If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got.

This is a favourite proverb of mine which I'll pull out the bag when someone is moaning at me about not reaching their goals while at the same time making no significant effort to change the way they do things. However, more recently I think this has applied to me.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my training lately and I've come to the conclusion that the programs I've been following are too advanced for the level I'm at. I don't need a body part split yet. I've never had particularly good results using one and yet I've been using one for most, if not all, of this year.

The best results I had were following Starting Strength. And this wasn't a case of noob gains as I'd already made significant progress before I started it. At the end of that program I was not only lighter and leaner than I am now but significantly stronger. That was a year ago. So something has to be done.

I've been thinking a lot about full body workouts recently. At my level I think it makes sense. A frequent, smaller stimulus rather than a less frequent, larger stimulus (that allows muscles to adapt and "un-adapt" before the next workout). With this in mind I considered coming up with a plan myself, picking a bunch of compounds and couple of iso and going with a 3x8 scheme. But then I remembered Hypertrophy Specific Training (HST) was a full body workout, 3 times a week, lot's of people have said they've had good gains on it, so I figured I'd look into that.

As I mentioned above HST is a full body workout done 3 times a week. A cycle is typically 8 weeks long split into four 2 week microcycles. Each microcycle uses a different rep range and you are supposed to progressively load up to the your RM of that range across the 6 workouts. The rep ranges are 15, 10, 5 and then on to negatives if you have a spotter, or carry on with 5's and progressively load. Different amounts of sets are also used in the microcycles. 1x15, 2x10 and 3x5 are the norm.

So it starts off a bit like HIT and ends up like Starting Strength. It's certainly different to the splits I've been using for a while and not progressing with.

I've been know to program jump quite a bit and I'm basically abadoning another program midway through to start this. This is not something that has bothered me much and although I may jump from one program to another it's typically just a reordering of the exercises. All my workouts for as long as I can remember have been mainly the same compound movements, and usually in the lower rep ranges. However, this is partly the reason I've decided to start this new journal specifically for this program. The other reason is that my previous journal (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=41169&goto=newpost) is way to big and it's time for a fresh start.

So it begins here. I'll use today to work out my 15RMs for the exercises I choose to do. I'll post this up later today.

Subbed. This is sure to be a good read like the old journal. Never tried HST so it will be interesting to see how that goes for ya. :cool:

Good luck with your new plan :tucool:

Rather than testing my maxs (15, 10, 5) this week I've decided to dive straight in. I've got lots of recent lifting data so I've just used an online calculator. I've erred on the side of caution as well. Chances are the weights might be too light on the RM days but that's not a bad thing as I should never been going to failure.

I'm going to be using the following exercises:

Squat
Romanian Deadlift
Flat Bench
Bent Row
Press
BB Shrugs
Close Grip Bench
BB Curls

This proves to be one of the quickest workouts I've done during the 1x15 phase.

Squat
10x20
15x50

Romanian Deadlift
15x50

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x37.5

Bent Row
15x37.5

Press
15x25

BB Shrugs
15x57.5

Close Grip Bench
15x27.5

BB Curl
15x20

This workout surprised me. On paper it looks piss easy. But taking all the reps slow and controlled, trying to focus on the muscle soon caught up with me after the 15 reps. The main one that was heavy was the bent row, but I've just noticed I lifted more than I was supposed too. So that's not a problem. All in all the lifting took about 20 minutes which was a nice change. This is only going to increase though. I can imagine the 3x5 cycle taking over and hour with all the sets, more rest, and more warmup sets. I should enjoy this fortnight while it lasts.

Squat
10x20
15x55

Romanian Deadlift
15x55

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x40

Bent Row
15x30

Press
15x26

BB Shrugs
15x60

Close Grip Bench
15x30

BB Curl
15x21

The whole workout seemed to feel a lot easier than it did on Monday. Not that it was difficult then. Maybe I was just prepared for the 15 reppers today. Anyway, everything other than the press felt light. Everything was done slow and controlled. I timed the workout today and it took 30 minutes and that's including the 5 minutes or light cardio I do before I hit the weights. I'm loving the quickness. Let's hope I the results are good.

