I don't really measure anything, but i've gotten bigger. Especially arms and chest wise, which was my priority. I'm going to work on getting leaner for a bit, and then bulk with great enthusiasm. I'll be working on general growth, but more specifically some more arms, chest, and i'd like more shoulders to help with v-taper. I don't have the smallest waist so i'm going to do what i can with it.
OK guys here it is. First HST cycle results. I'm currently using the Scrawny to Brawny diet. Sorry about length, but it definitely gives you a bigger picture.
5'11" 24 years old
Before (Unflexed):
Upper Arm: 11" (shooting for 15"
Forearm: 11"
Wrist: 7"
Chest 36" (40"
Waist: 32"
Thigh: 21"
Calf: 13.5"
ankle: 9"
143lbs bf???
Now:
Upper Arms: 12.25
Forearm: 11.5
Wrist: 7"
Chest: 39"
Waist: 33.5" (waistline) 34.5" (Fat Line)
Thigh: 21.5"
Calve: 14.5"
Ankle: 9"
160 lbs bf??? I definitely gained some fat around my stomach, but it's not considerably. I have no problem losing weight so this shouldnt be an issue.
All my max's went up about 10-15% from where I started by the end of the cycle.
Workout:
15rm (56% of 1RM)
10rm (72% of 1RM)
5rm (85% of 1RM)
3x a week workout
My exercise routine for the 8 weeks went like this:
W1: 2setsx15reps
W2: 2x15
W3: 2x10
W4: 2x10
W5: 3x5
W:6 2x5+1 dropset
W:7 2x5RM (couldn't do Negs)
W8: 2x5RM
Decondition Period - 14 days
Exercises are in order:
Squat
Leg Curl
Bench Press/Dips
Lat Pulldown/Chinups
Bent Over Rows/Seated Cable Row
DB Military Press
Shrugs
Incline DB Curl
Tricep Pushdown
Standing Calf Raise/ Push Calf Raise 2x15 (To failure or what I like to call burns like hell)
Flys
Decline Sit-Up with weight plate/Hanging Leg Raise
"/" = alternate from workout to workout or substitue.
My diet is as follows:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
7-7:30am - protein+fat
1 cup egg whites
2 omega eggs
1/4 cup beans (substitute)
1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, sliced peppers, onions, squash, tomatoes)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
2 fish oil capsules
10-10:30am - p+f
1.5 cups Plain Yogurt (1 scoop protein powder mixed in) add 1 more scoop week 2
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 2
1-1:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (hamburger,etc. ) 1 slice of cheese added to top
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
2 fish oil capsules
4-4:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (turkey sausage, etc.)
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
6:45- liquid Protein+Carbs
Biotest Surge
7-8:30 liquid p+c
Biotest Surge
8:30 - liquid p+c
Biotest Surge
10:30-11pm- p+c
½ lb lean meat (chicken, etc.)
1/4 cup wild rice or Oats (raw)
4oz Spinach Salad (Add 1 apple or banana or orange, etc.)
2 fish oil capsules
additional meal of oats with fruit and eggs
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
7-7:30am - p+f
1 cup egg whites
2 omega eggs
1/4 cup beans (substitute)
1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, sliced peppers, onions, squash, tomatoes)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
2 fish oil capsules
10-10:30am - p+f
1.5 cups Plain Yogurt (1 scoop protein powder mixed in) add 1 more scoop week 2
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 2
1-1:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (hamburger,etc. ) 1 slice of cheese added to top
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
2 fish oil capsules
4-4:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (turkey sausage, etc.)
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
7-7:30pm- p+c
½ lb lean meat (chicken, etc.)
4oz Spinach Salad (Add 1 apple or banana or orange, etc.)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts
2 fish oil capsules
9:30-10pm - p+c
1 cup egg whites
2 omega eggs (slice a cheese on top)
1 apple, orange, or banana
5'11" 24 years old
Before (Unflexed):
Upper Arm: 11" (shooting for 15"
Forearm: 11"
Wrist: 7"
Chest 36" (40"
Waist: 32"
Thigh: 21"
Calf: 13.5"
ankle: 9"
143lbs bf???
