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12-18-2003, 01:57 PM
Setting up a Hypertrophy-Specific Training™ Cycle: Part Two
Selecting Exercises
As discussed in Part One, a key principle of HST is working the muscles with a high frequency each week. While most modern-day programs suggest hitting each muscle group once each week, in HST we want to hit the whole body two or three times each week. Of course, working each muscle group three times per week is more preferable if you can handle that level of frequency. One example of a full-body routine that can be used three times each week is:
Squat
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
Inclined Bench Press
Chins (Wide Grip, Narrow Grip)
Rows (Wide Grip, Narrow Grip)
Shrugs
Shoulder Press
Lateral Raise
Rear Delts
Dumbbell Curls
Lying Triceps Extensions
Calf Raise
Abdominal Crunches
Another example of a full-body routine that can be used three times each week is:
Squat
Leg Curl
Inclined Bench Press
Wide Grip Pulldowns
Dips
One-Arm Rows
Inclined Hammer Curls
Lying Triceps Extensions
Shrugs
Abdominal Crunches
Alternatively, an abbreviated version of this routine might be:
Squat
Leg Curl
Inclined Bench Press
Chins
Dips
Seated Rows
Shrugs
Another popular approach is to select alternating exercises that are performed every other workout day. For example, one might choose the following alternatives for working the legs.
A. Squat
Leg Curl
B. Deadlift
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
With these exercises, A is performed on Monday, B is performed on Wednesday, and A is performed on Friday. On the following Monday B is performed, A is performed on Wednesday, and B is performed on Friday. This is shown more clearly in the following table.
M W F M W F
A B A B A B
One example of a full-body routine that includes alternating exercises is:
A. Squat
Leg Curl
Inc. Bench Press
Chins
Rear Delts
Shrugs
Curls
Triceps Extensions
Calf Raise
B. Leg Press
Leg Curl
Dips
Rows
Rear Delts
Shrugs
Curls
Triceps Extensions
Calf Raise
In this routine, Squats are alternated with Leg Presses while Inclined Bench Presses are alternated with Dips, and Chins are alternated with Rows.
Exercises can be performed with an Upper/Lower body split two or three times each week. Using the full-body routine given above, one might split the upper- and lower-body exercises as follows:
A. Inc. Bench Press
Wide Grip Pulls
Dips
One-Arm Rows
Inc. Hammer Curls
Lying Triceps Ext.
B. Squat
Leg Curl
Shrugs
Ab Crunches
The Upper routine is performed every other day, and the Lower routine is performed on the intervening days, as shown in the following table.
M T W TH F S
U L U L U L
Another very popular technique is the AM/PM routine. With the AM/PM routine, you workout both in the morning and in the evening. This enables you to either split up your upper- and lower-body work or double your volume by doing full-body work twice. The following table illustrates a typical Upper/Lower body split performed on an AM/PM routine.
M T W TH F
AM: Upper OFF Upper OFF Upper
PM: Lower Lower Lower
Of course, other types of routines and splits are entirely possible. For instance, some may prefer to use a four day split routine, while others may prefer using a six day split routine. These more traditional split routines are certainly an option so long as one keeps in mind that higher frequency is a fundamental principle of HST. Optimally, the whole body is worked 2-3 times each week.
When you choose your exercises, remember to keep things simple. There’s no need to go crazy and then burn out. Try to avoid choosing so many isolation exercises that you’re in the gym for two hours every workout. The objective is to hit the entire body with a reasonable volume without taking much longer than about 45-60 minutes per workout.
Finding Your Rep-Maxes
Once you have chosen your exercises, you’ll need to find your 15, 10, and 5 rep-max (RM) weights for those exercises. For those readers that are new to the iron game, a RM specifies the maximum number of times you can lift a weight before hitting muscular failure. With HST, the RMs guide us in determining how much weight to use for our exercises. For instance, what is the maximum weight that you can squat 15 reps with? Once you know this weight, it becomes your 15RM weight.
One way to determine your RMs is to perform the exercises to find your 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM. You can test your 15RM on Monday, your 10RM on Wednesday, and your 5RM on Friday. A good thing about this method is that it’s very accurate on an individual basis. One drawback is that it takes an extra week to test all of your RMs, and the amounts of weight may vary depending on a variety of factors, such as sleep, nutrition, stress, recent illness, overtraining, and the like. It should be understood that after you test your RMs, you need to take a 9-16 day SD in order to prepare your muscles for the upcoming HST cycle.
Estimation is a far less time consuming way of finding your RMs. With the estimation method, you use online calculators or some other similar device to estimate your 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM based on other RMs that you already know, such as, for instance, your 12RM or 8RM. A good thing about estimating your RMs is that it’s easy and takes very little time. A drawback is that it’s generalized and thus may not be very accurate on an individual basis.
A more accurate approach is to use a theoretical method to determine your current RMs. For example, you can use linear regression to determine your theoretical 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM based on your latest RMs from your other workout programs. A great thing about this approach is that it’s very accurate on an individual basis. Of course, the main drawback is that it’s mathematically intensive, and not everyone has the math skills to use this method.
In Part Three, we’ll discuss how to use your 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM weights to set up a workout log and plan your HST cycles.
