Sci's HST Log

12/8/12

100% of 5 RM Loads.
5 sets of 3 Reps.

Ok, I am a big proponent of keeping volume (total work/reps) steady throughout a cycle; but what works on paper, and what works in real life in the gym, are often different things.:p So I started this cycle doing 30 total reps, and now that I have progressed to my 5 rep max for all lifts, I am down to 15 total reps. What it boils down to, is that Bryan's original "vanilla" HST program as laid out in the FAQ book, is probably perfect just the way it is!
The more I learn about Hypertrophy training, and the more experience I get, the more I am in agreement with the original HST principles, and applications.

Cable Rows: 165# I will go up on this.

Dip Machine: 320# This was an all-out max effort, and a good workout. However, after the workout I bought a dip belt, because I just don't like this machine as much as real weighted dips.

Pulldowns: 225# all out effort, will stay with this load.

Incline Bench: 180# this is the most I have ever attempted on Inclines, but wasn't bad, will go up on this next workout.

Leg Press: 465# will go up to 485 next time.

Leg Curls: 135# feeling strong, will go up on this.

Single Calf Raises: 120# all out effort.

Pre-workout: eggs, wheat toast, pomegranate, coffee.

Post-workout: KFC "all you can eat" buffet.;)

I am not a big believer in overpriced supplements. I do usually take whey protein shake after a workout, or just eat a bunch of high-protein food, but thats about it. I find the best "pre-workout" is usually to eat a big bowl of cereal(carbs) and drink some coffee.

The 5x3 was a great idea from Alex. If I had attempted to do sets of 5, I would have burned out my CNS on the first set! Again, what works on paper and what works in real life are entirely different animals.

Looking forward to my last week of HST, doing triples, then retesting my maxes.
 
In response to Lol:

Well in my opinion, and in my experience, NOTHING works better for growing my arms than chins, dips, rows and presses. I get nothing at all out of curls, and for me compounds actually work my biceps harder. Triceps however seem to need a little help unless I am doing dips. If I was just pressing and benching, I would also do some Tricep isos, but since I am doing dips, I will not need anything else. nothing gets my triceps more wrecked than dips.
 
AlexAustralia said:
We have such **** machines here in Australia (on average). That machine looks pretty awesome to use, actually. I love Dips but getting really heavy they can be a bitch.
Click to expand...

Yeah it looks good in theory, but the main problem is that you have to start the movement in the stretched position which is awkward and gives you zero stretch reflex. It's like starting a bench press with the bar resting on your chest! Also, real dips are harder somehow, and just feel more natural.
 
I think it would be really good for doing high-rep work. Heavy dips just exhaust me, it's hard to get high-rep work done afterwards.
 
AlexAustralia said:
I think it would be really good for doing high-rep work. Heavy dips just exhaust me, it's hard to get high-rep work done afterwards.
Click to expand...

Yeah, when I am doing the 15s, I will have to do either the hammer machine, or they have an "assisted dip machine".
 
The commercial gym I used to use had a similar looking dip machine to the one in your picture, but it had a foot plate to enable you to use leg pressure to get the handles into the 'top' position to start a set. It wasn't bad, but never felt as good as weighted dips to me. It was a bit of a fuss strapping yourself into the machine too. More fuss than a weight belt.
 
Noticed my left arm brachioradialis has been very tender lately. Did a little research and discoverered that the brachoradialis is especially active during "neutral-grip" arm flexion. I have been doing rows and Pulldowns both with a neutral grip lately! No wonder it's inflamed. This muscle seems to be least active during supinated (underhand) arm flexion, so I may switch to underhand rows and Pulldowns, which will allow the larger biceps brachi to take over most of the arm flexion.
Edit: playing around with the elbow positioning, and it's more that I thought. Arm flexion seems to hurt no matter what position I try. I will try to ice it and get some rest, but the heavy weights are obviously taking a toll on my body. May have to take some extra rest days, or possibly even SD a little sooner .
 
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we have this machine by hammer strength.
I generally love it. As a last exercise doing dips can be quite tough fatigue and concentration wise.
On the machine you just press down. You are also able to use more weight.

