Growth Stimulus Training (GST)

[newbreedfreak]

Cool thread here

[8thangel]

3000!!!

[cwaranch]

darn

[2020Wellness]

That book by Rippetoe is incredibly informative about squats and deads. I love stuff like this. Broken down to basic mechanics of how the body works as a whole unit. Makes me want to hit the garage and squat again tonight. Did squat day this morning though. Have to wait and do some complexes tomorrow morning to incorporate the new info.

3000th K! Karma at its best I'll be mailing you tomorrow. Gotta get some beauty sleep right now. Congrats!

[8thangel]

DANG.... I missed it!

Oh well, congrats Kilgor, you deserve whatever prize Ryan's got in store for lucky number 3000 as you're a good contributer to the thread here!~

I was hoping to score but oh well, I've already scored anyway with GST baby!~

I still haven't forgotten the book either Ryan, just waiting for some lettuce to come in....

[8thangel]

How did the tread go down to 4 stars again or did it not go back to 5 yet? I just rated for 5 stars as I had not done so yet....

[2020Wellness]

I'll have another bonus once this thread hits 'biggest thread in the workout programs forum' status shouldn't be too far away!

[kilgoreklink]

3000th K! Karma at its best I'll be mailing you tomorrow. Gotta get some beauty sleep right now. Congrats!

Holy Smokes. I thought it was about 2995 when I posted that. I need to go buy a lotto ticket. Gonna use my One Rep Maxes on Deads, squats and bench for the lotto numbers.

[kilgoreklink]

I'll have another bonus once this thread hits 'biggest thread in the workout programs forum' status shouldn't be too far away!

Thats only 1621 posts away. Probably near middle or end of September
EDIT:2000 was on June 1st. Thats only 44 days ago. More like end of August at this pace.

[kilgoreklink]

Cool thread here

Come on in. Lots of guys making incredible gains using Ryans creation. I have made more gains in the last 5 months than I did in the previous 3 years spinning my wheels. Spending about 4 hours a week in the gym(garage) and getting it done. Hell I used to go 6 days two hours a day. Didnt get me anywhere. Give it a month and you will want more.

[dabul2003]

For some reason my workouts take 2 hours....maybe its the long rests i take in between sets. I wait between 3-5 minutes per set. Is that to long?

[braden101]

Not sure if this questions been asked,Threads just getting too big to sift through lol

How does everyone go about counting lunges? With scheme 1 doing 3x20 can get pretty damn taxing when your doing that for each leg.

Should i do one leg at a time, or alternate legs, which means im doing 40 reps at a time?

[K-Krakrz]

Not sure if this questions been asked,Threads just getting too big to sift through lol

How does everyone go about counting lunges? With scheme 1 doing 3x20 can get pretty damn taxing when your doing that for each leg.

Exactly

[thjones3]

^X2 I did 15 per leg today and it sucked

First thing I thought when I saw the 3000th post was "kilgore deserves whatever Ryan is going to give him. He has contributed a ton to this thread". Congrats! I hope it's good (whatever IT is)!

[2020Wellness]

Not sure if this questions been asked,Threads just getting too big to sift through lol

How does everyone go about counting lunges? With scheme 1 doing 3x20 can get pretty damn taxing when your doing that for each leg.

Should i do one leg at a time, or alternate legs, which means im doing 40 reps at a time?

Just answered this question a few replies ago, quoted K Kraz I believe. When you have to do 20 rep lunges, that is 20 reps per leg for a total of 40 steps.

[2020Wellness]

For some reason my workouts take 2 hours....maybe its the long rests i take in between sets. I wait between 3-5 minutes per set. Is that to long?

The only time you need more than 3 minutes of rest is when you're lifting heavy, in the 1-5 rep range.

Two hours won't kill your results, but its a bit excessive. Depends on your own schedule I guess.

[braden101]

What would be the better option for a supplement overhead press?

Seated/Standing?

DB/BB?

Have been using seated DB for a while now and have really stalled out with it, was messing aorund with some seated behind the neck BB presses and it felt really good, gave me a nice stretch.

Any suggestions?

And how do yas go about weighting your hanging leg raises?

[FastCatChamp]

I have read 10-15 pages of this thread, but I dont think I have the time to read the other 85. Any chance some of you regulars could put together a list of "What I Wish I Knew When I started GST" ? I know Ryan lays out a nice template, but what I am loooking for is a list containing knowledge gained from trainees experiences with months of GST under their belt.

