MrKleen73
Legend
Is this Bryan Haycock's HST program? If so it has changed quite a bit. However it was very effective for me when i used his old methods. If so, did you do a strategic deconditioning period before starting?
Test P + NPP + Tbol
- Thread starter 1ifeblood
- Start date
1ifeblood
Well-known member
Yes it is and I did. Backed off from lifting heavy for a couple weeks but about 50% while maintaining the cardio and finding the weights I'd be starting with. I know this isn't exactly like his set up because of be doing the same main exercises every workout and increasing every time. I've just come to really prefer a range of angles and planes of resistance across every muscle group. So I rely more on perceived intensity. And weight increments are greater from week to week. So where it might be bench press +10 Monday, +10 Wednesday, +10 Friday...I'll increase +20-30 lbs From Wednesday to Wednesday.
I'll definitely have to check out the updated version of HST as it's a protocol I adopted into my workouts YEARS ago but haven't followed up in awhile.
I'll definitely have to check out the updated version of HST as it's a protocol I adopted into my workouts YEARS ago but haven't followed up in awhile.
1ifeblood
Well-known member
I appreciate your insight and am definitely going to be pushing the limits of my rep ranges this week as I'll be shifting into 3x10s the following week. But my goal was never to gain 10 lbs of muscle. I mean not ftom this cycle anyway. The goal of this cycle is to balance some significant asymmetry across my left and right sides. Not only in muscle mass but also in how my CNS moves resistance through space (weight or body). Because it is very apparent to me that I push and pull differently across sides which is obviously how I got the imbalances in the first place. That's the purpose of the lighter weight and TUT. I get A LOT of stimulus from light weight when I connect with the movement and maintain proper form. My body will start to shake violently by the end of the set and I actually sweat when I rarely would from lifting weights alone. I know gear plays a part in that but it still signifies the response my body is having to it.
1ifeblood
Well-known member
Wednesday:
I was still sick — head congestion, foggy, just overall rough. I missed my Wednesday lift completely. I hate missing a training day, and mentally it threw me off more than the physical symptoms did. But I also knew I pushed too hard last week (two drinking sessions with my cousin, then drinks again with my girlfriend on Sunday), so it wasn’t exactly a mystery why my body shut me down. I just had to accept it.
Thursday:
Still congested, still not sleeping great, but I stayed on schedule with everything else.
Injection was left glute on Thursday. Smooth. No pip.
Friday:
This was my makeup session for the missed Wednesday workout.
And honestly? It felt good. Really good. I pushed the weights harder than my usual incremental jumps and I’m definitely creeping toward the top end of the 15-rep range. One more week of these 15s before I transition into the 3×10 block, so this was a nice confidence boost after feeling like crap most of the week.
Friday’s (Wednesday Replacement) Workout:
Barbell Bench Press
95 × 15
105 × 15
Hack Squat
140 × 15
140 × 15
Weighted Pull-Up
125 × 15
125 × 10
125 × 3
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
20 × 15
20 × 15
Cable Kneeling Crunch (Rope)
100 × 12
100 × 4
100 × 4
100 × 4
100 × 4
100 × 4
Low Cable Single Arm Chest Raise
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
Iso Cable Upper Chest Crossover
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
Single-Arm Rope Kickback
25 × 11
20 × 4
20 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
10 × 4
Saturday:
Off day. Still some congestion but feeling better. Sleep still isn’t normal but at least I’m trending upward.
Sunday (Today – Day 19):
Prop 50 mg
NPP 100 mg
Aromasin 12.5 mg
My quad pip is improving, too — the last quad shot had way less irritation than the first one, so the sites are starting to settle in.
Emotionally, this week took more of a toll on me than the training itself. I hate being out of sync with my routine, and I’m always harder on myself when I feel like I’m slipping out of discipline. But I stayed on top of the big things, and being sick is just the body’s way of forcing a reset. I’m good. I’m ready to tighten things back up and hit this coming week with some aggression.
