My 1st cycle

T

torsp

New Member
Hello all, I am new to lifting. I got into the gym for the 1st time in my life(38 years old) and started a typical iso routine 90 days ago. I am not happy with the results and that is how I stumbled across HST and will give it a try.

I am deviating from the plan somewhat to suit what I think is best for me.

My stats:

38 years old
6'3"
212 pounds
17% BF(edited to correct)

I will be doing the following for the 1st cycle.
1 wk of 15's(1 set upper, 2 sets legs)
2 wks of 10's(2 sets)
2 wks of 8's(2 sets)
1 wk of 5's(2 sets)
7-10 days of SD
I am intentionally avoiding DL's, and squats because at this time they do not agree with my lower back.

I have completed my 1st week(15's) and will be starting with 10's on 7-4-08. I enjoy this so much more than that one body part a week crap, that just didn't feel right but I listened to a friend who swore it was the way to do it.

6-28-08(15's) Day 1
Incline Bench-135lbs
Dumbell Press-50lbs
Military Press-85lbs
Rear Delt's(reverse fly, machine)-80
Pull ups-150lb assist(weak as hell on these)
Iso Row-130lbs
Tricep Pushdown-65lbs
Curls/DB's-30(elbows back, none of that swinging crap, isolation)
Shrugs-195lbs
Leg Press-390lbs(2 sets)
Donkey calf raises-320lbs(2 sets)

6-30-08(15's) Day 2
Incline Bench-145lbs
Dumbell Press-55lbs
Military Press-90lbs
Rear Delt's(reverse fly, machine)-90
Pull ups-140lb assist(weak as hell on these)
Iso Row-140lbs
Tricep Pushdown-70lbs
Curls/DB's-35(elbows back, none of that swinging crap, isolation)
Shrugs-205lbs
Leg Press-410lbs(2 sets)
Donkey calf raises-340lbs(2 sets)

7-1-08(15's) Day 3
Incline Bench-155lbs
Dumbell Press-60lbs
Military Press-95lbs
Rear Delt's(reverse fly, machine)-100
Pull ups-130lb assist(weak as hell on these)
Iso Row-150lbs
Tricep Pushdown-75lbs
Curls/DB's-40(elbows back, none of that swinging crap, isolation)
Shrugs-215lbs
Leg Press-430lbs(2 sets)
Donkey calf raises-360lbs(2 sets)

Currently I am not doing any cardio because I am sick of it. For the last three months I did 50minutes a day, five days a week LI(60-65% MHR). I think with the pace of this workout I can possibly get away with it. I will check BF at the end of this cycle and go from there for the next cycle.

I am currently taking in 2900cal/day. Supplementing my diet with whey, glutamine, creatine, fish oil, and multi vitamins.

Thanks for looking, any comments or critiques are of course welcome.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hello all, I am new to lifting. I got into the gym for the 1st time in my life(38 years old) and started a typical iso routine 90 days ago. I am not happy with the results and that is how I stumbled across HST and will give it a try.

I am deviating from the plan somewhat to suit what I think is best for me.

My stats:

38 years old
6'3&quot;
212 pounds
16% BF</div>

You have a decent frame. What are your goals?

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">
I will be doing the following for the 1st cycle.
1 wk of 15's(1 set upper, 2 sets legs)
2 wks of 10's(2 sets)
2 wks of 8's(2 sets)
1 wk of 5's(2 sets)
7-10 days of SD
I am intentionally avoiding DL's, and squats because at this time they do not agree with my lower back.</div>

Take the rest from them this cycle, but reconsider them for the future. Deads help my lower back pain and I have mild scoliosis too! Also, the right bed + fish oil does wonders for my back.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I have completed my 1st week(15's) and will be starting with 10's on 7-4-08. I enjoy this so much more than that one body part a week crap, that just didn't feel right but I listened to a friend who swore it was the way to do it.</div>

That's how I felt on my 1st cycle, and my 2nd, 3rd .....14th and now my 15th...

