Riggins 1st HST cycle

H

HstRiggins

New Member
Hey guys, i've been around here for a few months but i finally got the rights to post so i'll start my journal now. in the 5's phase.

I'll have some questions about my routine so please jump in and give me some advice.

I did about 6-7 months of starting strength before this. I enjoyed it and was even thinking of following the texas method afterwords or the bill star/madcow 5x5 since it seemed like the natural progression, but i was more interested in looking good and having nice big muscles then in strength. After reading way too much information about bodybuilding and becoming overly confused and frustrated i came upon HST and figured i'd try that and if it doesn't work out, i'll go back to 3x5, or 5x5 type of deal

Here's my list of exercises
squats/deadlifts ( i alternate the 2 every other workout)
bench press
chinups (neutral grip)
Shrugs
Standing press
dips
stiff leg deadlifts
barberll curl
tricep rope pushdowns
calves

So far i've been doing 2 sets of each exercise in the 1st week and 1 set in the 2nd week of each phase.

I'll just post this last monday's workout and continue from there in the upcoming posts

squats 240x2x5
bench press 155 x2x5
chinups 8x2x5( i use a weight assisted stations and 8 is the number on the weight assist)
shrugs 175x2x5
press 90x2x5
dips 7x2x5(same as chinups)
SLDL 130x2x5
barbell curl 55x2x5
tricep rope pulldowns 65x2x5

Here's the supplements i take

Multivitamins - Animal pack on days i work out, and gnc's muti's on nonworkout days

Glucosamine

Lipo6 - fat loss pills i started on 2 weeks ago

flax seed oil pills

Glutamine - in the morning and at night during nonworkout days and after workout and before bed on workout days.

Creatine

ZMA's before bed

super enzymes - with most meals


Questions....

1. When is a good time to take glutamine? and how about the dosage, the directions on the container are cryptic at best.

2. Should i get some HMB? feels like i'm taking too much crap as it is.

3. Stiff leg deadlifts are a pain in the *** after doing squats or regular deadlifts in the 5's. Would it be better to change it up to just leg curls? I try to stay away from most isolation exercises, but i don't fee SLDL hitting my hamstrings nowhere near as much as leg curls do. Any other hamstring exercise i should go instead?

4. SD question. When i'm done with this cycle and i SD, then i find my maxes for exercises which weren't in this cycle, should I SD again?

5. Should i switch to straight pullups/chinups on a A/B schedule my next cycle? Just wondering if that would be better then using the weight assist station and doing the neutral grips. The problem is i can't do more then like 2-3 good ones and that's why i use that station. Or maybe just switch it up to Lat pulldown or some other back exercise?

thanks all i've been rambling and it's time to go to sleep

Oh yeah some of my stats

32 years old male
6ft
211 pounds

For cardio i jog 30 minutes which is about 2-3 miles 2-3 times a week, and sometimes i ride my exercise bike instead of the jog.
 
1. Look up glutamine in the FAQ. Most of it is absorbed by your gut and liver, which makes it a quite pointless supplement to begin with.

4. If you need to get new maxes, just do it before you SD. Or you could just add 5-10 lbs on all lifts.

/Minime
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">1. When is a good time to take glutamine? and how about the dosage, the directions on the container are cryptic at best.</div>

Just take it whenever. Throw it in your pre or post workout shake. It won't really matter that much either way.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">2. Should i get some HMB? feels like i'm taking too much crap as it is.</div>

Nope. HMB was proven to be totally worthless some years ago. It is also overpriced, especially considering the fact that it does absolutely nothing worthwhile.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">3. Stiff leg deadlifts are a pain in the *** after doing squats or regular deadlifts in the 5's. Would it be better to change it up to just leg curls? I try to stay away from most isolation exercises, but i don't fee SLDL hitting my hamstrings nowhere near as much as leg curls do. Any other hamstring exercise i should go instead?</div>

I prefer Romanian Deadlifts over the stiff legged version. I feel they hit the hamstrings a lot better and I also think they are safer overall.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">4. SD question. When i'm done with this cycle and i SD, then i find my maxes for exercises which weren't in this cycle, should I SD again?</div>

