Hst? Wtf?

[HaZaRDouZ]

Never done an HST routine. My friend has and he says it works great, but i take his opinion with a grain of salt. I'd like to hear from all the good bro's how good it actually is/isn't. . . . please post some results after a HST cycle and what to expect from it.
Thanks

 

[Guinness5.0]

There's an entire forum dedicated to HST at www.hypertrophy-specific.com

Also (I'll beat Anthrax Invasion to this response ) HST isn't a routine per se; it's a set of principles. There is a basic template that will get you strarted but it's not set in stone. Kinda like after doing the "Madcow'd" DF 5x5 you start to understand your tolerances for workload, volume, etc. and go from there, addressing weak points and goals along the way and tweaking your program to achieve them in an intelligent manner.

FWIW I'm trying it now after some reading on this site and the HST site. It fits my goals for now IMO. Really your goals should be what determine your program.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

That's not fair, I was in the middle of eating!

Aw well, guinness got it right. It's really a set of principles. The HST program laid out is just a sample of how you can utilize them. Check out the forums at www.hypertrophy-specific.com and check the HST sub-board. You'll see a thread stickied that says "Your results with HST..."

Read all about it there.

 

[Slyder190]

I think some of the principles behind it make complete sense, but overall i never liked the program as it was layed out. I've never tried it either. But the whole body in one workout, that's A LOT, regardless of the volume, you'd be in the gym at least 90 min. 90 min is TOPS for me. And sets of 15 i wasn't too kean on.

 

[jwwpua]

I think some of the principles behind it make complete sense, but overall i never liked the program as it was layed out. I've never tried it either. But the whole body in one workout, that's A LOT, regardless of the volume, you'd be in the gym at least 90 min. 90 min is TOPS for me. And sets of 15 i wasn't too kean on.

I can do a full body HST routine in about 45 minutes. You can really use a lot fewer exercises than you'd think and actually work your entire body adequately.

The purpose of the 15's is mainly to prepare your muscles/joints/tendons for heavier weight in the following weeks. If a beginner starts with heavy weights, he's likely to injure himself. Also, the 15's supposedly have some sort of healing effect on tendons.

Anyways, advanced lifters are free to skip the 15's and choose their own rep schemes as long as they follow the principles (progressive load, frequency, etc).

 

[combat_action]

But the whole body in one workout, that's A LOT, regardless of the volume, you'd be in the gym at least 90 min.

I didn't like it either, and I did try it. However, the example they use on their website isn't very good. Too many isolations. There's no way it should take anyone more than an hour, (45 minutes for me) when doing it.

3 times per week fullbody: I'm pretty I've read Boris Kleine did this one.

bench press
shoulder press
squats
deadlifts
barbell curls
chin ups

Done.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

During the 15's especially, there is no need for isolations. The entire program can thrive on the ideas behind Bill Starr's 5x5 routine which is that driving the compound exercises upward over time will lead to the gains most are seeking. Isolations can really be saved for those who have basically capped out their mass gains and are looking to eek out whatever they can through pumping fluid into the muscles. That, or for working on sticking points in lift, ala WSB.

I know that if I go some arm isolations for a month or two, my arms swell up a little, but if I stop them, the mass escapes pretty quickly. That never happens, even when I cease rowing and benching due to taking a break from lifting.

The 15's need only three exercises, maybe four. Bench. Squat. Row. Even better would be Pullup, Dip & Squat, but not many can pullup or dip their bodyweight +10-20 lbs.

Those three exercises would cover your entire body and would allow that phase to complete its goal - joint & connective tissue prep for the heavier loads to follow.

 

[TheOak84]

if you enjoy power lifitng, dont do it. if you want a high intensity routine, try it

 

[cwc73]

I agree with oak's last comment. It definately aint powerlifting, but damn, some days will kick your ass in the higher rep ranges.

To touch on what slyder said, you do NOT have to use a total body workout; I don't right now. My current go did involve a total body workout up to the point of the 10s, but then I swapped over to an upper/lower/rest split. I also uped the volume due to the added rest. I'm enjoying it now for sure.

I will let you guys know my results: I started at 163ish and now weigh in at 170, and I'm not quite done with the 5s yet, but to be honest, before I started I losted about 7 lbs. I did weigh around 170, but some legal issues and heavy frustration zapped my appetite and shrunk me, so that might be why I lost the weight. Anyhow, I do like HST principles.

 

[ebear]

To touch on what slyder said, you do NOT have to use a total body workout; I don't right now.

Right. I've been doing well applying some of the HST principles over the past eight months - only two of which I used the total body workout. As Anthrax mentioned, it really is about principles, basically a number of very thought through observations on how hypertrophy can best be elicited. Check out the website & board, there's a lot of good reading there.