Now:
Upper Arms: 12.25
Forearm: 11.5
Wrist: 7"
Chest: 39"
Waist: 33.5" (waistline) 34.5" (Fat Line)
Thigh: 21.5"
Calve: 14.5"
Ankle: 9"
160 lbs bf??? I definitely gained some fat around my stomach, but it's not considerably. I have no problem losing weight so this shouldnt be an issue.
All my max's went up about 10-15% from where I started by the end of the cycle.
Workout:
15rm (56% of 1RM)
10rm (72% of 1RM)
5rm (85% of 1RM)
3x a week workout
My exercise routine for the 8 weeks went like this:
W1: 2setsx15reps
W2: 2x15
W3: 2x10
W4: 2x10
W5: 3x5
W:6 2x5+1 dropset
W:7 2x5RM (couldn't do Negs)
W8: 2x5RM
Decondition Period - 14 days
Exercises are in order:
Squat
Leg Curl
Bench Press/Dips
Lat Pulldown/Chinups
Bent Over Rows/Seated Cable Row
DB Military Press
Shrugs
Incline DB Curl
Tricep Pushdown
Standing Calf Raise/ Push Calf Raise 2x15 (To failure or what I like to call burns like hell)
Flys
Decline Sit-Up with weight plate/Hanging Leg Raise
"/" = alternate from workout to workout or substitue.
My diet is as follows:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
7-7:30am - protein+fat
1 cup egg whites
2 omega eggs
1/4 cup beans (substitute)
1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, sliced peppers, onions, squash, tomatoes)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
2 fish oil capsules
10-10:30am - p+f
1.5 cups Plain Yogurt (1 scoop protein powder mixed in) add 1 more scoop week 2
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 2
1-1:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (hamburger,etc. ) 1 slice of cheese added to top
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
2 fish oil capsules
4-4:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (turkey sausage, etc.)
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
6:45- liquid Protein+Carbs
Biotest Surge
7-8:30 liquid p+c
Biotest Surge
8:30 - liquid p+c
Biotest Surge
10:30-11pm- p+c
½ lb lean meat (chicken, etc.)
1/4 cup wild rice or Oats (raw)
4oz Spinach Salad (Add 1 apple or banana or orange, etc.)
2 fish oil capsules
additional meal of oats with fruit and eggs
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
7-7:30am - p+f
1 cup egg whites
2 omega eggs
1/4 cup beans (substitute)
1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, sliced peppers, onions, squash, tomatoes)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
2 fish oil capsules
10-10:30am - p+f
1.5 cups Plain Yogurt (1 scoop protein powder mixed in) add 1 more scoop week 2
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 2
1-1:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (hamburger,etc. ) 1 slice of cheese added to top
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
2 fish oil capsules
4-4:30pm-p+f
½ lb lean meat (turkey sausage, etc.)
4oz Spinach Salad (1 teaspoon flax oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar of choice)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts add additional 1/8 cup on week 3
7-7:30pm- p+c
½ lb lean meat (chicken, etc.)
4oz Spinach Salad (Add 1 apple or banana or orange, etc.)
1/8 cup (25 grams) nuts
2 fish oil capsules
9:30-10pm - p+c
1 cup egg whites
2 omega eggs (slice a cheese on top)
1 apple, orange, or banana
My super long cycle isn't even over yet, I still have at least a week left of 5RM/negatives... but here's the deal...
It was my first HST cycle. This past spring I was cutting calories a bit and running 3-5 miles/day. January 31st, I weighed 215lbs with an approximate BF% of 22 - almost 168lbs of lean mass. Before my cycle on May 15th, I weighed 183 with a BF% of 14.3 - about 157lbs of lean mass. I have two SD's within the cycles, the first one was a week and a half during my 10's because I was sick and went on vacation. The second was two weeks ago when I dislocated my finger and that lasted a week. Today, I weigh 190 with a BF% of 13.02 - 165.26 lbs of lean mass.
