HST - yay or nay?

[ddouble]

positive results from HST

I'm in the middle of my second HST cycle. I've found it to be very productive. After my first cycle, my weight stayed constant (210), while I lost an inch on my waist and picked up an inch on my legs (26.5") and kept other measurements constant (arms - 18" , chest - 48", calves - 17"). It satisfies the desire for increased training frequency while balancing the issues of CNS fatigue & progressive load. Ultimately, I think it forces you to view hypertrophy as a process bigger than just "sets and reps". Unfortunately, a lot of people aren't willing to try a cycle (by the book!) to see if it works - they seem content to blindly bash it.

 

[Mudge]

Originally posted by Rob_NC
Since the original post is nearly a year old now, are you still on the program? If so, how's is working for you?

Nope! I went through one cycle and cut the second week of the 5 rep period out totally, my left elbow could not take it. I am considering revisiting it, and I wanted to pass the articles here to someone who is stuck in a rut.

 

[Charger]

I tried one week and hated it! I walked out of the gym feeling like I hadn't hit anything right, just everything halfassed.

 

[Tha Don]

i'd be willing to try something like this

theres a few other things i'd like to try first and i still think i can make progress doing what i'm doing, but yeah its gotta be tried n' tested, might work... might not

Mudge you ever get round to doing another cycle?

peace

 

[Mudge]

I think I did for a week or something but not a full 5/6 weeker, maybe someday in the future. When I did use the program I liked it, great changeup, but I am using a pretty traditional 5 day layout right now with a day off as I feel appropriate (with the holidays it is forced, Xmas, New Years etc).

 

[Twin Peak]

Personally, I am not a fan if HST for two reasons:

1) I hated the workout. Out of sheer curiousity I may do a modified HST someday, using the progessive loading principles, with the full body workout split into two days.

2) I don't think it is the most effective method of training (for me).

 

[Mudge]

When running 30 second rest periods it is a sweat-a-thon. I increased sets on some things, probably back and legs.

 

[Twin Peak]

I was miserable training the entire body.

I have enjoyed Staley's EDT program, however.

 

[Mudge]

Ahh, I split everything in half after my first day trying whole body, talk about a WORKOUT (too long also).

So I was 6 on 1 off.

 

[Power Rabbit]

When I start gear and my overtrain limit will be increaced I do think I wanna try a full body train.

GP sould make us a full body workout

 

[Mudge]

It wont be increased so much that you should be in the gym 5 hours a day. I also prefer to have higher volume than a full body routine in an hour allows.

Moreover, if you could really spend 35 hours a week in the gym doing full body routines daily, with the same volume as normal (say an hour x 5 per day), you would be on a serious road to injury. While the muscles can grow fast, connective tissue does not, in fact it is inhibited by many steroids. I have pushed all the way to a 4 day workout with a day off every 2-3 weeks.

Search on collagen synthesis, I have posted on it.

 

[OmarJackson]

i've been skimming over the sample routine for HST and i noticed that he has you altering between incline bench and dips, every other workout increasing each lift by 10lbs. my question is could i just stick to flat bench for every workout and just increase the weight by 5lbs each time, or just to incline the whole time if my upper chest is lagging?

also, it says that HST causes you to train to failure once every two weeks (when you've reached your max lifts for the rep range), but how is this so? shouldn't you have gotten stronger so that what was, say, your 5-rep max weight way back when you started the cycle now lower than your new 5-rep max?

one more thing, i'm don't completly understand the negative portion of the training cycle. do you use weights that are hevier than your 5-rep max? if so, how much heavier, and how many negatives should you perform?

 

[Mudge]

You can do whatever you want, but the plan is there for a reason. The increase of xx pounds for instance, seemingly impossible, is part of the forced plan of adjust or fail.

Negatives usually connotates that you use a heavier weight than you can lift yourself. Since I have no training partner I could not follow the program to the letter of the law and just taylored it to fit me.

Some things could be done on a smith with negatives, I cannot and will not flat bench on a smith it kills my shoulders.

 

[Downtown Guy]

One caveat with the HST routine. If you are susceptible to soft tissue injuries, this routine could be problematic as it easily leads to overtraining, IMO. All of the vulnerable areas are at risk; especially knees, shoulders and elbows. Maybe this in only a problem for us old, arthritic folk!

 

[FortifiedIron]

HST isnt for everyone, but its a very very good program.

You should also check out the DFHT program, IMO is even more sound then HST.

Kc

 

[neanderthal]

where can we find the DFHT program?

 

[FortifiedIron]

Just search google


Kc

 

[Stickboy]

It's here.

DFHT

 

[Larva]

well i am thinking of trying this HST stuff but i am just wondering how long should you stay on something like this and for Mudge were you clean when on this program or uing? thanks for ya time larva

 

[Mudge]

At one point I was doing 1/8th on my arms daily, no I was not 'clean,' this was during my first cycle actually.

I only stayed on 5 weeks, my left elbow couldn't take a second week of 5 reps. I added probably about 55 pounds to my bench during this HST period.

I tried a similar program years prior though and made awesome gains, long before I had access to anything special. I made all my stretch marks during that period of time, now almost 10 years gone.

 

[Randy]

http://www.testosterone.net/articles/216hyp.html

Not very familiar with it as far as calling it "HST", but like I have mentioned in a couple threads, I grew like mad training the entire body every 2 days (3 times a week).

So, with that in mind, and what is said in the article - which is exactly the basis of the program I was on (train through being sore, train often, etc), what do you folks think of it? Has anyone tried it, and has results to speak of?

Mudge, this link appears to be dead.

 

[Mudge]

They changed their site long ago, direct linking isn't so easy last I checked, and this post is 2 1/2 years old bro.

 

[Randy]

Ahhhhh ok.. wow! Didn't notice it was so old

 

[brogers]

Anyone still using this program? Can you post your results? I'm strongly considering trying it, I like the idea of high frequency.

 

[Mudge]

Its 5-6 weeks long, nothing wrong with trying it.

 

[KPorter]

i'm interested in trying something like this, but the problem is that my job is very labour intensive (i work at a grocery store, so lots of lifting and standing on my feet for 8 hours every other day). do you think by doing this routine and working, that i'd easily overtrain?

 

[brogers]

Its 5-6 weeks long, nothing wrong with trying it.

Good point. I'll definitely give it a try.

 

[Mudge]

i'm interested in trying something like this, but the problem is that my job is very labour intensive (i work at a grocery store, so lots of lifting and standing on my feet for 8 hours every other day). do you think by doing this routine and working, that i'd easily overtrain?

The frequency is more and the volume is less, you dont do any more work than you would otherwise do.

 

[Decker]

I used to train in this manner about 6 years ago--4 days (at least) per week; a full body workout, sometimes up to 2 1/2 hours per workout (this was before I'd ever heard of overtraining). I weighed in at about 220 at 6'1"--at my peak, my chest was 51" and arms were 18 3/4". The gains were great, but every now and then I had to take a week off just to recuperate from the mental fatigue. It is a torturous routine. But I'm back on a variation of it now.

 

[brogers]

I used to train in this manner about 6 years ago--4 days (at least) per week; a full body workout, sometimes up to 2 1/2 hours per workout (this was before I'd ever heard of overtraining). I weighed in at about 220 at 6'1"--at my peak, my chest was 51" and arms were 18 3/4". The gains were great, but every now and then I had to take a week off just to recuperate from the mental fatigue. It is a torurous routine. But I'm back on a variation of it now.

Thanks Decker, good results.