I was still sick — head congestion, foggy, just overall rough. I missed my Wednesday lift completely. I hate missing a training day, and mentally it threw me off more than the physical symptoms did. But I also knew I pushed too hard last week (two drinking sessions with my cousin, then drinks again with my girlfriend on Sunday), so it wasn’t exactly a mystery why my body shut me down. I just had to accept it.
Thursday:
Still congested, still not sleeping great, but I stayed on schedule with everything else.
Injection was left glute on Thursday. Smooth. No pip.
Friday:
This was my makeup session for the missed Wednesday workout.
And honestly? It felt good. Really good. I pushed the weights harder than my usual incremental jumps and I’m definitely creeping toward the top end of the 15-rep range. One more week of these 15s before I transition into the 3×10 block, so this was a nice confidence boost after feeling like crap most of the week.
Friday’s (Wednesday Replacement) Workout:
Barbell Bench Press
95 × 15
105 × 15
Hack Squat
140 × 15
140 × 15
Weighted Pull-Up
125 × 15
125 × 10
125 × 3
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
20 × 15
20 × 15
Cable Kneeling Crunch (Rope)
100 × 12
100 × 4
100 × 4
100 × 4
100 × 4
100 × 4
Low Cable Single Arm Chest Raise
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
Iso Cable Upper Chest Crossover
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
Single-Arm Rope Kickback
25 × 11
20 × 4
20 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
10 × 4
Saturday:
Off day. Still some congestion but feeling better. Sleep still isn’t normal but at least I’m trending upward.
Sunday (Today – Day 19):
Prop 50 mg
NPP 100 mg
Aromasin 12.5 mg
My quad pip is improving, too — the last quad shot had way less irritation than the first one, so the sites are starting to settle in.
Emotionally, this week took more of a toll on me than the training itself. I hate being out of sync with my routine, and I’m always harder on myself when I feel like I’m slipping out of discipline. But I stayed on top of the big things, and being sick is just the body’s way of forcing a reset. I’m good. I’m ready to tighten things back up and hit this coming week with some aggression.
BBiceps
Well-known member
Just because you sweat and “shake violently” doesn’t mean you actually build muscles. You might fix your imbalances but it won’t be any growth unless you lift heavier.
It’s ok, as long as you are happy it doesn’t matter, I’m checking out and won’t be adding my input anymore, good luck!
Smont
Legend
I gotta agree with biceps, the weights your using won't build any muscle mass. your working sets are less then my warm up sets, there's nothing to adapt to. Your goal is to get as strong as possible in a bodybuilding rep range. Heavy is relative. 225x5 is heavy. But if you can do 225x12-15 it's no longer heavy. You need to establish a base of strength and build on it. Your cable crunch is as heavy as your bench press! Your not going to get anywhere with that. I hate to overanalyze your stuff, I'm a little ocd with training stuff and I hate seeing people spin there wheels like this
1ifeblood
Well-known member
All good, brother! I’m not confusing sweating or shaking with hypertrophy. I know exactly what creates growth...progressive overload, mechanical tension, and recovery.
TUT and lighter work are just tools I’m using right now to clean up some left–right asymmetry and retrain my CNS patterns before I move into heavier loading. It’s not a forever thing, it’s a phase. I start pushing heavier this coming week and then transition into 3×10’s as planned. From there it's 6x5's. So heavy is coming, I promise!
1ifeblood
Well-known member
Please analyze lol! That's why I put every detail on here. And I really do appreciate all the feedback and conversation. It's what I'm here for!
Basically my main goal right now is correcting imbalances so that when I do load heavy, I’m not reinforcing the same compensations that caused issues in the first place. My bench is super light because that's where my main problem lies. I really have to focus on how I'm pressing because I'm not lined up right at all. I'm not sure when it happened. I injured my shoulder some years ago when snowboarding. Maybe? I also get rib subluxations in my mid back that are often caused by posture/muscular imbalances. But I've gotten them since I was a kid so maybe this originates much further back. Either way it's become something that I'm being intentional about fixing, because after the last stuck rib I got, I'm done messing with it! So as strange as it sounds, building muscle really is not my goal here. I'm on gear to get the edge it provides, though even then I'm on a pretty low dose. And okay, I kinda like sticking myself. What?