Is this what some people call muscle memory? Or is this the real deal - I did gain .8lbs of muscle and lost .4lbs of fat per week.
My diet you ask?
An average of 3219 kcals with 28.2% from fat, 37.2% carbs, 20.3% protein (163g), and 14.35% alcohol.
Should I bump up the amount of protein for the next cycle? Most of that fat was unsaturated by the way. As for alcohol - I gotta drink, I'm young and in college. I am also going to start creatine this cycle (probably 5g every other day?) I didn't make any formal measurements on my arms, chest, and what not. The bf%, weight, and mirror are good enough for me. I was thinking of doing an upper/lower split 6x a week, but I don't mind spending an 40min to an hour at the gym 3x/week. I may start an HST log for this one.
Comments are welcome.
Thanks to Bryan and everyone else who helped me with this back in May and June,
Colby
It was my first HST cycle. This past spring I was cutting calories a bit and running 3-5 miles/day. January 31st, I weighed 215lbs with an approximate BF% of 22 - almost 168lbs of lean mass. Before my cycle on May 15th, I weighed 183 with a BF% of 14.3 - about 157lbs of lean mass. I have two SD's within the cycles, the first one was a week and a half during my 10's because I was sick and went on vacation. The second was two weeks ago when I dislocated my finger and that lasted a week. Today, I weigh 190 with a BF% of 13.02 - 165.26 lbs of lean mass.
Is this what some people call muscle memory? Or is this the real deal - I did gain .8lbs of muscle and lost .4lbs of fat per week.
My diet you ask?
An average of 3219 kcals with 28.2% from fat, 37.2% carbs, 20.3% protein (163g), and 14.35% alcohol.
Should I bump up the amount of protein for the next cycle? Most of that fat was unsaturated by the way. As for alcohol - I gotta drink, I'm young and in college. I am also going to start creatine this cycle (probably 5g every other day?) I didn't make any formal measurements on my arms, chest, and what not. The bf%, weight, and mirror are good enough for me. I was thinking of doing an upper/lower split 6x a week, but I don't mind spending an 40min to an hour at the gym 3x/week. I may start an HST log for this one.
Comments are welcome.
Thanks to Bryan and everyone else who helped me with this back in May and June,
Colby
Hello all,
Well it's been a while since I was last able to check out the forums, but it looks like everyone is continuing to make great gains on HST.
Just thought I'd post my results from my 5th cycle. I decided to try something different this time round, having decided that my RMs were too low. So I put together a shortened 4 week cluster program working to 20 reps on a 6-day split. The four weeks after that I switched to pretty much just the big four and worked on strength.
I haven't been measuring any dimensions, just mass and bodyfat.
my stats:
age: 24
height: 5' 8"
before:
mass: 63.5kg (140lb)
bf: 10.5%
after: 67.5kg (148lb)
bf: 13.5%
Benchpress +10lbs
Squat +20lbs
Pull-up +7.5lbs
SLDL +15lb
Shoulder press +8lbs (I'd been stuck on 30lb dbs for the longest time, and finally I moved up one to the 34's!!
I thought that was a pretty clean mass gain for just 4 weeks of HST, then 4 weeks of effective strength training.
My next cycle will be trying once again to bring the bf to under 10%, as my body stores fat first and foremost over my hips (the dreaded love handles!! so on an otherwise slim build I have a wide bulge just above the hips! I really want to see that disappear before I start to bulk again.
Anyway, good luck to you all
Nick
Well it's been a while since I was last able to check out the forums, but it looks like everyone is continuing to make great gains on HST.
Just thought I'd post my results from my 5th cycle. I decided to try something different this time round, having decided that my RMs were too low. So I put together a shortened 4 week cluster program working to 20 reps on a 6-day split. The four weeks after that I switched to pretty much just the big four and worked on strength.
