HST newbie: confused

[ST240]

Hey all

Im very new to HST infact this is my first time trying it. I just established all my maxs for 15/10/5.

im going to be doing

Chest : DB press set and flat bench set
Back: DB row set and cable row set
Legs: curl set, press set, and calf raises
shoulders: DB press set
Bis: standing wide grip curl set
tris: cable pulldown set

for a total of 10 sets. is this correct?? too much or too little? Also i was wondering how much to deviate the weight... what i mean is if my 5 rep max on the flat bench is 185, should i go up by 10 or 5 lbs? becuase this can make the difference from starting at 120 or 150 and moving up.

Also can someone suggest how the tweak the HST routine for bulking?

Cant wait to start !!!!

Thanks for putting up with my newbie questions

 

[Miller]

I would suggest for chest that you don't do flat press for both exercises. Switch it up, make one of them incline or decline.

I think you meant 10 exercises instead of 10 reps, and it should be enough. I would suggest doing squats instead of leg presses, but to each his own.

As for the weight increments, for bigger lifts I usually do 10 pounds, and 5 for the smaller lifts. You can mix and match as you see fit.

 

[Al and Hammer]

Progressive load.

Obviously the bigger muscles can take more weight so a higher increment is more noticeable.
The smaller muscle groups will have a smaller increment...otherwise you'll hit your max too quickly (3 WOs instead of 6).

Yeah, alot of ppl prefer squats - I certainly do..seems to be more of a challenge to my legs. I'd throw some shrugs in there too maybe?

 

[semajes]

Are you a beginner to weight training or just a beginner to HST?

I would say that for the most part what you have is ok, although, if you've been lifting for years it might not be enough. I echo Miller's suggestion about squats. Squats and SLDL are by far the best mass building exercises.

My 5 rep max for bench is also not that much, and so I increment by 5 pounds and have always done quite well (although starting from 150 only allows 8 increases -- that's not very many from the 15s to your 5RM). In fact, I've been laying off the chest lately to allow some other parts to catch up.

As for bulking ... EAT.

 

[imported_gripstrength]

It's unanimous on legs: go with squats, front squats, or stiff-legged deads. Another option is alternating, say, squats and leg curls on one workout with leg presses and SLDLs on another. That's what I do.

As for weight increments, I do it by percentage, starting at 75 percent of my maximum and going up by 5 percent every workout. For example, if you can do an exercise with 100 pounds maximum, you'd start the first workout in a mini-cycle with 75 pounds; second workout you'd go up to 80, then 85, and so on--you'd increase by 5 percent every time until hitting your 100-pound max. Stands to reason that the numbers will be higher on "big" exercises like squats and bench presses, and lower on "small" ones like dumbbell curls.

Good luck, and welcome aboard!

 

[Wellcum]

Sorry, really new and haven't finish all readings. Just borrow the place for a quick question:
On day one, the weight is about 6 x 5% below 15RM, which is pretty low. So do I stop at 15 reps or continue to failure?
Thanks.

 

[imported_dkm1987]

During the 15's you should work for the burn in the muscle. Use peak contraction holds, pulsing reps, slower reps or a tourniquet if need be (just kidding about the tourny). You should be able to acheive the burn in 15 reps or less, there shouldn't be a need to go beyond it, but some do use 20 reps, unless you thouroughly enjoy torture.

 

[ST240]

Great guys. thanks for the info. and no im not new to weight training, ive been going for over 2 years now. but i dont think ill be able to use squats or deadlifts because of my bad back

i know it sucks. maybe next cycle ill give it a shot

 

[semajes]

In my opinion, if you've been training steadily for 2 years, just 10 sets might not be enough. In the 10s and 5s you may want to consider doing a few more sets to keep your overall volume from decreasing so dramatically (as you approach the 5s particularly). In other words, 15 reps of shoulder press is fine, but even with the heavier loads, 5 reps will probably not provoke the most robust response; so you may want to do 2 sets once you enter the 5 rep range of the program.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Wellcum]

Quote[/b] (dkm1987 @ Mar. 24 2005,5:32)]During the 15's you should work for the burn in the muscle. Use peak contraction holds, pulsing reps, slower reps or a tourniquet if need be (just kidding about the tourny). You should be able to acheive the burn in 15 reps or less, there shouldn't be a need to go beyond it, but some do use 20 reps, unless you thouroughly enjoy torture.

Thanks. Hope one day I could enjoy the full benifit of HST. But today, with 6x5lb off my 15RM, I would end up curling the stretching bar with pillows on the side

Is HST a fixed program or just a concept that can be adapted. For example, if I do a regular 3-day routine, but use 15/10/5 reps every two weeks (without per workout weight change), will that achieve HST to some degree, meaning better than the traditional 8-12 reps all the way?

 

[Old and Grey]

If you incorporate all the principles of HST, including, but not limited to, progressive load (which requires changing loads and reps), frequency ( which typically means hitting each bodypart at least 3 times per week and strategic deconditioning, then you would be doing HST. If, for instance, you eliminate one of the principles, you are doing some other training regime.

 

[Wellcum]

Quote[/b] (Old and Grey @ Mar. 25 2005,11:26)]If you incorporate all the principles of HST, including, but not limited to, progressive load (which requires changing loads and reps), frequency ( which typically means hitting each bodypart at least 3 times per week and strategic deconditioning, then you would be doing HST. If, for instance, you eliminate one of the principles, you are doing some other training regime.

Thanks. I'll give it a try when I finish my current program.
Have been trying hard lately, but can't help wondering, can "Old and Grey" really seriously bulk up

 

[Old and Grey]

Absolutely. However, your little jewels have to be working producing some Testosterone. If not, you need to juice 'em up a bit either through herbal supplementation or a visit to your local endochronologist for some Androgel. If you're blood shows over 300 ng/dl and you are "old and grey," you are going to see results. Anything above that is just added coal to the muscle stove. More T means more lean body mass and less fat that will be added during a hypercaloric diet combined with a sensible workout, like HST.