Total Rep Volume and Rep Ranges

Uhm. I had one more thought.
I know its unnecessary to think bout certain scenarious.
But what if I am NOT stronger after my first cycle and diet is really in check?
I know HSt is not SST but over time the weight should get up in my eyes.
What are the interventions then? Increase volume or bump up the weights nevertheless by the 5-10 recommended pounds?
 
thegentleman1981 said:
Uhm. I had one more thought.
I know its unnecessary to think bout certain scenarious.
But what if I am NOT stronger after my first cycle and diet is really in check?
I know HSt is not SST but over time the weight should get up in my eyes.
What are the interventions then? Increase volume or bump up the weights nevertheless by the 5-10 recommended pounds?
Click to expand...

This discussion is irrelevant unless it happens, to be frank. No more qn's about hypotheticals, it's unproductive and psychologically speaking is going to impact you. Doubt serves little purpose.
 
thegentleman1981 said:
Uhm. I had one more thought.
I know its unnecessary to think bout certain scenarious.
But what if I am NOT stronger after my first cycle and diet is really in check?
I know HSt is not SST but over time the weight should get up in my eyes.
What are the interventions then? Increase volume or bump up the weights nevertheless by the 5-10 recommended pounds?
Click to expand...

What Alex said. This shouldn't happen unless you do something stupid like not eat enough.
 
Hi,

I will use this thread to post some updates and thoughts regarding my first HST cycle. Today I tested my 15´s:

LEg Press: 70kgx15
RDL: 40x15
Bench: 65kgx15
Cable row: 55x15
Dumbbell shoulder PRess: 22.5pers sidex15
Pulldown:57.5x15
Hammer Curl Cable:40x15
Pushdown: 60x15
Close Grip Bench:55x15
----------------------
Comments:
-I am happy to start HST and with lower volume: So i can also devote my time to legs-which is obviously important
-I am unsure if I should switch die RDL to sth else. I am really worried about technique and snapping sth up-although the weight is really low I think long term.
-ABS: Has somebody made experience with the Pallof Press?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YEJDaKtJwc
I think its great and its good to calculate the weight with it. I can squeeze out 15 crunches on stab.Ball but without weight. So the Palof Press would be good or sth like that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsJs_tQdA8I
-Also I wonder if its better for safety to drop some exercises in the 5´s(pushdown,curl,RDL/leg curl/abs) and focus on the compounds.
 
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You don't need to include any specific ab exercises. If you would like to anyway (which is fine), don't raise the weight on them. Stick to doing them in the 10-15 rep range.

Keep the other exercises for the 5's, leg curls are pretty close to a compound and you aren't overloading your workouts or anything.
 
AlexAustralia said:
You don't need to include any specific ab exercises. If you would like to anyway (which is fine), don't raise the weight on them. Stick to doing them in the 10-15 rep range.

Keep the other exercises for the 5's, leg curls are pretty close to a compound and you aren't overloading your workouts or anything.
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Alex-you are my PERSONAL COACH:eek:

Thank you for your reply. But isn´t the mantra to work the ABS as any other exercise? Why no HST here? Why not raising the weight?

Ok so I should do the 5s with all exercises (curls etc too). I think triples seem the limit for isos regarding the tendons.
 
If you want bigger abs then by all means, go ahead and work them out with heavier weights. It's just that from as aesthetic perspective, making abs larger doesn't really make a lot of sense. It would probably take 2-3 cycles for a noticeable increase in abdominal muscle mass but even so, is that what you want? Abs get thoroughly worked doing just about any compound lift (and I would add standing bicep curls to that list as well), there's no reason to do heavy ab work just to make sure they get 'covered', so to speak. If you want bigger abs, work them out like any other muscle. If not, and if not for powerlifting/intermediate-expert strength training purposes then just leave them be.


Again - stop worrying about things that aren't in your domain yet.
 
ok. thanks alex. i thought about it because when doin direct ab work i am pretty weak.

Thank you again alex.
BTW: What are your goals? Or what was your best achievement with hst mass and strength wise?
 
Get big, get strong.

Re: mass - in the 15-18kg ballpark over 7-8yrs (I haven't gained mass for some time, so it's probably more like 4yrs or so).

Strength gains have been above & beyond for me. Pre-HST I was struggling to bench 85kg for more than 2 reps, now I can bench slightly upwards of 130kg for a single rep. Couldn't do chins/pulls, now I'm doing them with 30kg AND the additional weight I added.

HST works, just eat plenty of protein.
 
I use this thread also for thoughts I have. Everybody is welcome to chime in.

Its always said that HSt is only for beginners. Well I don´t think so.Also a more advanced trainee could benefit from this amd I think in 2 ways adjusted

Concentrated loading:
If some trainees are quite strong the effect of cummulative sessions becomes more important. So a option might be to raise the volume for a extend and run the normal HST routine. You build up fatigue and performance might be depressed but becuase of the zig zag you deload and let fatigue dispate.

Shorter cycles:
I really think its a good option.
You stick to the 15/10and 5´s but instead of the suggested 6 sessions you do 3. A light day (70%ofRPM) a medium day (80%RPM) and a heavy day (100&RPM). Then the next zone starts.
ITs like a wave cycle also Bompa suggests in his new Periodization book. I think this has especially value for those who need more recovery and won´t overrach.

Just some thoughts.
 
I don't think HST is for beginners. I've been doing HST most of my lifting career. Always I have gotten my best size gains during HST or HST variants.
 
Tot,have you also tried the wave cycle i posted above? Never issue with fatigue?
I think this could be really benifical for trainees who need more recovery through neuronal inhibition.
 
I have not, but fatigue has never been an issue for me even when doing DC training which typically is supposed to be more fatigue intensive than classic HST setup...
 
I don't know why the routine would be classified as either for beginners or intermediates or 'experts'. It's about building muscle. Your muscles do this according to a set of physiological factors, these factors don't change as soon as you reach 'intermediate'.

My only regret re: HST is that I didn't know about it when I started lifting at 17 and only found out about it at 21.
 
Totentanz said:
I have not, but fatigue has never been an issue for me even when doing DC training which typically is supposed to be more fatigue intensive than classic HST setup...
Click to expand...

I think so then you are blessed. DC will burn me out in 10 days with a surplus of 2000kcal above maintainance.
 
AlexAustralia said:
I don't know why the routine would be classified as either for beginners or intermediates or 'experts'. It's about building muscle. Your muscles do this according to a set of physiological factors, these factors don't change as soon as you reach 'intermediate'.

My only regret re: HST is that I didn't know about it when I started lifting at 17 and only found out about it at 21.
Click to expand...

Thats true alex. But don´t forget the CNS though. Its true that muscles don´t store fatigue as you have written.
But the cns is the main problem here.(inhibition) and this might change with training status because of the weight involved and is a general disposition of the person in question. ("train to failure" vs "training not to failure" guys. "Zig-Zag guys" vs "Non Zig zag guys")

The regeneration and reaction of the CNS will then also play a role in programming for hypertrophy.
Its the main controlling station.
 
No, CNS is not the predominant factor in building hypertrophy. I would say it isn't even a bottleneck if training is properly done. Diet is by far the predominant factor.

Barring general over-training or an actual medical condition//affliction, I find it difficult to accept (though far from impossible) that a regular person can have an inhibited CNS that prevents them from training to gain hypertrophy.


Be sure you take a proper 14-15 day SD before starting.
 
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