1ifeblood
Well-known member
Still fighting this cold. It’s moved into my chest, the coughing has been rough, and sleep has taken a hit because of it. But I’m pushing through. Interestingly, I’ve actually felt ramped up in my training.
I made a pretty eye-opening discovery during bench press setup. When I laid back and reached along the lower brace bar to stretch out, my left pec and front delt were under noticeably more tension than my right. My right arm rested comfortably, but the left felt like it was being pulled forward. That’s when it clicked: my left shoulder naturally rotates forward, even when I think I’m lining up evenly.
As soon as I consciously rotated the shoulder back and brought the elbow forward, the stretch evened out exactly like the right side. Once I saw it there, I realized it’s showing up everywhere...chin-ups, pulldowns, straight-arm pushdowns. Any time I’m pulling or pressing, my left shoulder wants to climb up and roll forward. Keeping it back and down takes actual effort and strain. The right shoulder does it automatically, the left one doesn't.
That also lines up with the stuck rib issues I get on that side. After Wednesday’s workout it felt like it might flare up, but it settled down. So nothing aggravated, but the pattern is obvious now. I’m paying very close attention to shoulder position and symmetry through every rep.
This week starts 3×10s. It’ll probably end up looking more like 3×10–12 the first week, then narrowing toward 3×8–10 by the end of the block as the weights climb. The priority is progressive load every single session.
Hard to believe I’m already at the end of month one. Time is moving fast. Even with this cold throwing off my sleep and motivation, I still feel dialed into my workouts. I’m not letting myself fall into old patterns. Historically, whenever I’d feel myself slipping off routine, I’d let myself slide into that comfort zone of checking out. Not anymore.
There’s too much purpose behind what I’m building in my life. Too much on the line to just let it go. This version of me isn’t disappearing. This is the path I've chosen and I’m staying on it.
So onward we go!
Monday — Nov 24, 2025
Barbell Squat
145 × 15
145 × 15
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
45 × 15
45 × 10
Leverage Machine High Row
70 × 15
70 × 15
Barbell RDL
135 × 15
135 × 10
135 × 5
Decline Weighted Crunch
10 × 12
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
Single Leg Balance Squat
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
Machine Single-Leg Seated Curl
40 × 12
40 × 4
40 × 4
40 × 4
40 × 4
40 × 4
Machine Seated Single-Leg Calf Raise
25 × 12
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
Wednesday — Nov 26, 2025
Barbell Bench Press
135 × 15
135 × 13
Hack Squat
180 × 15
180 × 15
Weighted Pull-Up (Assisted)
130 × 12
130 × 3 (rest pause)
130 × 8
130 × 3 (rest pause)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
25 × 15
25 × 15
Low Cable Single-Arm Chest Raise
20 × 12
20 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
Iso Cable Upper Chest Crossover
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
Cable Kneeling Crunch (Rope)
110 × 12
110 × 4
110 × 4
110 × 4
110 × 4
110 × 4
Single-Arm Rope Kickback
30 × 12
30 × 4
30 × 4
30 × 4
30 × 4
30 × 4
Friday — Nov 28, 2025
Barbell Deadlift
185 × 15
185 × 15
Seated Chest Press
60 × 15
60 × 15
Machine Seated Row
75 × 15
80 × 15
100 × 15
Isolateral Machine Lat Pulldown (Neutral)
80 × 15
80 × 15
Hanging Knee Raise
12
4
4
4
4
4
Single Straight-Arm Pushdown
25 × 12
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
Single-Arm Cable Y-Fly
10 × 12
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
5 × 4
5 × 4
Cable One-Arm Reverse Curl
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
I made a pretty eye-opening discovery during bench press setup. When I laid back and reached along the lower brace bar to stretch out, my left pec and front delt were under noticeably more tension than my right. My right arm rested comfortably, but the left felt like it was being pulled forward. That’s when it clicked: my left shoulder naturally rotates forward, even when I think I’m lining up evenly.