But I had the same problems like on dips with the shoulder. Even when not going below parallel my shoulder are on pressure.

I am sorry but had to ditch them.

One of the best tric exercises on the plantet.
 
On further investigation, just about everything hurts! obviously a bit overstrained, skipping Tuesday's workout for sure.
 
Been having trouble gaining weight. Force-fed all weekend, managed to get up to 206 lb.s :). Feeling a bit better too. When in doubt EAT!
 
If you are having trouble gaining weight, you could always do the old olive oil in the protein shake trick.
 
Sci, meet peanut butter jar. Peanut butter jar, meet, Sci. Sci, empty your new friend of their baggage.
 
I think I am going to test my rep maxes and start the deconditioning phase early. After doing 5 sets of 3 reps for my whole body with 5 RM Loads on Saturday, I am still feeling residual strain 96 hours later. I am going to retest my maxes, and then SD and recuperate for about 14 days! I am looking forward to reset the loads, and do some lighter, more metabolic workouts. The heavy phase is fun, but taxing on the whole system.

I have been doing my daily shoulder rehab though, and it is feeling markedly improved already. Weight has been fluctuating, but I am managing to lower bodyfat, so I am successfully recompositioning, (gaining muscle, and losing bodyfat cyclically.) I went from 202 lb.s up to 206, then back to 202 lb.s, but dropped 2% bodyfat, so I basically dropped 4 pounds of fat, and gained four pounds of muscle over the last few weeks...I'll take those kind of results as a natural anytime! The only supplement I have taken is whey protein, which has been a factor in the recomping for sure.
 
Dec. 15, 2012

Well, its been a full week since I did 5x3 with my 5rms, and basically finished my system off and peaked an HST cycle. I have taken a week off, doing nothing but light shoulder rehab work, and worked somewhat moderate intensity at my job, (plumbing service tech, have to drag heavy equipment all over the place. My forearms, traps, lower back and hamstrings get worked very frequently at work doing deadlifts with a 250 lb.s cable machine to get into the truck and up stairs! Or moving water heaters, etc, etc, etc...) So there is no way I am going to decondition much in those areas...until I get my 11 day vacation for Christmas, which is coinciding with a newborn baby daughter due on DEC. 27!:cool:

SO anyway, having to very strategically try to get my vacation to match up to the possible labor days for my wife, I am taking off Dec. 22nd to January 1st. So, this should hopefully coincide with my newborn, and give me much needed rest from my job! Nevertheless, since I peaked out early on this HST cycle, I am retesting my maxes today, and then starting an early deconditioning period.

I decided to do what Mikeynov and Totentanz recommended, which is to test just for a new 5RM for all exercises, and then extrapolate the other rep rangeds from there. I am basically going to be doing Myo-reps for the first 2 parts of my next HST cycle, in load progressions as traditionally laid out for an HST cycle, 15s, 10s, 5s...negs.

I will post new 5RMs after my workout...wish me some PRs!
 
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5 rms new!

New 5 Rep Maximums for new HST Cycle.

Chinups: 220 lb.s (includes bodyweight) 15rm=155, 10rm=190 (assisted)

Dips: 255 lb.s (includes bodyweight) 15rm 180, 10rm=215 (assisted at first)

Cable Rows: 180 lb.s 15rm=125, 10rm=155

Incline Bench: 180 lb.s 15rm=125, 10rm=155

Leg Press: 535 lb.s 15rm=375, 10rm=455

Leg Curls: 140 lb.s 15rm=100, 10rm=120

Single-leg Calf Raise: 326 lb.s (includes bodyweight) 15rm=238, 10rm=273
 
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I am now starting decondition phase. Until the New Year. Then I will be starting a 6 week HST cycle. 3x/week, progressions as follows:

workout1: 90% of 15rm
workout2: 95% of 15rm
workout3: 100% of 15rm
workout4: 75% of 10rm
workout5: 80% of 10rm
workout6: 85% of 10rm
workout7: 90% of 10rm
workout8: 95% of 10rm
workout9: 100% of 10rm
workout10: 75% of 5rm
workout11: 80% of 5rm
workout12: 85% of 5rm
workout13: 90% of 5rm
workout14: 95% of 5rm
workout15: 95% of 5rm
workout16: 100% of 5rm
workout17: 100% of 5rm
workout18: 105% of 5rm

