Howdy, And Any Recommendations On This Setup?

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FadeIntoBig

New Member
Joined the forum a while back when I thought HST looked very interesting, then program hopped out of HST, probably b/c I set things up wrong. IIRC, the first week of 15's were more brutal than they should have been b/c greedy and inexperienced so I said "f*ck this".

Recently decided to try HST as I hit a wall with other programming and have also re-aggravated some long term injuries (from non-lifting activities).

Should add that now that I'm more experienced w/ lifting, I cannot find anything that I disagree with regarding the HST set of theories. My experience with the starting strength novice and various "intermediate" layouts was that the best progress over time came from sub-maximal effort; when I started getting up into the "RPE" 9 or 10 range (at or almost to failure every workout) consistently, I started over-training. Plus the only "SD" I got was forced, but almost always came back stronger a few weeks after the deload.

I'm four workouts in (5th today) and would like to know how this layout looks before I start the 10's. So far so good with the 15's. I am not Squatting or Deadlifting at this time b/c of Hip, Knee and Back injuries.

Hopefully this Google Sheets link comes across OK:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zEFhRzNHi44MXHB_TCpHfZWvEzBojwtuw4wxfEcKwEY/pubhtml

Thanks.
 
I take it you are working the weights out based on %s of your 1 rep max rather than testing your actual 5, 10 and 15 rep maxes,what was your thinking for this method?

No leg work at all, do you not have access to a leg press machine or does that aggravate your injuries as well.
 
I hope your injuries heal up.

For feedback, I find personally that I need to increase the sets throughout the cycle as the reps decline. So I go 2x15, 3x10, 4x5, 6x2. The reasoning here is I am trying to normalize volume while intensity increases throughout the cycle. The 3x10 seems to be the most challenging as for my fitness it is the nexus of high reps and heavy weights, after I get past the 10s it is usually smooth sailing. So I dunno if that is an issue with my programming or athleticism but that's how I organize it.
 
mickc1965 said:
I take it you are working the weights out based on %s of your 1 rep max rather than testing your actual 5, 10 and 15 rep maxes,what was your thinking for this method?

No leg work at all, do you not have access to a leg press machine or does that aggravate your injuries as well.
Click to expand...

Plan is 3% decrements (nearest 5lbs) working back from RM's derived w/ the Epley formula [1RM=W(1+(R/30))] for 15, 10, 5 & 2 reps respectively. Those RM's should be very close. I've historically tracked the Epley formula very well even when I have done most or all of my work w/ 5 reps or less (which is the great majority).

I workout at home w/ access to only a Bar and Power Rack w/ Dip and Chin attachments. I do have a gym membership, but the only thing I could do right now would be Leg Curls and probably seated calf raises. However I am limited for time also, and don't even want to chance injury again at this point.

I know, excuses, excuses, but really my primary goal is adding muscle mass (and strength), w/o injury, so as to stay healthy as I age (I'm 53 y/o now). I should have included that info. w/ the first post. Definitely do plan to Squat and add some form of posterior chain movement in the near future tho. If this cycle is successful, I'll add them for the 2nd cycle, leg and back health permitting.

adpowah said:
I hope your injuries heal up.

For feedback, I find personally that I need to increase the sets throughout the cycle as the reps decline. So I go 2x15, 3x10, 4x5, 6x2. The reasoning here is I am trying to normalize volume while intensity increases throughout the cycle. The 3x10 seems to be the most challenging as for my fitness it is the nexus of high reps and heavy weights, after I get past the 10s it is usually smooth sailing. So I dunno if that is an issue with my programming or athleticism but that's how I organize it.
Click to expand...

Thank you, makes sense. I will plan on adding 1 set as I start each rep range and go from there. At my age, I find I'm really sensitive to volume when the intensity gets higher so might drop a set again for the last week of each rep range depending on how I recover.

Weeks 3 & 4: +1 set above 15's
Weeks 5 & 6: +2 sets above 15's
Weeks 7 & 8: +3 sets above 15's
 
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FadeIntoBig said:
I will plan on adding 1 set as I start each rep range and go from there. At my age, I find I'm really sensitive to volume when the intensity gets higher so might drop a set again for the last week of each rep range depending on how I recover.

Weeks 3 & 4: +1 set above 15's
Weeks 5 & 6: +2 sets above 15's
Weeks 7 & 8: +3 sets above 15's
Click to expand...

Makes sense, wish you the best.
 
