Weeks 7 and 8 question.

L

luis

New Member
Hi guys,

I'm just completing my first 6 weeks of my first HST cycle and have a quick question heading into weeks 7-8. I will be continuing with the 5-rep max as I train alone. For the two weeks of the five reps phase I have been doing sets of 3, and plan on continuing with this on my max day tomorrow. I was just wondering if for weeks 7-8 while doing my 5-rep max, would it be reccommended that I stay with 3 sets for each exercise? or should I bump it down to just one set of the 5-rep max for the next two weeks to avoid fatigue/injury?

I apologize in advance if my question has already been answered in an old thread. I searched through the forums but didn't find what I was looking for.

Looking forward to hear back from you guys.
 
luis said:
Hi guys,

For the two weeks of the five reps phase I have been doing sets of 3, and plan on continuing with this on my max day tomorrow. I was just wondering if for weeks 7-8 while doing my 5-rep max, would it be reccommended that I stay with 3 sets for each exercise? or should I bump it down to just one set of the 5-rep max for the next two weeks to avoid fatigue/injury?
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Sure, if three sets is too much, drop back to two sets, or even one.

For fun, you might want to increase the weight a bit and do some triples -- sets of 3 reps each. It's a way of continuing to challenge yourself during weeks 7 and 8.
 
It’s mainly up to what your body can handle. I found that I had to do as you suggest and drop down to 2x5 and eventually 1x5 on my first cycle.

Something you might also consider trying is Max-stim reps using M-Time

http://www.clutchfitness.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6130

http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?18689-Max-Stim-questions&highlight=Max-Stimulation

It’s a great way to manage fatigue and on my second cycle allowed me to continue doing 20 reps when I would have had to drop down to 2x5 had I been doing regular set and reps. And I was able to stay at 10 reps even when I was pushing weight above my 5RM and close to my 1RM.
 
Appreciate the response guys. And those were some very interesting links, grunt.. I'll definetely take a look at that when I start my next cycle.

Since I've already brought up the weeks 7-8 question, I may aswell bring up my question on the drop-sets possibility since I'm interested in that as well, even though I plan on sticking with the 5's. For the drop sets at this time, what does the typical workout look like? I was thinking of possibly taking something between my 10-15 rep max and going for about 8-10 reps and then strip it to around 20% for another 6-8 reps. But what do you guys often use for approximate numbers? and how many drop sets do you usually do for each exercise coming off your 5 rep max?
Thanks in advance for my questions, I love HST so far as my first cycle has had some great results, but I'm always interested to learn more about the topic.
 
I have thoughts on week 7 and 8 if negs aren't an option

from 3x5 I was thinking of doing 4x5 to up the total load and from there maybe 4x5 with an additional drop set or something on the end again to increase load ensuring progression.

what do u guys think or any other ideas if you're training solo.
 
I think you would be better served by progressing to the 3Rm, like TR suggest or even to the singles range. I think upping the volume from 3x5 to 4x5 and then an additional drop set is only going to generate CNS fatigue more quickly.
 
grunt11 said:
I think you would be better served by progressing to the 3Rm, like TR suggest or even to the singles range. I think upping the volume from 3x5 to 4x5 and then an additional drop set is only going to generate CNS fatigue more quickly.
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yeah I am wary of cns fatigue but on the last few weeks shouldn't I do this before SD?

Might go from 3x5 to 3x3 and attempt a few singles instead, this would only be an additional week though and would like to go a bit longer before hitting SD, any other ideas what I could do in the last week or 2 to stretch out the cycle?
 
damchubbz said:
yeah I am wary of cns fatigue but on the last few weeks shouldn't I do this before SD?

Might go from 3x5 to 3x3 and attempt a few singles instead, this would only be an additional week though and would like to go a bit longer before hitting SD, any other ideas what I could do in the last week or 2 to stretch out the cycle?
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What I would do is try for 5 x 3. Fifteen total reps is a good number with a heavy load to ensure you elicit a PS response. You've been doing 3 x 5 for a couple of weeks so you are somewhat accustomed to the work load. If you feel up to it, 5 x 3 should give you plenty of TUT with a heavy load. Good for a PS response at the end of the cycle. Do a single high-rep set too after you finish the last heavy set for each exercise—drop the load by around 20-25% and then knock out 10+ reps.

Increment the loads if possible, as long as you can still maintain good form. By the end of the cycle your CNS will be toasted but you can then enjoy a some respite during SD.
 
i do 3x5 then a wk of 4x5 then 5x5 never had a problem with fatigue and even if you did its SD after that.
 
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