new guy not smart guy

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powermizer

New Member
I am excited to try the HST way, I have a bunch of questios that I have searched but cant seem to find, (thanks for your patients)

How do I figure my 15 rep max and so on, is their an equasion or do I just throw on some guessed amount and lift hoping I'm close. Can I use any of my old lift numbers ?

when you start a new cycle, you do need to raise the amount of weight ? yes, no
if you do how much ?

Sorry for waisting time, but this HST stuff is realy coming slow for me. I get confused because of the old way I was thinking. Hope to get more replies from more questions. Thanks alot
 
Ok I told you I was slow, LOL, I found all of the answers to my questions, but now I have a new one that I cant find, can someone please tell me if you are ever suposed to go to failure, and if so when ?. Thanks
 
powermizer said:
Ok I told you I was slow, LOL, I found all of the answers to my questions, but now I have a new one that I cant find, can someone please tell me if you are ever suposed to go to failure, and if so when ?. Thanks
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No. The metabolic cost (in terms of CNS fatigue) of going to failure is too high compared to the gains in terms of hypertrophic stimulus. With HST the last day of each mesocycle should have you using your maximum load for that rep range. That means you should be able to complete all reps with that load. Subsequent sets can be clustered to avoid failure if needed.
 
electric said:
No. The metabolic cost (in terms of CNS fatigue) of going to failure is too high compared to the gains in terms of hypertrophic stimulus. With HST the last day of each mesocycle should have you using your maximum load for that rep range. That means you should be able to complete all reps with that load. Subsequent sets can be clustered to avoid failure if needed.
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Ok, now you do hit failure at the end of every 2 week cycle.

This is what I just found from a lyle write up, on the sticky. Is this wrong, I am realy confused. So when you find your rep max for 15, 10, 5 you dont want to hit that last rep? or you just feel it out and dont go to failure.

Thanks for your help
 
Since you will most likely gain some strength during each two week micro cycle, you should not hit failure even when working with your tested max weights on your first cycle. At least not on your first set. As electric said, if you need to cluster to get all your reps in for the second and third set, that is fine. Personally, when I'm on my max weights (I just add 5 pounds to my max from my previous cycle for my max weights for my new cycle) and I can't get the full rep count for the second and third set, I just do what I can without failing. So on my final workout for my 10 rep max I may do 10 reps my first set, then 7 reps for my second set. For 5's I may do 5 reps then 3 reps then 2 reps. At that point I don't worry about the reps that I didn't complete. The more important thing is the weight increase for that workout.
 
Treat failure as the point when your rep speed slows noticeably despite your best effort. Or, what I do on RM workouts is go to the point where I am pretty certain I won't make another full rep, but it might just be possible.

When the loads are heavy you will have a pretty good idea when you are done and unlikely to get the next rep, but it can be more tricky when the loads are lighter and the relative intensity is lower.

If you do find that a rep stalls out, don't try to burst your eye balls in an all-out effort to make the rep. Just rack the bar or lower it to the safety bars. NB. If you are training without safety bars for bench, squats etc. it makes little sense to push for an extra rep if you aren't sure you will make it. Always be safe.
 
I cant thank you guy's enough. I am 44 and have been doing HIT for eight weeks with no added muscle except in my legs because of first time squat usage, I had a pretty good strength increase, untill this last couple of weeks my standing milatary press had no increase, I felt week, and have ended up with a sore tendon in my arm, thats when I felt old, LOL and thought I needed a change. I found out about HST on bb.com. I hope to finaly make some muscle. I decided to take two weeks off and learn as much as I can about HST before I start my first cycle, so please keep helping me. Thanks alot.
 
powermizer said:
Ok, now you do hit failure at the end of every 2 week cycle.

This is what I just found from a lyle write up, on the sticky. Is this wrong, I am realy confused. So when you find your rep max for 15, 10, 5 you dont want to hit that last rep? or you just feel it out and dont go to failure.

Thanks for your help
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As Bulldog and Lol have mentioned, you don't hit failure even at the end of every 2 week cycle (called mesocycle). You should use your RM weight on those days and RM weight is the load in which you are able to complete that number of reps without failure. If you are lifting a load and you get 5 reps and fail the 6th that is NOT your 6RM load.
Of course due to fatigue you might not be able to get the total reps on subsequent sets. Don't worry, cluster the reps so that you don't hit failure. Failure leads to overtraining which leads to less results hypertrophy-wise. Since performance fluctuates you might be able to do all reps without much difficulty on your max weight days or you might not even be able to complete the programmed number of reps. Do as Lol says, use rep speed and RPE as indicators and try to avoid failing. Rack the weight before you fail a rep.
 
Thanks, eletric. What do you guy's recomend for a beginer of HST at my age, as far as best amount of sets and or lifts and SD time. Sorry for asking question probbebly asked a million times.
One thing I would like to mention is that my biceps don't seem to grow, they get stronger though. here was what my lifts were for arms 8 reps 50lbs 9reps 45lbs 8 reps 40lbs all of these were standing dumbells to failure, at 40lbs with 2min rest I think I could do 6 set and not loose a rep. I do have a demanding job sometimes, not much, wonderd if that had anything to do with it. Thanks for listening
 
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powermizer said:
Thanks, eletric. What do you guy's recomend for a beginer of HST at my age, as far as best amount of sets and or lifts and SD time. Sorry for asking question probbebly asked a million times.
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just keep it simple mostly compounds,(check out the simplify and win thread) for some basic routines,do 1 or 2 sets of 15s,3x10 3x5
 
powermizer said:
One thing I would like to mention is that my biceps don't seem to grow, they get stronger though.
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There is a lot of influence from genetics here so your body will mostly grow the way it "wants" to grow. That may mean more biceps and less pecs or just the oposite. In any case, if the "getting stronger but not growing" is happening to other areas then you are probably not eating enough. Your body needs surplus calories to grow bigger. If you are eating at maintenance you are not providing your body with the energy needed to grow but although the muscles are not growing, neural adaptations are taking place and making you stronger.
 
electric said:
There is a lot of influence from genetics here so your body will mostly grow the way it "wants" to grow. That may mean more biceps and less pecs or just the oposite. In any case, if the "getting stronger but not growing" is happening to other areas then you are probably not eating enough. Your body needs surplus calories to grow bigger. If you are eating at maintenance you are not providing your body with the energy needed to grow but although the muscles are not growing, neural adaptations are taking place and making you stronger.
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Thanks makes alot of sence
 
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