I'm New, Please help me get started on to the HST Program

Just some comments about the workout chosen. And I haven't read this entire post, so maybe this was already discussed. But to the OP, why have you selected only 2 (maybe 3) compounds per workout? I know keeping things simple is good, but you will be missing out on some major muscle groups here. Why limit yourself to Squats, Deads, Bench and Press? You should consider at least another upper body pull like row like pullups, chinups, row or at least latt pulldown.

Just some thoughts and things to consider. And again, if this has already been hashed out earlier, then I do appologize. But if you are just putting your exercises together and going through all the prep work of understanding your RMs, then you will want to make sure you get the most out of it.

I hope you do well and succeed.
 
I agree with Totz that you don't want to have both squats and deads in the same workout. Those are total body compound exercises. There is nothing else that so taxes you entire musculature and CNS as do squats and deads. I'd recommend splitting them into separate workouts.

On the other hand, I prefer doing my squats and deads first. That way I have plenty of energy to make the big lifts. After that, I do my tris and bis and upper body stuff. You'll need to experiment to see what works best for you.
 
Exactly, you just have to see what works best for you. I am a big proponent of experimenting with order of lifts to find out what works best for you.
 
Totentanz said:
I would definitely not do the split that way. It would work better to do a push/pull split or just fullbody each time and alternate exercises. I would probably go with something closer to the following:

A
Bench Press
Triceps
Squats

B
Shoulder Press
Biceps
Deadlift

Mainly because I think that doing squats and deads in the same workout will mean you cannot dedicate yourself wholly to one or the other. One of the two will be compromised due to the other lift. I also always do deadlifts last. I don't know about you, but after deadlifts, there is no way I am doing anything else that day.

I would consider keeping some of the exercises each time, however. Probably what I would do is more like this:


A
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Triceps
Squats

B
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Biceps
Deadlift

I think that split would be a little more favorable.
Click to expand...

Hi firstly thank you for your reply. I find myself really lost up now. I have read the replies that were left after yours and im really confused.
 
tdog47304 said:
Just some comments about the workout chosen. And I haven't read this entire post, so maybe this was already discussed. But to the OP, why have you selected only 2 (maybe 3) compounds per workout? I know keeping things simple is good, but you will be missing out on some major muscle groups here. Why limit yourself to Squats, Deads, Bench and Press? You should consider at least another upper body pull like row like pullups, chinups, row or at least latt pulldown.

Just some thoughts and things to consider. And again, if this has already been hashed out earlier, then I do appologize. But if you are just putting your exercises together and going through all the prep work of understanding your RMs, then you will want to make sure you get the most out of it.

I hope you do well and succeed.
Click to expand...

I understand what you mean. But If I chose 2 exercises for bigger muscles that would mean My workout would take ever so long. I tried to break thinggs down so can fit mainly the compound moves for more muscle and mass. But if the majority of peopel think adding that extra exercise to the bogger muscles can make a more impact on maucle growth then I will add. The only problem Is I did all the hard work which was to find out my maxes for 15 reps,10,5 but now this means I ahve to do it all again.

Ok so you need to fix me up with my exercises please. The only thing is the list seems to get really big and will take atleast 2 hours as I take 3 mins rest on warm up sets and 5 mins before my main working set.

so here are a few chnges but could change the exercises as i go along. I need some help here guys please guide me..

Squats
Leg press
Inlcine bench press
Dips
Pull ups
Barbel rows
Shoulder Press
Bicep curls
Tricep extensions

Thats 9 exercises now and will definately atke alot of time if i try to keep it in 3 times perweek training. as sometimes i have to wait for people to finish off equipment before i can use it.

So iF I wanted to break this down into a split how would I do that?
Also if you noticed I have taken out deadlifts this time as its my first time round and dont wnat to take it so hard on myself. Also I have taken out bench press as my chest seem to be lacking maybe as iv been bench pressing week after week for years. so mayeb need a breakl from direct bench press and maybe do dips instead for lower pecs. Let me know what you think guys..
 
If I were going to add anything I would just do this:

A
Bench Press
Bentover or Chest supported Row
Shoulder Press
Triceps
Squats

B
Bench Press
Pulldowns or Chins
Shoulder Press
Biceps
Deadlift
 
Totentanz said:
If I were going to add anything I would just do this:

A
Bench Press
Bentover or Chest supported Row
Shoulder Press
Triceps
Squats

B
Bench Press
Pulldowns or Chins
Shoulder Press
Biceps
Deadlift
Click to expand...


Im sure the program said to train each muscle group 3 times per week. You have suggested bench press 6 times per week as its a A-B split. Should that have been Inlcine dumbell press in Group B. Same again with shoulder press its repeated in both groups meaning it will be trained 6 times per week.

What do you guys think.. Im I right?
 
