Various training styles

[ReaperX]

Ok, I've been bodybuilding for about 1 1/2 yrs and have been switching from high reps/high sets and low reps/low sets with the weight adjusted accordingly.

I've been looking at different programs and it seems like a lot of them overlay and I am having a hard time differentiating them from another. Could someone give me the 50cent version on these training styles ?

-DC method
-HIT
-5x5

I've read about HST and Heavy Duty, but I'm not sure about those 3, esp. DC vs. HIT. Thanks.

 

[bishop17]

anyone????

 

[lazerss9]

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good readings which can kinda explain the differences. i think, but dont quote me:

5x5 is low volume, high intensity, 5 sets of 5 reps 3 days/week with two different routines/week,

DC is bunch of warmup sets, then one high intensity rest/pause set and stretching 3 days/week w/2 different routines/week, and

HST is low volume, high intensity, low sets, higher reps w/a few exercies/body part 3 days/week with the same routine every workout.

thats what i get from them for the most part, but if anyone is more knowledgeable, feel free to correct any mistakes.

edit: just saw that u said hit, not hst. my fault.

 

[SteelEntity]

I am not an expert by any means but I do read up and have tried many many routines and have come to conclude that their seem to be infinite routines out there claiming to be better then the next one. But if you look at the whole picture, all routines (mass/strength routines) equate to one thing, stimulating the muscle and increasing weight . Their are several ways to do this and and in my opinion how you do it is not important, it's the end result that is.

For example look at the HIT routine. You may do 1 set of bench press with the upmost intensity and extremely slow cadence which will result in stimulating the muscle thus causing growth. You can argue HIT is effective because it allows you to fully exhaust the muscle in a very short period of time so your body is still in its prime time and their is no risk of entering a catobolic state. This is a good point but any smart lifter should not be in the gym more then 1h anyhow.

The 5x5 routine is similar to the HIT routine in that the main goal is strength. Increasing strength will undoubtedly result in increased size because the muscle must compensate for increased stress. If strength is increasing then that indicates you are stimulating the muscle. A beginner can increase strength to a great extent without seeing much gains in mass simply because his muscle efficiency is low.

To sum it up, their are many ways one can increase his deadlift by next month, how one does that is unimportant as long as it suits him/her. If the weight is heavy and you are consistantly improving on lifts then you must be doing something right. With increased weight comes mass... simple as that. A HIT,5x5 and numerous other routines could cause identical results if the right objective is completed.

maybe I'll do 4 sets of 8 at medium intensity but the overall volume can ultimately = muscle stimulus

maybe I'll do 1 set of 10, taking 6 seconds per rep and pretending if I don't complete the lift i'll get shot (very high intensity) which can = muscle stimulus.

maybe i'll lift do as many reps possible in 45 sec which can = muscle stimulus

And I could go on and on but you get the point.

I know I failed to mention a **** load of other details like rest and nutrition but I'm tired. I don't know if this post is really that relevant to the original question but I tend to ramble on.

 

[lazerss9]

:goodpost:

id rep u, but it wont let me.

 

[EctoPower]

Hey Reaper, I just saw this.

I say Max-OT all the way. Lot's of basic, old-school moves with lot's of weight. Simple and effective. I am a devoted Max-OT disciple. Other than a bum back I have to work around, I wouldn't lift any other way.

Here:

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But I don't know anything about the other methods you mentioned. Seems like it's been covered anyway, so happy hunting!

 

[ReaperX]

Hey Reaper, I just saw this.

I say Max-OT all the way. Lot's of basic, old-school moves with lot's of weight. Simple and effective. I am a devoted Max-OT disciple. Other than a bum back I have to work around, I wouldn't lift any other way.

Here:

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But I don't know anything about the other methods you mentioned. Seems like it's been covered anyway, so happy hunting!

Thanks a lot guys. I appriciate all the help !


Ok, feel free to correct me if I am wrong. The Bill Starr 5x5 sets appears to include 5 minutes between each set ? If this is true, it would appear to me that the same muscle fibers would constantly be used each time instead of a progressive overload from additional muscle fibers.

Meaning......if the same ones get a chance to rest they'll be ready again, opposed to short rest periods leading to increased additional muscle fiber contractions ? I could be wrong on this, but the rest time seems quite long.

 

[SteelEntity]

Hey Reaper, I just saw this.

I say Max-OT all the way. Lot's of basic, old-school moves with lot's of weight. Simple and effective. I am a devoted Max-OT disciple. Other than a bum back I have to work around, I wouldn't lift any other way.

Here:

Invalid Link Removed

But I don't know anything about the other methods you mentioned. Seems like it's been covered anyway, so happy hunting!

Very true, Max-OT is an almost fail safe way to train. It is efficient and simple. The fact is you need to over load the muscle to force it to grow, max-ot is all about getting this done in a smart manner. The only downside to it is it requires you to be in the gym 5x/week, although the workouts are short and sweet. They don't take any longer then 40 mins and some are as short as 25. You can group 2 muscles together to save trips to the gym but as it points out it is very hard to maintain the intensity for 1 hour. Additionally after 40 min your body is not in it's prime state to train and can start releasing catabolic hormones.

 

[lazerss9]

Thanks a lot guys. I appriciate all the help !


Ok, feel free to correct me if I am wrong. The Bill Starr 5x5 sets appears to include 5 minutes between each set ? If this is true, it would appear to me that the same muscle fibers would constantly be used each time instead of a progressive overload from additional muscle fibers.

Meaning......if the same ones get a chance to rest they'll be ready again, opposed to short rest periods leading to increased additional muscle fiber contractions ? I could be wrong on this, but the rest time seems quite long.

if i remember correctly, its like 1-2 minutes between the first 4 sets and then 5 minutes between the 4th and 5th. i thought the rest periods were too long, so i just shortened them to however long i could stand sitting around(maybe a minute max), and i still saw good results. i think a lot of people will switch to a 5x5 for a few weeks to increase strength and shock the body and then go back to their old/normal routine.