Squat
10x20
15x55

Romanian Deadlift
15x55

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x40

Bent Row
15x30

Press
15x26

BB Shrugs
15x60

Close Grip Bench
15x30

BB Curl
15x21

The whole workout seemed to feel a lot easier than it did on Monday. Not that it was difficult then. Maybe I was just prepared for the 15 reppers today. Anyway, everything other than the press felt light. Everything was done slow and controlled. I timed the workout today and it took 30 minutes and that's including the 5 minutes or light cardio I do before I hit the weights. I'm loving the quickness. Let's hope I the results are good.
So the idea is to do 1 set of 15 reps for each exercise for 8 weeks, 3 times a week, with the aim of increasing the weight each session?

So the idea is to do 1 set of 15 reps for each exercise for 8 weeks, 3 times a week, with the aim of increasing the weight each session?


A cycle is typically 8 weeks long split into four 2 week microcycles. Each microcycle uses a different rep range and you are supposed to progressively load up to the your RM of that range across the 6 workouts. The rep ranges are 15, 10, 5 and then on to negatives if you have a spotter, or carry on with 5's and progressively load. Different amounts of sets are also used in the microcycles. 1x15, 2x10 and 3x5 are the norm.

So it starts off a bit like HIT and ends up like Starting Strength. It's certainly different to the splits I've been using for a while and not progressing with.



:tucool:

So the idea is to do 1 set of 15 reps for each exercise for 8 weeks, 3 times a week, with the aim of increasing the weight each session?

No, the idea is to keep progressively overloading. The first two weeks I work up to my 15RMs with 1 set of 15. The next two weeks I work up to my 10RMs with 2 sets of 10. The 3rd two weeks I work up to my 5RMs with 3 sets of 5. Then the final two weeks are meant to be negatives. I don't have a spotter so it's recommended to just carry on with the 5s but try and add weight where you can.

Hopefully, you should just be able to keep increasing the weight on the bar without too much "zig zagging" (where I start a two week cycle with weights lower than the last cycle ended on).

At the moment it's pretty easy and very quick. But I imagine the 4th-8th week are gonna be pretty tough and long.

Edit:
Oh, and once you are done with the 8 weeks you are meant to take 9-14 days off for strategic deconditioning. From what I've read people seem to gain the most in the first 4 weeks.

:tucool:

No, the idea is to keep progressively overloading. The first two weeks I work up to my 15RMs with 1 set of 15. The next two weeks I work up to my 10RMs with 2 sets of 10. The 3rd two weeks I work up to my 5RMs with 3 sets of 5. Then the final two weeks are meant to be negatives. I don't have a spotter so it's recommended to just carry on with the 5s but try and add weight where you can.

Hopefully, you should just be able to keep increasing the weight on the bar without too much "zig zagging" (where I start a two week cycle with weights lower than the last cycle ended on).

At the moment it's pretty easy and very quick. But I imagine the 4th-8th week are gonna be pretty tough and long.

Edit:
Oh, and once you are done with the 8 weeks you are meant to take 9-14 days off for strategic deconditioning. From what I've read people seem to gain the most in the first 4 weeks.
Reading isn't my strong point. Thanks for typing it out again. :o

Not sure if I mentioned this already but I bought a Nike+ sportsband so I can track my runs properly.

Today I tried some sprints. Holy shit, they almost killed me. I only managed 4 actual sprints and they can't have been much longer that 50-60 meters. That was enough for today though. I'll go for 5 next time.

You can see my run stats here:
http://bit.ly/2OE1mG

Just found out that there is this nearby:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=51.571508,-0.101194&spn=0.001767,0.005874&t=h&z=18

I am very interested in your progress. Did you go to the HST website at http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html, or some other site to create your program? I have heard from many people in here and on other sites that they had great results. I like full body programs, so it something I will try soon. I will keep watching your journal.

I am very interested in your progress. Did you go to the HST website at http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html, or some other site to create your program? I have heard from many people in here and on other sites that they had great results. I like full body programs, so it something I will try soon. I will keep watching your journal.

I came up with my workout after reading the official site and also this thread (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=280813&highlight=hst) at bb.com. The thing I like about HST is that it's just a set of principles. It's up to you what your workout looks like (within reason). I've only had two workouts on it so far but I'm enjoying doing a full body workout again. This phase is crazy quick as well leaving me loads of freetime which I'm appeciating.

In other news I'm still hovering around the 90.5kg mark. Once I've finished this job I'll make more of an effort to up my calories. I hope to gain some significant mass between now and the end of the year. Then at the start of next year I'll do a proper cut and get ripped. My aim is to make one of these ads where I make myself look as fat as possible, then lean out (though I'll also have to work out how to get a tan).

