Is my training routine ok?

[Xerobeat]

Hey guys, I'm just starting out to use HST but I have to tell you I am not a beginner in the bodybuilding scene but more of an intermediate now as I have spent at least 5 months doing another program which made me able to gain weight effectively. I know that sounds like a short time but I just didn't count the trials and errors that I went through using other programs for the last 2 years

.

My Current Stats (How I am now):
Age: 20
Body Type: True Ectomorph
Height: 6 feet 1 Inch (185cm)
Weight: 160.9 lbs/pounds (73kg)
Goal: Gain Muscle and Burn Fat

My previous stats (5 Months ago - Starting Point)
Age: 19
Body Type: True Ectomorph
Height: 6 feet 1 Inch (185cm)
Weight: 125.7 lbs/pounds (57kg)
Goal: Gain Muscle and Burn Fat

As you guys can see, I managed to gain 35.2 pounds/ 16kg within the last 5 months using another program, so now I'm changing to HST so that I can get even better gains like what I heard from other people.

Ok so this is how my workout looks like:

Legs: Squat or Deadlifts 1 x 15
Chest: Bench or Dips 2 x 15
Back: Chin Ups or Bent Over Rows 2 x 15
Delts: Lateral Raise or Military Press 2 x 15
Traps: Dip Bar Shrugs 2 x 15
Bis : Twisting Dumbbell Curl or any curl that I know of 2 x 15
Tris: Close-grip Bench Press/Close-grip push up 2 x 15
Calves: Standing Calf Negatives or Calf Raises 2 x 15
Abs: Crunches or any ab workout that I know of 1 x 15


Questions:
1. Ok, I'm still not familiar with HST much, so let me get this straight, I'm suppose to start with 15 reps for 2 weeks, then 10 reps for 2 weeks, then 5 reps for 2 weeks, then take 1 week off for strategic deconditioning and then what? Do the whole cycle back starting for 15 reps?

2. Btw, Sorry guys, the number of exercise in my routine might seem a little too much for some of you guys but I really really need to focus on my shoulders, especially my traps and my deltoids too, Because I have narrow shoulders due to my pure ectomorphic body type. I hope some experienced ectomorph bodybuilders out there could advise me on this.

3. Also I was wondering if doing 1 set of squat or deadlift for legs is already enough, the reason why I plan to do only 1 squat / deadlift is because my lower body grows faster and easier than my upperbody. Right now I have an "A" shape kind of body. I'm not very sure if I should minimize the amount of sets for squats/deadlifts cuz the thing is, Squats and Deadlifts are really important exercises, and I'm afraid that minimizing it might hamper my overall results. What do you guys think?

4. I'm also trying to focus on growing my inner chest, so I'm going to alternate between close-grip bench presses and wide-grip or I dunno...can someone teach me the correct cycle of how I can do this? I was thinking if whether my inner chest would actually grow if I just do close-grip bench presses for my tris and not for chest, cuz it does hit the inner chest anyway, you know what I mean? Instead of alternating between Close-grip and wide grip while doing my chest workouts or adding an additional set of close-grip bench press that is.

 

[Fausto]

Welcome Xerobeat

A few things:

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Goal: Gain Muscle and Burn Fat</div> Nice goal but i don;t believe you can do both at the same time, however you can minimize the fat gain and maximize the muscle gain, just eat correctly and avoid junk food. About 1g or per pound body weight in protein, and a ratio of P (15 -25) : C (50 - 60) : F (15)

Answers:

1 - Very much, except you can or should do an extra two weeks of 5's with either your 3 RM or less, or do negatives if you have a partner. There are other ways like Maximum stimulation training or even 5 x 5 after teh initial two wekks of 5's.

2 - You shoulder work's ok, although I thinj doing traps as well is a bit much, but that's just me.

3 - Squats 2 x week 15 x 1 set / 10 x 2 sets / 5 x 3 sets
Deadlifts 1 x week 15 x 1 set / 10 x 2 sets / 5 x 3 sets
Do not skip or minimize these two, they will help your upper body grow!

4 - Grow your chest...finished, inner chest is not a sperate muscle group, striations will come as the muscle grows, use bench press and weighted dips, if you want throw in some cable cross overs, but it is really unnecessary.

Hope this helps...cheers!

Happy lifting!

