4 week cycle

capitolcitykid

New Member
Feels good to finally post a question and I wanted to give praise to those who answer all these q's. I'm spreading the word as fast as I can at school about hst and tons of people are interested!

Im on my second cycle of hst and im going to try out a 4 week cycle...1 week of 10s, 1 of 5's, 2 of 5/negs and I wanted to know if I should try to get the largest increments possible? Are larger increments more beneficial in such a short period like a week?
 
In an abbreviated cycle like this, it's safer to go with larger increments. Ideally in a 4-week cycle, a person should change their increments twice as frequently as they do in a 8-week cycle; RBE is a time-based phenomena, thus more frequent changeups will help you stay way ahead of RBE.

But that may not be practical if you stick to 3x-a-week training. And staying far ahead of RBE can be double-edged sword, since it also drops strength levels quicker (due to E-C decoupling.) In the beginning, try changing your increments frequently. As you go into 5s, change to larger increments.

If you do abbreviated training, consider going into a 5-6x-a-week setup. And amp up your diet accordingly.

cheers,
Jules
 
I'm in the last week of my 4 week cycle, works great!

I did: (6x a week)

deconditioning 9 days
Week 1: 80% 1RM
Week 2: 85% 1RM
Week 3: 90% 1RM
Week 4: 95% 1RM

DB Flys 30 Reps
BB Row 30 Reps
Overhead move 20 Reps
Rack Chins 30 Reps
Scott Curls 20 Reps
French press 20-25 Reps
Deadlifts started with 30 Reps, went down to 10 Reps
Legpress 30 Reps

At week 4 we were moving about 81 tons a week. Maybe that was a bit much - I'm a little burned out now and some joints are hurting. Happy to go into SD again ;-).

I really look fuller, my arms really got bigger, chest got a better shape. Only abs don't really grew, have to do some ab work, urgs
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.

Any idea how I could improve my next cycle, vicious?

Thanks in advance, Simon
 
Wow, week 4 must have been a bitch.
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30 reps using 95% of your 1RM! I'm assuming you were using cluster reps. You must have been in the gym for a couple hours. I'm thinking like 30 sets of 1 per bodypart.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Wow, week 4 must have been a bitch.

Righty right.

Week 4 is hell, at LEAST 2.5h in the gym. Well .. call me Gymrat :D.

The biggest mistake I did, was not including stretches. My tendons around my ellbow are hurting like I dunno what.

Simon
 
Definitely throw in at least one week of 15s before your proper cycle. The only thing I strongly disagree with Komplement's Cluster setup is a lack of a proper phase (or mini-phase) that'll condition the joints for the future heavy lifting. Do that and you'll be fine going into the 95% 1RM level. If you don't want to do that, then throw in some burn sets during your first week of cluster training.

General recs:

1) DB Flies: do them as deep as you possibly can. LS after cluster set at lowest position for 10-15 seconds

2) BB Row: switch to strong-range partials and use 20% more load than you would normally use for each week. You may want to throw in a very short (5-ish) normal set at the original load afterwards to keep functional strength.

3) Overhead move: not sure what exercise you mean by this

4) Rack chins: see 2)

5) Scott Curl: Replace Scott curl with incline bench DB curl, palms-up grip. LS

6) French press: Use with dumbbells, palms up, elbows pressing "outward" and toward the ceiling. LS for 10-15 seconds

7) Deadlifts: none

8) Leg press: as low as you can safely go

9) Add in one week of 15s in order to condition joints

Generally, use only 10-20 reps for the single-joint movements. When you add in LS, you really don't need that much.

Experimental rec:

If you've been doing clusters at 30 reps for awhile, you may want to try a "tweak" with it.

1) Decrease the total rep quota to 20 reps or so
2) Use a "declining density" setup. Below are portions from PMs I wrote Hannesburk:

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]If your clusters are 3 reps, you use 15-60 second rest periods. If your clusters are are 2 reps, you use 10-40 second rest periods. If one rep, you use 5-20 seconds. (These are just guidelines.) For example, say you plan to do 15 deadlifts during the 5s. You do 15x1 with 5 second rests. By the end, you're using 20 second rests. On average, your total rest period will be 180 seconds, or 3 minutes. Your total TUL will be 90 seconds. That's just under 5 minutes.