Call this "The GST Cliff Notes" list!

Thats why the Ebook is so valuable to me now. So much easier to reference than this thread. I still go back and read thread pages from long ago. I was just reading page 17 today and saw a post that really opened my eyes about the Central Nervous System and why it needs rest just as much as the muscles. I will reply to it again so it on this page.

I have bought and have read the ebook, including the faq section. I just thought that trainees may have some feedback from their cycles after multiple months of training.

I was on Starting Strength for 3+ months and would have many tips/tid bits of info derived from my experience to share that may be bewteen the lines from what is read in the book.

[pezking7p]

Not sure if this questions been asked,Threads just getting too big to sift through lol

How does everyone go about counting lunges? With scheme 1 doing 3x20 can get pretty damn taxing when your doing that for each leg.

Should i do one leg at a time, or alternate legs, which means im doing 40 reps at a time?

I've wondered before, too, if I should be doing 20 reps with one leg, then 20 reps with the other leg. As it stands, I do alternate one rep on each leg, but I've seen another guy at my gym do 2 on one leg, then 2 on the other leg and so on.

Nothing kills worse than 20-reps of lunges...except 20-reps of front squats. Every time I do those I find myself digging deeper than I ever have. Hell, Monday was only 10-rep day and I was fighting off nausea the whole time during front squats.

[2020Wellness]

I have bought and have read the ebook, including the faq section. I just thought that trainees may have some feedback from their cycles after multiple months of training.

I was on Starting Strength for 3+ months and would have many tips/tid bits of info derived from my experience to share that may be bewteen the lines from what is read in the book.

One of the most important concepts about this program, and I think many other programs as well is to check your ego at the door when initially setting things up. If you say your 1RM is more than it really is, then you will have wasted that macrocycle. 9 times out of 10 you'll end up not hitting your numbers, getting frustrated, and feeling like you should move onto another program.

It is so much better to set your 1RM to a level that is realistic, or even a bit under that realistic mark. The worst that can happen is you hit a few more reps on your AMRAP set, and thats not even a problem. You'll mentally feel good, physically feel excellent, and you'll leave the gym with a sense of satisfaction. You'll be anxious to hit round 2, which is very important. Having to back pedal is not fun, and that is what will happen if you fudge your 1RM numbers.

People get greedy and expect to be the biggest and strongest guy around within a few months. Thats not how it works. Just remember that you have TIME to make progress. It doesn't have to be rushed. Thats one thing I like about training in general, you can't cheat the system. No matter what, you have to put in the right kind of hard work if you want to be noticeably different than everyone else. People just can't get around that, and I like that.

[2020Wellness]

What would be the better option for a supplement overhead press?

Seated/Standing?

DB/BB?

Have been using seated DB for a while now and have really stalled out with it, was messing aorund with some seated behind the neck BB presses and it felt really good, gave me a nice stretch.

Any suggestions?

And how do yas go about weighting your hanging leg raises?

I think you answered your own question about the DB/BB part. Seated military presses are great, and you will not be able to cheat by using your legs as you would with standing. Sounds like you should go with the seated BTB BB press since you connect with it and feel it directly benefits you through stretching. Just make sure that don't bring the bar all the way down to the base of your neck, which can be tough on the shoulder joints. If you're looking in the mirror, bring that bar to the top of your ears.

For the leg raises, you can try and hold a DB between your feet, or even between your knees. It will be challenging because you are adding weight, but it will also be challenging because you'll have to exhibit so much more control as well.

[2020Wellness]

What's a good sub for DB/BB Lunges? I tweaked a muscle in my right groin area on micro 2 and it's never really healed. On my last lift day I had big weight and tweaked it again to the point where I couldn't do my right leg today (squat day). I did smith leg presses as a sub but it's not a compound movement...

OK, when something like that happens, you don't want to do another exercise that is similar. For example, someone threw out split squats as a replacement. Its a great replacement, but not for this situation. For this situation, you want a movement that will still work the targeted muscle group(s), but not aggravate the injured area.

In other words, you want nothing with a deep split leg stance. Lunges, split squats, single leg press.....those are all out. As far as how long they're out for, well, it could be a few weeks. Can you tell me about the things that you can do? Can you squat with full ROM? You'll have options even if you can't squat, so be honest

[2020Wellness]

Kilgorelink,

You've got email!!

