HST Cycle 1
Results, First
Start HST 1 (2004 March 29*) End HST 1 (2004 May 14)
Weight: 158¼ lbs..................Weight: 159 lbs
+¾ lb
Body Fat %: 15.5..................Body Fat %: 13.7 -
1.8%
Bicep: 14 inches...................Bicep: 14.5
+½"
Forearm: 11.........................Forearm: 11.5
+½"
Chest: 39¼..........................Chest: 40
+¾"
Waist: 30.5..........................Waist: 36
+5½"†
Thigh: 21.............................Thigh: 21.25
+¼"
Calf: 14...............................Calf: 14 [No change]
Where applicable, the measurements are the right side. My left side is a little smaller but the gains were nearly identical.
*Took measurements one week into HST Cycle.
†This difference seems wrong. I cannot believe that I gained over
5" on my waist (measured 1 cm above the navel), yet my pants are somehow looser than before. I doubt I made a measuring error; perhaps, when I recorded the "start" measurement I made a keystroke error.
Comments on My Results
I’m really pleased that I've added about a ½-¾" to most of my measurements and lost
nearly 2% of body fat. My weight stayed nearly the same and my body fat percentage went down a bit; it seems as if I gained muscle and lost fat, although I would have expected a larger weight gain with the increase in inches—I'm not sure how to interpret those results. The "increase" in waist size seems like a mistake, since my pants are, if anything, looser than they were a few weeks ago.
My HST Routine
I followed the standard HST routine (2 weeks of 15s, 2 weeks of 10s, 4 weeks of 5s, increasing the weights a bit on the second round of 5s) using mostly machines, including the squat press, incline bench & shoulder press (on a Smith machine), iso-lateral wide chest, iso-lateral rows, lat pulldown, triceps pushdown, standing leg curl, preacher curl. During the 15s and 10s, I did one or two sets. During the 5s, I did three sets with an extra rep or two (usually I had no problem doing that) in each set. I did not go to failure, except on the very last day of 5s and only on a few exercises.
"Outside" My HST Routine
I also did an ab crunch (on a Hammer Strength Abdominal Crunch MTS) and a standing calf raise "outside" of my HST routine, using fairly heavy weights throughout, because I could not reliably figure out my "maxes" for these.
Also, I did about an hour of cardio (roughly 600 cals) on a Precor 546 EFX elliptical trainer on "HST days" and two hours (one in the morning, one in the late afternoon) on "non-HST" days , keeping the resistance pretty low, so that the pressure on the pedals felt "cushiony," not firm. (I was
not trying to do additional resistance training.)
Diet
Generally, I tried to get about 160g of protein a day and usually substituted a protein shake for a meal on most days. I avoided high-glycemic carbs (sugar, bread products, potatoes), although on the weekends I might have dessert or some bread at dinner. I did not count calories or stress that much about my diet per se (perhaps I should have!
).
About Me and HST So Far
I’m a 45-year old male who trained with a personal trainer or two over the years (so I was familiar with "what to do" at the gym) but this HST cycle is the first time I've ever trained in a sustained, fairly disciplined way on my own. Over about 13 months ("before HST"
I dropped about 65 pounds
(to my current weight) and felt it was time to put on some muscle.
Overall, I really love HST and totally agree with
Aidano about opening a church; I've already started evangelizing. For me, at least, HST has kept me "on track" and the frequency (three times a week) has kept me motivated and focused (although I
am looking forward to SD, something I did not expect at the beginning!
). I liked knowing just what I have to do in the gym and can definitely see results, both in terms of size and strength! Also, I’ve found this forum to be very informative; many of the people (
Old and Grey,
Aaron F,
Kate,
Blade,
mikeynov,
Mindwraith, to name just a few) and, of course, <span style='color:red'>
Bryan</span>, have been
genuinely helpful, even to members like me, who lurk around and figure out the answers to their questions from
other people's questions. Thanks! Looking forward to Cycle 2!