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">
6-28-08(15RM) Day 1
Incline Bench-135lbs
Dumbell Press-50lbs
Military Press-85lbs
Rear Delt's(reverse fly, machine)-80
Pull ups-150lb assist(weak as hell on these)
Iso Row-130lbs
Tricep Pushdown-65lbs
Curls/DB's-30(elbows back, none of that swinging crap, isolation)
Shrugs-195lbs
Leg Press-390lbs(2 sets)
Donkey calf raises-320lbs(2 sets)

6-30-08(15RM) Day 2
Incline Bench-145lbs
Dumbell Press-55lbs
Military Press-90lbs
Rear Delt's(reverse fly, machine)-90
Pull ups-140lb assist(weak as hell on these)
Iso Row-140lbs
Tricep Pushdown-70lbs
Curls/DB's-35(elbows back, none of that swinging crap, isolation)
Shrugs-205lbs
Leg Press-410lbs(2 sets)
Donkey calf raises-340lbs(2 sets)

6-28-08(15RM) Day 3
Incline Bench-155lbs
Dumbell Press-60lbs
Military Press-95lbs
Rear Delt's(reverse fly, machine)-100
Pull ups-130lb assist(weak as hell on these)
Iso Row-150lbs
Tricep Pushdown-75lbs
Curls/DB's-40(elbows back, none of that swinging crap, isolation)
Shrugs-215lbs
Leg Press-430lbs(2 sets)
Donkey calf raises-360lbs(2 sets)

Thanks for looking, any comments or critiques are of course welcome.</div>

You have three days of your 15 rep max? I'm confused.
 
<div>
(colby2152 @ Jul. 02 2008,1:12)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">You have a decent frame. What are your goals?

Take the rest from them this cycle, but reconsider them for the future. Deads help my lower back pain and I have mild scoliosis too! Also, the right bed + fish oil does wonders for my back.

That's how I felt on my 1st cycle, and my 2nd, 3rd .....14th and now my 15th...


You have three days of your 15 rep max? I'm confused.</div>
Currently my only goal is to get my BF down to 11% range. Other than that I just want to bulk up and then cut my upper body. Pretty non-specific I know but I will refine that goal as time goes on.

I will incorperate DL's and squats in the next cycle, just had crap experiences(using too much weight combined with newb form) with them so need a break.

Edited the RM's out, I also just switched from flax to fish oil because I need my caffeine which doesn't jive with the flax apparently.

Thanks for the comments.
 
<div>
(torsp @ Jul. 02 2008,2:01)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hello all, I am new to lifting. I got into the gym for the 1st time in my life(38 years old) and started a typical iso routine 90 days ago. I am not happy with the results and that is how I stumbled across HST and will give it a try.

I am deviating from the plan somewhat to suit what I think is best for me.</div>
I am no expert myself but if it is the first time in your life 90 days ago I would recommend a vanilla HST cycle using a simplify and win routine. There is no point in adjusting things if you haven't had the experience to know how things work for you. Actually since you are new to not only HST but to lifting in general I would suggest AT LEAST 2 HST cycles before any adjustment.

Like colby said it is important to determine your goals: cut, bulk, increase strength, increase size? Focusing on one main goal is usually a good plan. Edit: If you want to cut to 11% bf, hat's a good goal. Try setting intermediate goals like getting to 15, 13 then 11 with some realistic deadlines. For the cut have you tried Tabata and HIIT in general?

I would really advise against not doing the deadlift and the squat. Unless you have some real illness you can only benefit from them WHEN USING PROPER FORM. Maybe get the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe so that you start lifting with proper form before you get used to using a wrong form and have a harder time correcting form later. Usually lower back pain is caused by lack of core strength (abs and lower back muscles). Deadlifts and squats help tons with that. Just take it easy on the weights and focus on form increasing weight gradually without jeopardizing form.

