Maintenance Cals/bigger muscles

Q

quadancer

New Member
I was reading Skinnyman's posts in the bulking thread and it hit me that I had a similar experience in my first two cycles of HST. For me, failure training with maintenance cals left me looking lean, somewhat striated, and was totally plateau'd on strength.

With the HST, I appeared to be getting bigger, WAS getting stronger, but was the same weight and size. There was a noticable difference in the shape of my muscle from HST, even before I started bulking and REALLY growing. It seems that the extra rest makes a difference regardless of calories, and perhaps the submax training concept. I just found this interesting.
 
Same exact thing happend to me.

My height and weight did not change from when I was doing Arnold type workouts.

But I started hst and like i said height and weight was roughly about the same...but my chest got fuller and the biggest difference was were my arms have always been big...but on the old routines they were big with zero definition...even at low bodyfat...got on hst...and bam!!! the ege shape is there.

Dont know how to explains this though?

Except for the fact I know I was running my body down into the ground with my old training ways before hst
 
Doing the 15s will tend to make your muscles look bigger due to more water and carbs being stored in them. If you want to see an instant version of this effect, wait until one of the last workouts of your 5s. After you are all done, do a set up BB curls with a weight slightly lower than your 15 RM. Do 15-20 reps and watch your biceps swell up. It's neat and great for an ego boost. Do that before you take progress pics and you'll look a lot better than you would otherwise.
 
I think progress pics should be labeled 'post-workout' or 'relaxed' due to that effect. But aren't you talking about blood pump there? Is it a state of storage even after the workout is done? I mean, people thought I was getting bigger and the photos were taken in the morning, pre-workout, and folks I know mentioned I was "lookin' good". I myself thought so looking in the mirror and would go measure...to find the same old numbers!
I'm just convinced there is some kind of shaping effect here, but of course, it really took off when I bulked.
 
Yeah I know what you mean by blood pump or just regular ol PUMP.

But I agree there still seems to be a type of shaping that takes place.

For me I dont think it was HST so much as it was HST that helped me become NOT overtrained.

i was overtrained which I felt hinder not only my gains but my appeareance....maybe I always stayed flat and depleted?

I dont know...I just know that in college I ate perfect...and I mean perfect nothing but chicken breast egg white and tuna and turkey everyday and never missed a lift..thinking Iwas doing everything right..well eating clean is good for your health...but as we have said over and over again...eating so called perfect...and if its not a calorie surplus then it doesnt matter.

So i think my shaping came from a more calories and less training...or becoming not overtrained.

Does that make any sense???
 
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