Perfect HST routine

J

Joe.Muscle

Active Member
Ok well maybe I fooled you a bit with the introductory but everyone always post for a critique and I mean everybody including myself. So I thought I would post my routine that has worked wonders in my opinion for everyone to see.

I want to say thanks to DKM and JVroig for all there help b/c it is from there advice I was able to develope this a routine around compounds that has worked well.

I am posting this only b/c I have been doing HST for a while and I can say I have found for myself that compound routine has been most beneficial as far as time, growth and simplicity.

So without further adew...here is the routine for all newbies.

Merry Christmas guys!!! :D

Incline Dumbell press on 10 degree incline bench
Rows with machine or bent over barbell rows
dumbell press or standing barbell press
squats

Thats it. Like a lot of others I have found that iso help with metabolic work so I will do 1 set of both biceps and triceps with higher reps.

And for lagging muscle group which for me has been chest I will throw in some flys to help with isolations and stretch.

This routine is very quick and effective.

i have also found the standing barbell press is good for ab developement.
 
I know it's supposed to be simple but it seems like it would cause you to be lacking in certain areas. I don't know though. I'm probably doing way more than I need to.
 
Well when I said Perfect HST, I just want to make sure it was meant tongue in cheak...hehe.

Now as far as frequency 3 times a week is what I stick to until summer time were I will up it to 4 or 5 times a week for cutting. If I do this I have to cut back on my sets or tendons start to hurt.

I would stick to the typical rep scheme of 15 10 5 if It was me for majority of the year. HST is designed this way for a reason and that is to help with the joints and tendons. However I have skipped the 15 more than once. And this past cycle I did a 6 week cycle Of what I called Heavy HST and that is were I just did my 8 rep 6 rep and 5 reps maxs for 6 weeks basically trying to increase the poundage a little every workout. I had great results but again I would only recomment this to bust through plateau or bordom.

Jv made a great post as well as dan a while back on another thread that spoke about how jumping straight into heavy weights "could" make your body miss some hypertrophy that would be attained through 15 or 10's.

Sun Tzu I know what you mean it looks to simple. They only thing I can say is I have been doing this for 11 years and I have tried everything from high volume to high high volume to BFL and other routines. And long story short I really think natural trainers should stick to a compound routine like this.

Its has been hard for me to believe as early as just this year that I dont have to do tons of curls for big biceps. But one thing I have learned is that if you are not on anabolics then natural trainers should train this way b/c it keeps from overtraining and it mimics everyday life functions as closely has possible.

Thing about it you will use your pecs in everyday life more with a more natural movement like presses than say with flys.

Thats why compounds rule over iso.

That being said Iso have there place....for lagging parts and stretchs....as well as metabolic.

Hope this helps some people. I really wish I could go back to 16 to 18 year old spane of my life and train and eat this way.

laugh.gif
 
How many sets are you doing? I'm amazed that after 11 years you are able to grow with so few exercises. I recently had to increase my volume (again) to break a year-long plateau.
 
Sets are as follows.

4 sets for chest and back

3 sets for shoulders

3 sets for legs

1 set for arms

3 sets for abs.

I have found this is a good volume for me. I have trained in the past anywhere from 16 to 25 sets per bodypart, on a one bodypart per day workout. Realized in the past I was overtraining. Droped the sets down to 12 for one bodypart per week routine and got strenght and muscle back.

Changed over to HST and kept the same volume and has worked wonders.

I actually increased sets earlier this year to 5 sets and at first I enjoyed it but it proved to be too much on 3 days a week.

Hope this helps.

Oh by the way Growth come slowly now but more than anything it is more the way by body feels and looks after HST.

Its weird I can't really explain it but i use to do 16 sets for arms and now I only do 3 per week. Before my arms were big just as big as they are now on hst...but on hst they look way more defined and have that pop to them. Were before they were just mass???

How this corelates into HST I have no idea??? I just know it works...same for my chest and other bodyparts they just look better and feel healthier...do to not overtraining is my guess?:confused:
 
the "pop" can only be due to two things.

