Simplify and Win!

After follow the tips of friends I did bench press with 44Kg already, I hope that I can even more on my next workouts, it´s all about proper proper technique.

Thanks you.
 
Just want to give a shout out to Fausto for starting this thread and those who have contributed. As an HST beginner I think that keeping it simple helped me more than anything to realize better gains at age 50 than I ever saw at age 35.

Specifically by sticking with a few compound exercises each workout and spreading the frequency out over 6 days a week it kept my rep count down so low each session that I was able to focus on getting the most out of every single rep w/o feeling rushed. Something I was never able to maintain while doing a once or twice a week per body part routine. This both gives me a more productive workout while simultaneously managing CNS fatigue better than I ever imagined possible.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to compile all this information and put it together in a usable form.

Cheers
 
grunt11 said:
Just want to give a shout out to Fausto for starting this thread and those who have contributed. As an HST beginner I think that keeping it simple helped me more than anything to realize better gains at age 50 than I ever saw at age 35.

Specifically by sticking with a few compound exercises each workout and spreading the frequency out over 6 days a week it kept my rep count down so low each session that I was able to focus on getting the most out of every single rep w/o feeling rushed. Something I was never able to maintain while doing a once or twice a week per body part routine. This both gives me a more productive workout while simultaneously managing CNS fatigue better than I ever imagined possible.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to compile all this information and put it together in a usable form.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Hey there Grunt11 :)

Always good to hear someone giving positive feedback to HST! Yep, simple is best always, specially when you are over the 40's, keeps tings in prespective!

Happy to know you are getting what you deserve! I wish more newbies would get the message from your response!

Cheers
 
Hi guys, firstly thank you everyone who has shared their knowledge in this thread it has really helped a newb like me ;)

I have been over the thread more than a few times now and I am hoping hoping I have the idea down lol. I'm hoping someone can tell me if my workout hits all the right notes for a beginner or if I'm way off the mark.

Workout A:
Squats
Dips
Bent over row
Up right row

Workout B:
Deadlifts
Benchpress
Chin ups
Military press

Since I'm doing a very simple workout, I have been doing 2x 15 of each exercise. Will continue with 2x 10 for the next two weeks and then 3x 5. Am I on the right track with this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)

As a side note (and it's something I am not complaining about haha) but my workouts are taking less than 40mins max and sometimes I don't feel like I am really pushing myself. Maybe I didn't push myself harder enough when working out my RMs though or perhaps this is normal :P
 
willtryharder said:
As a side note (and it's something I am not complaining about haha) but my workouts are taking less than 40mins max and sometimes I don't feel like I am really pushing myself. Maybe I didn't push myself harder enough when working out my RMs though or perhaps this is normal
Click to expand...

A good workout probably shouldn't run much more than 45 minutes to an hour.

You seem to be on track. Perhaps you would consider starting a training log.

You may find you have to push a bit more as the weights start getting heavier.
 
TunnelRat said:
You may find you have to push a bit more as the weights start getting heavier.
Click to expand...
I also tend to complete my workouts in 35-45 minutes when working 15-10RM and in the beginning of 5's. Heavier 5's take more time though, up to 100+ minutes towards the end, most of which are spent warming up properly and resting.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, I will start keeping a training log :)

One thing that I was wondering. At the moment I am doing 2 sets of 10 on all exercises. Should I be doing 2 sects of dead lifts or dropping this down to 1 set?
 
Will

Try to keep it at two, unless you get overly tired there is no reason for you to back down, remember deads and squats release testosterone naturally and make you grow, besides working just about every single muscle in your body, provided of course you push them hard enough, without hitting failure!

Your workout is great, those are the types of workouts I'd promote, as you can hit the weights heavy, no time wasted, and productive to no end!

Keep it up mate!
 
Hi Fausto and all,

I have been doing HST since 2002, and primarily using 1 X 15, 2 X 10 and 3 X 5.
As I approach 40, and have been lifting for 25 odd years, I am pretty conditioned, if a little over weight, and higher than I'd like in bf... :(

Do you, or anyone, think I should ramp up my workouts by hitting 30 reps per set (I do about 5 or 6 exercises per workout) ie; 2 X 15, 3 X 10, and 6 X 5. I dont always feel pumped after my workouts at the moment, and was wondering if the increase in reps would help or lead to overtraining?

