Thoughts on this 4 day program

Browner

Browner

Well-Known Member
Hi Guys

As I am nearing the end of my first cycle of the basic 3 day HST program, and have started planning my next cycle for once I have completed my SD. Just wanted to get everyones thoughts on it. Here is the program below; (workout A will be done on Monday and Thursday, and Workout B will be done on Tuesday and Friday. I have a push/pull workout break down. A being Push, B being Pull

Workout A Monday
ATG Squat
Incline Press
BB Close grip Press
Military Press
Leg extension
Calf Raises
Tricep Extension

Workout B Tuesday
Leg Curl
Wide Grip Pull Down
Reverse Fly
Bent Over Row
Close Grip Chin Up
Shrugs
Hammer Curl

Wednesday - Rest

Workout A Thursday
Leg Press
Flat Bench Press
Dumbell Shoulder Press
Leg Extension
Calf Raises
Tricp Pushdown

Workout B Friday
RDL, then Deadlift (Brought in during the 10 reps)
Wide Grip Pull Down
Reverse Fly
Seated Row
Leg Curl
Shrugs
Barbel Bicep Curl

My time frame will be;
Week 1 will be 15 reps
Week 2 - 12 reps
Weeks 3 & 4 10 reps
Weeks 5 & 6 5 reps
Weeks 7 & 8 Negs
SD

Look forward to all your feedback.
 
TunnelRat said:
Gonna bail out on the 15-rep Deadlifts? Perhaps a wise decision; RDLs fill that slot nicely.
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haha, im not skipping hardwork, honest. I started with Deadlifts on my first HST cycle in the 15 reps, and found it just put a little to much stress on the lower back, as it was hard to keep correct form for the full 15 reps. I do love deadlifts though, especially down in the lower reps

What do you think of this program in general?
 
It seems to me that you have too much back work in this routine. Also, I personally like to finish one bodypart before moving on to the next to keep the blood in that area as long as possible, so I would do leg extensions right after squats.

Maybe it's me, but I also think you have a little too much variety here. Looks like you're doing each exercise only once per week, which means you're only increasing weights once per week. On a three-full-body-workouts-per-week routine, you'd be increasing weights three times per week. This steadily increasing load is one of HST's principles.
 
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Thanks Toolman, as always great support on this forum!

I have had a little tweak, and let me know what you think;

Workout A - Monday & Thursday
ATG Squat
Leg Extension
Bench Press
BB close grip press
Military Press
Calf Raises
Tricep Extension

Workout B - Tuesday & Friday
RDL's - Deadlifts brought in at 10 reps
Leg Curl
Reverse Fly
Bent Over Row
Close Grip Chin Up
Barbell Curl
Shrugs

I have toyed with the idea of doing this as a 6 day program;
Monday - A
Tuesday - B
Wednesday - A
Thursday -B
Friday - A
Saturday - B

That way I would work everything 3 times per week, but concerned I may overtrain doing this
 
This routine looks much better to me, Browner, and I agree with you about the six-day program. That would be too much.
 
Thanks toolman,

I shall use my upcoming SD period to contemplate wether to do this program or stick with 3 days

Cheers again
 
Although it may complicate your routine a little there is no reason you can’t start out on a 6 day program and as the weights get heavy if your body can’t handle it start dropping some things out or switch to a 4 day program later in your cycle.

In my present cycle I started with a very simple full body workout 6 days a week using one push, one pull and one leg exercise every day. As the weights got heavy and I wasn’t recovering enough to progress each day I started dropping some exercise that had overlap with others like Incline Bench. Then eventually I rearranged exercises so that I was on a more conventional Legs/Pull/Push split twice a week.

I found the increased frequency really helped with hypertrophy early in the cycle while the decreased frequency toward the end helped with strength gains. Sounds to me like you’ve been doing this long enough to listen to what your body is telling you is working.
 
grunt11 said:
Although it may complicate your routine a little there is no reason you can’t start out on a 6 day program and as the weights get heavy if your body can’t handle it start dropping some things out or switch to a 4 day program later in your cycle.
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Thanks Grunt, I will give it serious consideration over my SD period that is coming up in a few weeks. Although I am relatively new to HST I have been weight training for a long time so I know the sings to look for to indicate if im over training, so I may give it a go to see how I get on. If it doesnt wotk i'll just go back to 3 days, as I know that works. I just love being in the gym
 
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