Of course, as you do a lot of reps and very heavy reps, you'll need to significantly increase rest periods. Below are the rough guidelines:

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
1) You set up # of reps per cluster that builds low-to-moderate fatigue. The # of reps will generate enough fatigue, so that you can build to optimal fiber recruitment.

2) You set up initially short rest periods. If the cluster is just one rep, then try 5 seconds. If the cluster is 3 reps, try 15-20 seconds. This way, you let the total fatigue build slowly in order to approach optimal fiber recruitment.


3) You then methodically increase rest. This way, you *stay* with optimal fiber recruitment and keep rate coding and neural drive moderate. When you feel a lot of blood is pumping or the rep is very slow or it is "hard", then you have too much fatigue. You need much more rest. Generally, try to increase rest with each following cluster until you need 20 seconds (1 rep), up to 60 (3 reps) in order to slow down fatigue build-up. If you need more, you may need to stop.

I'm not sure how well this works going beyond 85% 1RM. The theory is to manipulate the fatigue management in order to use fatigue to increase initial MU recruitment, then keep levelling that fatigue off, so that you reach an optimal zone of net MU recruitment, and keep it in an "optimal" zone for as many reps as possible. The physiological explanation is that it keeps the net effect of each rep's mechanical strain from tailing off, as it tends to when you do many "sets." This is similar to Gironda's rep schemes. I confess that I had this technique more in line with 10s and the first week of 5s, but it would be interesting if you could use something like this with even very heavy loads. For 90% and 95%, you would use one-rep clusters, but you would delibereately start with very short rest periods, and then increase as you go.

cheers,
Jules
 
Great post above,

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]8)Leg press: as low as you can safely go

I have been staying away from squats due to some sacorilliac (sp) issues.

So I have been doing leg press and going low --what is the "safety" issue with low leg presses - especially if you are really old.

Bob
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Mostly problems with the lower back. When you do very low leg press, you have to consciously keep the "abdominal belt" in to protect the lower back, especially during the "turn-around." Basically, you want to flex in your belly button. Those of you who do Pilates know what I'm talking about. :)

Now, thing is, when you switch to unilateral negatives, the lower back issue disappears. Thus, going even @$$-on-the-ground deep (which will bring up quad development and turn a Jennifer Lopez fanny into a J-Lo butt) is not that dangerous. Same thing with the rotator cuff and bench presses.

cheers,
Jules
 
would u recommend using 2 weeks of 5s then go 2 weeks of 5/negs, im going to a AM/PM split and my diet is going to be enormous with 2g/lb protein intake...Im not too concerned with putting on fat cause I know one usually doesn't come without the other when bulking ;)
Im 18 and am used to heavy weights so I can take anything you can throw at me :)
 
Wow - so one leg leg press is safe "heavy and deep"

But you are also saying heavy and deep one arm bench press is easy on the rotator cuff? Never tried that. Seems like it would be hard to keep one's ballance on the bench.

Did I get it right?
 
steini, how do you perform the clusters? i.e. break up your 'sets' to reach the 30 rep quota.

Also, what' is a Scott Curl?

Finally, is that a 6x full body program or 6x a week upper-lower split? Thanks :)
 
Hey Jester,

6x full body workout.

I just stop before I can't move one more, maybe first set 8, then 7, then 5, ect. Just keep it simple. But I like to go balls to the wall, so I don't stop before I feel a burn or anything in this way :D.

Simon
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]For 90% and 95%, you would use one-rep clusters, but you would delibereately start with very short rest periods, and then increase as you go.

Hey vicious,

That sounds like an interesting theorie.
But I felt good when I did as much reps as possible, i.e. with 95% I hammered 10 reps out of my deadlifts, it really was pain but I think that's also a good way to go. Maybe I could handle much more volume if I wouldn't go that much balls to the wall!? It's just that funny and I really love to kick my @$$ :D.

Simon
 
Just wanted to thank vicious for all the help.  Half way done with my 4 week cycle, I've started doing loaded stretches along with partials, static holds, pulses, and negatives (I love this kind of working out) and I've gained 8-10 lbs with awesome strength gains!!!  :)

I was wondering if I could still do loaded stretches with exercises other than stretch point movements?

I'll post my final gains at the end of this cycle thanks again  
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