[bigmark1972]

• All maxes should be established before beginning the first cycle. Your maxes will determine what weights you will use throughout the entire cycle. Find your 15 rep, 10 rep, and 5 rep max lifts for each exercise you are going to use. For the second cycle simply add 5-10 pounds to all lifts.

• There is an obligatory increase in weight (from 5-20 lbs.) each workout. This means that at times you may be working with less than your maximum weight for any given rep scheme. This is by design. You will reach max poundages for a given rep range on the last workout of each two week block.

• Determining weights for each workout: Assign your max weights to the final workout of each 2 week block. Then, in 5-10 pound increments, assign weights in decreasing fashion starting from the last workout working backward to the first. So, for example, if your 10 rep max is 200 pounds, assign 200 pounds for the last workout of the 10 rep block, then assign weights that build up to your max in 6 workouts. For our example, using 5 pound increments, the weights for the whole 2 week block would be 175,180,185,190,195, and 200. Do this for each exercise for each rep scheme.


OK, I am not getting this so after you are done you are doing what you could do before you even started, someone explain this to me? Sounds interesting but this aspect of it makes me wonder?

[iron addict]

Many programs have you start out a little on the light side and build to your current max effort weights before moving past them. It is just another method of intensity cycling and a extremely important aspect of productive training. Most people (newer trainees usually) think it's a waste of time--they are WRONG!

While I am not a fan of the HST training system for anyone but rank beginners, I am a fan of incorporating ALL aspects of a designed program instead of mixing and matching to suit your tastes. If it doesn't work for you as written, THEN make your changes to the basic format that seem to make sense to you.

Iron Addict

[CDB]

Originally Posted by bigmark1972

OK, I am not getting this so after you are done you are doing what you could do before you even started, someone explain this to me? Sounds interesting but this aspect of it makes me wonder?

You don't need to train with your max possible weight to cause enough trauma to the muscle to induce hypertrophy, but your muscles dvelop a resistance to being damaged by a certain weight after as little as one workout with that weight, called the Repeat Bout Effect. Therefore if you want to keep damaging the muscles as much as possible you can start at a lighter weight, just enough to cause damage, and increase the weight every workout to overcome the muscle's resistance to being damaged.

The bottom line is you have to damage the muscle to make it grow, you don't need to work with your max to do that damage and your muscles develop an immunity, for lack of a better word, to being damaged by the same weight more than once. If muscle hypertrophy is your goal, consistent weight increases are very important, working with your max weight isn't.

[bigmark1972]

I usually train hit style and I feel like a pussy if I do not take it to failure. I am definately not a newbie. I am having trouble getting past 270 and my strength gains are slowing down. I need to switch up my style of training but I'm not sure hst is gonna be the next one I try.Was looking into GVT but I don't like the idea of not breaking a sweat for my first 6 sets, seems like a total waste to me. I have the whole hit mentality stuck in my head it has worked well for most of my life. I also like dogg crapps method and that has worked well for me also but it is similar to hit only more frequent. I like the frequent concept, that's what let me to HST with HIT I think there is too much time between bodyparts.

[CDB]

Originally Posted by bigmark1972

I usually train hit style and I feel like a pussy if I do not take it to failure. I am definately not a newbie. I am having trouble getting past 270 and my strength gains are slowing down. I need to switch up my style of training but I'm not sure hst is gonna be the next one I try.Was looking into GVT but I don't like the idea of not breaking a sweat for my first 6 sets, seems like a total waste to me. I have the whole hit mentality stuck in my head it has worked well for most of my life. I also like dogg crapps method and that has worked well for me also but it is similar to hit only more frequent. I like the frequent concept, that's what let me to HST with HIT I think there is too much time between bodyparts.

Being Stuck at 270 makes me think you should look into specific strength training methods rather than HST. HST is geared towards hypertrophy, not strength. Your strength gains come slower on HST. Increasing the frequency would probably be a good thing. Don't go for a program that isn't designed to give you what you want though, which seems to be strength.

[bigmark1972]

Don't go for a program that isn't designed to give you what you want though, which seems to be strength

Actually, I am trying to get back to my all time high of 287# I am on a comeback and my progress has slowed. I am already the strongest person at my gym, (I work out at the YMCA lol). Just getting a little concerned with the slowdown, I know I need a mix-up of some kind.