Selecting Exercises
As discussed in Part One, a key principle of HST is working the muscles with a high frequency each week. While most modern-day programs suggest hitting each muscle group once each week, in HST we want to hit the whole body two or three times each week. Of course, working each muscle group three times per week is more preferable if you can handle that level of frequency. One example of a full-body routine that can be used three times each week is:
Squat
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
Inclined Bench Press
Chins (Wide Grip, Narrow Grip)
Rows (Wide Grip, Narrow Grip)
Shrugs
Shoulder Press
Lateral Raise
Rear Delts
Dumbbell Curls
Lying Triceps Extensions
Calf Raise
Abdominal Crunches
Another example of a full-body routine that can be used three times each week is:
Squat
Leg Curl
Inclined Bench Press
Wide Grip Pulldowns
Dips
One-Arm Rows
Inclined Hammer Curls
Lying Triceps Extensions
Shrugs
Abdominal Crunches
Alternatively, an abbreviated version of this routine might be:
Squat
Leg Curl
Inclined Bench Press
Chins
Dips
Seated Rows
Shrugs
Another popular approach is to select alternating exercises that are performed every other workout day. For example, one might choose the following alternatives for working the legs.
A. Squat
Leg Curl
B. Deadlift
Stiff-Leg Deadlift
With these exercises, A is performed on Monday, B is performed on Wednesday, and A is performed on Friday. On the following Monday B is performed, A is performed on Wednesday, and B is performed on Friday. This is shown more clearly in the following table.
M W F M W F
A B A B A B
One example of a full-body routine that includes alternating exercises is:
A. Squat
Leg Curl
Inc. Bench Press
Chins
Rear Delts
Shrugs
Curls
Triceps Extensions
Calf Raise
B. Leg Press
Leg Curl
Dips
Rows
Rear Delts
Shrugs
Curls
Triceps Extensions
Calf Raise
In this routine, Squats are alternated with Leg Presses while Inclined Bench Presses are alternated with Dips, and Chins are alternated with Rows.
Exercises can be performed with an Upper/Lower body split two or three times each week. Using the full-body routine given above, one might split the upper- and lower-body exercises as follows:
A. Inc. Bench Press
Wide Grip Pulls
Dips
One-Arm Rows
Inc. Hammer Curls
Lying Triceps Ext.
B. Squat
Leg Curl
Shrugs
Ab Crunches
The Upper routine is performed every other day, and the Lower routine is performed on the intervening days, as shown in the following table.
M T W TH F S
U L U L U L
Another very popular technique is the AM/PM routine. With the AM/PM routine, you workout both in the morning and in the evening. This enables you to either split up your upper- and lower-body work or double your volume by doing full-body work twice. The following table illustrates a typical Upper/Lower body split performed on an AM/PM routine.
M T W TH F
AM: Upper OFF Upper OFF Upper
PM: Lower Lower Lower
Of course, other types of routines and splits are entirely possible. For instance, some may prefer to use a four day split routine, while others may prefer using a six day split routine. These more traditional split routines are certainly an option so long as one keeps in mind that higher frequency is a fundamental principle of HST. Optimally, the whole body is worked 2-3 times each week.
When you choose your exercises, remember to keep things simple. There’s no need to go crazy and then burn out. Try to avoid choosing so many isolation exercises that you’re in the gym for two hours every workout. The objective is to hit the entire body with a reasonable volume without taking much longer than about 45-60 minutes per workout.
Finding Your Rep-Maxes
Once you have chosen your exercises, you’ll need to find your 15, 10, and 5 rep-max (RM) weights for those exercises. For those readers that are new to the iron game, a RM specifies the maximum number of times you can lift a weight before hitting muscular failure. With HST, the RMs guide us in determining how much weight to use for our exercises. For instance, what is the maximum weight that you can squat 15 reps with? Once you know this weight, it becomes your 15RM weight.
One way to determine your RMs is to perform the exercises to find your 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM. You can test your 15RM on Monday, your 10RM on Wednesday, and your 5RM on Friday. A good thing about this method is that it’s very accurate on an individual basis. One drawback is that it takes an extra week to test all of your RMs, and the amounts of weight may vary depending on a variety of factors, such as sleep, nutrition, stress, recent illness, overtraining, and the like. It should be understood that after you test your RMs, you need to take a 9-16 day SD in order to prepare your muscles for the upcoming HST cycle.
Estimation is a far less time consuming way of finding your RMs. With the estimation method, you use online calculators or some other similar device to estimate your 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM based on other RMs that you already know, such as, for instance, your 12RM or 8RM. A good thing about estimating your RMs is that it’s easy and takes very little time. A drawback is that it’s generalized and thus may not be very accurate on an individual basis.
A more accurate approach is to use a theoretical method to determine your current RMs. For example, you can use linear regression to determine your theoretical 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM based on your latest RMs from your other workout programs. A great thing about this approach is that it’s very accurate on an individual basis. Of course, the main drawback is that it’s mathematically intensive, and not everyone has the math skills to use this method.
In Part Three, we’ll discuss how to use your 15RM, 10RM, and 5RM weights to set up a workout log and plan your HST cycles.