No results with HST

R

Ryan che

New Member
Hi guys, i stumbled across this website several months back and loved what i saw, since then i've been reading everything i can, in the hope of finally putting on some size after getting nowhere for about 2 years.

I love going to the gym as i'm sure most people here do, however after all the time, effort and money i've put in its gettin a bit ridiculous. I hate to bother anyone, but i've been doing the HST routine for 2 cycles now (roughly 14 weeks) and am still pretty much seeing the same poor results as before, as are the 2 guys who i go to the gym with. Which has driven me to spend lots of hours looking through FAQ's, other posts and generally any information over and over again to find an answer and try and learn as much as possible. So i'm not sure were i'm going wrong as i think i have a descent knowledge of everything.
The routine i've been using is a simple split one as suggested.

1x15, 2x10, 3x5, (2 weeks each)

A
Incl Bench
Deadlift
Dumbell Shoulder
Skull crusher (tricep)
Chins (weighted)
Ab crunch

B
Dips (weighted)
Squat
Military Press
Bicep curl
Barbell row
Ab crunch

I workout M/W/F A,B,A B,A,B style workout.


I have of course been following the four main principles (to my knowledge) Progressive load, Volume, frequency and Strategic deconditiong. I progress by 5-15lbs each workout depending on the exercise. I use to hit failure often but have now stopped and become very strict, (unless i'm at my rep max) after reading "HST summed up by Lyle". I also spend roughly 2 weeks doing strategic deconditioning at the end of each cycle, which i hate of course.

I'm 19 years old, 6'3 and weigh around 195lbs (for some reasons). So basically i'm the standard tall, skinny, hardgainer, ectomorph, whatever the hell its called, as are the 2 other lads i go to gym with.

Also i'm sure that the problem isn't diet as i am constantly buying, cooking and eating food and protein shakes. I generally eat 4000+ calories a day which can be brutal when you lack motivation, but i almost always do.

SO basically i want to know where i'm doing wrong and would really appreciate any help.
 
So when you say no results, how much weight have you gained? If you haven't gained any weight then you aren't eating enough. Doesn't matter what diet you use, there is no way to magically gain mass without eating enough to gain weight. I eat upwards of 5000 calories a day when bulking up, sure it's hard but if you want to make the gains, you force the food down one way or another. Or else you don't make gains, and then you can only blame yourself, not the routine.
 
I agree with Tot, I've gained plenty of weight since I've started the program a little over a year ago. I currently weigh 190@5'10 in height. Just gotta make sure you're eating correctly and exercising correctly. Oh, sleeping helps too :p
 
How well are you strategic deconditioning ? Looking at your exceries I think your not consistent enough in hitting your muscles in your B program your hitting your biceps and legs but not for your A program try to at least hit each muscle for your A B program. I personally warm my chest up on dips and bench press.
 
Are you at least getting stronger?

Do you think you have any type of food allergy? One of the "hot topics" right now is gluten sensitivity. Dairy is often a problem too. What type of foods are you eating? You say you lack motivation with the eating, are you getting enough sleep?

Are you doing cardio, playing basketball, or something?

I've never really been a fan of the A/B split. At least for me, the same lifts three days a week does the trick. I get better gains with workouts less than 45 minutes too. Lifting weights in the morning is pretty useless for me as well.

Perhaps you should boil it down to less exercises? I've had success with:

Barbell Rows
Barbell Shrugs
Squats/Romanian Deadlifts (or Straight Leg) super set (squat, rest a minute or two, do RDLs, rest a minute, squat, etc)
Bench/Pullups (same type of super set)
Dips/Chins (same type of super set)

It's surprisingly effective.
 
Well when i first started the gym i think i weighed around 12 stone, and after todays workout i weighed myself and was actually 15 stone 5, thats about 4lbs up from 2 week ago! Which is amazing in terms of weight gained, but i have gained very little size as most of my measurements have stayed the same (with the exception of legs). I know that sounds ridiculous as you would think that size and weight go hand in hand, but some things like chest, shoulders, and most of all arms, have stayed the same with just a little extra fat (but barley noticeable).
I have however gained a lot of strength and am the strongest of my 2 other gym partners, the heaviest of which is 22 years old and about 1 inch shorter than me and weighs 13 stone 2. I'm not sure as to why i'm so much heavier than him as we look very similar in size.

In terms of sleep i get 8-10 hours a day, and the last time i deconditioned was for about 20 days in which i barley did anything at all, which was torture. Also i don't do any sports, i use to run a lot but stoped a few months back. And i have no allegies as far as i know.

Perhaps i'm not hitting some things, like bicep and all my chest consistently enough as suggested. I do feel like with the A/B split some areas get a bit neglected, but the variety keeps me motivated.. Would it be better to hit bicep with iso's on both days or scrap the A/B split perhaps and simplify it more? Also i'm going to try and add 500 calories to my diet per day.

Thanks for everyone thoughts, much appreciated.
 
The key is this...

1. You must be gaining weight.
2. You must be getting stronger.

Once those two are covered, then you know you are making progress. It takes years to put on huge amounts of muscle. You can't expect to put on 20 lbs of muscle a year, every year. Also, measurements are fairly unreliable depending on several factors such as how you store bodyfat, hydration, etc.

So if you are gaining weight and getting stronger, then you are making progress. Obviously you will be gaining a bit of fat too alongside it... if you aren't gaining a little fat, then you aren't eating enough to maximize your muscle gains. Now if, for instance, you have lagging bodyparts that are not progressing while other bodyparts are progressing, then you can look at modifying your routine in order to specialize on those bodyparts which are lagging.
 
Thanks for response Tot, i gues i'll have to take your word for it!

I think i'm going to get rid of the A/B split, I only chose it because everyone else on this forum seem to use it. And i don't really see why as it dosn't adhere to the frequency principle as good as doing the same workout everytime. The only advantage i can see from it is motivation, perhaps i'm missing something...
So i've decided to go with:

Squat
Incline bench
Dips
Chins
Tricep Ext
Bicep Curl
Dumbell Shoulder
Abs Crunch

Think this covers evrything whilst staying simple... And it focuses on arms and chest, which are lagging a bit.
 
There is nothing wrong with keeping it simple, however, A/B splits, even Push/Pull/Leg splits can adhere the frequency principle. A/B spits work as long as all the muscle groups are being hit each session. Once one reaches a certain level of conditioning, more volume and therefore less frequency may be necessary to make more progress thus the 3 way split.
 
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