No strength from HST = Cause to worry?

M

Mother Goose

New Member
The last time I did an HST cycle, I put on nearly no significant strength increases (in fact, I was unable to match some of my old maxes, but that may be due to different causes).

After looking around, this doesn't seem to be an isolated cause and HST is simply not very effective for strength increases.

Do any of you get worried that when you go on an HST cycle (6-8 weeks), you'll be 'losing' a good 6-8 weeks of strength increases?

I've been cycling Max-OT with HST, however.
 
I would stick with just HST. My strength gains with HST are close to what I would get from HIT. They are even better with dips and chins when you factor in the increase in body weight.

I would say that, at least for me, HST is very effective for strength gains. For my first cycle I found my 5 RM in the squat and it was 406 (then SD and start cycle). At the end of the cycle (two weeks of drop sets) I hit 420 for 14. I finished this last cycle and hit 465x5. This cycle I expect to hit 500x5.

The only lift where I have not made significant strength increases has been the BB curl, but I have increased.

Are you gaining weight through the HST cycle?
 
You shouldn't lose any strength when doing HST. My guess is it's the 'different causes' that factored in. With size comes strength.
 
I'm stronger now training HST than training any other way. I've noticed this particularly with the more compound exercises, but also with my flys and ez bar curls.
 
Strength gains tend to be a pleasant side-effect of HST.  Boris Klein (on HST info page) has reported before that he has to modify his training to compensate for the rapid gains in strength he experiences on an HST cycle so he doesn't wreck his joints.

There is a chance one could lose some strength-endurance if one is accustomed to doing multiple set training.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BIZ @ April 11 2005,7:20)]Strength gains tend to be a pleasant side-effect of HST. Boris Klein (on HST info page) has reported before that he has to modify his training to compensate for the rapid gains in strength he experiences on an HST cycle so he doesn't wreck his joints.
There is a chance one could lose some strength-endurance if one is accustomed to doing multiple set training.
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For those who asked, yes, I did put on some mass gains during HST. I found that I grew the most (tape measurements) during the second week of the 15s, and the first week of the 10s. For some reason, I think my growth stalled to nearly a standstill after that, and I didn't find my 2 weeks of 5's to be effective at all.

Hmm....my experience is fairly limited, so I don't have much to go on when arguing.

However, compared to a low rep routine (such as Max-OT, with 4-6 reps), emphasizing musculur failure, I have noticed that the strength gains from HST (if any) are negligible in comparison.

It seems that a lot of people on this board confirm that HST will yield some significant strength gains, but from what I've observed on other boards (sorry, I'm not implying any of you are lying), have stressed that HST yields significant hypertrophy gains, but rather paltry strength gains compared to other routines...something that my limited experience (only one cycle of HST) agrees with.
 
My experience with HST is great strength gains and great mass gains. I think you should do 3 cycles correctly and see. Other wise we are just talking about "what other people said". And that gets a bit circular. But it is false to say one does not get SIGNIFICANT strength gains on HST. Do people like raging on "other programs" -- sure. I guess I vote for more implementation and less Ego.

Cheers, Bob
 
Just to add my experience to the others, I've been weight training for about 7 years and had pretty much stalled strength wise about 2 years ago...having followed HST for the last two years I've continuously increased my maxes, both 1RM and how the weights I can do for multiple reps, for every body part and every exercise. They've also increased more signicantly than at any time in the past except when I first started working out.

It's probably worth reading around this site and this board (read anything posted by vicious) to ensure that you're implementing everything correctly...and also then considering whether there are any outside factors that are affecting your results.

Because obviously if you're implementing everything perfectly and there are no outside factors and you're still not getting the results you want then it doesn't matter what other people say, you won't be happy. I'll be surprised if that's the case though. You might also want to look at a couple of threads concerning tweaking HST towards strenght training where the lower rep stages are extended (one is callled customizing HST)...although as you just said your results stalled in the 5s maybe that's not such a good idea!

Cheers

Rob
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (robefc @ April 11 2005,10:53)]Just to add my experience to the others, I've been weight training for about 7 years and had pretty much stalled strength wise about 2 years ago...having followed HST for the last two years I've continuously increased my maxes, both 1RM and how the weights I can do for multiple reps, for every body part and every exercise. They've also increased more signicantly than at any time in the past except when I first started working out.
It's probably worth reading around this site and this board (read anything posted by vicious) to ensure that you're implementing everything correctly...and also then considering whether there are any outside factors that are affecting your results.
Because obviously if you're implementing everything perfectly and there are no outside factors and you're still not getting the results you want then it doesn't matter what other people say, you won't be happy. I'll be surprised if that's the case though. You might also want to look at a couple of threads concerning tweaking HST towards strenght training where the lower rep stages are extended (one is callled customizing HST)...although as you just said your results stalled in the 5s maybe that's not such a good idea!
Cheers
Rob
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All very logical. And you guys are right, I will have to do another cycle of HST and see the results for myself. I'll post my plan next week and you guys will hopefully help me out.
 
MG:
HST, in and of itself, is not set up for strength gains, hence the name. SOME people experience great strength gains while on HST, maybe because of the increased frequency or decreased volume in respect to a previous routine that was high volume, yet not as frequent. Who knows? The bottom line, as has been stated by Bryan before, is yes, there are more effective routines for gaining strength and strength-endurance than HST, but you'll be hard pressed to find a routine that is as efficient at building muscle.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BIZ @ April 11 2005,5:32)]MG:
HST, in and of itself, is not set up for strength gains, hence the name. SOME people experience great strength gains while on HST, maybe because of the increased frequency or decreased volume in respect to a previous routine that was high volume, yet not as frequent. Who knows? The bottom line, as has been stated by Bryan before, is yes, there are more effective routines for gaining strength and strength-endurance than HST, but you'll be hard pressed to find a routine that is as efficient at building muscle.
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yepahhh and this what most of us are really looking for
thumbs-up.gif


btw: never had that good strenght gains before hst

regards
 
i have strength gains every cycle. +5 pounds (Except for inclined hammer curls. it's very hard to increment +5 pounds EVERY cycle)
i know HST is hypertrophy-specific but i really gained a lot of strength from it
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What`s your diet like? Are you getting enough protein and at the right time? Are you taking your protein w/carbs? Your diet will make a huge difference in size and strength gains.
 
I guess if you're not growing in the 5s you should perhaps take an extra week or two in developing the 5s, focusing on controlled exercises, eccentrics and so on. I grew the most in the 5s and negatives.

I also realised that my squatting and deadlift technique isn't good and need to improve it. Check if your form is good, and diet needs to be very good.

It's all about learning from past cycles to improve the next one.

S.
 
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