No. Find maxes for new exercises before you SD but after your cycle. So after your last workout, the next workout day you would do the exercises you need to find maxes for. SD after that. Also, after you hit your 5 RMs, if you try to progress beyond your current 5 RMs in all your current exercises, eventually you won't be able to progress any further - and there you go, you'll have just found your new 5 RMs.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">5. Should i switch to straight pullups/chinups on a A/B schedule my next cycle? Just wondering if that would be better then using the weight assist station and doing the neutral grips. The problem is i can't do more then like 2-3 good ones and that's why i use that station. Or maybe just switch it up to Lat pulldown or some other back exercise?</div>

Rather than alternate with lat pulldowns or different grip chin/pulls, I would alternate with some type of row. You have a few options here. You can go with bentover rows, which are my preferred row, or you can do with chest supported rows or seated rows. The important thing is how well you can progress in that exercise. Bentover rows are great in my opinion because they also strengthen the lower back, but if your lower back is taking a beating from other exercises (squatting three times a week, for instance, can be too much for some people's lower backs) then you may want to look into chest supported.
 
<div>
(Totentanz @ May 14 2008,8:36)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Rather than alternate with lat pulldowns or different grip chin/pulls, I would alternate with some type of row.  You have a few options here.  You can go with bentover rows, which are my preferred row, or you can do with chest supported rows or seated rows.  The important thing is how well you can progress in that exercise.  Bentover rows are great in my opinion because they also strengthen the lower back, but if your lower back is taking a beating from other exercises (squatting three times a week, for instance, can be too much for some people's lower backs) then you may want to look into chest supported.</div>
I second that. I was about to mention that you had no specific upper back exercise. Personally I am doing Pendlay's rows and although I need to improve my form I am quite pleased with this exercise. I also agree with Tot about the strain on the lower back if you do it with other lower back taxing exercises. When I first tried Pendlay's and deadlifts on the same day I had my lower back stiff for a couple days.

With all those supplements you are not taking any whey protein?
Btw, you have any idea of your bf%?

And welcome to the board.
 
Thanks for all the input, that about answers pretty much all questions i had lingering in my head.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">With all those supplements you are not taking any whey protein?
Btw, you have any idea of your bf%?</div>

The reason i don't take any whey is because i'm lactose intollerant and it's just not an option for me.   I even tried whey isolate and that didn't do it for me either.  I do need some protein because i don't get enough in my diet.  I'll have to try some egg protein maybe.

My body fat is about 20% now,  It was like 35% about 2 years ago i dropped a good 40 pounds.  I have this scale that if you stand on with bare feet it gives you you're body fat %,  not sure just how accurate it is though.
 
The bio impedance scale is practical but not the best way to get body fat, better to use calipers. Try the accu-measure ones that are the best for self measuring. In any case the scale is a good measure for relative bf variations. Just remember to follow the recommendations (something about not drinking water some hours previous to the measuring or something).
For the protein there is the egg protein/albumin in dried concentrated form, isn't all that bad.
 
05/14/08 in the 5's

deadlifts 240x1
bench press 160x1
chinups @7x1
shrugs 180x1
press 95x1
dips @6x1
leg curl 135x2
barbell curl 60x2
tricep rope pulldowns 70x2
calves 335x2x10
 
You could also try gemma protein, though I would only recommend it if you can't deal with egg or other proteins. It mixes horribly.
 
<div>
(HstRiggins @ May 14 2008,10:30)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">The reason i don't take any whey is because i'm lactose intollerant and it's just not an option for me. I even tried whey isolate and that didn't do it for me either. I do need some protein because i don't get enough in my diet. I'll have to try some egg protein maybe.</div>
I don't use whey either. I've found that using amino acid supplements along with liver tabs to be quite efficient without getting an upset stomach. I'm not lactose intolerant, but dairy and I have a rather tenuous relationship at best.

Glutamine... I used to use that immediately pre and post workout and at bedtime and noticed a pretty decent difference. You have to be sure that what you buy is of good quality, however. I noticed a huge difference between brands, and unfortunately the stuff that worked the best was quite pricey. I stopped taking the stuff for that reason. I still use aminos pre and post workout, and liver tabs with meals. To be honest, I've never had the gains in strength or size like I had while on these supplements, and my dietary protein intake is nothing out of the ordinary.

Hope that helps in some way.
 
Protein supplements basically contain amino acids right? So if you take a protein shake then there would be no need to take amino acids on the side correct?

On the other hand, can you just take amino acids without taking a protein shake and get the same results?

I'm still a bit confused on glutamine. It seems that there's no real evidence that it helps you build muscle. The only thing i found people agreeing on is that it helps your immune system and can prevent some diseases possibly. Unlike protein and creatine it seems there's 2 camps whether to take it or not.

