With summer upon us, I typically cut back a bit on training as I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I'm also lazy. I just finished a 7 week twice per day, 4 times per week routine and had good results (not as good as the 10 and 12 workout/week routines I had previously done though.) Even though I still believe that frequency is the key to continued hypertrophy, I have also come to realize that no gains will be made without the proper nutrition. So, taking all of the above into account, I have decided that my next HST cycle will be radically different than all the others. I will workout only 4 times per week, once per day with very limited exercises but a higher intensity. At the same time, I will concentrate more on my diet than I have in the past. I expect that I will find that I actually make even better gains this way. In other words, the training program, as long as it is within the general parameters of HST, is significantly less important than the diet even though most of us spend more time thinking about and actually training than we do about fueling our bodies. I think we have that backwards and want to experiment a little.
My simplified routine will be as follows:
M, TH:
DB Incline BP
Chin Ups
Shoulder Press
Close Grip BP
Incline DB Curls
Squats
T, F:
Dips
Seated Rows
Shrug Bar Shrugs
Tricep Push Downs
Hammer Curls
Leg Press
One set of each exercise only...24 total sets per week!
I will do one week of 15's, 1 week of 10's working up to my 10 RM, 1 week at my 10 RM with added drop sets, 1 week working up to my 5 RM, 1 week of my 5 RM with added drop sets. 5 week cycle to fit in with some travel plans. Then 1 week of SD and then another 5 week cycle.
Intensity will be increased. For example, my first and second session of 10's will be at 80% of my 10 RM but will be taken to whatever number of reps I experience controlled failure at. The 3rd and 4th session of 10's will be my 10 RM at controlled failure which could exceed 10 reps as I progress. Controlled failure is meant to be the last rep that I can complete the movement in proper form without cheating and at the desired tempo. Any additional reps would require cheating, squirming, hollering, cussing, etc. 80% RM sets will be performed at a 2/4 tempo and 100% RM sets will be done at a tempo of 1/2 to allow for maximum weights. I expect to hit RBE fairly quickly with the 10's and 5's at this level of intensity but think that the following week with the drop sets will overcome that problem.
Even though my total volume will be 50 to 60% less than I normally do, I think that the gains can be even better if I spend the extra free time concentrating on my diet. No supplements. Just good clean food. Protein will mostly come from lean red meat, white meat, legumes and peanut based products. No obsession over carbs. Only good fats.
I will continue to do my core trunk strengthening routine twice per week.
Anybody tried something like this before? Problems? Improvements? And, NO. It is not anything like HIT. However, I will call it Specific Hypertrophy Intensive Training.
My simplified routine will be as follows:
M, TH:
DB Incline BP
Chin Ups
Shoulder Press
Close Grip BP
Incline DB Curls
Squats
T, F:
Dips
Seated Rows
Shrug Bar Shrugs
Tricep Push Downs
Hammer Curls
Leg Press
One set of each exercise only...24 total sets per week!
I will do one week of 15's, 1 week of 10's working up to my 10 RM, 1 week at my 10 RM with added drop sets, 1 week working up to my 5 RM, 1 week of my 5 RM with added drop sets. 5 week cycle to fit in with some travel plans. Then 1 week of SD and then another 5 week cycle.
Intensity will be increased. For example, my first and second session of 10's will be at 80% of my 10 RM but will be taken to whatever number of reps I experience controlled failure at. The 3rd and 4th session of 10's will be my 10 RM at controlled failure which could exceed 10 reps as I progress. Controlled failure is meant to be the last rep that I can complete the movement in proper form without cheating and at the desired tempo. Any additional reps would require cheating, squirming, hollering, cussing, etc. 80% RM sets will be performed at a 2/4 tempo and 100% RM sets will be done at a tempo of 1/2 to allow for maximum weights. I expect to hit RBE fairly quickly with the 10's and 5's at this level of intensity but think that the following week with the drop sets will overcome that problem.
Even though my total volume will be 50 to 60% less than I normally do, I think that the gains can be even better if I spend the extra free time concentrating on my diet. No supplements. Just good clean food. Protein will mostly come from lean red meat, white meat, legumes and peanut based products. No obsession over carbs. Only good fats.
I will continue to do my core trunk strengthening routine twice per week.
Anybody tried something like this before? Problems? Improvements? And, NO. It is not anything like HIT. However, I will call it Specific Hypertrophy Intensive Training.
