Results of my first cycle + need some advice

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optiontrader1138

New Member
Here's a detailed update about my results with the HST program. This first post contains my results, the next post will contain the routine I've followed ... I did not find the program challenging enough, so I would really welcome some advice on how to do things better.

I've just completed the first 6 weeks of the program, and have the toughest 2 weeks left to go. I found it to be a relatively easy routine to follow, even though its a 3 day/week full-body program.

One of the big selling points of the program is that you don't burn out on it ... I found this to be true. Usually I'm very sick of lifting after six weeks, but my motivation and energy never flagged. However, I did not find myself getting sore after the first two weeks on the program. The 5-rep cycle (weeks 5-6) was particularly easy, even though I was using extremely heavy weights. One thing I loved about the program is that the workouts are fast - I completed my entire body in about 30 minutes each workout.

I had a one-week interruption right after week 4, but I was physically active throughout those 7 days. I ate very clean up to week 4, but drank a few times during weeks 5 and 6. Similarly, up to week 4 my aerobic routine was 5 days/week, but this dropped down to about 2-3 days/week during weeks 5-6. Finally, I stayed at a caloric deficit for the duration of the program ... about 2500 calories/day.

My goal with the program was to maintain or grow some muscle while continuing to lose fat. Here are my results so far. Remember, there are still 2 weeks to go, which I'm hoping will be far more intense than the previous 6.

................Before...................After.... ......Difference
Weight......197.8.....................191.6....... ..-6.2 lbs
LBM..........167.9.....................165.9...... ...-2.0 lbs
Fat %........15.1%...................13.4%........-1.7%
Bicep........15 5/8"..................15 3/8".......- 1/4"
Forearm....12 1/2"..................12"............- 1/2"
Chest........44 ".......................44 5/8"......+ 5/8"
Waist........35 1/4"...................34 3/4"......- 1/2"
Hips..........39".........................38"..... .......- 1"
Thigh........22 1/2"...................22 1/4".......- 1/4"
Calf..........15 7/8"...................15 5/8".......- 1/4"
 
I´ll save the everyone else having to type this.
way too many exercises and too much isolation-
cut it down to the following for 3 or 4 cycles , get nig and string first.

Squat
Bench
Mil. Press
Bent Rows
Lat Pulls or Chins
and Dips

Everybody part will respond.

Pierre
smile.gif
 
I´ll save the everyone else having to type this.
way too many exercises and too much isolation-
cut it down to the following for 3 or 4 cycles , get big and strong first.

Squat
Bench
Mil. Press
Bent Rows
Lat Pulls or Chins
and Dips

Everybody part will respond.

Pierre  
smile.gif
 
how did you get all that done 30 minutes? im a big fan of keeping the rest short but between actual time lifting and the time it takes to load/unload bars etc. your rest periods have got to be super short.

i think drpierredebs advice is sound. the wgt your using on your current prog., while not huge, is very respectable for a 30 min. workout that appears not to tax you at all. that kind of strength coupled with the prog. he recommended will certainly have everybody part responding.

the whole gain muscle while lose fat thing is very hard. its hard enough to do one or the other let alone both at the same time. i wish you luck
 
It is fast - the rest periods were 1 min between sets, and even less between exercises (as long as it took me to walk to the next station).

How many sets for each of those exercises? I'd assume 2, maybe 3?
 
Oh about the gaining muscle while losing fat ... yes, it is hard, but I'm on an HRT program. During my first 8 week cycle I gained 3 lbs of muscle and lost 10 lbs of fat. My diet was super clean and I cheated maybe 2-3 times in that 8 weeks. I definitely didn't do that this time around.
 
i agree with dr here but i would add deadlifts on alternate days with the squat
biggrin.gif
im surprised he missed that one
cool.gif
 
<div>
(optiontrader1138 @ Jun. 02 2006,16:16)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Oh about the gaining muscle while losing fat ... yes, it is hard, but I'm on an HRT program. During my first 8 week cycle I gained 3 lbs of muscle and lost 10 lbs of fat. My diet was super clean and I cheated maybe 2-3 times in that 8 weeks. I definitely didn't do that this time around.</div>
What hormones and how much are you taking?
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What hormones and how much are you taking?</div>

i think too that you are using too many isolations in your program.
because i dont wanna write so much i have 3 links that could be very interesting for you ! so i dont must write things new or copy and paste them. here we go, because you mentioned you need some advices on your routine:

before i will post the link, get the following sentence everytime in your mind when you are thinking of your training :
&quot;hst is not about sets and reps !&quot;

so here we go:
routine example + 5x5 link

a good way to go:
a good way
(look at first post from sun tzu)

hst+steroids or how to lenghten up your cycle:
LINK

good luck
 
Hi everyone,

I started this thread a few months ago. Based on the advice I had gotten from this board, I changed up my routine by removing the isolation exercises and focusing mostly on free weight compound exercises. I've attached a .gif of my 2nd cycle - please note that it doesn't include the 2 week cycle for weeks 7-8.

