HST for the ladies?

[nsouth]

Okay so I normally don't stray from the "Women Only" section but I just read a bunch of the guys' journals. There's an awful lot of talk about the benefits of HST training for muscle growth. It sounds like a great workout - but what do you do if you max out at a very slight weight. Like currently I do dbell curls with 15lbs for 15 reps. That IS my max for 15 pounds - if I need to increase twice a week for two weeks I'd have to drop down to curling just my arm to start!
Any suggestions on how to work around this? Should I just skip an increase? Start at 5 then 10 then just do 15lbs for a full week without an increase?

[sweetphysique]

I can comment after I have read up on HST training in those journals....sorry, haven't heard of it.

[V5RED]

week 1 mon=5 wed=5 fri=10
week 2 mon=10 wed=15 fri=20

this is based on a guess that ur strength will increase and is a way to modify the increases in weight to fit your strength and yes, HST is amazing

you may, however want to switch to straight bar curls if your gym has those straight bars w/preset weight on em like a 10lb bar a 20lb bar a 30 lb bar cuz then itll be easier to advance

also, i personally prefer barbell curls over dumbell curls :)

[nsouth]

V5Red Thanks for the advice.

Would you advice embarking on this program if my current short-term goal is fat loss?
I'm doing 4 days a week full body at the moment and I want to reduce my bodyfat but last time I got low I lost a ton of lean muscle. I do not want that to happen again!

What kind of diet is necessary to support an HST program?

[lakergirl32]

I started hst 6 weeks ago and I am also trying to lose fat. Hst I think is a great workout I do it 3x a week leaving the other 4 days for cardio. How is your diet that has alot to do with losing fat. How tall are you and what do you weigh?? Also write down your diet.

[nsouth]

I am at 150 at the moment (the heaviest I've been in 3 years ugh!) I'm 5'4". My diet is currently supposed to be 40-30-30 (carbs/proteins/fats) but it's usually 30-40-30. I can't seem to force myself to eat 1100 calories of carbs! I also just started eating meat again after 15 years so I'm pretty much taking in chicken at every meal. The body has been deprived for so long!
I currently do a full body workout 4xweek and cardio 4-5xweek. I'm supposed to be eating 1800 cal/day but I usually only stuff down 1500.
Lakergirl what weights did you start with and how much strength improvement (or size) have you seen?

[lakergirl32]

I started out doing 2 weeks of 15 reps for example:
dumbbell curls 2x15 at 20lbs then went to
2x10 at 30lbs for 2 weeks then went to
3x5 at 40lbs
This week I will be doing burn outs, so as many as I can with 40lbs

With your diet try to eat good carbs only like yams, brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal

I am currently doing 45/30/25 pro/carb/fat 1900 cal a day
with that diet and workout you should have no problem losing body fat. Good luck nsouth!

[buffchick]

I checked out the HST site that V5Red recommended and now I'm thinking about trying it, too. On the site it seems like it says to do no cardio, but I don't see that happening. Lakergirl do you do HIIT or steady state cardio and are your legs completely burnt?

[nsouth]

Just started doing it this week - I can only get 28 minutes with 1/2 work/rest ratio. The thought of doing lunges tonight after this makes me want to yak!

[lakergirl32]

Yea I have to do cardio too. I do hiit 2-3 x a week (the days I don't lift) and maybe 1 day 45min steady cardio. Yes my legs are sore and my whole body. That is why it is important BEFORE you do this program take at least one week off. It just works for me because you know you are hitting all the body parts plus I can get in 3-4 cardio days.
For the exercises one week I will do dumbbells the other barbells so your body does not get used to it. Hope this helps =)

[buffchick]

Definately helps -- thanks both of you! I've just started with HIIT and I'm having a lot of trouble getting my head over the fact that this could possibly be enough cardio. I've read the studies, heard a million other people say it works, but I'm still sort of freaking out. I wanted to try HST M, W, and F with 20 min HIIT, and then 3 45 min SS sessions on T, R, and Sat. Then Sunday completely off. Even typing it it seems like too much. Should I skip the SS altogether?

[lakergirl32]

hiit after hst? If you want to gain mass then I would skip the cardio right after. If you really feel the need to do that much maybe do a split training session like cardio 1st thing in the morning then lift in the afternoon. Sunday off is a great idea! But I would keep the cardio seperate from the lifting altogether because you don't want to lose lean mass. Just my opinion. And believe me hiit really works.

[buffchick]

Oh yeah -- I meant that they were on the same day but split, but I guess I didn't type that. I'm incapable of anything productive after lifting! I was planning to do HIIT in the morning and HST in the evening.

[nsouth]

I had to do a long session today as my legs were fried from yesterday's lifting.
I think that's what will make this more challenging is that HIIT makes my legs burn so bad that there's no way I can do cardio on the same day as I lift and even the day after I beat myself into submission. I suppose the body can get used to anything though - right?

[lakergirl32]

nsouth can I ask what exercises you are using for hst?

[nsouth]

Actually I haven't commited myself to the fact that I am doing an HST program. I am just getting back into the swing of doing a full-body routine and I am not eating enough right now to truly support any attempts at muscle-gain. My current short-term goal is strictly fat loss.
But to answer your question my workout looks like this (2 sets of everything to failure)

Squats
Lat Pulldown
Mil. Presses
Walking lunges
One-arm DB row
Bench
Seated Calf-Raises

About as simple as it gets. And to give credit where it's due - this is a stumptuous.com workout (except I added lunges cause damnit I WILL get better at this exercise). And indeed it's the lunges that kill me the next day when I do cardio.

[TrishB]

I tried one 8 week cycle of HST last year, but did not get anything out of it. I know some guys who also tried it, but they usually ended up doing a GVT or Max-OT routine for better gains.

One of the cons I have about it, especially when you get further along the cycle with higher weights, is that halfway thru the routine, you are exhausted. So whatever muscle groups are leftover to work...suffer.

[Mad_Dog_Divine]

Originally posted by TrishB
I tried one 8 week cycle of HST last year, but did not get anything out of it. I know some guys who also tried it, but they usually ended up doing a GVT or Max-OT routine for better gains.

One of the cons I have about it, especially when you get further along the cycle with higher weights, is that halfway thru the routine, you are exhausted. So whatever muscle groups are leftover to work...suffer.

Last year I tried HST and i gained 15 lbs in a month. Not all muscle of course (some was water because i just started creatine)

When i do it I just do 1 set per muscle. so 2day i did 12 reps each of squat, SLDL, calf raises, incline press, bent rows, push press, bicep curl and tricep extension.

Not that energy sapping although I naturally do have a lot of stamina. i will be doing 2 sets on the major muscle groups as the reps go down. easy peasy :D