Totentanz said:
If I were going to add anything I would just do this:

A
Bench Press
Bentover or Chest supported Row
Shoulder Press
Triceps
Squats

B
Bench Press
Pulldowns or Chins
Shoulder Press
Biceps
Deadlift
Click to expand...

I see this as rotating workouts. Monday - A, Wednesday - B, Friday/Saturday - A ect...
I like the addition of Shoulder Press because too often people want to build their chest and ignore their shoulders. Shoulder strength is vital for bench growth and also to prevent injury. I have been there. I pulled something in my shoulder/collar bone area a few years ago because I only "benched" and never worked my shoulders. Overhead Press is difficult and is not fun at the beginning. But once you build some strength - it can be an exciting exercise.

Rows, Chins/Pulldowns will assist in working your latts and back. Love the Rows!
I do hope all this information is helpful and does not take away from getting your working routine started. I feel that is so important to start off on the right foot and have a solid understanding of your excercises and why you are using them.
Now - get to work and start lifting!!!
 
You guys rae really great. I really appreciate you support and time in assisting. I know have a better understanding of how things should look like. I will break this down below. let me know what you think. Eve n though I am so eager to start this I will not rush it like i did before as last week I worked out all my mex reps for 15,10,5 but then youi mentioned that I wias missing some exercises and so now with the addition of these exrcises things looke really great.

Only question doing biceps before deadlifts would that hurt the amount I could lift if I did deadlifts first then biceps last?


Ok getting started to work out my maxes..

How should I lay this out in a week. Example monday I go in and work out my 15 rep maxes for:

Bench Press
Bentover
Shoulder Press
Triceps
Squats
Pulldowns
Biceps
Deadlift

Is the above right way of will I BURNING myself out?

Then take 2 days off rest and go in and perform the all the above again at 10 reps. then take 2 days off and do it again for 5 reps...

Ok I like the way the aplit is made up above. The only thing i want to ask evenn though it said train each body part 3 times per week meaning bench is done 3 shoulders is done 3rows is swtched will pulldowns, Squats swicthed with deadlifts, What about bicep and tricep in the same day. just a thought..

My days training after I wokred out my maxes will be Saturday / Monday / Wednesday 4 days rest.

After i worked out my maxes I will ahve to use the calculator to find out what weight should I be aiming to meet each main workout set right?

So for example it reads like this below,

1 2 3 4 5 6
Squats
Bicep 20 25 30kg 35 40 45
tricep 15 20 25kg 30 35 40

How do i use this info below for example as shown above i train tricep 3 x in 2 weeks and same with biceps. but it shows results for 6 workouts in the calculator..

Everything else looks great just need to know if this is the right way to find out your maxes. and how to use this calculator? as shown here above.

Thanks
 
I think RM testing every exercise in one session will make it hard to max out on the last few exercises. If you've been training a while, I see no reason to test on exercises on which you already have a handle on your max's. Also, trying to test all three max's in one week is going to limit you on the 5's. I personally test for either 5RM or 10RM, and use one of the calculators for estimating the other RM's. If I find during a cycle that a weight is too light or heavy I can make adjustments.

In regards to the bicep/deadlift question, biceps are not really involved in deadlifts so it shouldn't matter. My personal preference is to work larger muscle groups first, however.
 
I might let the experts help you on some of this. But I do like your final choice of exercises. i think most people would agree to rotate Squats with Deadlifts and when the weights get heavier possibly rotating your pulldowns/chin ups with your rows. This is almost the exact same workout that I use and I have found that when I get close to my RM, I struggle to get my reps in when lifting rows and pulldowns in the same workout. But if I rotate those two, I can lift my RM.
To your question about your arm iso's, I think the majority of folks would agree that if you choose to do them, they should absolute last in your workout. Even through biceps / triceps are not affected by the Deadlift, your focus should not be on isolation exercises. So put them last. And I would not stress about how to progress with your arm isolation "lifts". They are not a focus and are just mainly for ego or personal appearance. How ever you progress on those is up to you. You can keep the same rep scheme as your compounds, which is what I would do so you don't start confusing yourself.
Now go find your RMs and get this program started! You have done your homework to get the most out of HST.
 
YES I agree with you guys I would keep the arm work at the last position.
<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: memberaction_dropdown -->tdog47304 So you think its ok to continue training biceps and triceps same day for 3 times per week. Im waiting on the replies of the HST experts after I read they have to say I can get started on this. Thanks all..
 
