Today I have started my second HST cycle. During this cycle and afterwards, I hope to get some feedback to improve my results.
I came into bodybuilding in June 2006 at 42% body fat and have been cutting ever since. Currently, I’m at 17.5% and would like to get below 16% by the end of this cycle. The thing is that I don’t have a real diet. I just count calories and avoid simple carbohydrates.
I don’t want to bore you, so let’s have some statistics:
Body Part cm / Kg in. / lbs.
Neck 39.0 cm 15.4 in.
Biceps (not flexed) 35.0 cm 13.8 in.
Forearm 29.5 cm 11.6 in.
Chest 108.5 cm 42.7 in.
Waist 84.5 cm 33.3 in.
Hips 96.5 cm 38.0 in.
Thigh 59.5 cm 23.4 in.
Calf 38.5 cm 15.2 in.
Body Weight 77.1 Kg 177.2 lbs.
Body Fat Percentage 17.5%
I have selected the following exercises and number of sets so that I can get through the workout in less than 60 minutes. I can’t do split workouts – morning and afternoon – as time is really short. Your feedback on this selection would be really helpful so I can make changes for the next cycle(s).
Exercise / Number of Sets
Squat 1
Hamstring Curls 2
Leg Press Calf Raises 2
Dumbbell Inclined Bench Press 2
Chest Dips 1
Bent-Over Barbell Rows 2
Dumbbell Overhead Press 1
Lateral Raises 1
Barbell Curls 2
Barbell Shrugs 1
Lying Triceps Extensions 2
Cable Crunches 2
Cardio will usually be walking. I hate walking on treadmills, so my cardio will be done outside. The rainy season is about to begin here in Brazil, so I will have to replace some walking sessions with rope jumping.
I will be doing one hour of cardio every day except Sundays. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will do an extra 30 minutes of cardio in the afternoon. So that will give me 7 hours of cardio per week. Your comments / thoughts on my cardio work would be very interesting.
Since I want to cut, I’ll start at 13 calories per lb of bodyweight, which is nearly 30 calories per Kg of bodyweight. I’ll go with this for one week and see if it needs to be adjusted. But please, feel free to suggest something here.
Week 1
Monday (15 reps @ 60% of 15 RM)
I’m going to start with the 15s at 60% of my 15 RM because those are the approximate values that gave me an almost unbearable burn and muscle soreness in my first cycle. And just for the record: the 15s rep range gave me the greatest size gains not only during my first HST cycle, but during my entire bodybuilding life. When I got into HST, I had come from Max-OT and went straight into my first HST cycle without SD for over six months. I have learned my lesson and have been SD for 17 days.
All exercises were easy to finish except for barbell curls. The second set gave me such a burn that I wasn’t able to do more than 8 reps. I got out of the gym in 50 minutes.
I came into bodybuilding in June 2006 at 42% body fat and have been cutting ever since. Currently, I’m at 17.5% and would like to get below 16% by the end of this cycle. The thing is that I don’t have a real diet. I just count calories and avoid simple carbohydrates.
I don’t want to bore you, so let’s have some statistics:
Body Part cm / Kg in. / lbs.
Neck 39.0 cm 15.4 in.
Biceps (not flexed) 35.0 cm 13.8 in.
Forearm 29.5 cm 11.6 in.
Chest 108.5 cm 42.7 in.
Waist 84.5 cm 33.3 in.
Hips 96.5 cm 38.0 in.
Thigh 59.5 cm 23.4 in.
Calf 38.5 cm 15.2 in.
Body Weight 77.1 Kg 177.2 lbs.
Body Fat Percentage 17.5%
I have selected the following exercises and number of sets so that I can get through the workout in less than 60 minutes. I can’t do split workouts – morning and afternoon – as time is really short. Your feedback on this selection would be really helpful so I can make changes for the next cycle(s).
Exercise / Number of Sets
Squat 1
Hamstring Curls 2
Leg Press Calf Raises 2
Dumbbell Inclined Bench Press 2
Chest Dips 1
Bent-Over Barbell Rows 2
Dumbbell Overhead Press 1
Lateral Raises 1
Barbell Curls 2
Barbell Shrugs 1
Lying Triceps Extensions 2
Cable Crunches 2
Cardio will usually be walking. I hate walking on treadmills, so my cardio will be done outside. The rainy season is about to begin here in Brazil, so I will have to replace some walking sessions with rope jumping.
I will be doing one hour of cardio every day except Sundays. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will do an extra 30 minutes of cardio in the afternoon. So that will give me 7 hours of cardio per week. Your comments / thoughts on my cardio work would be very interesting.
Since I want to cut, I’ll start at 13 calories per lb of bodyweight, which is nearly 30 calories per Kg of bodyweight. I’ll go with this for one week and see if it needs to be adjusted. But please, feel free to suggest something here.
Week 1
Monday (15 reps @ 60% of 15 RM)
I’m going to start with the 15s at 60% of my 15 RM because those are the approximate values that gave me an almost unbearable burn and muscle soreness in my first cycle. And just for the record: the 15s rep range gave me the greatest size gains not only during my first HST cycle, but during my entire bodybuilding life. When I got into HST, I had come from Max-OT and went straight into my first HST cycle without SD for over six months. I have learned my lesson and have been SD for 17 days.
All exercises were easy to finish except for barbell curls. The second set gave me such a burn that I wasn’t able to do more than 8 reps. I got out of the gym in 50 minutes.