I am now preparing for my third cycle, and would like some input both on training regimen as well as perhaps diet if you're so inclined. Please take a look at my 2nd cycle and let me know how you think I should modify it.

Also, I'm considering going to a 5 day per week training cycle. Any advice here?

Training and Weights
===============

As you can see from my screenshots, my weights have gone up a bit. For instance, my 5-rep max in hack squats increased from 410 lbs to about 630 lbs during this cycle. My 5-rep max in lat pulldowns went from 220 to 240. My 5-rep max in military press increased from 120 to 165. (Can't compare bench press - my first cycle was on a bench machine, while my 2nd was with free weights... however I got it up to 225 lbs).

I got pretty burned out during the final 4 weeks of the program. I think 3 sets (+ a bodyweight set for lats and chest) is too much. I began to dread going into the gym, which hasn't occurred on this program before.

During weeks 7-8, I didn't have a partner so I just increased the weights to the best of my ability. I also threw in an occasional burnout set. I was getting burned out, so I started mixing it up with an extra exercise of my choice just for fun. This variety helped my motivation quite a bit!

I also mostly cut out aerobic exercise. I would say I run for 20-25 minutes about once a week right now.

Diet
===

Near week 3 of the program, my doctor had advised me to go on a weight gain diet. Since January, I've lost 26 lbs of fat and gained 5 lbs of muscle, as measured on a GE Lunar imaging machine. However, I had plateaued and was not showing any more progress, so he advised me to switch it up.

I changed my diet from about 2400 calories a day - very clean, high quality foods, to eating anything that wasn't nailed down. I typically averaged about 3300 calories, and my diet wasn't nearly as clean. I'd say about 70% of my meals were clean, about 30% were lower quality. I also drank a bit more. Basically, I stopped being as disciplined for the sake of mental sanity.

Supplements
=========
HCG - 9 IU's once per day
DHEA - once per day
Multi-vitamin - 1-2x/day

HCG and DHEA are doctor-prescribed and I get regular blood tests to monitor my hormone levels.

Results
=====

I gained a fair amount of muscle in under two months! However, I gained a lot of fat as well.

....................June 30...............August 27
Weight.........192.2 lbs............201.4 lbs.....+9.2 lbs
Body fat........14.6%................17.7%.........+3.1%
LBM...............164.2 lbs............165.8 lbs....+1.6 lbs
Fat.................28 lbs.................35.6 lbs.....+7.6 lbs

So, 1.6 lbs of muscle (great!) but 7.6 lbs of fat (awful!).

Here are my before and after measurements:

....................June 30...............August 27
Bicep............15 1/4 &quot; .............15 3/4&quot;..........+1/2&quot;
Chest...........44 1/4 &quot;..............45 1/2&quot;..........+1 1/4&quot;
Waist...........34 5/8 &quot; .............36 5/8&quot;..........+ 2 &quot;
Thigh............22 1/4&quot; .............23 3/4&quot;..........+ 1 1/2&quot;

Overall, it has been a productive cycle in terms of gaining muscle, but I definitely feel all of the extra weight. I'm left wondering if I should pursue another weight-gain cycle, or if I should switch back to a fat loss cycle...

Thanks!
 
I'm no expert of the specifics, but I dare say if you're putting on more poundage in fat than in muscle, something needs to be changed. I've been up and down in weight (muscle) over the past few years, and kept more or less the same amount of body fat %. What percentage of your calories are protein, carbs and fat? I dare say your answer is there. Ideally it should be about 40% Pro, 40% Carbs, 10% fat, or as close to that as possible. So lots of lean mean and a protein shake too. Cut the fat off meat, and don't eat the yokes of the eggs, just the whites. Keep up some light cardio on off-days as well, even if its just brisk walking or light cycling/swimming. I find this helps.
 
This guy is on a form of HRT. It looks like he's getting DHEA and HCG? That's a weird HRT plan. Actually, that must be HGH because 9 IUs of HCG a day doesn't make sense. What about testosterone? DHEA isn't really worth much if you have low testosterone levels.

