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imported_domineaux
Guest
I was talking with a workout friend at the gym about his training method. He mentioned his program was a simple progressive plan. He mentioned he’d had very good gains over the past year.
He shared with me what he was doing and I do see some comparisons, but I’m not sharp enough on HST to really define differences that would dramatically favor HST over his current training method.
I’ll try to describe his method as best I can as explained to me.
He does some warm-up sets for about 5-10 minutes. Pretty basic stuff that involves as much of his body as possible using appx. 15# db.
He takes on the large muscle groups first – squats – dead lifts – bench press, etc.
He proceeds through his routine and finishes within 1 hour max. He does use compound exercises pretty well all the time.
There is a difference in the selection of weights and how he trains.
When he goes to a new weight level –
He selects a weight that he feels he can manage at least 4 reps x 3 sets. He proceeds and performs the sets. He writes the weight/reps/sets down on a 3 x 5 card. He said it’s great if he can do the exercise 6 or 8 reps x 3 sets instead of 4 reps it moves him through a circle faster. I think his use of circle would be what we call a cycle.
This is the procedure he uses for each exercise to start.
He does weight training every other day. Each workout he looks at the 3 x 5 card and selects the exercise and previous weight again and this time he tries to perform at least 2 to 4 more reps per set, or 6 reps x 3 sets minimum. Each workout thereafter he continues in this fashion until he reaches a maximum of 10 reps x 3 sets. Achieving 10 reps is not set in stone it’s just a guideline to the maximum reps before starting back at a heavier weight he can manage at least 4 reps x 3 sets. He mentioned on average he moves from circle starting at 4 reps to 10 reps in about 3 to 4 workouts max. He said he wasn’t rigid on how much to increase the weight on the start of a new circle, because he said if he could manage it he did. I asked what he did if he was having a good day and he could hit the ten reps right off. He said, “I’d just go with it, and if I couldn’t handle a weight increase next workout first set I’d just back off to previous weight and go on like normal.” I asked what he would do if he didn’t think he was strong enough to handle an increase and still do 4 reps x 3 sets. He laughed and said, “I just repeat the last weight.”
This he said was an exciting part of his little program. He could make adjustments on the fly “no problemo”.
On his 3 x 5 card he has each exercise listed and he keeps a log each time he completes an exercise. He said the log is critical, because he’d lose track of where he was with all the reps and weights. He said carrying around the card was a little too detailed for him, but he couldn’t remember where he was if he didn’t have it.
He mentioned good gains and excellent improvements in strength. He does do some weightlifting type exercises and no isolation exercises as far as I can tell. Obviously, he is getting stronger because he is constantly lifting heavier and heavier. It’s hard to tell in the time I’ve known him if he’s gained body mass, because he’s always pumped when I see him.
When I mentioned zig-zags, moving from 15s to 10s to 5s he laughed and said,”that’s @$$ backwards.” I tried to explain. He was cordial enough, but obviously very happy with his methods. He did say the decrease in volume of the HST would bother him, because he is constantly increasing his volume the way he is training. I mentioned the Hyper-trophy adaptation thing to him and he seemed to have a good grasp of adaptation. He said, “ When he went to the higher weight at lower reps he was moving less volume and the weight change didn’t seem to hinder his growth or recovery.” I didn’t refute that, because I’m not sure I could.
Interestingly enough he mentioned something I thought was pretty smart. If he was feeling some pain in joints or didn’t feel like he was able to take on a next round at a higher weight in an exercise he would do a couple of days of that one exercise at weight appx 40% lower than last for 20 reps x 3 sets. He appeared to understand the role of high reps to get a good burn for strengthening joints and soft tissue. I mentioned it to him and he said he’d learned that, because in the past he would exercise to 20 reps before increasing the weight.(starting over at lower reps-heavier weight). He said the volume at 20 reps was Ok, but felt like it slowed him down too much.
I asked about injuries and he said he had always been pretty well injury free. He felt the progressive increases were very manageable.
I told him about the HST period SD for recovery. He was interested to know more about that. Actually he is doing something like that now, but not on a regular type basis. He has a lot of out of town relatives and he frequently goes off for a week or more during the year and cannot workout. He mentioned that he didn’t start at higher weights when he returned, but he did start where he left off. I mentioned that in HST he would start at a higher weight, but I couldn’t’ explain what difference that would make. I did speculate a bit, but he thought the way he was doing it was fine. He’d been increasing the weight soon enough for him.
I posted this, because next to HST this is the best looking training program I’ve seen. Maybe I was enthralled with it, because it is a disciplined and structured program.