 

[faz]

fausto has answered most.
when i get past the 5s i just carry on using them for another two wks trying to lift more if i can,if you cant lift more you will still get the benefit of heavy 5s.

do you mean bb-shrugs dont know what dip bar shrugs are

.

and when you say,
Chin Ups or Bent Over Rows
Lateral Raise or Military Press
do you mean an A,B,split because thats

if you want to do that.

i would keep the squats and deads as 2sets same as all the others,if you want more work on your shoulders do incline instead of flat bench,good luck

 

[Xerobeat]

Yeah, faz, when I say &quot;Chin Ups or Bent Over Rows...&quot; means like Monday I'll do Chin Up, then Wed I'll do Bent Over Rows and Friday I'll do Chin Up.

Note: Dip Bar Shrugs is doing Shrugs on a dip bar, its a bodyweight exercise.

Ok so here's how my 15 rep, 10 rep and 5 rep is gonna look like, let me know if anything is wrong.

15 Rep Weeks
Legs: 2 Squats &amp; 1 Deadlifts per week = 1 x 15
Chest: 2 Bench &amp; 1 Dips per week = 2 x 15
Back: 2 Chin Ups &amp; 1 Bent Over Rows per week = 2 x 15
Delts: 2 Lateral Raise &amp; 1 Military Press per week = 2 x 15
Traps: Dip Bar Shrugs = 2 x 15
Bis : 2 Twisting Dumbbell Curl and 1 Hammer Curl per week = 2 x 15
Tris: 2 Close-grip Bench Press &amp; 1 Close-grip Push Up per week = 2 x 15
Calves: 2 Standing Calf Negatives and 1 Calf Raises per week =2 x 15
Abs: Crunches 1 x 15

10 Rep Weeks
Legs: 2 Squats &amp; 1 Deadlifts per week = 2 x 10
Chest: 2 Bench &amp; 1 Dips per week = 2 x 10
Back: 2 Chin Ups &amp; 1 Bent Over Rows per week = 2 x 10
Delts: 2 Lateral Raise &amp; 1 Military Press per week = 2 x 10
Traps: Dip Bar Shrugs = 2 x 10
Bis : 2 Twisting Dumbbell Curl and 1 Hammer Curl per week = 2 x 10
Tris: 2 Close-grip Bench Press &amp; 1 Close-grip Push Up per week = 2 x 10
Calves: 2 Standing Calf Negatives and 1 Calf Raises per week =2 x 10
Abs: Crunches 2 x 10

5 Rep Week
Legs: 2 Squats &amp; 1 Deadlifts per week = 2 x 5
Chest: 2 Bench &amp; 1 Dips per week = 2 x 5
Back: 2 Chin Ups &amp; 1 Bent Over Rows per week = 2 x 5
Delts: 2 Lateral Raise &amp; 1 Military Press per week = 2 x 5
Traps: Dip Bar Shrugs = 2 x 5
Bis : 2 Twisting Dumbbell Curl and 1 Hammer Curl per week = 2 x 5
Tris: 2 Close-grip Bench Press &amp; 1 Close-grip Push Up per week = 2 x 5
Calves: 2 Standing Calf Negatives and 1 Calf Raises per week =2 x 5
Abs: Crunches 2 x 5

Ok, Fausto, for the 5 rep week, I think I'm gonna limit everything to only 2 sets, because I wanna follow the basic HST principles first which says only limit exercises to only 1 or 2 sets. But I will use a heavier weights than the 10 rep weeks. Do you think thats ok? Of course right, its the real HST principles lol.

Ok so does everything look like progressive overload?

Now, can somebody tell me what does the 5 rep max 3 rep max thing do and how to do it? I read about it in the HST Principles section but I still am confused of what its about? It seems like something that requires me to go to the gym, cuz they have more weight plates there than my house lol.

 

[faz]

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Note: Dip Bar Shrugs is doing Shrugs on a dip bar, its a bodyweight exercise.</div>

but shrugs are for your traps,if you do shrugs on a dip bar that would work your tris.

after you have done 2wks of 5s carry on using the same weight for the next 2wks trying to increase the weight if you can.

 

[Xerobeat]

Faz, you will only work your tris on a dip bar when u move ur arms up and down. But if you keep your arms in one place and dont move it, and instead only move ur traps and shoulders up and down like doing a dumbbel shrug, it will work the traps. Imagine your body sinking in downward into your neck and then you push it back up.

Here's how you do it:
1. Support yourself on a dip bar with your arms almost fully extended, elbows only slightly bent.
2. *Press* your body up while arms in place
3. Pause then lower to start.

Somehow to me, it gives more weight than Dumbbell Shrugs and Barbell Shrugs, cuz I workout at home.

