Split routine

[mb2]

I've done HST for about two years now, using the usual 15/10/5/5 mesocycles with three full-body workouts a week.

I made decent gains, although I have to say they weren't as dramatic as I made with 5x5 and the so-called DC routine in the past. On the other hand, those routines played havoc with my joints and I think were responsible for my having to have major surgery on both my knees. That surgery was botched and will eventually have to be repeated.

It may be that I haven't made the same kinds of gains I made with earlier routines because I cannot do compound exercises like squats and deadlifts since my knee surgery.

About six weeks ago I decided to mix things up and go on a split body routine, doing four workouts a week. This way I could more effectively compensate for the lack of compound exercises by doing more isolation work. I also decided, after doing, two weeks of 10s, to keep my reps at 8 and do two sets of each exercise for upper body work. The weight is programmed the usual way, increasing incrementally on most exercises.

On leg work, which I have to do on machines, I long ago found I needed high reps. I've maxed out on the weights on almost all machines in my gym, so I can only increase the intensity by increasing volume. It's pretty tedious, but I do it.

This has seemed to produce some rapid results.

I repeatedly read here that changing type of exericses shouldn't make much difference. But my experience says otherwise -- just as going on a sustained 8-rep cycle seems to.

I'm curious to know (a) if this conforms to HST theory and (b) whether other people have experience tweaking the program this heavily.

 

[Lol]

Couple of quick question: what do you actually mean by, "This has seemed to produce some rapid results"? and what do you mean by high reps?

If you can handle more volume – without frying your CNS and/or causing so much micro-trauma that your strength levels plummet and you can't maintain training frequency – it is nearly always a good thing as far as hypertrophy is concerned; the PS response will increase, but by a diminishing amount the more you do. That means that after a certain amount of volume you are just wasting your time, plus you won't be able to train frequently enough to maximise the chance of hypertrophy occurring.

Don't forget that HST is not about reps and sets, per se, but more about increasing strain on the muscle tissue over time so that you stay ahead of the RBE. It's also about TUT and work done with the loads you are using.

At some point, the loads that you are using on your leg machines will become ineffective at producing a PS response unless you can increase them further. Tip: try adding a dumbbell to the top of the weight stack or supporting a plate on the selector pin.

Positive note: being forced to use a lighter load than you might otherwise progress up to will likely mean that your form is good (at least until fatigue sets in) which can equate to better transfer of strain to the muscle tissue.

 

[mb2]

I mean added muscle size. I've been hearing remarks in that respect a lot.

For high reps, I mean sets of 20 at the highest possible weight on adductor, abductor, glute, curl machines. I have to keep the weight pretty low on leg presses because of my knees but I do sets of 20 there too. Increasing the volume seems safer than increasing the weight. My legs have never responded to low reps.

I'm already hanging 45 lbs of extra weight off the leg machines (except leg press) and still trying to add 5 each workout even at 20 reps. If I can't add 5 lbs, I increase he volume.