Maybe some of you with more HST experience can make some comparisions or point out some issues in this program or at least explain some things as you see them. Things that are wrong about it for sure.
He shared with me what he was doing and I do see some comparisons, but I’m not sharp enough on HST to really define differences that would dramatically favor HST over his current training method.
I’ll try to describe his method as best I can as explained to me.
He does some warm-up sets for about 5-10 minutes. Pretty basic stuff that involves as much of his body as possible using appx. 15# db.
He takes on the large muscle groups first – squats – dead lifts – bench press, etc.
He proceeds through his routine and finishes within 1 hour max. He does use compound exercises pretty well all the time.
There is a difference in the selection of weights and how he trains.
When he goes to a new weight level –
He selects a weight that he feels he can manage at least 4 reps x 3 sets. He proceeds and performs the sets. He writes the weight/reps/sets down on a 3 x 5 card. He said it’s great if he can do the exercise 6 or 8 reps x 3 sets instead of 4 reps it moves him through a circle faster. I think his use of circle would be what we call a cycle.
This is the procedure he uses for each exercise to start.
He does weight training every other day. Each workout he looks at the 3 x 5 card and selects the exercise and previous weight again and this time he tries to perform at least 2 to 4 more reps per set, or 6 reps x 3 sets minimum. Each workout thereafter he continues in this fashion until he reaches a maximum of 10 reps x 3 sets. Achieving 10 reps is not set in stone it’s just a guideline to the maximum reps before starting back at a heavier weight he can manage at least 4 reps x 3 sets. He mentioned on average he moves from circle starting at 4 reps to 10 reps in about 3 to 4 workouts max. He said he wasn’t rigid on how much to increase the weight on the start of a new circle, because he said if he could manage it he did. I asked what he did if he was having a good day and he could hit the ten reps right off. He said, “I’d just go with it, and if I couldn’t handle a weight increase next workout first set I’d just back off to previous weight and go on like normal.” I asked what he would do if he didn’t think he was strong enough to handle an increase and still do 4 reps x 3 sets. He laughed and said, “I just repeat the last weight.”
This he said was an exciting part of his little program. He could make adjustments on the fly “no problemo”.
On his 3 x 5 card he has each exercise listed and he keeps a log each time he completes an exercise. He said the log is critical, because he’d lose track of where he was with all the reps and weights. He said carrying around the card was a little too detailed for him, but he couldn’t remember where he was if he didn’t have it.
He mentioned good gains and excellent improvements in strength. He does do some weightlifting type exercises and no isolation exercises as far as I can tell. Obviously, he is getting stronger because he is constantly lifting heavier and heavier. It’s hard to tell in the time I’ve known him if he’s gained body mass, because he’s always pumped when I see him.
When I mentioned zig-zags, moving from 15s to 10s to 5s he laughed and said,”that’s @$$ backwards.” I tried to explain. He was cordial enough, but obviously very happy with his methods. He did say the decrease in volume of the HST would bother him, because he is constantly increasing his volume the way he is training. I mentioned the Hyper-trophy adaptation thing to him and he seemed to have a good grasp of adaptation. He said, “ When he went to the higher weight at lower reps he was moving less volume and the weight change didn’t seem to hinder his growth or recovery.” I didn’t refute that, because I’m not sure I could.
Interestingly enough he mentioned something I thought was pretty smart. If he was feeling some pain in joints or didn’t feel like he was able to take on a next round at a higher weight in an exercise he would do a couple of days of that one exercise at weight appx 40% lower than last for 20 reps x 3 sets. He appeared to understand the role of high reps to get a good burn for strengthening joints and soft tissue. I mentioned it to him and he said he’d learned that, because in the past he would exercise to 20 reps before increasing the weight.(starting over at lower reps-heavier weight). He said the volume at 20 reps was Ok, but felt like it slowed him down too much.
I asked about injuries and he said he had always been pretty well injury free. He felt the progressive increases were very manageable.
I told him about the HST period SD for recovery. He was interested to know more about that. Actually he is doing something like that now, but not on a regular type basis. He has a lot of out of town relatives and he frequently goes off for a week or more during the year and cannot workout. He mentioned that he didn’t start at higher weights when he returned, but he did start where he left off. I mentioned that in HST he would start at a higher weight, but I couldn’t’ explain what difference that would make. I did speculate a bit, but he thought the way he was doing it was fine. He’d been increasing the weight soon enough for him.
I posted this, because next to HST this is the best looking training program I’ve seen. Maybe I was enthralled with it, because it is a disciplined and structured program.
Maybe some of you with more HST experience can make some comparisions or point out some issues in this program or at least explain some things as you see them. Things that are wrong about it for sure.