I still train 3 X week.

Any advice appreciated as always.

Cheers

Brix
 
Brixtonian said:
Hi Fausto and all,
Do you, or anyone, think I should ramp up my workouts by hitting 30 reps per set (I do about 5 or 6 exercises per workout) ie; 2 X 15, 3 X 10, and 6
Click to expand...
I think you could split your workout in an am/pm split instead of simply doubling work in one workout.

Here's a comment by Bryan Haycock in HST FAQ regarding increasing volume:
23.3. How to get in more volume
Having the liberty to train twice per day and/or everyday opens up the possibility to
significantly increase training volume.
As long as a "highly conditioned" person stays within his/her limits of exercise tolerance, doing
more generally means better gains. I don't mean more fatigue, I mean more reps with a given
load... Sounds like one in the same but it isn't really. To understand, consider the "effort"
(A.K.A. CNS activation, or even "intensity" by its incorrect HIT terminology) it requires to do
the 1st as compared to the last rep of your 10 rep max. The tension produced on the tissue
doesn't change from the 1st rep to the last. The only thing that changes is the amount of CNS
activation required to contract the muscle under load.
So, more reps doesn't necessarily mean more fatigue if you can get enough rest in between sets.
To get more and more rest, simply do 2 workouts spread out by several hours. Hence, the value
of training twice per day.
Another advantage is being able to do more volume per bodypart during one session. You can
also split the body up into 2 halves and train half in the AM and the other half in the PM. This
essentially allows you to double the amount of volume per session per bodypart.
My comments about training twice per day, 3 times per week as optimal stem from the ability
to increase the volume per bodypart, and still having adequate rest between training sessions
(e.g. M,W,and F).
Click to expand...
p.s.: I've uploaded the HST FAQ E-book just in case someone needs it. I don't remember where exactly I got it from :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply HST_Rihad

In the past I have trained am/pm split. And had my best results...

Unfortunately, work and family life currently dictates that I can only train once a day - usually first thing in the morning.

I am doubling reps per exercise, but in return, I have reduced the number of exercises, to just nasic compound movements.

Thanks

Brix
 
Then you could consider training 6 days a week thus spreading the load evenly throughout it. It's more efficient to do 3 sets on Monday and 3 sets afresh on Tuesday than do 6 sets on Monday, and no sets on Tuesday. You might want to try taking small steps at a time and start from 4 times a week (Mon,Tue, Thu,Fri) to give yourself more rest time, and see how you're doing.
 
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Greetings everyone , over the past couple of days I have been lurking around and reading , this thread has helped me a lot, for which I thank everyone here. I Chose 5 compound movements and 3 isolation – when things get heavy and I feel that my limit has been reached , will just drop the iso’s out.. I have a couple of questions though –

Should I keep the Shoulder press in B or go with Shrugs ?

About Volume – I know it is different for everyone etc , I’ve been doing Mr Rippetoe Starting Strength with great results ( mainly strength ) in the past 4 months , so I’m acustomised to the squat/deadlift/shoulder press , another thing to take in consideration is my foods adds – Planning on taking Beta-Alanine/Creatine/Taurine/BCAA/N-O Booster / Multi Vits – all those , provided they work , should give me quite more power and resistance and thus more volume . So taking all of this in consideration should I follow the guideline in the FAQ :
“I suggest you do 2 sets per exercise during the 15s. Then do 2 sets during the first week of 10s, and 1 set during the second week of 10s. Then do 2 sets during the first week of 5s, and finish doing one set (after warm ups of course) during the last week of 5s. Always warm up first regardless of how many work sets you are doing.”
And adjust accordingly?

Is there anything else I can do to improve my program? I’ve followed the guidelines outlined in this thread and came up with the above.I know it doesn’t seem exactly simple due to the isolations , but I can always drop them if im feeling im overtraining.
Thanks in advance guys , looking forward to trying this method.

Ps I know dips and bench press might seem like an overkill , but leaving out either flat or incline bench or dips just seems like a wrong move.

