thoughts on this article

* Train each body part every 48 hours, or basically three times per week.
* Increase the weight each and every workout.
* Decrease the reps every two weeks.
* Decondition the muscle before you do it all over again.
Click to expand...

That's not really what HST says. There is nothing in the HST principles saying "decrease reps every two weeks"

All HST concludes is that you should lift frequently, progress the load over time, use mechanical load as the growth stimulus instead of focusing on fatigue or pump as a growth stimulus, and decondition when necessary.

2) Two sets per exercise really doesn't incur as much growth as higher set totals. This is one drawback to HST. Two sets per exercise works well for beginners and old people, but not so much for the intermediate to advanced lifter. High frequency/low set training is great for strength, but crappy for size and hypertrophy. Unless you're doing other physical activities (MMA, strongman competition, shotput, etc.), then it's better to vary your set totals from workout to workout: i.e. 3 sets-6 sets-2 sets.
Click to expand...

Nothing in the HST principles prescribes how many sets you should do. The sample routine makes suggestions but the FAQs make it clear that volume is dependent on the individual.

3) The periodization of reps should be compressed into a week's span. I know, I keep pounding this point in, but it needs to be said: your body responds better to compressed cycles of reps rather than longer cycles. Whereas HST has you doing 15 reps in Week One, 10 reps in Week Two and 5 reps in Week Three, you will get better results by doing it all in one week: Monday (15 reps), Wednesday (10 reps), Friday (5 reps).

Cycling your reps within the week is much better, because you will gain size and strength at a faster rate. Overall, HST is not a bad program. But if you vary the sets and use weekly cycles of reps, then HST will be a great program.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with this point, but his point doesn't refute HST. He seems to be getting confused about what HST actually says. You can do HST using three different rep ranges in the same week, others have done it before. The sample routine does use two weeks of 15s, two weeks of 10s, two weeks of 5s then two weeks of negatives. I don't think very many of us stick strictly to that sort of a setup. And that's fine because the principles of HST don't require you to use those rep ranges anyway. The only reason Bryan set up the sample routine in such a way was so that people could easily implement the HST principles into a routine that is easy to perform and easy to understand.

Ultimately, this guy doesn't really understand HST very much at all and thinks he is refuting it but really all he is doing is writing an article about how he doesn't understand HST.

Furthermore, his knowledge of what causes growth isn't really that great. Look at his comment under the article:
For hypertrophy, your muscles love change. That's why you do different exercises in the first place, because your body loves variety.
Click to expand...

I thought everybody figured out that wasn't true a long time ago. Well, except for the p90X crowd anyway. Variety is bad for progress. You don't need to "mix it up bro" every six weeks to keep growing. The HST article references studies showing some of this. Keep increasing the load over time and you will keep growing as long as you have sufficient volume. It doesn't matter if you keep using the same exercises the whole time. In fact, that can be beneficial because then you can tell if you are increasing the load over time or not.

What you end up doing is stimulating a select group of muscle fibers, and leaving the rest to atrophy.
Click to expand...

I don't know what else to say but to state right out... this sentence is moronic. Once you get over a certain load, you stimulate ALL fibers. He is saying that during the 5s you aren't using the whole muscle? Ok. I'd like to see you make a maximal effort without using the entire muscle. What a moron. Like your muscle fibers are actually going to atrophy over a two week period. That is just dumb as hell.
 
Last edited:
but you agree that 15s, 10s, 5s in one week would be better for growth? would that mean 75 percent of each RM for week one, then 80 percent, etc untill week 6 you hit your max weight RM for each in one week?
 
No, I don't agree with that. They might be better for strength based on the evidence I've seen, not necessarily for growth though. But yes, it would be laid out the way you just asked.
 
Here's the thing:

Think about this logically; forget rep ranges, rep totals, blah, blah, blah...

If you are conditioned to a load it ain't gonna make you grow* whatever you do with it, whatever the reps and sets.

*(although, I suppose there may be some sort of strain effect from a very high number of reps with a load that you are conditioned to; but that number may be very high and the PS response may still be low.)

Sure it'll make you sore if you do 100 total reps instead of your usual 30 but will you grow? If you lift a can of beans 2000 times will you get sore? Yes, probably. Will you grow? Not likely, unless you are unaccustomed to lifting the weight of a can of baked beans.

As far as I am aware, there are two main routes to inducing hypertrophy (which is what HST is all about): the main one is MAPK P38 (Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase p38) and the other one is MAPK ERK 1/2 (Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Extracellular Regulating Kinase 1 and 2). The p38 signalling pathway is induced by tension due to load and stretch; the ERK 1/2 signalling pathway is induced by metabolic work.

So, let's say you do a cycle with 15, 10, and 5 rep loads in the same week. What is going to be the effect on the muscle tissue itself?

Let's also say that at the start of the cycle you are relatively deconditioned to lighter loads; so for the first week you will be getting a decent MAPKp38 response to the tension from all three workouts. You will also be getting an ERK 1/2 response from the 15 and 10 rep workouts but very little from the 5 rep workout.

Because of RBE (repeated bout effect), the following week, the muscle tissue will be a little more resistant to the strain being applied, but the loads will be a little higher each session. Therefore, the second week may well still supply three workouts that stimulate the MAPKp38 pathway and, again, ERK 1/2 will be stimulated on the 15 and 10 rep workouts.

