HST Notes (practical information)

Practical information directly from Bryan Haycock.

The previous article on HST was a general introduction to the development and finalization of the HST principle. This article is going to be much more entertaining, and more importantly brings with it a practical section that will be especially appreciated by readers who are just getting acquainted with HST. In this article you will find all the practice directly from Brian Haycock that you need to build your own custom HST program for yourself. Therefore, I encourage everyone to read the entire article thoroughly, point by point. At the end of the article, for better understanding, there is a translated, used training pattern that you can be inspired by.

All maximums must be set at the beginning of the first cycle.

Your maxima will determine the weight you will base your weight on throughout the entire introductory cycle. Find your maxes for 15 reps, for 10 reps. and for 5 reps for each exercise you will use. The set number of reps is set into 3 training units (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) in two cycles, or the training units for 1 cycle are made up of 6 training days. As mentioned in the first workout of a given cycle, you set your starting weight and in the second workout you simply add 2-5 kg (depending on the exercise and loading condition) to all exercises.

We've said that we're going to increase the weight by 2-5 kg each subsequent workout in a given cycle. This means that at times you'll be working with weights less than your maximum for a given rep scheme. This is part of the plan, or we will undercut the max to avoid failure leading to overtraining.

Determine the weights for each workout:

Estimate the maximum weight for a given work volume (ex: 2x15). Determine the loading plan for all training days by subtracting 5-10 kg from the determined max. As an example, we will use a maximum weight of 100 kg, from which we will subtract, for example, 10 kg. The number from the subtracted max is 90 kg and this gives us the weight with which we will end the training cycle. So we know that we have 6 training days in one cycle. So the loading plan for each day will look like this. Training 1 = 65 kg, Training 2 = 70 kg, Training 3 = 75 kg, Training 4 = 80 kg, Training 5 = 85 kg, Training 6 = 90 kg. Apply this to each exercise, for all types of repetition counts.

Example of the first cycle:
Workout 1 - 15 reps - Monday: Selected weight for 15 reps
Workout 2 - 15 reps - Wednesday: + 2-5 kg additional weight for each exercise.
... in the next workout add again in this way until the end of the cycle.

From the principle of progressive loading, it is your responsibility to complete the required work in the specified work volume. Physiological systems are always looking to balance with homeostasis. This means that systems will respond to change by adapting to increased load. As a result, the stressor forces the system to balance and adapt to it. In the case of mechanical loads, weight is like a load factor. Weight increases connective tissue and muscle protein, a system response that brings the muscle back to homeostasis.

The number of repetitions decreases after two weeks, or after each successive cycle the number of repetitions decreases with the following progression: 15 repetitions. In another 2 weeks, 10 reps. In another 2 weeks, 5 reps. Then continue with 5 reps. Next 2 weeks max, or start a new cycle for 2 weeks for 15 reps. This cycle can be skipped if you are starting after the previous 6 week cycle. If you feel injuries may come from the stretch, do not skip the cycle for 15 reps!

Decreasing the number of reps brings an increase in weight. Still, a high rep count is important for preparation. High volume anaerobic work will benefit the muscles in the form of increased resistance to injury and increased functional capacity.

Series are limited to 1-2 exercises per batch.

One to two sets for total work in one exercise is amply sufficient, as long as the sets are performed with sufficient intensity, tempo and strict execution of the exercise where the weight is under your control. The moment you lose control of the weight, you have chosen too heavy a load. For the next set it is appropriate to reduce the weight.

Many people misunderstand the concept of overtraining. So first of all, I think it's a mistake to think that overtraining only comes from muscle tissue. Research confirms that this is not the case! What is overtraining? It's central nervous system (CNS) fatigue. During high frequency training, you need to keep CNS fatigue low and do so by not opting for dramatic loading. Obviously you need to increase the weight to meet the need for hypertrophy, but you still need to remember that your muscles will regenerate more than your CNS, so be careful with adding load.

The high frequency principle addresses you to the idea of training every muscle group 3 times a week. The explanation is simple. We load muscles to create an optimal environment to stimulate hypertrophy, however, the basic premise is that this stimulation must be frequent enough. This principle is effective due to adaptation to stress. If muscles are loaded at low frequency (ex: bodybuilding splits), they adapt faster than they are re-loaded, which entails unnecessary days of semi-anabolic state, or stagnation.

Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are rest days. On these days you can incorporate light cardio for 20-40 minutes, for example in the form of brisk walking.

Complete each set weight workout even if your muscle fibers are tired from previous workouts. It is important to know the difference between an injury and normal muscle soreness. NEVER train muscles that you feel are at risk of injury. To avoid injury, I exclusively recommend that before each workout you perform a warm-up and warm-down of the trained, muscle groups in that exercise.

Each 6-8 week cycle, is followed by a week of strategic aggravation. Consider this week as a week of complete rest with no load. This time is for recuperation and to heal minor injuries. Try to sleep and enjoy fun outside of the gym.

Strategic deterioration is very important for long term growth. Use it if you hope to increase previous volumes. Once your muscles are like the soles of your shoes, all your work in the gym will only lead to maintaining the volumes you have. Strategic aggravation primarily allows muscles to respond to training stimuli again and allows them to continue to grow.

The entire workout can be divided into two phases, or a morning and afternoon session. You can either split the workout to your liking, or if your CNS can handle it, you can do the same workout in the morning and evening. In this case though, keep the work volumes (sets x reps) low, for two-phase training this is really important!

SHOW OF TWO-WEEK HST BLOCK - CYCLE 2x10
(Sample max for 10 reps. you can use it to determine your own weight assumptions)

Note: BW stands for BodyWeight

For those interested in the link to the original, just click here

I have many years of experience with this principle. I have completed several HST cycles on which I have managed to make very decent results. Therefore, the next and last article on HST will be directed to my empirical experience with this principle, its modification and a practical demonstration of sample cycles. This article will be interesting especially for those who already have experience with full body workouts and are looking for new information or inspiration.