31982

Yeah, do the ad and have people pay to find out how you did it. haha.

Yeah, do the ad and have people pay to find out how you did it. haha.

They won't like what I have to tell them.

Squat
10x20
15x60

Romanian Deadlift
15x60

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x42.5

Bent Row
15x32.5

Press
15x27

BB Shrugs
15x62.5

Close Grip Bench
15x32.5

BB Curl
15x22

Good workout. As I'm taking the reps slow and controlled it really creeps up on you by the 12 rep and there is a definite 'burn' I'm feeling. :confused: I don't think it was a good idea doing the sprints on a Thursday. I think I need a bit more recovery time. Some muscles in my legs were sore and my squats felt slightly awkward because of it. I'll go for Saturdays in future.

Squat
10x20
15x65

Romanian Deadlift
15x65

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x45

Bent Row
15x35

Press
15x28

BB Shrugs
15x65

Close Grip Bench
15x35

BB Curl
15x23

Good workout tonight. I was slightly concerned as my groin was hurting this weekend. This was likely down to the sprints in Thursday. It didn't seem to bother my squats though, which were nice and deep today. The press was hard work towards the end. I should have another 2kg in me though. Everything else was fine.

I know it only been a week but I feel as though I'm getting noticeably bigger already, to me at least. I've never noticed this sort of thing before. Perhaps it's just psychosomatic. My scale weight is relatively unchanged.

Squat
10x20kg
15x70

Romanian Deadlift
15x70

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x47.5

Bent Row
15x37.5

Press
15x29

BB Shrugs
15x70

Close Grip Bench
15x37.5

BB Curl
15x24

Some of the exercises are getting tough for these 15 reppers. The press is the worst. Some of the exercises are a bit easy still. Last session on Friday though, then to the 10 reppers.

GymKit has finally been accepted by Apple's app store. Hopefully, it will be available for purchase within a few hours. :tu:

GymKit has finally been accepted by Apple's app store. Hopefully, it will be available for purchase within a few hours. :tu:

:claphigh: congrats!

GymKit (http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.a pple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252 FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D325563417%2526mt%253D8) is now available for purchase. It's very good at what it does. I recommend it to anyone that has an iPhone/iPod Touch.

http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.a pple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252 FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D325563417%2526mt%253D8

Squat
10x20kg
15x75

Romanian Deadlift
15x75

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
15x50

Bent Row
15x40

Press
15x29

BB Shrugs
15x70

Close Grip Bench
15x40

BB Curl
15x25

Although I didn't actually work out my max like I was meant to it seems the calculator I used got them pretty much spot on. None were too heavy and only a few were too light (squats, RDLs and rows). I'll not mess with it until I'm done with the whole cycle. So that's the 15s done now. Next week I start the 2x10s.

Squat
10x20kg
8x50
10x77.5
10x77.5

Romanian Deadlift
10x77.5
10x77.5

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
10x50
10x50

Bent Row
10x40
10x40

Press
10x30
10x30

BB Shrugs
10x72.5
10x72.5

Close Grip Bench
10x40
10x40

BB Curl
10x25
10x25

With the 2 sets per exercise the workout now takes about 45 mins. I just know it's going to take over an hour when it goes up to 3 sets, especially with the added rest. Anyway, this workout went well. Squats, RDL, Rows, Press, CG Bench all felt pretty easy. Bench got tough towards the end as did Curls, but I only had 60 rest there rather than 90 I had on all other exercises. I think I'm cheating with the shrugs a bit but I can't tell as I look in a mirror. But they felt heavy too.

Squat
10x20kg
8x50
10x80
10x80

Romanian Deadlift
10x80
10x80

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
10x50
10x50

Bent Row
10x40
10x40

Press
10x31
10x31

BB Shrugs
10x75
10x75

Close Grip Bench
10x40
10x40

BB Curl
10x26
10x26

Some of these were feeling really heavy. I'm not sure if it was the fact I went out last night and had a few drinks, or the fact I did this workout much earlier than I normally would have after lying down most of the day, or simply that I've over estimated my 10rms. Which ever it is I hope I can keep progressing for the next 4 workouts.