As the cycle progresses the effect of RBE on the first and second workouts will be more pronounced. Eventually, there will be little to no MAPK P38 pathway stimulation from the 15 and 10 rep workouts because the muscle tissue will be well conditioned to heavier loads. There will still be an ERK 1/2 effect though.

What this means is that by the end of a 15,10, 5 rep-each-week cycle, you will be missing out on the most important p38 pathway stimulation for two workouts! That's not ideal for hypertrophy.

In the end, then, what makes the most sense is to do an HST cycle as outlined in the FAQ's. Just be sure to include a higher-rep, metabolic set for each bodypart during 5s so that you also benefit from ERK 1/2 signalling during the heavy end of the cycle.

My feeling is that a lot of the critics of HST haven't really understood the underlying physiological and scientific reasons why things are laid out as they are. It's not something that Bryan thought would be fun to try! The science is sound enough to make HST a very good way to continue to maximise a hypertrophic response over a whole cycle.
 
Lol said:
Here's the thing:

Think about this logically; forget rep ranges, rep totals, blah, blah, blah...

If you are conditioned to a load it ain't gonna make you grow* whatever you do with it, whatever the reps and sets.

*(although, I suppose there may be some sort of strain effect from a very high number of reps with a load that you are conditioned to; but that number may be very high and the PS response may still be low.)

Sure it'll make you sore if you do 100 total reps instead of your usual 30 but will you grow? If you lift a can of beans 2000 times will you get sore? Yes, probably. Will you grow? Not likely, unless you are unaccustomed to lifting the weight of a can of baked beans.

As far as I am aware, there are two main routes to inducing hypertrophy (which is what HST is all about): the main one is MAPK P38 (Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase p38) and the other one is MAPK ERK 1/2 (Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Extracellular Regulating Kinase 1 and 2). The p38 signalling pathway is induced by tension due to load and stretch; the ERK 1/2 signalling pathway is induced by metabolic work.

So, let's say you do a cycle with 15, 10, and 5 rep loads in the same week. What is going to be the effect on the muscle tissue itself?

Let's also say that at the start of the cycle you are relatively deconditioned to lighter loads; so for the first week you will be getting a decent MAPKp38 response to the tension from all three workouts. You will also be getting an ERK 1/2 response from the 15 and 10 rep workouts but very little from the 5 rep workout.

Because of RBE (repeated bout effect), the following week, the muscle tissue will be a little more resistant to the strain being applied, but the loads will be a little higher each session. Therefore, the second week may well still supply three workouts that stimulate the MAPKp38 pathway and, again, ERK 1/2 will be stimulated on the 15 and 10 rep workouts.

As the cycle progresses the effect of RBE on the first and second workouts will be more pronounced. Eventually, there will be little to no MAPK P38 pathway stimulation from the 15 and 10 rep workouts because the muscle tissue will be well conditioned to heavier loads. There will still be an ERK 1/2 effect though.

What this means is that by the end of a 15,10, 5 rep-each-week cycle, you will be missing out on the most important p38 pathway stimulation for two workouts! That's not ideal for hypertrophy.

In the end, then, what makes the most sense is to do an HST cycle as outlined in the FAQ's. Just be sure to include a higher-rep, metabolic set for each bodypart during 5s so that you also benefit from ERK 1/2 signalling during the heavy end of the cycle.

My feeling is that a lot of the critics of HST haven't really understood the underlying physiological and scientific reasons why things are laid out as they are. It's not something that Bryan thought would be fun to try! The science is sound enough to make HST a very good way to continue to maximise a hypertrophic response over a whole cycle.
Click to expand...

so do u add a met set at the end of 5's from the off or a couple weeks in that phase?
 
Yes, do metabolic sets from the start of the 5s. It's not essential to do this, but why miss out on some erk 1/2 goodness during 5s? P38 signalling is the most important of the two, in that it produces the greatest effect: load progression is king for hypertrophy. However, if you do four or more weeks of 5s and you don't do any higher rep sets, you may start to notice that your muscles feel less full.

I usually do one high-rep set following my heavy work sets for each exercise I do; I'll either do the same exercise with a reduced load, or I'll switch to a different exercise that works the same muscles, if it is quick and easy to switch to. Eg. After heavy bench, I might drop the load by 20-25% and then do a high-rep set; or I might switch to doing bw dips and rep out. Try to get 10+ reps for your met sets.
 
Last edited:
so what exactly is this 'metabolic set' ?

and what exactly are the number of sets (for each excercise/bodypart) for 3 rep ranges?

15 reps => week 1-2 = sets: ?
10 reps => week 3-4 = sets: ?
05 reps => week 5-6 = sets: ?

Thanks.
 
so when u say 3 rep range is this where u go week 6 and onwards is it?

If so I would probably go for 5x3

on the first 3 phases there isn't really a right and wrong number of sets but from past experience a good way to start would be

2x15
2x10
3x10

you can tweek things as u go along or on your 2nd cycle.

a metabolic set as LOL called it is after your heavy low reps drop the weight approx 25% and attempt to rep out a 10+ rep set.
Thanks.[/QUOTE]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top