As soon as I consciously rotated the shoulder back and brought the elbow forward, the stretch evened out exactly like the right side. Once I saw it there, I realized it’s showing up everywhere...chin-ups, pulldowns, straight-arm pushdowns. Any time I’m pulling or pressing, my left shoulder wants to climb up and roll forward. Keeping it back and down takes actual effort and strain. The right shoulder does it automatically, the left one doesn't.
That also lines up with the stuck rib issues I get on that side. After Wednesday’s workout it felt like it might flare up, but it settled down. So nothing aggravated, but the pattern is obvious now. I’m paying very close attention to shoulder position and symmetry through every rep.
This week starts 3×10s. It’ll probably end up looking more like 3×10–12 the first week, then narrowing toward 3×8–10 by the end of the block as the weights climb. The priority is progressive load every single session.
Hard to believe I’m already at the end of month one. Time is moving fast. Even with this cold throwing off my sleep and motivation, I still feel dialed into my workouts. I’m not letting myself fall into old patterns. Historically, whenever I’d feel myself slipping off routine, I’d let myself slide into that comfort zone of checking out. Not anymore.
There’s too much purpose behind what I’m building in my life. Too much on the line to just let it go. This version of me isn’t disappearing. This is the path I've chosen and I’m staying on it.
So onward we go!
Monday — Nov 24, 2025
Barbell Squat
145 × 15
145 × 15
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
45 × 15
45 × 10
Leverage Machine High Row
70 × 15
70 × 15
Barbell RDL
135 × 15
135 × 10
135 × 5
Decline Weighted Crunch
10 × 12
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
Single Leg Balance Squat
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
Machine Single-Leg Seated Curl
40 × 12
40 × 4
40 × 4
40 × 4
40 × 4
40 × 4
Machine Seated Single-Leg Calf Raise
25 × 12
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
Wednesday — Nov 26, 2025
Barbell Bench Press
135 × 15
135 × 13
Hack Squat
180 × 15
180 × 15
Weighted Pull-Up (Assisted)
130 × 12
130 × 3 (rest pause)
130 × 8
130 × 3 (rest pause)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
25 × 15
25 × 15
Low Cable Single-Arm Chest Raise
20 × 12
20 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
Iso Cable Upper Chest Crossover
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
Cable Kneeling Crunch (Rope)
110 × 12
110 × 4
110 × 4
110 × 4
110 × 4
110 × 4
Single-Arm Rope Kickback
30 × 12
30 × 4
30 × 4
30 × 4
30 × 4
30 × 4
Friday — Nov 28, 2025
Barbell Deadlift
185 × 15
185 × 15
Seated Chest Press
60 × 15
60 × 15
Machine Seated Row
75 × 15
80 × 15
100 × 15
Isolateral Machine Lat Pulldown (Neutral)
80 × 15
80 × 15
Hanging Knee Raise
12
4
4
4
4
4
Single Straight-Arm Pushdown
25 × 12
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
25 × 4
Single-Arm Cable Y-Fly
10 × 12
10 × 4
10 × 4
10 × 4
5 × 4
5 × 4
Cable One-Arm Reverse Curl
15 × 12
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
15 × 4
gphagan1
Legend
That’s good you noticed the extra tightness in your left shoulder and pec, and that it rotates forward. Hopefully you can make adjustments as you workout and can compensate for it until it starts to even out. Doing some rear delt work may help, by strengthening the rear delts to help keep shoulders back while pressing.
1ifeblood
Well-known member
Thank you! I did incline db press today, weights getting heavier. I'm really trying to be mindful to press symmetrically but I notice my left front delt gets worked way more than my right. I felt like I maintained proper form but was still having to be very deliberate about keeping that shoulder back and down.
For specific rear delt work I do what I call Y flies (don't know what their actually called). It's like the reverse to cable crossovers, pulley is about hip height and I pull from across body to a standing Y. I'm doing single arm versions. It hits traps, rhoms, and side/rear delt head, but my focus is on the delt. They get worked pretty good. I also used to do the DB lifts where you're replicating the movement of "pulling up your pants", apparently those are supposed to be really good for rotator cuff health. Maybe I should work those back in.