I haven't been measuring any dimensions, just mass and bodyfat.
my stats:
age: 24
height: 5' 8"
before:
mass: 63.5kg (140lb)
bf: 10.5%
after: 67.5kg (148lb)
bf: 13.5%
Benchpress +10lbs
Squat +20lbs
Pull-up +7.5lbs
SLDL +15lb
Shoulder press +8lbs (I'd been stuck on 30lb dbs for the longest time, and finally I moved up one to the 34's!!
I thought that was a pretty clean mass gain for just 4 weeks of HST, then 4 weeks of effective strength training.
My next cycle will be trying once again to bring the bf to under 10%, as my body stores fat first and foremost over my hips (the dreaded love handles!!
so on an otherwise slim build I have a wide bulge just above the hips! I really want to see that disappear before I start to bulk again.Anyway, good luck to you all
Nick
Just finished my 1st HST cycle. Very pleased with the results. In order to keep this thread limited to numbers, I'll post some thoughts and before and after pics in another thread.
Age: 30
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 190 (+12lbs)
Waist: 33 3/4 (+1 1/4)
Chest: 44 3/4 (+2 1/2 in)
Shoulders: 47 3/4 (+1 3/4in)
R. Bi: 14 7/8 (+5/8in)
L. Bi: 14 1/2 (+1/2in)
L. Thigh: 22 3/4 (+1 1/4in)
R. Thigh: 22 3/4 (+1 1/4in)
R. Calf: 14 1/4 (+3/4in)
L. Calf: 14 1/2 (+3/4 in)
Maxes: Bench Press: 225x5 (+20lbs)
Squat: 325x5 (+30lbs)
Age: 30
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 190 (+12lbs)
Waist: 33 3/4 (+1 1/4)
Chest: 44 3/4 (+2 1/2 in)
Shoulders: 47 3/4 (+1 3/4in)
R. Bi: 14 7/8 (+5/8in)
L. Bi: 14 1/2 (+1/2in)
L. Thigh: 22 3/4 (+1 1/4in)
R. Thigh: 22 3/4 (+1 1/4in)
R. Calf: 14 1/4 (+3/4in)
L. Calf: 14 1/2 (+3/4 in)
Maxes: Bench Press: 225x5 (+20lbs)
Squat: 325x5 (+30lbs)
Colby,
There was a lot of zig zaging going from the 5's to the 3's. The percents of being higher were different for a lot of the exercises so I can just list the RMs for some of the lifts to give you an idea.
5RM 3RM
Squat- 255 275
Incline Bench- 175 205
Standing Barbell Press- 125 135
Shrugs- 205 225
Preacher Curl- 85 100
To give you an example of how much more effective HST has been than any other routine I've ever done. My previous 1 RM on the FLAT bench press was 185 lbs. before starting HST.
Joe G
There was a lot of zig zaging going from the 5's to the 3's. The percents of being higher were different for a lot of the exercises so I can just list the RMs for some of the lifts to give you an idea.
5RM 3RM
Squat- 255 275
Incline Bench- 175 205
Standing Barbell Press- 125 135
Shrugs- 205 225
Preacher Curl- 85 100
To give you an example of how much more effective HST has been than any other routine I've ever done. My previous 1 RM on the FLAT bench press was 185 lbs. before starting HST.
Joe G
Lard Lad Jr
New Member
im about to start my first HST cycle in a couple of weeks but so far from my 100% drug free training, i am at 280 pounds and 5ft 10". im only 17 and ive been training for just over a year. I really want to see if this HST stuff works so thats why i am here. I will let you guys know how it goes for me and i will try and get some pictures up asap. Speak to u soon. Tom
P.S i forgot to say that i started at a weight of about 11st (cant remember what that is in pounds) and i am now at 20st just over a year down the line, Lets see what HST can do!...
P.S i forgot to say that i started at a weight of about 11st (cant remember what that is in pounds) and i am now at 20st just over a year down the line, Lets see what HST can do!...
lapidarius11
New Member
All I can say is kudos and mucho gracias to you guys. I just finished my first HST cycle and had great results. I've added up to 30 pounds for some lifts. Perhaps this because when I originally set my max's, I just played it safe and conservative.