Your routine sounds like too much for me. Remember that if you lift heavy, frequently and use a lot of volume you are a ideal candidate for overtraining, which never helps so either try reducing drastically your volume and increase it in small steps if you feel it is necessary or at least pay very close attention to the overtraining symptoms.

And most importantly, welcome to the forum and to the lifting world. Good luck!
 
If you suffer from back pain, i would highly recommend a book called &quot;healing back pain&quot; by dr John Sarno. I bought this about a year ago and it saved my life. I recommend this to anyone with back,shoulder,neck pain.
 
Thx for the replies electric &amp; HSTRiggens. I have not tried HIIT. After discussing this with you guys I have really narrowed down my goals. Thanks for making me think in steps rather than just focusing on the big prize off in the distance. My first goal is to put on mass/size and try to minimize fat gain as best I can. After probably 2 cycles of that I will go to a cutting phase. I have so little exp. of what my body will do I just have to wait and see how it responds to a cycle of HST and go from there.

Electric what about this routine sounds excessive to you? Amount of exercises per session, weight, the way I have my weeks for the cycle set up?

HSTRiggens, I don't have chronic back pain. I should have clarified my aversion to DL's &amp; squats. I overdid it one day and had discomfort for about 5 days because of it. Ever since then I have just avoided those exercises. Again, it could have been avoided but I am just gun shy I guess. I will incorporate them into my next cycle for sure though.
 
<div>
(torsp @ Jul. 02 2008,4:07)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Electric what about this routine sounds excessive to you? Amount of exercises per session, weight, the way I have my weeks for the cycle set up?  </div>
torsp, about the weight, you are the judge for that. HST advocates that you use weights ramping up to the RM for that rep range in the last day of each mesocycle. You should also avoid using less then 70% of the RM to avoid going too light. The best way to set a cycle is to test your 15, 10 and 5 RMs before starting so that you are using the correct weights.
About frequency, it seems you are doing 3x / week fullbody workouts, so that is good.
It seems to me that you use too many isolation exercises. The important is to do Bench, Rows, Pull-ups/chin-ups, Squats and Deadlifts. Everything else is just wasting gym time that could be better put to use with these exercises or directed to overtraining.
 
I hear what you are saying electric. When I start my 10's on Friday I will throw in dead lift's and bent rows and dump the shoulder and arm iso's.
 
<div>
(electric @ Jul. 02 2008,4:06)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(torsp @ Jul. 02 2008,4:07)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Electric what about this routine sounds excessive to you? Amount of exercises per session, weight, the way I have my weeks for the cycle set up?  </div>
torsp, about the weight, you are the judge for that. HST advocates that you use weights ramping up to the RM for that rep range in the last day of each mesocycle. You should also avoid using less then 70% of the RM to avoid going too light. The best way to set a cycle is to test your 15, 10 and 5 RMs before starting so that you are using the correct weights.
About frequency, it seems you are doing 3x / week fullbody workouts, so that is good.
It seems to me that you use too many isolation exercises. The important is to do Bench, Rows, Pull-ups/chin-ups, Squats and Deadlifts. Everything else is just wasting gym time that could be better put to use with these exercises or directed to overtraining.</div>
I have to agree.

It's easy to get a little carried away at first; most of us have been there.

But you would be much better off doing a VERY basic full body routine without the iso's at first.

It takes a little time to adjust to weight training. Too much too soon will likely not produce the results you want and may discourage you over time.

As was mentioned, you really need to decide what you want to accomplish, but realize you have an adjustment period no matter what the final goal is.

Set up the workout with basic movements and work on doing the exercises right above all.

Once you have this 'phase' down, then you can mold the workout to fit your goals.

But if you start changing things just on a whim, before you have a solid foundation, it will be like shooting a gun for the first time, but with a blindfold on; you'd be lucky to hit what you want to and very likely to hit what you don't.

