Sets: 1x15, 2x10, 3x5 Acceptable?

L

Lynn Belvedere

New Member
Anybody use this set scheme with HST? If so, how did you like it?

I'm into the 5th workout of the 15's of my first HST cycle. I deliberately chose weights that I know I can handle throughout the entire program. I won't be truly "maxing out", but it should be close enough. So far, I have a constant tightness/mild soreness to all my muscles and it feels great, so that seams like a good sign.

Regarding the topic at hand, I'm personally attracted to the number of sets increasing as the program progesses. Progressive resistence + progressive volume = explosive growth? Anyway, I feel like I should be ramping up in regards to effort on my way to the 5's and, once there, should be giving 100% and leaving nothing in the gym. I feel the need to "earn" my SD break :) So far, the 15's have been very easy and I know I can do 2 sets of the 10's. 3 sets of the 5's shouldn't be a problem either.

The question is, will doing so backfire? Is there a better way?

Thanks all!
 
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1 X 15, 2 X 10 and 3 X 5 is the basic 'vanilla' set selection for HST.

Try and use max weights for your last set so that next cycle you can increase your max and as such be progressive. An important principle.

I still use that set volume, and I've been using HST since 2002.

My current routine is very basic -

Squats,
Incline Bench
Seated Rows,
Leg presses
Dips
Chin ups

one set of each for 15's still works out at 2 heavy sets for each bodypart, so plenty of stimulus

likewise with the 2 sets for 10's, equals 4 sets per bodypart
and 3 sets for 5's equals 6 sets

Hope this helps

Brix
 
It does help, thanks for the input! I noticed the sets sticky after I posted this and it seems like Bryan uses (or used) the 1x15, 2x10, 3x5 approach as well. Very good to know.
 
Apologies Seeker,

It was something that was discussed years ago - I havent been on here so much recently. It's refered to in the beginners advice in the Simplify and Win thread, and also Vicious's Pimp HST thread/ebook.
It was based on keeping the number of reps as constant as possible, for all rep ranges, ie; 15 reps for 15s, 20 reps for 10's, and 15 reps for 5's and negatives.

Brix
 
There's also still (though the poll is closed) a stickied thread on number of sets used by members here.
Bryan himself suggests increasing the number of sets, as the number of repls decreases.

Hope this helps the confusion?

Brix
 
Lynn,

Just wanted to add that it's a good idea to think about total volume for each muscle group rather than on a per-exercise basis.

If you are only doing a single exercise for a muscle group each session then 1 x 15, 1.5 x 10 and 3 x 5 is possibly not going to be enough of a stimulus. It all depends on your level of conditioning. If that's the kind of volume that you know you can still respond to, then fine. Otherwise, it might be better to do 2 x 15, 3 x 10 and 4-5 x 5. As the loads progress each mesocycle it will obviously get harder to complete all the reps following the first set. In this case, curtail a set when you feel that your form is dropping off. It's fine to go for it at the end of each mesocycle and push closer to failure but it's not a good idea to do it too often as it will impact on your strength levels (your CNS takes more of a hit from training close to failure and takes longer to recover than the muscle tissue itself).

If you are doing 2 or more exercises for each bodypart then it might be prudent to do only a single set of 15 for each etc. Or, with legs for example, you might do two sets of squats and a single set of SLDLs during 15s. Lower-body tends to need more work to get a good PS response than upper-body because the muscle groups are large and generally more conditioned to work (calves are often particularly stubborn).

Interesting that you find the 15s easy. For me, 15s are the toughest part of the cycle as they produce a lot of metabolic stress and the loads are not that light during the second week.

As a guide, try using load increments starting with ~75% of your RM for each mesocycle and then add 5% each session until you reach your RM workout. After a good SD, even 75% of your 15 RM might not feel so easy (especially if you do more than a single set).

All the best.
 
Thanks. I spoke too soon; the 15's started off easy, but actually got pretty challenging once I hit my max's. As long as I've been working out, I've always done 1, maybe 2, sets per body part max. So hopefully the volume should be fine.

I'm in the process of cutting and things seem to be going well so far. I was thinking about posting a progress log here. Might do it in the next few days.
 
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