I've also lost 15 pounds. This is good an bad. My doctor has wanted me to go on a low cholesterol - low fat diet. At 6 feet 1 inch, I was 208 lbs. Now I'm down to 193. I can see and feel more defiiniton, but don't see size. All this in 6 weeks!
Another friend of mine on HST said size was the thing for him. Honestly, I am glad that I've imporved my strenght, even if it doesn't look that way.
I welcome any comments or feedback.
Thanks again.
I've also lost 15 pounds. This is good an bad. My doctor has wanted me to go on a low cholesterol - low fat diet. At 6 feet 1 inch, I was 208 lbs. Now I'm down to 193. I can see and feel more defiiniton, but don't see size. All this in 6 weeks!
Another friend of mine on HST said size was the thing for him. Honestly, I am glad that I've imporved my strenght, even if it doesn't look that way.
I welcome any comments or feedback.
Thanks again.
Hi guys. I have to apologize for my poor english. I live in Quebec, Canada, so i'm french. That's why I was shy to jump in the forum. I'll do my best...
I've been reading you for alomost 7 months and I think this site is very great!
Before giving you my results whith HST, since it's my first time in the forum (my first forum ever, by the way), I'll take a little time to introduce myself.
I'm 38 years old (I'll be 39 on october 23) and I've been training for 4 years (maybe I started too late....). I've always been what you call a skinny guy. In french, we say that "I am built on a chiken frame"! Since my teen age, weight always been 125lbs (and I was stiil 4 years ago). I'm 5' 9".... talk about skinny!
Anyways, it took me 2 years to move up to 165lbs... and I'm still. So that means that, in the past 2 years, I kept training but made very, very small gains. I I've tried many ways of training, giving each of them at least 3 months a try. The last I tried (before HST) is Max-o-t. Great gains, but only in strenght, not a pound of muscle (I started Max-o-t deadlifting 180lbs for 8 reps, and 10 weeks after I was deadlifting 295lbs for 10 reps). But I was still 165lbs...
So I started HST. When I first read the HST principals, I immediatly felt that it was for me. At every sentence I was reading, I was saying to myself: "That's it! That's the right stuff!".
I'm in the middle of my second cycle, but here are my results after my first cycle.
Weight: 165 lbs (it seems I will never reach that darn 180!
Arms: 14" 3/4 (+1/4)
Forearms: 11 1/2 (+1/4)
Chest: 44" (+1/2)
Waist: 34" (-1/2)
Thights: 22 1/4 (+1/2)
Calves: 15" (+1/2)
I'm not a big guy, but I'm pretty proud of the results.
Thanks to HST and to you all guys. You've been encouraging me without even knowing it! Feel free to comment!
By the way, what do you think about my proportions. Because, to me, when I look in the mirror, I'm still seeing that skinny guy...
Thanks to you all for letting me share with you...
I've been reading you for alomost 7 months and I think this site is very great!
Before giving you my results whith HST, since it's my first time in the forum (my first forum ever, by the way), I'll take a little time to introduce myself.
I'm 38 years old (I'll be 39 on october 23) and I've been training for 4 years (maybe I started too late....). I've always been what you call a skinny guy. In french, we say that "I am built on a chiken frame"! Since my teen age, weight always been 125lbs (and I was stiil 4 years ago). I'm 5' 9".... talk about skinny!
Anyways, it took me 2 years to move up to 165lbs... and I'm still. So that means that, in the past 2 years, I kept training but made very, very small gains. I I've tried many ways of training, giving each of them at least 3 months a try. The last I tried (before HST) is Max-o-t. Great gains, but only in strenght, not a pound of muscle (I started Max-o-t deadlifting 180lbs for 8 reps, and 10 weeks after I was deadlifting 295lbs for 10 reps). But I was still 165lbs...
So I started HST. When I first read the HST principals, I immediatly felt that it was for me. At every sentence I was reading, I was saying to myself: "That's it! That's the right stuff!".
I'm in the middle of my second cycle, but here are my results after my first cycle.
Weight: 165 lbs (it seems I will never reach that darn 180!