[kilgoreklink]

Kilgorelink,

You've got email!!

$3000.00 Cash. Wow!!! This is great!!
Just kidding, hehe.
Cant check my email at work. I will check it when I get home.
In all honesty, the help you have given me since January is priceless. I am bigger, Stronger, Faster. Your passion for training has really motivated me to seek out all the useful information available to weight training. Sparked my interest to say the least.
Thanks for GST Ryan.

[cwaranch]

So i am in my 2nd macrocycle and just had my first day of the 3rd microcycle which is press day. I do bench press and got 6 very shaky reps in my amrap set is this a good number even though they felt kinda shaky meaning my arms were kinda wobbling lol. Also this may have been addressed already but what happens or what do you do if you fail to hit the numbers? Like next week for my fourth micro i have to hit 225 on bench but what do i do if it doesnt go up? lol

[8thangel]

Hey Ryan,

Just sent payment for the e-book to you... Looking forward to getting it and unlocking the rest of what this program has for me!~

Thanks!!!

[kilgoreklink]

So i am in my 2nd macrocycle and just had my first day of the 3rd microcycle which is press day. I do bench press and got 6 very shaky reps in my amrap set is this a good number even though they felt kinda shaky meaning my arms were kinda wobbling lol. Also this may have been addressed already but what happens or what do you do if you fail to hit the numbers? Like next week for my fourth micro i have to hit 225 on bench but what do i do if it doesnt go up? lol

What Core Percentage Scheme are you using?
60-70-80-90%? 65-75-85-95%?70-80-90-100%?
If you cant get up the 4th Micro Weight you should either drop to a lower percentage scheme or you have over estimated your One Rep Max. You might have to lower your One Rep Max and work from there.
How Much weight did you get 6 reps with in your 3rd Micro? If you got 205 for 6 reps dont be afraid to get under 225 for one or two.
I had to drop to the 60-90% scheme after my first Macro. I had overestimated my 1RM for my incline bench.

[chunkyfatboy]

OK, when something like that happens, you don't want to do another exercise that is similar. For example, someone threw out split squats as a replacement. Its a great replacement, but not for this situation. For this situation, you want a movement that will still work the targeted muscle group(s), but not aggravate the injured area.

In other words, you want nothing with a deep split leg stance. Lunges, split squats, single leg press.....those are all out. As far as how long they're out for, well, it could be a few weeks. Can you tell me about the things that you can do? Can you squat with full ROM? You'll have options even if you can't squat, so be honest

My squats are fine...I still feel a slight pain but nothing serious

[2020Wellness]

Cool thread here

Thanks, are you starting up the program?

What Core Percentage Scheme are you using?
60-70-80-90%? 65-75-85-95%?70-80-90-100%?
If you cant get up the 4th Micro Weight you should either drop to a lower percentage scheme or you have over estimated your One Rep Max. You might have to lower your One Rep Max and work from there.
How Much weight did you get 6 reps with in your 3rd Micro? If you got 205 for 6 reps dont be afraid to get under 225 for one or two.
I had to drop to the 60-90% scheme after my first Macro. I had overestimated my 1RM for my incline bench.

Well said, listen to this reply!

My squats are fine...I still feel a slight pain but nothing serious

You should simply avoid anything that causes you pain at this time. You'll be feeling better very quickly, and your injury will be a thing of the past.

I'm guessing you feel the pain if you squat to a certain depth. In the recovery period, you can squat, but only in a manner that doesn't cause pain. Stay light until you can squat properly without pain.

As far as the other exercises go, like lunges, leave them out and sub in isolation movements like the leg extension for squat day and leg curl for lift day.

[cwaranch]

I am using 65, 75, 85, 95...and i just used the one rep max from the formula that ryan had given...and i did 195 for 6.

What Core Percentage Scheme are you using?
60-70-80-90%? 65-75-85-95%?70-80-90-100%?
If you cant get up the 4th Micro Weight you should either drop to a lower percentage scheme or you have over estimated your One Rep Max. You might have to lower your One Rep Max and work from there.
How Much weight did you get 6 reps with in your 3rd Micro? If you got 205 for 6 reps dont be afraid to get under 225 for one or two.
I had to drop to the 60-90% scheme after my first Macro. I had overestimated my 1RM for my incline bench.