Take it from me... HST does work! I recommend keeping things simple though and above all, be consistent. Set up your plan and just follow it, week after week. This is where the results come from. I have learned that the moment you start to complicate things, you risk injury and it puts a block in the way of you reaching your goals. Self doubting and changing plans will just mess things up for you.
I do HST with myo-reps and something like 20 reps on Mondays, 12 reps on Wednesdays and 6-8 reps on Fridays. My workouts only take 20mins. I keep increasing the poundage's where I can and I think that is about all you can do. Blade talks about higher frequency and I am playing with that a little now too, but within reason.
One thing that people have not commented on is your age. I personally believe that as we age, there are just some exercises that we can no longer do. It is just the relaity and there is no point in pushing things, because your body will reply in a bad way. There are some exercises that I have given up and some I have replaced with ones that will not smash me up. I hardly ever work legs either. Also, have you looked into where your Testosterone levels are at and other hormone profiles? You need to check these out, because if they are out of whack then all the working out in the world will not give you the results you want. I am playing with androgens and hormones a bit now and feel it has given me an edge. In my case, I feel it has made a very big difference.
 
Renky said:
Take it from me... HST does work! I recommend keeping things simple though and above all, be consistent. Set up your plan and just follow it, week after week. This is where the results come from. I have learned that the moment you start to complicate things, you risk injury and it puts a block in the way of you reaching your goals. Self doubting and changing plans will just mess things up for you.

I do HST with myo-reps and something like 20 reps on Mondays, 12 reps on Wednesdays and 6-8 reps on Fridays. My workouts only take 20mins. I keep increasing the poundage's where I can and I think that is about all you can do. Blade talks about higher frequency and I am playing with that a little now too, but within reason.

One thing that people have not commented on is your age. I personally believe that as we age, there are just some exercises that we can no longer do. It is just the relaity and there is no point in pushing things, because your body will reply in a bad way. There are some exercises that I have given up and some I have replaced with ones that will not smash me up. I hardly ever work legs either. Also, have you looked into where your Testosterone levels are at and other hormone profiles? You need to check these out, because if they are out of whack then all the working out in the world will not give you the results you want. I am playing with androgens and hormones a bit now and feel it has given me an edge. In my case, I feel it has made a very big difference.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

I have no doubt the HST guidelines (including a proper SD!) will work for just about anyone if they eat & rest to recover properly, and are also consistent as you mentioned. I've been lifting for quite a while in one way or another, and now that I know a little more about HST - and have learned the hard way what doesn't work - it all rings true and makes a lot of sense.

A couple of things have changed a bit since I first posted.. I've read the HST Ebook in the sticky (thanks Totentanz!), and I've also healed up quite a bit, the 15's must've had a lot to do with that. Actually I'm a bit surprised by how good I feel right now, after the 15's.

So based on the reading, I've changed the plan a bit to spread the increments out more for each rep range starting w/ the 10's. And based on the healing, I've also added some RDL's, Rack Pulls and Military Presses to the routine, and replaced CGBP's w/ regular Bench. I'm thinking of starting a log here but before I do want to make sure I will have the time to update it consistently.

Regarding the hormone profile, I was diagnosed w/ Type II Diabetes a while back and have kept up on hormone panels as a result. I will actually have some more drawn next month. In the past I've stayed pretty much in the normal range for everything, even insulin and the like b/c I've been able to control the blood glucose w/ diet and exercise. T levels were generally in the middle of the range or a bit higher. What probably will be a problem however is that I will not be able to eat for gains as much as I'd like b/c of the poor insulin response that is part of the disease, not to mention that old man time is definitely taking his due.
 
Sounds good...
I tend to have a differing opinion on "eating for gains" to other people here... Personally, I don't think that we need the huge surplus in food that is sometimes spoken about and I really disagree with the whole bulk and cut thing. I am more about keeping lean and just adding lean muscle with minimal body fat. Maybe this is just a very conservative approach, but I feel that swinging from anabolic to catabolic is too harsh on the body.
 
A year and a half ago I found out I was at the top of the Pre-D catagory, I lost a lot of fat, lowered insulin resistance and also have almost purely normal numbers now too. I've made some gains this summer and not only didn't eat extra, but have been eating to maintain weighloss or even lose more bodyfat. Frequency is great, it keeps muscle insulin sensitivity up all the time so they are sucking in more nutrients. What was your numbers when diaged if you don't mind me asking?
 
Just my 2 cents for what its worth, but if you can I would add in deadlifts, I know you said you have an injury, but if done correctly the deadlift can be a great tool for avoiding injury as it strengthens the whole body. If time is an issue adding these in you could take out the shrugs as nothing works your traps like the deadlift.

All the best with your training
 
Just to second what Browner said - deadlifts are great for rehab if you can handle them. You can do them with pretty much any basic weight set. Just start of slow and take it easy, don't push too hard for new maxes either. I'd add them in as an accessory lift for now and train them with lower volume until you get a good feel for deadlifting. Obviously form and etc are critical here.
 
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