Arms: 14" 3/4 (+1/4)
Forearms: 11 1/2 (+1/4)
Chest: 44" (+1/2)
Waist: 34" (-1/2)
Thights: 22 1/4 (+1/2)
Calves: 15" (+1/2)
I'm not a big guy, but I'm pretty proud of the results.
Thanks to HST and to you all guys. You've been encouraging me without even knowing it! Feel free to comment!
By the way, what do you think about my proportions. Because, to me, when I look in the mirror, I'm still seeing that skinny guy...
Thanks to you all for letting me share with you...
Hello. Rick here from San Diego and relatively new to HST. I'm in the middle of my second HST cycle and just had my bf and measurements checked. Here are my stats:
Beginning:
Age 48
Height 6'2
Weight 200
BF 26%
Chest 44
Waist 36
Arms 15.75
Thighs ?
Calves ?
After
Weight 203
BF 22%
Chest 45
Waist 35
Arms 16
Thighs 25
Calves 17
The bodyfat was measured using calipers measuring four sites, all upperbody. Each test was given by a different person so I don't think they are very accurate. It does show progress tho, gotta love that! Bodyweight is up and fat percentage is down, so based on these numbers, about 10 pounds of new muscle. My strength is way up, and I look in the mirror and think I see some definite improvement. My goal when I started was to enter a competition late next year, giving me a full twelve months of bulking, cleanly, before I start a precontest routine.
HST seems to be the ticket. What I find I really enjoy is being able to work every bodypart every workout. I never thought that was a good idea, but I think I'm beginning to instinctively grasp how this program works. On my old routine, I would do 5 or 6 sets of bench press once a week, for example, but the first 2 or 3 usually weren't the working weight and really didn't do a lot more than warm me up. That leaves 2 or 3 sets that are actually worth something. Now, I still do 6 sets a week, but every set means something. At the end of the week, I still feel like I've worked my chest, but I'm not as exhausted.
For the second cycle, I stuck with one set on each exercise during the 15's. For the ten's, which I think is when you grow the most, I do 1 or 2 sets per exercise, and split the workout into am (legs, chest, delts) and pm (back, bi's and tri's), three days a week. I really like this cuz I'm a house on fire right now, and I get to go to the gym more. Probably stick with two sets on the fives.
What confuses me is what happens after that. How long is that last macro cycle? How are negatives best performed? Something else that confuses me are "metabolic sets". Not sure what this means. Would that be like using certain "high intensity" techniques like partial reps, 21's, etc? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Take care
Rick
San Diego
Beginning:
Age 48
Height 6'2
Weight 200
BF 26%
Chest 44
Waist 36
Arms 15.75
Thighs ?
Calves ?
After
Weight 203
BF 22%
Chest 45
Waist 35
Arms 16
Thighs 25
Calves 17
The bodyfat was measured using calipers measuring four sites, all upperbody. Each test was given by a different person so I don't think they are very accurate. It does show progress tho, gotta love that! Bodyweight is up and fat percentage is down, so based on these numbers, about 10 pounds of new muscle. My strength is way up, and I look in the mirror and think I see some definite improvement. My goal when I started was to enter a competition late next year, giving me a full twelve months of bulking, cleanly, before I start a precontest routine.
HST seems to be the ticket. What I find I really enjoy is being able to work every bodypart every workout. I never thought that was a good idea, but I think I'm beginning to instinctively grasp how this program works. On my old routine, I would do 5 or 6 sets of bench press once a week, for example, but the first 2 or 3 usually weren't the working weight and really didn't do a lot more than warm me up. That leaves 2 or 3 sets that are actually worth something. Now, I still do 6 sets a week, but every set means something. At the end of the week, I still feel like I've worked my chest, but I'm not as exhausted.
For the second cycle, I stuck with one set on each exercise during the 15's. For the ten's, which I think is when you grow the most, I do 1 or 2 sets per exercise, and split the workout into am (legs, chest, delts) and pm (back, bi's and tri's), three days a week. I really like this cuz I'm a house on fire right now, and I get to go to the gym more. Probably stick with two sets on the fives.
