Briefly about me, I started lifting April'13 again at age 39. Last time I seriously did weights was late 80s, early 90s in high school. Up until I did HST recently, I did a cycle of 2 sets of 10 reps then a stint doing reverse pyramid training.
Remarkably, I regained my previous size/strength maxes within 6 months from high school days and surpassed them slightly then plateaued. I then found HST and wanted to try it out. Keeping in mind, in high school I weighed 165lbs and now I'm at 205lbs so im heavier which contributed some to the strength gains I believe.
For my 1st cycle I did a 15, 10, 5, 3RM routine. In terms of results, I definitely gained size during the 15s,10s phases but that tapered off during 5s/3s. I stuck with 1 set during 15s, 2 during 10s and 3 during the 5s and 3s.
I noticed my 2nd week of 5s I was losing strength so I skipped a workout entirely as I could tell I wasnt recovering properly. When I hit my final 5s workout, I had regained my strength and was easily able to complete 3 sets (still had more and could have done more reps). I'm now in the final week of 3s and the overtraining feeling is back. I really struggled this morning so did a single set to limit volume (aid recovery).
I did the following routine (which in hindsight was too many exercises):
6 day upper/lower split
Upper (in this order): Flat Barbell Bench, Pendlay Rows, Standing Military Press, Wide Grip Pullups, Dips, Lateral Raises and Dumbbell Curls
Lower (in this order): Back Squat, Leg Curl, Seated Calf Raises, Deadlift, Farmer's Carry and Abs (mix of weight/bodyweight exercises)
My chest, arms, back and legs grew noticably. Unfortunately, I didn't measure but I was out on vacation for 4 weeks and when I returned to work my colleagues noticed immediately. One even asked me if I was taking steroids.
I've lost 1% body fat (from 23% to 22%), gained 8lbs weight. I've not kept a strict diet in terms of calories, but kept my protein at 1g per lb of bw. I've been using a pre-workout (cardio cuts then recently C4 Extreme) with Creatine Monohydrate and Dynamize XT Extended Release Protein. 1 scoop in morning, 1 after workout and 1 before bed (60g protein). All other protein from natural sources.
HST works. I have yet to retest my strength so expect gains there especially with squats and deadlifts. I previously maxed my deadlift at 355lbs. I did 315lbs at the end of my 5s last week and it felt light. I could have knocked out 10 reps with ease.
After I finish 3s this week, I'm taking 14 days off as my left shoulder feels like an injury coming on (dull ache developing). For my next cycle, I'm going to keep the reps in the higher range doing a 15, 12, 10, 8 routine. The lower reps, higher weight seems to be too much for my shoulder and I'd rather avoid a serious injury. Also planning to limit my max sets to 2 to limit volume as my recovery can't cope as intensity increases.
As for my routine, I'm still on the fence but thinking of keeping the exercises but alternating between compounds like squats one day, deadlifts in place next then repeat. Same thing for bench press and dips or pendlay rows and pull-ups.
Any feedback on my routine and suggested next steps would be appreciated. I'm sure we have a few late 30s/40+ lifters in this forum who can relate.
Thanks,
Tony
Remarkably, I regained my previous size/strength maxes within 6 months from high school days and surpassed them slightly then plateaued. I then found HST and wanted to try it out. Keeping in mind, in high school I weighed 165lbs and now I'm at 205lbs so im heavier which contributed some to the strength gains I believe.
For my 1st cycle I did a 15, 10, 5, 3RM routine. In terms of results, I definitely gained size during the 15s,10s phases but that tapered off during 5s/3s. I stuck with 1 set during 15s, 2 during 10s and 3 during the 5s and 3s.
I noticed my 2nd week of 5s I was losing strength so I skipped a workout entirely as I could tell I wasnt recovering properly. When I hit my final 5s workout, I had regained my strength and was easily able to complete 3 sets (still had more and could have done more reps). I'm now in the final week of 3s and the overtraining feeling is back. I really struggled this morning so did a single set to limit volume (aid recovery).
I did the following routine (which in hindsight was too many exercises):
6 day upper/lower split
Upper (in this order): Flat Barbell Bench, Pendlay Rows, Standing Military Press, Wide Grip Pullups, Dips, Lateral Raises and Dumbbell Curls
Lower (in this order): Back Squat, Leg Curl, Seated Calf Raises, Deadlift, Farmer's Carry and Abs (mix of weight/bodyweight exercises)
My chest, arms, back and legs grew noticably. Unfortunately, I didn't measure but I was out on vacation for 4 weeks and when I returned to work my colleagues noticed immediately. One even asked me if I was taking steroids.
I've lost 1% body fat (from 23% to 22%), gained 8lbs weight. I've not kept a strict diet in terms of calories, but kept my protein at 1g per lb of bw. I've been using a pre-workout (cardio cuts then recently C4 Extreme) with Creatine Monohydrate and Dynamize XT Extended Release Protein. 1 scoop in morning, 1 after workout and 1 before bed (60g protein). All other protein from natural sources.
HST works. I have yet to retest my strength so expect gains there especially with squats and deadlifts. I previously maxed my deadlift at 355lbs. I did 315lbs at the end of my 5s last week and it felt light. I could have knocked out 10 reps with ease.
After I finish 3s this week, I'm taking 14 days off as my left shoulder feels like an injury coming on (dull ache developing). For my next cycle, I'm going to keep the reps in the higher range doing a 15, 12, 10, 8 routine. The lower reps, higher weight seems to be too much for my shoulder and I'd rather avoid a serious injury. Also planning to limit my max sets to 2 to limit volume as my recovery can't cope as intensity increases.
As for my routine, I'm still on the fence but thinking of keeping the exercises but alternating between compounds like squats one day, deadlifts in place next then repeat. Same thing for bench press and dips or pendlay rows and pull-ups.
Any feedback on my routine and suggested next steps would be appreciated. I'm sure we have a few late 30s/40+ lifters in this forum who can relate.
Thanks,
Tony