1. better mass/fat ratio
2. pump

HIGHLY unlikely 3rd option

3. extremely specific training of secondary muscles altered the proportional shape of your arm. But I think by pop you just meant definition/vascularity.
 
Joe

If you don't mind fill me in from time to time on how the growth is going, measurements please ;) Just shoot me a PM every 4 weeks or so. Also 1 item I want to mention. Give some thought to changing the sets to

3 chest/back
4 legs, they can take it
 
Will do Dan.
I have thought about increasing sets to 4 like you said for legs. I have neglected them off and on for years, so they still respond well to current sets, but I will definatly consider the increase.
I will pm you with any progress however it does seem to be slower progress after lifting this long.
I would love to hear some more opinions on how the redistribution or what appears to be redistribution of weight on HST from my old routine....ie. the difference in the way my muscle looks. And I know that the pump can do that but I look different now even 3 or 4 days after a workout? So I would not think that was the pump.
True I am leaner now due to summer cutting routine but even at a bulker weigth arms started to finally pop!
Anyway thanks to HST for the results and again everyone have a great Holiday!!!!
Stay safe!
Joe :D

Oh I forgot to answer the 15 questions.

Know I do not do 4 sets for 15's I will do just 2 sets, normally.
 
4 sets for the 10' and 5's. I dont do the whole 2 sets for 15 3 for 10 4 for 5 thing. Maybee I should???

But do to training for so long I use the tens for growth just as much as fives. I concentrate on perfect form and trying to increment each workout if its only by a little bit.

I dont get into the strict routins with perfection now a days like I use to.

I have career, family...newborn on the way. So I just hit the gym hard and as often as possible and try to stick to HST principals the best I can. I think thats what we all forget sometimes is that HST is principals more than routine.

For example if I feel like going 2 more weeks after 8 weeks I will. If I feel 6 weeks into the program to SD I will.

One thing I do flirt with and that is on my last week and half of a cycle I will up volume even more by throwing in drop sets and crazy volume....I figure hit the muscle hard which will hit CNS hard unfortunatly but I do this b/c its my last 3 or 4 workouts before I SD for 2 weeks.

I have found I enjoy working out like this after having so many years of being technical and I will tell you the results still come.

Its like protein intake. Now dont get me wrong you should get just as much protein that you can handle...but I have gone through many phases were my protein was not anywere close to were it should be and I still made gains? Would the gains been better with more protein...dont know?:confused:

I actually read and interesting articule I believe Bill Pearl over at bodybuilding.com about how we dont need as much protein as we think we do?? I dont know if that is correct or not???

Dan and JVroig could help with that.

Sorry to get off topic but my point was as you become a veteran of the iron with knowledge and training there is an instinctive factor that you learn to listen to with your body.

So that is why i keep sets the same...it just feels good to my body...but ask me next month and It may be different..hehe
laugh.gif
 
Better stretch. But unless you have hooks or someone to help you, you can't load up as much as you can with BB.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I am posting this only b/c I have been doing HST for a while and I can say I have found for myself that compound routine has been most beneficial as far as time, growth and simplicity
Click to expand...

Abbreviation Abbreviation Abbreviation

I do this for years and it looks maybe simple but it’s the most hardest thing to train.
You will get strong and massive, if you eat enough
:)
 
So based on your workout and the simplicity of it I guess it would be stupid of me to ask how necessary Leg Curls are after doing Squats and Deadlifts?
I'm having a hard time eliminating them from the workout but I'm also doubting how effective they really are.
Any idea's?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]So based on your workout and the simplicity of it I guess it would be stupid of me to ask how necessary Leg Curls are after doing Squats and Deadlifts?
Click to expand...

No needed to do leg curls if you do squat
Squat is a great exercise for your legs and even for your back
 
Squats don't really do much for my hamstrings but I get quite a pump in them from doing Leg Curls.
Therein lies my confusion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top