Manipulating the macros isn't going to make a difference for how much of his weight gained is fat versus muscle. However, if he has low test and is only getting DHEA and HGH supplementation. that would definitely effect his ability to build lean mass.
 
40% carb, 40% protein, 20% fat is my target ratio, although the fat and alcohol has been higher recently. Yesterday was 48% carb, 29% protein, and 22% fat spread across 6 meals.

It's HCG, not HGH. DHEA + HCG is a pretty common combination. My blood DHEA levels were a bit low before, and this has brought them up to normal levels (and has stabilized other hormonal ratios). My test was on the low side, which is what the HCG is for. Overall improved from about 450 to 900, while free test went from 1.5% to about 3.2%. T/E ratio still hasn't gotten back to normal levels, which is strange ... still around 20-1, on the low end. I've tried zinc, but it did nothing for my ratio. I'm scratching my head on that one.

I gain weight pretty easily, so my thoughts on this are to clean up the diet and to get back to running at least 3x/week. I'm worried that if I switch back to a fat loss diet now, I'll lose the extra muscle I just put on. Maybe it's better to get a few more lbs and let the new muscle contribute towards removing the excess fat (1 lb of muscle burns 15 calories per day. Therefore if I do another cycle and get up to 5 lbs of extra muscle, that's 75 calories per day or 2,250 calories per month free of charge).

I'd really like some input on the workout routine as well, along with opinions about a 5x/week routine from someone who has done it.

Thanks!
 
i dont know anything about hrt so i cant comment on that aspect of your program but as far as the diet goes one phrase comes to mind &quot;easy on the rudder!&quot;

in your prev. post you mentioned going from 2400 cals clean to 3300 cals eating everything not nailed down. now if this happened in a short span then you are much more likely to see the kind of hi fat gain (vs muscle gain) that you did. same with your current fears of muscle loss. if you drop immed. back to 2400 cals instead of gradually cutting back you will lose wgt faster but youll be losing a lot of muscle with the fat etc.

i would eat at maint. during SD and then +/- cals each week (when your training again) until your gaining/losing @ 1lb a week and try to keep it going. when bulking 1lb a week is considered good progress and even the lb is usually not all muscle. now you can certainly gain more wgt in a week but the % that is muscle is very low. when cutting the same applies for the 1 lb a week (unless very over wgt). eating a sensible, nutritious diet with proper lifting you can lose 1lb a week and still maint. a good bit of muscle. drop the cals to where your losing 3-5 lbs a week and it doesnt matter whats in your diet youll be seeing the muscle disappear with the fat.

like peak power i do not claim to be an expert in dieting specifics. like many i was able to gain/lose wgt by seriously over/under eating but not until i began using smaller incremental changes was i able to tune in to what my body needed gain muscle or cut fat. there is a big differance between gaining wgt and gaining muscle and i believe it is found in between big calorie excess/deficit.
 
Good advice on that. I certainly didn't increase my calories gradually. I just went right for it ;-)

I'm going to drop my calories to 3200 and maintain my current levels, while increasing my aerobics to 3x/week. Still haven't made a decision about whether to go with a 3x/week or 5x/week weight lifting program, but I have another week to decide.

Any thoughts on the structure of my 2nd cycle (posted above)? I had good gains in some areas, but not others. My arms grew, but I think my biceps kinda exploded while my triceps withered a bit. The tape doesn't tell that tale...
 
i usually dont comment on indiv. w/o since you have the inside info on like/dislikes, strengths/weakness, wgt/machine availabilty etc. etc. but here goes.

you technically seem to have all the muscle groups covered except hamstings. my only question would be some of your exer. selections. if you can hack @500 for 5 you can squat (unless injured or other factor). if you can bench over 200 and press 150 then you should be able to do dips with wgt. (maybe not for 15 but certainly 10 or 5). what about deadlifts? at 200 lbs your putting up decent wgt in your lifts. nothing amazing but your certainly strong enough to be doing deads.

the only reason i mention these other lifts is they are better more strength/muscle producing ways of hitting the musc. groups your doing. squats, deadlift, bench or db press, dips and chins are tough exer. to beat for max growth and strength. working toward continually upping the poundage in those lifts (w/good form) with a good diet will move you closer to your goals.

also, dont forget the hams. sldl will do the trick or at the very least deadlifts hit them as well. as for your arms. currently you have chins and an iso exer. for bi's but only bench and bw dips for tris. everyone is diff. but if you feel a real disparity then drop the bi iso and add close grip bench or another tri exr. combined with wgt dips your tris should catch up quickly.


good luck
 
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