As a suggestion, Just do:

Squats

Bench Press

Pull Ups (or a lat pulldown if you are not able to do much weight)

Shoulder Press

Shrugs

Find your maxes for each rep range, and really learn to do them correctly.

Deadlifts take a bit of practice to do correctly. I would wait a bit before trying to add them. It's up to you tho.

Do them 3x a week as you have been doing.

Also, keep in mind that resistance training can help you add muscle which will in turn ramp up your metabolism, but it is very inefficient for fat loss on it's own.

If your goal is fat loss, lower the calories and look at HIIT or more cardio. Get to the BF % you want and then work toward adding muscle, adjusting the calories upward as necessary.

You could do this simple workout along with the fat loss routine, to get accustomed to weight training; but don't expect it to significantly impact the amount of fat you lose or add much (if any) muscle.
 
Alright so tomorrow I start my 2 wks of 10's and will follow with 2-3 wks of 5's. Following the &quot;simplify to win&quot; approach I will reduce the workouts to the following:

Incline Bench(BB)
Flat Bench(DB's)
Pull Ups
Bent Rows
Shrugs
Squats

Bench is my favorite exercise, I really want to do two of them each workout.

I also did my 1st session of Tabata today, NICE!! I will do that 3 days/week(off days from lifting) and have one complete rest day in the 7 day week. Same as what I have had for the last three months except I was spending 2-2.5 hrs at the gym. During the 15's I was in the gym for 35 minutes(even with my excessive routine in my original post).......NICE!!!

I am also bumping my calorie intake from 2900/day(less than maintenance) up to 3600/day-- c45/p40/f15


Thanks again for the direction guys and directing me to apply the K.I.S.S. principle.
 
7-3
4 min Tabata on stationary bike/resistance trainer
3525 calories

7-4
Incline Bench-2x10(130lbs)
Pull Ups-2x10 w/140lbs assist
Bent Rows-2x10(75lbs)
Shoulder Press(BB)-2x10(90lbs)
Hack Squat(sled)-2x10(95lbs)starting very light to avoid any problems
Shrugs-2x10(190lbs)
3610 calories

7-5
4 min Tabata on stationary bike/resistance trainer
3740 calories

7-6
Incline Bench-2x10(135lbs)
Dumbell Press-2x10(40's)
Pull Ups-2x10 w/130lbs assist
Bent Rows-2x10(80lbs)
Shoulder Press(BB)-2x10(95lbs)
Hack Squat(sled)-2x10(100lbs)
Shrugs-2x10(195lbs)
Dumbell curls-3x10(35's)
3720 calories

7-7
Rest
3550 calories

7-8
Incline Bench-2x10(140lbs)
Dumbell Press-2x10(45's)
Pull Ups-1x10, 1x7x3 w/120lbs assist
Bent Rows-2x10(85lbs)
Shoulder Press(BB)-2x10(100lbs)
Hack Squat(sled-2x10(110lbs)
Shrugs-2x10(200lbs)
3600 calories

7-9
4 min Tabata on stationary bike/resistance trainer
 
torsp, the routine looks great. If your priority is to cut down to 11% bf wouldn't it be best to lower your caloric intake a little? Of course there is no right or wrong here, you can bulk first and then cut but if you want to start with the cut you need a caloric deficit.
 
<div>
(electric @ Jul. 09 2008,11:27)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">torsp, the routine looks great. If your priority is to cut down to 11% bf wouldn't it be best to lower your caloric intake a little? Of course there is no right or wrong here, you can bulk first and then cut but if you want to start with the cut you need a caloric deficit.</div>
Electric thanks for the reply. I have been going back and forth on my goals/objectives for the last couple weeks and have decided on the path I will take. I want to put on as much &quot;noob&quot; mass before the end of this year as possible. I am going to complete this cycle(5 wks left) and do another &quot;bulk&quot; cycle after this and then evaluate from there. However there is one thing that will affect that objective and that is if at any point I get over 18% BF(I check it every 2wks at my gym) I will have to modify the routine.
 
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