The glutamine i got is called

SciVation Xtend
 
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. So, if you're taking a protein supplement, yes, you're getting amino acids and there would be no need for further supplementation in terms of adding aminos to the mix.

Glutamine has been proven to be both anti-catabolic and an agent that aids in the natural release of HGH. So - the thought is that you overload your system pre and post workout so that your lean muscle tissue is not the first fuel source that your body burns when trying to recover from (or during) a workout. If you take it at night, because it stimulates the release of HGH, the going theory is that it helps you grow while you sleep at a more rapid pace than without it.
 
From where I sit, no. I used to take whey up to 4 times a day IN ADDITION to using it post-workout.

With my current supplementation, I've surpassed every lifting milestone I set previously and feel 10,000% better. That, to me (based on my personal results) suggests that there are quite good alternatives to protein shakes. I won't belittle their effectiveness, however; I simply sought something better for me and found it.

Sorry - don't want to come across as though I'm attempting to disprove what's been proven regarding whey. I know there are a bunch of fans of the stuff, for good reason.
 
I'm a fan of whey merely because it is an easy way to increase my protein intake. I don't think it's magic. It's just food. You could get the same results just eating more steak or chicken.

Glutamine - It's cheap enough that I don't think there is a harm in supplementing with it, just in case it really does help the immune system. On the other hand, most protein powders are very high in glutamine anyway, so there probably isn't a need for separate supplementation if you are already using a lot of protein powders.
 
The biggest benefit I've noticed from Glutamine isn't even one it's supposed to do: lessen DOMS. Of course, that could be what they mean by recovery.
 
<div>
(HstRiggins @ May 14 2008,12:44)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">5.  Should i switch to straight pullups/chinups on a A/B schedule my next cycle?  Just wondering if that would be better then using the weight assist station and doing the neutral grips.  The problem is i can't do more then like 2-3 good ones and that's why i use that station.  Or maybe just switch it up to Lat pulldown or some other back exercise?</div>
The Pussy Assist Chin Up Machine is great for doing pullups. It lets you use an HST-type progressive loading. With an adequate assist, you can do pullups all through your 15's, 10's, and 5's. If you only had a clunky old chin up bar, you'd only be able to do just a few each time with no progression.

Alternatively, you could switch to Lat Pulldowns until you are able to do a big boy pullup. An advantage to the Lat Pulldown is that you may be able to use a different grip.

I've done both and I frankly prefer to use the Pussy Machine.

Have faith -- after a time you'll even be adding weight!!  
smile.gif
 
yeah i'll stick with the pussy machine lol. I do feel it working my back and like you said, with adjusting the weight assistance i've been able to use it through each phase. Although i'll have to swith to straigh pullups on it instead of the neutral grip ones i've been doing.

Thanks for all the posts guys. I'm still undecided about whether to take egg protein or just getting some amino acids. I'm leaning towards the aminos in pill form, mainly because it's a lot easier taking pills them mixing all those stomach filling drinks. I'll have to decide soon. I also just bought some probiotics, maybe they'll help me with my weak *** stomach. Anyone have any experience with taking them?
 
Probiotics are pretty ineffective for most folks. Some folks actually have adverse reactions to them and consequently produce more harmful bacteria than good! A few folks do benefit. Probably no harm in trying them out and seeing how you get on but don't just keep on taking them if they have no effect on you; save your money and get some eggs and knock 'em back Rocky style!
biggrin.gif
 
Friday 5/16/08

So i thought today was going to be a very rough day. I woke with my alergies kicking in high gear, but to my surprise i had an awesome workout and actually did 2 sets of squats just cause i was feeling supermanish.

Squats 250x2x5
Bench Press 165x1x5 (felt a lot lighter then 160 did just 2 days ago
Chinups @6x5
shrugs 195x5
press 100x1x5 (felt light as well)
dis @ 5x5
leg curls 140x2x5 (need to increase weight as i switched from sldl's and it's too light, will try 160 next time)
barbell curl 65x5
tricep rope pulldowns 75x4 ( couldn't get 5 reps, i guess i expended all that extra energy by the time i got to these)

great day. I had a can of progresso soup before the workout, this may be the secret to my success today. Maybe all that sodium is the key. I will need to experiment further. Hmm, pre/post workout progresso......
 
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