below 180. So I am doing 2 weeks of 5 rep, 2 weeks of 3 rep, 1 week of 1 rep, 1 week of negatives, then find all my new maxes for the 5, 3, and 1 rep ranges. If my maxes are lower than I know I have lost significant muscle mass and must focus on dieting lighter. If I am losing my desired 1-2lbs a week and maintaining or even increasing strength than I shall continue it until I reach my goal.
Currently I am doing 45 minutes of jogging in the early morning, everyday on a empty stomach, and quickly followed by a protein shake with added BCAAs and glutamine.
I do my full body workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and on my off days (T,Th,Sa,Su) I do a 2nd session of cardio instead of lifting.
I am getting about ~150g of protein per day, spread throughout the day and setting myself in a 500-1000 calorie deficit everyday.
I will share my results over the next 6 weeks which will include body weight and strength changes. Wish me luck! And thanks all for your help, it is appreciated much and if I am going to reach my goal, and have my name on the wall at my college for being a badass, I can only thank you guys for your teachings. Keep gaining fellas
 
~325lbs, but I have never strength trained I am use to higher reps. I am hoping to increase it pretty effortlessly.
 
Pretty impressive.

I know you're pretty much set on doing a cut, but if your main goal is gaining strength, you'd be better off bulking... But I'd suggest for now keeping the deficit closer to 500 than 1000 to keep your strength up. Additionally, higher protein has a more thermic effect than carbs or fats, also allows you to spare muscle mass better on a cut, so I'd recommend bringing it up to 200 grams at least.
 
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