HST Help Please!

[cmarcell]

I'm looking into changing my workout up a little bit. I've been working with the 3x5 and 5x5 and am beginning to stall. I'm still continuing until I finally stall, but in the meantime want to begin to plan an HST routine. I've heard and read plenty of workout plans, and this seems to be the next best place to go for body building and strength. The concept seems easy enough, yet I still need some help.

(I'm going to list exercises by body part. I realize the squat isn't considered a leg workout- it's a compound exercises- but for the purposes of this thread it will be).

Legs:
Squats x2
SLDL x1

Shoulders:
Seated Should Press x2
Lateral Raises x1

Back:
Barbell Rows x2
Chins/Pullups x1

Arms:
Bicep Curls x2
Skullcrushers x2

Traps:
Shrugs x1,2?

Chest:
Flat Bench
Incline Dumbbell Bench
Dips

Basically I'm aiming at 9 sets of shoulders, legs, back, and chest each week and 6 sets of biceps and triceps, also throwing in some shrugs and of course abs.

So here are my questions:
1. I was thinking about doing squats workout A and leg press workout B. To me, I don't care whether that is better, or squats each workout. Just wondering which one might be more effective for the overall building process. The HST website has both variations. I wouldn't mind doing both to keep the variety, but I also wouldn't mind doing squats the whole time if more effective.

2. Should I do seated shoulder presses, or continue doing standing. I was doing standing as a compound for the 5x5, but the seated may be more effective for HST. Any opinions?

3. I don't want to do calves. Mine aren't the best, but I don't want it to interfere with my squating progress. But on the other hand, with HST, this may not be the case. Agree or disagree?

4. 1 or 2 sets of shrugs?

5. My biggest question. The chest. I of course am going to continue flat bench. But I also miss doing dumbbell incline bench. I would like to incorporate both. But I love dips also. I was thinking of another A, B workout with the benches, and a set of dips each day. Any opinions on that either?

6. Stick with 15, 10, 5, or do 12, 8, 4? This is basically a question for those who ran it.

I pretty much know the answers to some of these questions, but you guys are definitely a good second opinion. I realize this is a long post, so thanks ahead of time.

 

[cmarcell]

So I was thinking about the chest and it led me to another question. The way I see it I have 2 Options. In option 1 I would have workout A and B. Workout A would include flat barbell bench and workout B would include incline dumbbell bench. The question I had was will this hurt my progress? I mean say your max bench is 100. In the 6 weeks you would bench 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. And say your max in the inclinde dumbbells is 100 pounds, you'd be benching the same. But if you do workout A and B, you would be doing 80, 90, and 100 for both, which is a lot more total weight. This might hurt. This might now. I'm not sure.

The other option is to do flat bench in one 8 week cycle and incline bench in another 8 week cycle.

Yes, I'm over thinking this whole thing. No, I cannot help it. Thanks.

 

[cmarcell]

Anyone?

 

[cmarcell]

Sorry, but I'm going to bump this.

 

[petpre61]

I'm looking into changing my workout up a little bit. I've been working with the 3x5 and 5x5 and am beginning to stall. I'm still continuing until I finally stall, but in the meantime want to begin to plan an HST routine. I've heard and read plenty of workout plans, and this seems to be the next best place to go for body building and strength. The concept seems easy enough, yet I still need some help.

(I'm going to list exercises by body part. I realize the squat isn't considered a leg workout- it's a compound exercises- but for the purposes of this thread it will be).

Legs:
Squats x2
SLDL x1

Shoulders:
Seated Should Press x2
Lateral Raises x1

Back:
Barbell Rows x2
Chins/Pullups x1

Arms:
Bicep Curls x2
Skullcrushers x2

Traps:
Shrugs x1,2?

Chest:
Flat Bench
Incline Dumbbell Bench
Dips

Basically I'm aiming at 9 sets of shoulders, legs, back, and chest each week and 6 sets of biceps and triceps, also throwing in some shrugs and of course abs.

So here are my questions:
1. I was thinking about doing squats workout A and leg press workout B. To me, I don't care whether that is better, or squats each workout. Just wondering which one might be more effective for the overall building process. The HST website has both variations. I wouldn't mind doing both to keep the variety, but I also wouldn't mind doing squats the whole time if more effective.

stick with back squats, next cycle maybe fronts

2. Should I do seated shoulder presses, or continue doing standing. I was doing standing as a compound for the 5x5, but the seated may be more effective for HST. Any opinions?

standing

3. I don't want to do calves. Mine aren't the best, but I don't want it to interfere with my squating progress. But on the other hand, with HST, this may not be the case. Agree or disagree?

you will have to find out

4. 1 or 2 sets of shrugs?

I wouldnt do them at all

5. My biggest question. The chest. I of course am going to continue flat bench. But I also miss doing dumbbell incline bench. I would like to incorporate both. But I love dips also. I was thinking of another A, B workout with the benches, and a set of dips each day. Any opinions on that either?

focus on either one you dont have to do all the exercises you like at once

6. Stick with 15, 10, 5, or do 12, 8, 4? This is basically a question for those who ran it.

not too much a difference. do the classic version first. next time you can think about changes

I pretty much know the answers to some of these questions, but you guys are definitely a good second opinion. I realize this is a long post, so thanks ahead of time.

hope this helps