I am skipping the first week of 15s, and adding an extended week of 5s...other than that, pure vanilla.

sets and reps will be irrelevant, as I will be auto-regulating volume using Borge Fagerli's method of clustering "myo-reps". Probably will start out with something like 18+, then work my down to 5x3 clusters, etc.
 
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Ok, update. 12/23/2012

Still no baby. Maybe this week. I am starting to feel finally recovered somewhat from the previous cycle. Itching to get back to the gym, but I won't be going bakck until the Jan 2nd of the new year 2013! know that deconditioning a little can go a long way!

With my baby coming, and my insane tweaking of my workout in order to keep workout time to a minimum, I have been heavily obsessing of doing a good old "3x3" routine, that is doing three basic lifts, three times/week and pumping up the volume on those three lifts and thus "specialize" on a few basic movements and "grease the groove" so to speak in terms of increasing motor recruitment and maximizing the loads used at high volumes. These programs were popularized by Bill Starr in his book "Strongest Shall Survive", and go by many names, including" "Bill Starr 5x5", "Bill Starr's Big 3 program", etc.

Basically, its an extreme version of the HST tweak known as "Simplify and Win". Some don't agree with this approach, but I have always liked it and seem to grow better when I focus completely on heavy compounds, and push the envelope in all areas of frequency, volume and load. With more complex multiple exercise programs, I just can't muster the energy to pump out the volume on any one lifts. But with a "Big 3" simplify and win program, I can really explore my limits in those core moves.

I have decided on Chins, Dips & Leg Press as my "Big 3". Stil going to follow Load progression exactly as laid out above, which is fairly classic HST load progression, (1 week of 15s, 2 weeks of 10s, 3 weeks of 5s, followed by 11 day SD.

The only part hat has me stumped is exactly how to handle volume. Obviously, the whole point in doing an abbreviated program like this is to maximize both volume and frequency on a few core lifts, and reap as much as possible from those core lifts in terms of strength and hypertrophy response. In the original Bill Starr program, the volume was generally 25 total reps, in forms of 5x5. So to start with that premise, I may do something like 2x15, 3x10, 3x8, 5x5, 6x3, etc. Or just do myo-reps for everything and pump out as many reps as possible until form breaks down.

One thing is for sure, I am determined to push the envelope on Chins, Dips and Leg Press in terms of both strength increases as well as record territory in terms of my total lean mass! I am going to take my physique to a new level for 2013. I may have to cut some weight down soon though, I'd like to get my bodyfat lower overall as a both short-term and long-term goal.

Anyway, this will keep it simple, and will keep my workouts short, so I can focus on my kids and wife, and work, etc... I have always loved these types of programs and have good success with similar programs, like Korte, Starr's 5x5, Simplify and Win HST, etc.
 
Sounds like a good plan. I personally feel that you have a much better chance of seeing real progress when focussing on only a few big compound movements.

Can't remember why you were leg-pressing rather than squatting? You no doubt have a very good reason... eg. an injury, or you like leg-presses and you don't like squats! :) I just think you're missing out on some beneficial lower-back strengthening if you avoid all forms of standing lower-body work, like deadlifts or squats (or some form of row). Perhaps a single work set of deadlifts once-a-week wouldn't be too hard to squeeze in?

Anyway, the important thing is being consistent and you'll have your work cut out for you there, so I totally understand your desire to keep things as simple as possible.

All the very best with your imminent arrival! :)
 
My lower back and posterior chain get hammered at work very regularly. However I am considering doing an A/B split as to alternate compounds, like maybe a (B) routine of Deadlift/Row/Bench and the (A) routine of Leg Press/Chinup/Dip.
I sm going to start out doing (A) only, and will mix in (B) if needed.
 
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