Mr. Haycock your Hypertrophy Specific Training program is brilliant and has helped a lot of people making amazing gains and for that we thank you greatly. But I think I speak for many when I say we would really love it if you were to make a Strength Specific Training program. It would be wonderful to have a plan just as well made as HST to help people focus on strength gaining directly when not focusing on mass. Could you at least tell us what you find to be a great method for focusing on strength?
Mr. Haycock please make an SST plan!
- Thread starter Paradox
- Start date
savagebeast
New Member
First of all, let me just point out the obvious. In case you didn't notice, I am not Bryan Haycock.
That said, here's a quote by Bryan from the thread Does HST work for strength, SST, strength-Specific-Training, found in the HST FAQ,
(Yeah, Blade posted it, but Bryan said it. Congratulations, Paradox, you've just learned your first secret of the HST board!)
A lot of work goes into devising a weightlifting program, at least when you do it right and base it on science and physiological principles and such. SST is a lot to ask of Bryan. And from what I've read in other threads, mostly those asking "Where is the HST book?", Bryan has higher priorities right now. Such as 1) the HST book and 2) promoting HSN supplements and making them cheaper for us (yay!).
And this is just my own conjecture, but I think there are a few good reasons why Bryan designed HST. The main reason is because bodybuilding is his passion. Also, he was unsatisified with current programs, and so he sought out to design something better. In some thread he says how he tried every program he came across, and he never felt that any of them were truly optimal for promoting hypertrophy. With strength training, there are a plethora of good programs already out there. He would just be perfecting them, not redefining anything new and revolutionary like HST.
That said, here's a quote by Bryan from the thread Does HST work for strength, SST, strength-Specific-Training, found in the HST FAQ,
[b said:
(Yeah, Blade posted it, but Bryan said it. Congratulations, Paradox, you've just learned your first secret of the HST board!)
A lot of work goes into devising a weightlifting program, at least when you do it right and base it on science and physiological principles and such. SST is a lot to ask of Bryan. And from what I've read in other threads, mostly those asking "Where is the HST book?", Bryan has higher priorities right now. Such as 1) the HST book and 2) promoting HSN supplements and making them cheaper for us (yay!).
And this is just my own conjecture, but I think there are a few good reasons why Bryan designed HST. The main reason is because bodybuilding is his passion. Also, he was unsatisified with current programs, and so he sought out to design something better. In some thread he says how he tried every program he came across, and he never felt that any of them were truly optimal for promoting hypertrophy. With strength training, there are a plethora of good programs already out there. He would just be perfecting them, not redefining anything new and revolutionary like HST.
LIke savage said, I'm not Bryan, but I can offer you some insight based on my experiences. What worked well for me was a split routine(Ex. Chest, tricep, calves on Mon) which worked every muscle group twice per week, and normally had a 3 day rest before working the same muscle again. I used weights that would allow 10 reps and worked my way down to 4 reps over a month to a month and a half. I normally stuck with the same weight the whole week, but it seems you would be able to use progressive loading, but only working the same muscle 2 days a week instead of 3. I did between 4-5 sets(depended on the weight and the muscle being worked) for each bodypart that was being worked that particular day. Each set was taken to failure.
This is just my opinion and experience with strength training of course. There's a bunch of other routines people follow. Westside seems to be popular as well, but I have yet to try it.
This is just my opinion and experience with strength training of course. There's a bunch of other routines people follow. Westside seems to be popular as well, but I have yet to try it.
savagebeast
New Member
One more thing...
From what I've read about strength training, it is much more individualistic than HST. Sure you can tweak and customize HST in many, many ways, but at the core all these programs are the same: SD, progressive load, sufficient frequency, etc. These principles apply to everyone. With strength training, at least when you get more advanced in it, you have to assess your weaknesses and target them. For example, your triceps might be holding back your bench, so you focus on bringing up tricep strength.
My point is that the strength program that works best for Joe might not be well suited for Jim. It seems to me that it would be difficult to design a strength program that is optimal for everyone.
From what I've read about strength training, it is much more individualistic than HST. Sure you can tweak and customize HST in many, many ways, but at the core all these programs are the same: SD, progressive load, sufficient frequency, etc. These principles apply to everyone. With strength training, at least when you get more advanced in it, you have to assess your weaknesses and target them. For example, your triceps might be holding back your bench, so you focus on bringing up tricep strength.
My point is that the strength program that works best for Joe might not be well suited for Jim. It seems to me that it would be difficult to design a strength program that is optimal for everyone.
savagebeast
New Member
Paradox, an overview of WSB can be found in Aaron's thread Powerlifting, a basis. I don't know how long you've been lifting, but WSB is intended for advanced lifters. However, there's no reason why you can't take a few aspects of Westside, such as dynamic training, and incorportate them into your own program.
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~keen0018/bulgar.htm[b said:
I am doing a slightly different version of this layout.
Zack
Bulgarian
Correct.[b said:
SST is based on research and not so much "culture" or tradition. So the only way to make a method applicable to more than one person is to base it on the one thing everybody has in common...physiology. So, SST is based on the physiology of how our muscles generate and modulate strength.
Another similarity with HST is that SST will not be an invention of any sort, but instead a compilation and sifting of principles that most experienced strength trainers are already familiar with. The idea is just to eliminate false beliefs and redirect peoples attention to the most efficient stimuli for strength development.
savagebeast
New Member
For the record, and in my defense, I didn't mean to say that the principles of developing strength don't apply to everyone. What I meant was that once you get to be advanced in the ways of powerlifting, you need to assess your own weaknesses and tailor your program so that it improves those areas. Westside does this with its assistance exercises, which should be chosen to work muscles which are holding back your lifts. For example, you might conclude that weak triceps are holding back your bench, so you choose an assistance exercise that targets your triceps in order to build up their strength. Maybe your quads are holding back your squat, or perhaps its your lower back. Once a powerlifter is advanced enough (meaning beginners don't have to worry so much about this), it is helpful for him/her to find their own weaknesses and incorporate this into their powerlifting program. A routine can't tell you what your weak point is, YOU have to figure it out. This is what I meant when I said that strength training is more individualistic than HST and that "the strength program that works best for Joe might not be well suited for Jim," since Joe's and Jim's weak points might not be the same.
No need at all to defend yourself, savage. You're right I'd say. When you become more advanced SST becomes more targeted. I think one of the things a scientifically based SST program would come up with is a way to compare strength in compound movements to the relative strength of the same involved muscles in isolation movements, and so allow people to focus in on weaker areas more accurately.
Like Bryan said, the plus here is that strength has been the focus of a lot of research. I'm only wondering if it's just been on method or if it's gone deeper into the physiology of how strength is increased. Things like fiber recruitment, specific ways to train CNS.
Like Bryan said, the plus here is that strength has been the focus of a lot of research. I'm only wondering if it's just been on method or if it's gone deeper into the physiology of how strength is increased. Things like fiber recruitment, specific ways to train CNS.