A

1.Squat
2.Bench Press
3.Dips
4.Barbell row
5. Millitary press
6.Triceps Extension
7.Biceps curls
8.Calves
9.Abs


B
1.Stiff Legged DL
2.Leg Extension
3.Incline Bench press
4.Chin Ups
5. Shoulder Press/Shrug
6.Triceps extension
7.Biceps Curls
8.Calves
9.Abs
 
Creatine has been proven to work. BCAAs, a multi-vitamin, and taurine might be worthwhile (I use them), but as a rule most supplements just make for expensive urine.

I think the shoulder press is an important exercise. It helps maintain shoulder health when you are doing lots of flat and inclined bench. Thus, I'd keep the OH press and drop the shrugs. You could swap regular deadlifts for your SLDLs; that would take care of your traps just fine.

Plan to drop your isos when things start to get heavy or if your workouts take too long.

You might want to set up a log in our Training Logs forum. That way we can cheer your successes and learn from your mistakes.
 
Thanks for the reply , yes "most" food adds do indeed make for an expensive urine , that's why I choose well proven supplements that stack well together , anyway I'm not relying on them to do magic, I know that good nutrition and hitting the iron hard makes up 95% of training.
Back to my program , dropping SLDL and replacing it with regular would spare the legs quite some , no? Everywhere I read about SLDL says this is THE exercise for hamstrings , perhaps if I do drop it , I would need to add a leg curl along with the leg extension to compensate , also I realise regular deadlift hits almost every muscle in the body , but its just not up on par with SLDL as far as legs are concerned , and its occupying the leg exercise "slot" in the program.My only concern about SLDL is the rather "dangerous" execution of the exercise , I have a weak lower back and never done SLDL , if I don't master it right it might backfire :D, but ill give it my best in upcoming week.
About the training log , that is a terrific idea , while doing Starting Strength I totaly forgot to take measures , weight or anything whatsoever ( plus this board helpful guidance will surely be of use).My only indication was the growing strength with each session.Anyway the only thing left is to calculate my 15,10,5 maxes then take a 10 days off - gonna read all the splendid info on this forum , which is a lot, around 20th feb I should be ready to begin.
 
Infra said:
Back to my program , dropping SLDL and replacing it with regular would spare the legs quite some , no? Everywhere I read about SLDL says this is THE exercise for hamstrings , perhaps if I do drop it , I would need to add a leg curl along with the leg extension to compensate , also I realise regular deadlift hits almost every muscle in the body , but its just not up on par with SLDL as far as legs are concerned , and its occupying the leg exercise "slot" in the program.My only concern about SLDL is the rather "dangerous" execution of the exercise , I have a weak lower back and never done SLDL , if I don't master it right it might backfire :D, but ill give it my best in upcoming week.
Click to expand...
I confess that at least part of my thought had to do with a personal distrust of the SLDL (and a great love of the regular deadlift). It looks too dangerous for me even to try. Sometimes, to work in a bit of hamstring stretch, I'll do Romanian Deadlifts. Very similar to SLDLs but without rounding the lower back.
 
A

1.Squat
2.Bench Press
3..Barbell row
4.Dips
5. Millitary press
6.Triceps Extension
7.Biceps curls
8.Calves
9.Abs


B
1.Romanian Deadlift
2.Leg Extension
3.Incline Bench press
4.Chin Ups
5. Shoulder Press
6.Triceps extension
7.Biceps Curls
8.Calves
9.Abs

Thanks for the tips mate , I believe that will be my final setup.Looked up RDL , seems really good , no back arching like SDL , so I will go with it , might swap it from time to time with regular DL :)
 
AM
Squat
Press
Chin Ups

PM
Deadlift
Bench Press
Pull Ups

I can't really think of anymore compound exercises that would have a major impact on my growth factor, seeing that these current exercises pretty much hit all my body parts. I'm kinda worried about having a lot left in the tank though, but couldn't I just increase sets/weight to compensate for that feeling? Thanks.
 
TheSeeker07 said:
AM
Squat
Press
Chin Ups

PM
Deadlift
Bench Press
Pull Ups

I can't really think of anymore compound exercises that would have a major impact on my growth factor, seeing that these current exercises pretty much hit all my body parts. I'm kinda worried about having a lot left in the tank though, but couldn't I just increase sets/weight to compensate for that feeling? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Look good. You might throw in some dips and rows.
 
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