Hst For Upper Body, Strength Focus For Lower Body?

[Rain2]

OK, here we go. Basically, I'm thinking about setting upp my next cycle as the title of the thread suggests. My lower body already has "enough" muscular volume (in comparison to my upper body) and I also want to push my squat numbers up. It would basically look something like this:

Upper body (hypertrophy focus):
- Regular HST vanilla cycle, 2 weeks of 15's, 2 weeks of 10's, 4 weeks of 5's (5's may continue a bit longer depending on how I feel).
- I'll do my usual upper body exercises; bench, dips, press, rows, chins, curls etc. May throw in myo-reps at the end of the 15's and 10's, as well as lighter drop sets during th 5's.
- 3 times per week frequency

Lower body (strength focus):
- Mix of back squats and front squats (main focus back squats).
- Lower repetitions, 1-5, probably with some back-off (speed) sets
- Maybe higher frequency, somewhere around 3-5/week.

Both these setups have worked quite well for me in the past, but separately. I have never tried to combine them.

What do you think, could this work? Or would the hypertrophy results suffer horribly?

 

[Old and Grey]

Sounds like a good plan to me. There should be no negative interaction.

 

[Rain2]

Thanks, O&G! Coming off SD today, so I'll start this cycle later tonight.

On a totally unrelated note, I read in one of your posts that you had good results with isometrics for your traps, if I remember correctly. Would you mind sharing how you implemented them? Just regular shrugs held in top position for time or something else? I also have somewhat stubborn traps...

 

[Old and Grey]

Basically just that and holding at maximum full contraction for 30 seconds. No weight needed. You can do them anytime so frequency and volume can be quite high. I do variations also such as holding my arms over my head while maximally contracting the traps or putting my hands together behind my head, pointing my elbows up and activating the muscles in the rear of the neck as well. Another trap killer is standing face pulls using bands. I do an activation set of 15 to 25 reps and then 3 or 4 sets of myo reps in succession with little rest. Three months of this and you will either see some good growth with your traps or your head will fall off.

 

[Rain2]

So no weights used in any of these? In the elbows-up-variation, you just isometrically push your head backwards into your hands?

 

[Old and Grey]

Yes, while simultaneously shrugging your shoulders maximally. Hold for 30 seconds.

And do not forget the face pulls. They will help with that rounded shoulder posture that occurs from a lot bench pressing due to pec muscle shortening and work the rear traps to give that full look. Probably the best exercise there is to give your chest (posture) that military look instead of the caved-in chest look that many lifters end up with.

 

[Rain2]

I have already starting doing these, but what would be your recommendation regarding frequency and volume? Daily, several times per day?

 

[Old and Grey]

You cannot do them too much. 20 times per day is only 10 minutes under tension.