scientific muscle
New Member
You regular guys know me well, and I am considered almost an expert on HST, but truth is I have never done a basic HST cycle!!! I have of course done max-stimulation training which is basically a branch of HST, but I think I owe it to myself and this forum to do at least one full cycle of HST.
My lower back strain woke me up to the fact that maxing out on my lifts all week long is bound to catch up with me. And the fact that I need at least 20 lb.s on my frame before my height-to-weight ratio is adequate for maximal powerlifting, led me to think I should do a pure hypertrophy cycle.
It has been awhile since I was doing max-stim and my goals have changed since then. My next goal is to add lean mass to my frame for powerlifting. I wil go over the basics of the program and pose any questions:
<u>Core Exercises
</u>Squat
Bench
Deadlift
Chins
Dips
Military Press
maybe DB rows?
Frequency
3 times/week full body as usual. Will have to alternate squats and deadlifts once things get heavier.
Volume
You all know I favor high-volume after korte's program blew my thighs up, and the fact that I am so darn conditioned I almost cannot get sore anymore, I CAN HANDLE HIGH-VOLUME! So I will be clustering to 30 reps/exercise....at least.
Load: Progression and Duration of cycle
I will be clustering so I can avoid zig-zagging very easily. The easiest way for me to calculate progression is based on my 1 rm since I already know it for my lifts. I believe hypertrophy cycles should last as long as possible, so I will try to progress slowly. This area is where I could use the most input.
My first thought is to start at 50% of my 1 rm and progress the loads 1.5% each workout (rounding the loads of course) for 30 workouts which will put me at 95% of 1 rm at the end of the cycle at week 10.
Either that or I can just do a standard HST cycle: 2 weeks of 15s/2 weeks of 10s/ 2 weeks of 5s/ +4 weeks of hellish pain (extending the 5s, etc.)....
I am not a big believer in SD, but to be fair I wll start the program right and take a week off of lifting. My back is stiff and I have recently set personal records on almost all my lifts and certainly a week off is going to be a good thing, regardless of any deconditioning effect.
Any constructive criticism is welcome.
My lower back strain woke me up to the fact that maxing out on my lifts all week long is bound to catch up with me. And the fact that I need at least 20 lb.s on my frame before my height-to-weight ratio is adequate for maximal powerlifting, led me to think I should do a pure hypertrophy cycle.
It has been awhile since I was doing max-stim and my goals have changed since then. My next goal is to add lean mass to my frame for powerlifting. I wil go over the basics of the program and pose any questions:
<u>Core Exercises
</u>Squat
Bench
Deadlift
Chins
Dips
Military Press
maybe DB rows?
Frequency
3 times/week full body as usual. Will have to alternate squats and deadlifts once things get heavier.
Volume
You all know I favor high-volume after korte's program blew my thighs up, and the fact that I am so darn conditioned I almost cannot get sore anymore, I CAN HANDLE HIGH-VOLUME! So I will be clustering to 30 reps/exercise....at least.
Load: Progression and Duration of cycle
I will be clustering so I can avoid zig-zagging very easily. The easiest way for me to calculate progression is based on my 1 rm since I already know it for my lifts. I believe hypertrophy cycles should last as long as possible, so I will try to progress slowly. This area is where I could use the most input.
My first thought is to start at 50% of my 1 rm and progress the loads 1.5% each workout (rounding the loads of course) for 30 workouts which will put me at 95% of 1 rm at the end of the cycle at week 10.
Either that or I can just do a standard HST cycle: 2 weeks of 15s/2 weeks of 10s/ 2 weeks of 5s/ +4 weeks of hellish pain (extending the 5s, etc.)....
I am not a big believer in SD, but to be fair I wll start the program right and take a week off of lifting. My back is stiff and I have recently set personal records on almost all my lifts and certainly a week off is going to be a good thing, regardless of any deconditioning effect.
Any constructive criticism is welcome.