What confuses me is what happens after that. How long is that last macro cycle? How are negatives best performed? Something else that confuses me are "metabolic sets". Not sure what this means. Would that be like using certain "high intensity" techniques like partial reps, 21's, etc? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Take care
Rick
San Diego
Finished 3rd cycle of HST, which I started in January 05. I've only managed 3 cycles since then due to unanticipated breaks because of illness, overtraining, and some trial & error learning to set up the cycles. Also, I have put on quite a bit of bodyfat due to experimenting with a prolonged bulking cycle which I carried over to HST from last fall. I've been relying on a digital scale for bodyfat readings so I don't know how accurate it is. Personal stats are: 46 yrs old, 295 lbs, 6 ft 2 in. Results are:
Start of 1st Cycle End of 3rd Cycle
Neck 17.5" 18.0"
Biceps 17" 18"
Forearm 12.5" 13.75"
Chest 47" 48"
Waist 43" 46"
Thigh 27.5" 29"
Calve 17.5 18.25
Lean Body Mass 173 lbs 187 lbs
I'm not sure if those gains were worth all the bodyfat I've accumulated but I am now an avid HST'er and will continue to study and use the method.
Start of 1st Cycle End of 3rd Cycle
Neck 17.5" 18.0"
Biceps 17" 18"
Forearm 12.5" 13.75"
Chest 47" 48"
Waist 43" 46"
Thigh 27.5" 29"
Calve 17.5 18.25
Lean Body Mass 173 lbs 187 lbs
I'm not sure if those gains were worth all the bodyfat I've accumulated but I am now an avid HST'er and will continue to study and use the method.
ChrisHouston
New Member
Hi all, just finished my first HST cycle, and here are the results.
Background
I had only been going to gym for two months prior to starting HST. I'm 29, 6'2.
Routine
I stuck with the routine I had been previously using, since it seemed to cover all bases and I was used to it, even though it was a little light on compound execises. Chest press, Shoulder press, Narrow grip lats, Leg extension, Leg curl, Bicep curl, Tricep extension. Crunches and hyperextensions, too, but unweighted an not using HST methods.
I measured my 15, 10, 5 and 2 RMs, and worked backwards from there, reducing each day by 7.5% so that each 2-week cycle started at about 70% of my max.I did one warmup set (half-weight) and 2 sets of each exercise per session. This meant on the final day of the cycle I did two sets at my rep-max. I used a 2-second up, 4-second-down cadence.
For negs, where possible, I did one limb at a time, using the other to aid on the concentric, five reps one side, then five reps other side. I'd measured my 2RM weeks before, but adjusted the weight until it was heavy enough that I wasn't able to hold the weight still mid-movement. The only exercise I couldn't do negs for was lat pulldown, for which i continued doing 5 reps at my (new) 5-rep max.
Nutrition
I wasn't very strict about nutrition, but worked out how much protein I needed to eat each day, and stuck to low-fat foots. I'm vegetarian, so most of that protein came from low fat cottage cheese, soya and other TVP ("textured vegetable protein" - fake meat, basically). In week 3 I started supplementing with Whey protein, but in week 6 moved to a high-protein, high-carb shake before and after workouts, which seemed to work much better. I also took a daily multivitamin, 5g creatine before workouts and 4g l-glutamine.
Results
I kept track of the measurements needed to calculate body fat percentage at http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/bfb. I averaged the two BF calculations. The first figure is the value the saturday before the first week of 15s, and the second figure is the value for the saturday after the last week of negs.
Weight: 163 -> 173 (+10lb, +6%)
BF%: 19.1% -> 16.6% (-2.5)
Lean muscle mass: 131.8 -> 144.3 (+12.5lb, +9.5%)
Body fat mass: 31.2 -> 28.7 (-2.5lb, -8%)
I didn't do extensive body measurements before I started, and can see from the BF records that my waist and navel measurements stayed fairly constant. My hip measurement increased by an inch over eight weeks. Chest I'd estimate at +2", biceps +1/2", but not having recorded the "before" measurements, I can't be sure. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the the gains in bulk.
