Hello all!
While I've been reading these forums for quite some time, this is my first post! I'm going to be starting my first HST cycle in 3 weeks, after I finish my current split cycle, and just wanted to introduce myself. I tend to get a bit long winded, but wanted to give a little background on myself, as well as my proposed plan for when I start my HST routine.
In a nutshell, I'm 38 years old, 5'11", 190lbs, and roughly 11%BF. 18 months ago I was 300lbs of well, eh, yeah, pure fat, LOL. I spent a solid 12 months following the Atkins Diet by the book, and managed to get down to around 180lbs without exercise. At that point, I decided to take up weight training after a LONG, read, 10+ years off, and wound up at an all time low of 175lbs at approx. 8-9%BF. I decided at that point I really wasn't happy with the way things were going, and started an attempt to put a few pounds back on. Well, I was still hard core low carb at the time, and while I did have some gains, they were minimal at best. I became more defined, and a bit stronger, but I just wasn't getting the size I was looking for. Over the past two months or so, give or take, I've increased my caloric intake from around 2200 a day, to 3500, adding carbs back in along the way, lowering fat, and increasing my protein intake. I've managed to put on roughly 15lbs total, up to 190 and only increase my BF by around 1%. I'm happy with this so far, but feel after 9-10 months of training, I need a change! This is where HST comes in.
So, without further ado, this is what I have setup so far for my first HST cycle. I plan on starting the week of November 14th, after finishing my current program, and taking 7 days for STD. (Something I think I really need at this point as I have not had a break in training in nearly 6 months). I plan to keep my caloric intake the same, 3500 per day, 40/40/20, which is what I've been doing for the past two months. I'm looking to continue "bulking" up to around 200lbs, and see how I look\feel from there. Oh, for reference, my current stats, some repeated that are listed above, are here:
Age: 38
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 190lbs
BF%: 11 (give or take)
Chest - 43"
Bicep - 16"
Forearm - 13"
Waist - 32" at naval
Thigh - 23"
Calf - 17"
Those are the basics, here is my plan:
Starting the cycle after a full week of STD (Yes, I think I REALLY need this right now), and trying to keep it as basic as possible. I'm going to do a
Mon-Wed-Fri routine, performing cardio and AB work on Tues-Thur-Sat. My cardio generally consists of 30 minutes on the treadmill or eliptical machine at 70-80 Max HR. I plan on following what appears to be standard as far as the cycle goes. 2 weeks of 15's, 2 weeks of 10's, and 2 weeks of 5's. This is going to be strange for me, as I've never done a full body routine before, but have always worked with a 4 day split. (Even 10 years back).
Exercises:
Squats + Leg press (Alternating Mon-Wed-Fri each week)
Leg curls
Incline Bench
Dips
Pull ups
Bent over rows (Possible alternating with dumbells)
Military Press
Shrugs (Barbell and dumbell alternating)
Rear delt laterals
Bicep work (Probably starting with Dumbell curls)
Tricep work (Skullcrushers or close grip bench)
Calf raises (Standing or seated)
For each rep range, I'm initially thinking of 1 warm up set for the big moves, squats, bench etc., and two full working sets. I'm still working on my rep maximums, but think I have it down pretty well now. I'm sure over the next 3 weeks I may change a few things, or make final decisions on exercises, but for now, I'm feeling pretty comfortable with this setup.
Anyway, now that I've rambled on for far too long, I just wanted to say how very happy I am to have found this site, along with all the information that is available here. I'm seriously looking forward to this, and plan on posting some logs once I actually get started. I also hope to be a bit more of a contributor to the forums after this introduction.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon!
While I've been reading these forums for quite some time, this is my first post! I'm going to be starting my first HST cycle in 3 weeks, after I finish my current split cycle, and just wanted to introduce myself. I tend to get a bit long winded, but wanted to give a little background on myself, as well as my proposed plan for when I start my HST routine.
In a nutshell, I'm 38 years old, 5'11", 190lbs, and roughly 11%BF. 18 months ago I was 300lbs of well, eh, yeah, pure fat, LOL. I spent a solid 12 months following the Atkins Diet by the book, and managed to get down to around 180lbs without exercise. At that point, I decided to take up weight training after a LONG, read, 10+ years off, and wound up at an all time low of 175lbs at approx. 8-9%BF. I decided at that point I really wasn't happy with the way things were going, and started an attempt to put a few pounds back on. Well, I was still hard core low carb at the time, and while I did have some gains, they were minimal at best. I became more defined, and a bit stronger, but I just wasn't getting the size I was looking for. Over the past two months or so, give or take, I've increased my caloric intake from around 2200 a day, to 3500, adding carbs back in along the way, lowering fat, and increasing my protein intake. I've managed to put on roughly 15lbs total, up to 190 and only increase my BF by around 1%. I'm happy with this so far, but feel after 9-10 months of training, I need a change! This is where HST comes in.
So, without further ado, this is what I have setup so far for my first HST cycle. I plan on starting the week of November 14th, after finishing my current program, and taking 7 days for STD. (Something I think I really need at this point as I have not had a break in training in nearly 6 months). I plan to keep my caloric intake the same, 3500 per day, 40/40/20, which is what I've been doing for the past two months. I'm looking to continue "bulking" up to around 200lbs, and see how I look\feel from there. Oh, for reference, my current stats, some repeated that are listed above, are here:
Age: 38
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 190lbs
BF%: 11 (give or take)
Chest - 43"
Bicep - 16"
Forearm - 13"
Waist - 32" at naval
Thigh - 23"
Calf - 17"
Those are the basics, here is my plan:
Starting the cycle after a full week of STD (Yes, I think I REALLY need this right now), and trying to keep it as basic as possible. I'm going to do a
Mon-Wed-Fri routine, performing cardio and AB work on Tues-Thur-Sat. My cardio generally consists of 30 minutes on the treadmill or eliptical machine at 70-80 Max HR. I plan on following what appears to be standard as far as the cycle goes. 2 weeks of 15's, 2 weeks of 10's, and 2 weeks of 5's. This is going to be strange for me, as I've never done a full body routine before, but have always worked with a 4 day split. (Even 10 years back).
Exercises:
Squats + Leg press (Alternating Mon-Wed-Fri each week)
Leg curls
Incline Bench
Dips
Pull ups
Bent over rows (Possible alternating with dumbells)
Military Press
Shrugs (Barbell and dumbell alternating)
Rear delt laterals
Bicep work (Probably starting with Dumbell curls)
Tricep work (Skullcrushers or close grip bench)
Calf raises (Standing or seated)
For each rep range, I'm initially thinking of 1 warm up set for the big moves, squats, bench etc., and two full working sets. I'm still working on my rep maximums, but think I have it down pretty well now. I'm sure over the next 3 weeks I may change a few things, or make final decisions on exercises, but for now, I'm feeling pretty comfortable with this setup.
Anyway, now that I've rambled on for far too long, I just wanted to say how very happy I am to have found this site, along with all the information that is available here. I'm seriously looking forward to this, and plan on posting some logs once I actually get started. I also hope to be a bit more of a contributor to the forums after this introduction.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon!
