Need help with new 2nd cycle exercises

S

stovis

New Member
Hi - new poster here...

I just finished my first HST cycle. Nice results. Started at 164.5 with single digit bf%. Ended at 174.5 with same waist measurement and single digit bf% still.

I'm looking to change up some exercises for the next cycle. I finished this cycle on Friday 3/17 and am now doing SD. When would be the best time to get estimates?

I have a slight back pull and some slight shoulder pain that I was hoping SD would take care of. But if I wait 9-14 days and then do the new estimates for a week after that, I'd have to do SD again right? Would it be better to do the new estimates now and then do the SD?

Thanks,
Bill
 
stovis, welcome to the board!

I'd recommend not even doing a new set of estimates and base your poundages off of how well your first cycle went. If you took good notes, or even if you really didn't, you can tell which exercises you started out with too high or too low of a poundage and which ones you estimated a too high or low finishing poundage.

As long as you pick a reasonable weight increment and have a good idea of where your final poundage should be for each rep range (hopefully, a little higher than the first cycle poundages) then just fill in your spreadsheet backwards from there and get your new starting poundages.

It gets a little trickier if you're considering new exercises, but with more experience you'll be able to guesstimate those pretty well too.

I've always found that the 15's do wonders for those lingering pains and the SD never really helps very much.
 
Thanks deadlifter.

The thing is, I want to change most of my exercises. This is what I did the first cycle:

Incline DB
Seated Shoulder Press
Squat
SLDL
Calf (leg press)
Abs
Triceps Cable Pushdown
EZ bar curls
Smith machine shrugs
Cable rows

I want to change it to:

Incline DB Press
Seated Shoulder Press
Dips
Close grip cable pulldowns
Bent over row
Squats
Sumo DL
One leg weighted calf raises
DB shrugs
Abs
french curls
ez bar curls

I gained 10 pounds and kept my bf% the same. Waist stayed the same, chest went up half inch, biceps a quarter, forearms a quarter, chest a half, and thighs an inch. I was thinking withthe new exercises I could do better this cycle.

What do you think?
 
You had good results the 1st cycle, so why change it? The compounds should be plenty, so the addition of the isolations (curls) may actually hinder your gains.
 
I like your second set of exercises a little more than your first cycle, so go ahead and change to it.

I still think you can take a reasonable guess at what your starting/ending poundages for each rep range should be. If you're uncomfortable, then guess really low and use reasonably sized increments to go up until you get to near failure and then that's the end of that rep range. It's not cast in stone that you can only do 6 workouts of a rep range, if it takes 8 to get to max weight then so be it. If you run into trouble with running out of gas on a certain exercise while you're still able to increase the poundages on others then go ahead and stay stuck at the same weight for a few workouts; just make sure you drop back when you get into the next rep range and then build the weight back up again.
 
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Deadlifter - good thoughts. This is the kind of stuff I was looking for. I think you're right - I should be able to guess pretty well on the new exercises or use your other suggested method. My back is better already, and I found another post on this board for rotator cuff exercises that already have my shoulder feeling normal again.

Thanks again.
 
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