 

[scientific muscle]

<div>
(Xerobeat @ Apr. 19 2008,10:15)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Faz, you will only work your tris on a dip bar when u move ur arms up and down. But if you keep your arms in one place and dont move it, and instead only move ur traps and shoulders up and down like doing a dumbbel shrug, it will work the traps. Imagine your body sinking in downward into your neck and then you push it back up.  

Here's how you do it:
1. Support yourself on a dip bar with your arms almost fully extended, elbows only slightly bent.
2. *Press* your body up while arms in place
3. Pause then lower to start.

Somehow to me, it gives more weight than Dumbbell Shrugs and Barbell Shrugs, cuz I workout at home.  

</div>
That will work the lower traps and pectoral minor, and other muscles which are antagonists to the upper traps. Its good exercise, but will NOT work the upper traps at all of course.

 

[Fausto]

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Ok, Fausto, for the 5 rep week, I think I'm gonna limit everything to only 2 sets, because I wanna follow the basic HST principles first which says only limit exercises to only 1 or 2 sets. But I will use a heavier weights than the 10 rep weeks. Do you think thats ok? Of course right, its the real HST principles lol.</div>

That is a mistake, you sacrificing Time under Load during 5's, I would not do that. A bit difficult to explain and as a matter of fact I am going to disagree, because I think TUT or TUL is important, so if you can't get the required number of reps for the subsequent sets, rather cluster them till you get the 5, this then would be solely my own opinion as I am disagreeing with what's written, although I am quite sure that Bryan would agree stuff i snot written in stone!

For the more experience lifter getting the required TUL is what's going to keep you gorwing, IMO.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Ok so does everything look like progressive overload?</div>

You mean progressive load, you need to have the weights to judge that, the load should be worked out like this:

Start with 70 - 75% of each RM and progress to 6 from there, make sense? eg: If 10RM is 100 Kg, then 75 - 80 - 85 - 90 - 95 - 100, or somethintg like that.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Now, can somebody tell me what does the 5 rep max 3 rep max thing do and how to do it? I read about it in the HST Principles section but I still am confused of what its about? It seems like something that requires me to go to the gym, cuz they have more weight plates there than my house lol. </div>

Well, for the last two weeks, go a little further if you don't have a partner to do negatives with, you workout your 3 RM and progress till you get to it or you simply carry on with the 5RM, that is all there is to it, no magid formula!

 

[Xerobeat]

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">That will work the lower traps and pectoral minor, and other muscles which are antagonists to the upper traps. Its good exercise, but will NOT work the upper traps at all of course.</div>

Actually, I think your right lol. No wonder my upper traps aren't big enough yet. Thanks for the info! I'll start doing Dumbbell Shrugs now

.
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">
That is a mistake, you sacrificing Time under Load during 5's, I would not do that. A bit difficult to explain and as a matter of fact I am going to disagree, because I think TUT or TUL is important, so if you can't get the required number of reps for the subsequent sets, rather cluster them till you get the 5, this then would be solely my own opinion as I am disagreeing with what's written, although I am quite sure that Bryan would agree stuff i snot written in stone!

For the more experience lifter getting the required TUL is what's going to keep you gorwing, IMO.</div>

I see, alright then, i'll do 3x5 on my 5 rep weeks cause I dont seem to have enough weights anyway to go really really heavy for the time being.

I might go to the gym for the 5 rm and 3rm though.


<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Start with 70 - 75% of each RM and progress to 6 from there, make sense? eg: If 10RM is 100 Kg, then 75 - 80 - 85 - 90 - 95 - 100, or somethintg like that.

Well, for the last two weeks, go a little further if you don't have a partner to do negatives with, you workout your 3 RM and progress till you get to it or you simply carry on with the 5RM, that is all there is to it, no magid formula!

</div>

Thanks a lot fausto! Big Help. I think I'm getting it now. Gonna start my workout on tuesday

 

[quadancer]

you guys did a gooood job of instruction here. I agree with Fausto's disagreement too.
X - some guys grow traps from db shrugs, but our heaviest db's (150's) are WAY too light
to even get my traps involved. BB shrugs rule IMO. Also, BW exersize is pretty much for
beginners in most cases; we all tend to weight ourselves for dips, pullups, chins and the
like very quickly. So if you're only able to use BW on something, you may consider working it
consistently to bring it up.
Keep your eyes on the yard sales, thrift stores, papers and pawn shops. Eventually you'll find
some shlub got rid of all his stuff and you get it really cheap. Patience, and you'll have a home gym
to be proud of; mine is always under construction or rehab.
Lastly; to be a 250lb BB'er, EAT for a 250lb BB'er.