Strength, however, is a different story. On the last day of 5s, on my second set of leg raises at the 5RM I'd measured 6 weeks earlier, I kind-of zoned out, and when I looked again I'd done 8 reps, not breaking a sweat. I continued to ten. After working out, I went back and found I could do ten reps at my previous five rep max on all exercises. I measured my 5 RM again similarly at the end of the negs cycle, and found it had also increaded quite significantly. On average, I'm lifting 22% heavier weights than I could at the beginning of the cycle. (Most improved: Shoulder press, 33%, least improved: Bicep curls, 13%).
Future plans
A break from HST while I move on to some new free-weight exercises, then another round. I won't use l-glutamine again after reading brian's article on it, but will add CLA or flaxseed oil next time.
Chris.
Background
I had only been going to gym for two months prior to starting HST. I'm 29, 6'2.
Routine
I stuck with the routine I had been previously using, since it seemed to cover all bases and I was used to it, even though it was a little light on compound execises. Chest press, Shoulder press, Narrow grip lats, Leg extension, Leg curl, Bicep curl, Tricep extension. Crunches and hyperextensions, too, but unweighted an not using HST methods.
I measured my 15, 10, 5 and 2 RMs, and worked backwards from there, reducing each day by 7.5% so that each 2-week cycle started at about 70% of my max.I did one warmup set (half-weight) and 2 sets of each exercise per session. This meant on the final day of the cycle I did two sets at my rep-max. I used a 2-second up, 4-second-down cadence.
For negs, where possible, I did one limb at a time, using the other to aid on the concentric, five reps one side, then five reps other side. I'd measured my 2RM weeks before, but adjusted the weight until it was heavy enough that I wasn't able to hold the weight still mid-movement. The only exercise I couldn't do negs for was lat pulldown, for which i continued doing 5 reps at my (new) 5-rep max.
Nutrition
I wasn't very strict about nutrition, but worked out how much protein I needed to eat each day, and stuck to low-fat foots. I'm vegetarian, so most of that protein came from low fat cottage cheese, soya and other TVP ("textured vegetable protein" - fake meat, basically). In week 3 I started supplementing with Whey protein, but in week 6 moved to a high-protein, high-carb shake before and after workouts, which seemed to work much better. I also took a daily multivitamin, 5g creatine before workouts and 4g l-glutamine.
Results
I kept track of the measurements needed to calculate body fat percentage at http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/bfb. I averaged the two BF calculations. The first figure is the value the saturday before the first week of 15s, and the second figure is the value for the saturday after the last week of negs.
Weight: 163 -> 173 (+10lb, +6%)
BF%: 19.1% -> 16.6% (-2.5)
Lean muscle mass: 131.8 -> 144.3 (+12.5lb, +9.5%)
Body fat mass: 31.2 -> 28.7 (-2.5lb, -8%)
I didn't do extensive body measurements before I started, and can see from the BF records that my waist and navel measurements stayed fairly constant. My hip measurement increased by an inch over eight weeks. Chest I'd estimate at +2", biceps +1/2", but not having recorded the "before" measurements, I can't be sure. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the the gains in bulk.
Strength, however, is a different story. On the last day of 5s, on my second set of leg raises at the 5RM I'd measured 6 weeks earlier, I kind-of zoned out, and when I looked again I'd done 8 reps, not breaking a sweat. I continued to ten. After working out, I went back and found I could do ten reps at my previous five rep max on all exercises. I measured my 5 RM again similarly at the end of the negs cycle, and found it had also increaded quite significantly. On average, I'm lifting 22% heavier weights than I could at the beginning of the cycle. (Most improved: Shoulder press, 33%, least improved: Bicep curls, 13%).
Future plans
A break from HST while I move on to some new free-weight exercises, then another round. I won't use l-glutamine again after reading brian's article on it, but will add CLA or flaxseed oil next time.
Chris.
ChelNam Guerrilla
New Member
^^How old are you?