Again, I am not an expert. This is my first time training with HST, but I am reading all the forums and have picked up quite a bit. I currently train biceps and triceps on each workout at the very end of the workout. It has not disrupted any of my other lifts so I will continue. If they ever start effecting any compound lifts, I will stop. But by being the last exercise of my workout and not going to failure - I don't see how they can hinder any of my other lifts. Maybe I am wrong - but that is my impression. I have noticed that I get a tremendous "pump" in my biceps after rows and then bicep curls to finish things. If I want to just go crazy I complete a small set of pullups and it feels like by arms/biceps are going to explode. I like it personally and have seen a little growth in my arms. I am through my 15's and 4 workouts into my 10's.
Not everyone trains their arms specifically on HST. Probably most stick with the compounds. But I have stated in my log, that my workout only lasts 45 minutes max. That's with 6 compounds and 2 iso's (2 sets each). I even rushed things a bit last night to get home at a certain hour (I work out at our local YMCA) and I plowed all my sets in 30 minutes. So I can't imagine that time taken should be an issue for anyone. I will see how it goes with my 5's. Check out my log. T-Dog's Training Log.
 
tdog47304 said:
Again, I am not an expert. This is my first time training with HST, but I am reading all the forums and have picked up quite a bit. I currently train biceps and triceps on each workout at the very end of the workout. It has not disrupted any of my other lifts so I will continue. If they ever start effecting any compound lifts, I will stop. But by being the last exercise of my workout and not going to failure - I don't see how they can hinder any of my other lifts. Maybe I am wrong - but that is my impression. I have noticed that I get a tremendous "pump" in my biceps after rows and then bicep curls to finish things. If I want to just go crazy I complete a small set of pullups and it feels like by arms/biceps are going to explode. I like it personally and have seen a little growth in my arms. I am through my 15's and 4 workouts into my 10's.
Not everyone trains their arms specifically on HST. Probably most stick with the compounds. But I have stated in my log, that my workout only lasts 45 minutes max. That's with 6 compounds and 2 iso's (2 sets each). I even rushed things a bit last night to get home at a certain hour (I work out at our local YMCA) and I plowed all my sets in 30 minutes. So I can't imagine that time taken should be an issue for anyone. I will see how it goes with my 5's. Check out my log. T-Dog's Training Log.
Click to expand...

To complete the 15 reps at the above exercises it will definately take more then 30mins in my gym.. As my gym is small and busy at times therefore you have to wait for people to finish.

Can Any1 tell me where to fond that calculator.. to use and input my 15 rep maxes and it works out my 10, and 5 rep maxes. Instead of my going through the phase of taking 1 day off and doing 10 then 5.. as that would burn the body out as some1 mentione above..
 
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Zeebodybuilder said:
To complete the 15 reps at the above exercises it will definately take more then 30mins in my gym.. As my gym is small and busy at times therefore you have to wait for people to finish.

Can Any1 tell me where to fond that calculator.. to use and input my 15 rep maxes and it works out my 10, and 5 rep maxes. Instead of my going through the phase of taking 1 day off and doing 10 then 5.. as that would burn the body out as some1 mentione above..
Click to expand...

The 30 minutes was a very rushed 30 minutes with very minimal breaks and no waiting for specific exercise equipment to open up. I also "piggyback" my lifts in groups of 2. I alternate each set for bench and squats, then OH press and latts pulldowns/pullups and so on. The time it takes to change plates on one lift or just to walk over to the next bench is my rest time. So I tend to complete my workout in about 40 minutes or so. I complete any ab work on my non-workout days (no cardo for me). I have not had any issues working out this way. I complete my biggest lifts first (squat, bench, deadlifts) then move to shoulders & back then finish with a set or two of my arms. It works for me and like I said, I never go longer than 45 minutes.

Here is the link to that calculator. It took me forever to find it - so I bookmarked it.
http://www.hypertrophy-specific.info/calculator
 
HI, tdog47304 thnaks for the calculator. I will go in today and fine out my 15 rep maxes of split A then take a day of and finmd out my Maxes for Split B on Monday. This is how it will Look Below,


A
Squats
Bench Press
Bentover Barbell Row
Triceps

B
Deadlift
Shoulder Press
Pulldowns
Biceps

Iv moved shoulders to monday just to work out my 15 rep maxes. as then will be doing 4 exercises for both days this is just to work out my maxes, after that will go back as below to start the proper program.

A
Squats
Bench Press
Bentover Row
Shoulder Press
Triceps

B
Bench Press
Pulldowns or Chins
Shoulder Press
Biceps
Deadlift

Finally I normally take 3-5min rest before doing my main working set. Is this rest time ok to buld muscle. That all for today. Wish me good luck as now for the 2nd time im about to go find out my 15 rep maxesm lol. I hope no1 tells me to make changes this time. lol.
 
Just got New stats in:

A All done for 15 reps
Squats 90kg prefect reps
Bench Press 80kg
Bentover Barbell Row 60kg
Triceps pressdowns 35kg on rack

Let me know what you guys think..

Will go in Monmday and work out my stats for B.

Cheers
 
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