Weight and Rep Change Question

R

rattle104

New Member
Today I start my 5's after ending the 10's on Wednesday. My question is after doing the math, my first day on 5's will be less weight than my last day on 10's. I was doing 2 sets of 10 so I have a hard time dealing with 3 sets of 5 with less weight than i did on my 10's.

I have read the FAQ and I guess it's one of those counterintuitive things about HST that goes gainst commonly held beliefs. I just am afraid of wasting my workouts.

For example my bench press on 10's was at 185 on the last day. My first day on 5's will be at 175 and the 2nd day will be at 185. Is there something I can do differently to combat this or just realize that it doesn't have any adverse effect and suck it up? For my first day of 5's could i at least add my A and B workout so though i am doing less reps with less weight, i'll be doing more individual exercises?
 
The purpose of the first days of each mesocycle is not only to allow for greater weight progression but specially to give the body a break after the last RM workout. It is acceptable to zig-zag weights, just try to avoid going too light on the first day, 75% of your RM of that cycle should be a good start.
 
It's okay. We call it "zigzag". It's a sort of linear periodization that's just kind of built in to HST.

If you like, you can modify your weights to eliminate it, but many of us find that it provides us with a little bit of welcome rest and rehabilitation. Sometimes it grants a surprising bump in strength, too.
 
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