Anyone Use HST principles for training??

[disturbed311]

After using the 5x5 for awhile i've decided to go the route of HST program after reading about it...It will be for 8 weeks and then if i like it i will use it in conjunction with the 5x5 workout... Anyways I was wondering if any of you fellas have used HST and what your results were with it?? BTW i started today and HOLY SHIT the 15's are killers especially after doing 5x5 for awhile

 

[disturbed311]

No one???

 

[Kabeetz]

No a lot of people have used HST principles for training..I believe guinness 5.0 has a thread about it and someone else, and Sarge currently (or recently) was.

HST seems to be a good change of pace, the important part is planning for success and not neglecting compound movements.

 

[al420]

Look in the sticky - there is a world of HST info in there.

 

[BiggT]

Lots of guys use it with success. I can't speak on it personally, but people do well on it, and it is 1,000,000 times better than the idiocy you see at most commercial gyms.

Question though.....why break from the 5x5?? Were you plateaued? Did you try to make some tweaks to continue progressing?

 

[Guinness5.0]

I ran it once before and am using it now. I think of it as an 'advanced' program, meaning that if you can just go in and put more weight on the bar weekly (as in intermediate 5x5), HST would probably not be the best option.

If you're not able to milk int. 5x5 any more and are using the DF version, interchanging HST and 5x5 is a great approach IMO, but you'll see gains more quickly if you can still use something that doesn't actively manage fatigue. The 'easy' parts of each rep phase (the first week) serve largely as deloads. If you can keep milking your progress in 5x5, then any sort of planned deload is wasted time.

 

[liegelord]

I've had great success with it and finally pulled 500 while doing HST. There are diminishing returns though because IMO, the strength gains, while good, are not enough for continued long term progress.

It helps to alternate HST cycles with a 3x5 or 5x5 type of routine focused on strength. In a typical HST run you may increase a 5rm by 10-15 pounds. It's better to then run a 3x5 or 5x5 and possibly increase it another 20 pounds than to just SD and start another HST routine.