This workout already takes a while, by the time I get to the 5rm stuff it's going to take ages. What I might do is split it up into 2 alternating workouts. I've seen this done with some HST stuff. I think that would be better than spending 90 minutes working out.

Completely redesigned the 1rm calculator in GymKit today. This was quite time consuming (mainly down to learning) but was well worth the effort as I now have the controls I need to add more user friendly logging to the app. Anyway, here's a sneak peak.

32146

Here's a quick video of the new interface in action. I think it's looking really promising. Now I have this done I can think about the logging side of the app.

9eM1HXSBNiA

Here's a quick video of the new interface in action. I think it's looking really promising. Now I have this done I can think about the logging side of the app.
That video's set to private.

From the screenshot and picture above, it's looking pretty slick, though. :)

That video's set to private.

From the screenshot and picture above, it's looking pretty slick, though. :)

It should be fixed now.

Cheers for the heads up. I dunno why it's started defaulting to private. Might be an iMovie thing. :tu:

It should be fixed now.
Yep!

Just a suggestion:
Is there a way to speed up the scrolling for the weight section? Like, so that it will recognize that you're scrolling over a larger distance and move faster. So that guys that are legpressing ~1000 pounds (not me) won't have to scroll for so long. :confused:

Yep!

Just a suggestion:
Is there a way to speed up the scrolling for the weight section? Like, so that it will recognize that you're scrolling over a larger distance and move faster. So that guys that are legpressing ~1000 pounds (not me) won't have to scroll for so long. :confused:

What I'll probably do is make it scroll at 2x speed if your finger is moving over x pixels a second. That way you'll be able to get there faster and still fine tune. I'll also add some inertia so that even when you take you finger off after swiping the slider will still keep moving.

At the moment, it only goes up to 1100lbs (500kg). I based this off the largest deadlift I could find on youtube. I realise this is an egde case but do you think that's large enough?

Ok, I tried speeding it up when you slid your finger at a certain speed but ran into a bug that stopped it moving altogether. I couldn't work it out so I took that out and added the inertia. I think this solved the problem. It should only take 5 or 6 quick slides to get from 0 to 1000lbs or in the case of the video below 0 - 500kg.

mcbqduei5Ek

Squat
10x20kg
5x60
10x82.5
10x82.5

Romanian Deadlift
10x82.5
10x82.5

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
10x52.5
10x52.5

Bent Row
10x42.5
10x42.5

Press
10x32
10x32

BB Shrugs
10x77.5
10x77.5

Close Grip Bench
10x42.5
10x42.5

BB Curl
10x27
10x27

I think the last workout must have just been an off day as I mentioned it might. Today's workout felt considerably easier despite all the weights increasing. The only slight exception is the BB curl where that is getting heavy for my puny arms. Hopefully, I be able to get to 30kg without missing and reps.

In regards to GymKit, I spend a couple of hours this morning trying to submit the new binary. What a palaver that was. It's finally done though. Hopefully the new 1rm calc will be available for download with the next 10 days or so.

At the moment, it only goes up to 1100lbs (500kg). I based this off the largest deadlift I could find on youtube. I realise this is an egde case but do you think that's large enough?

For the vast majority of people, yeah.
Though 1100+ pound squats are becoming more common in some of the gear heavy feds over here in the States. And then there's Ronnie Coleman's 2000 pound leg press :lol:

GymKit (http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.a pple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252 FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D325563417%2526mt%253D8) is now available for purchase. It's very good at what it does. I recommend it to anyone that has an iPhone/iPod Touch.

http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.a pple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252 FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D325563417%2526mt%253D8

I have used GymBuddy for some time now. How does GymKit compare? GymBuddy is a very good logging app, but it has some performance issues when dealing with large amounts of data.

CD

I have used GymBuddy for some time now. How does GymKit compare? GymBuddy is a very good logging app, but it has some performance issues when dealing with large amounts of data.

CD

GymKit is just a timer and 1rm calculator. If you are looking for logging the version available at iTunes is not for you. I plan on adding logging and when it's available I'll let you know.

Squat
10x20kg
5x60
10x85
10x85

Romanian Deadlift
10x85
10x85

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
10x55
10x55

Bent Row
10x45
10x45

Press
10x33
10x33 (!!!)

BB Shrugs
10x80
10x80

Close Grip Bench
10x45
10x45 (!)

BB Curl
10x28
10x28 (!)

The (!)'s are the new notation I've adopted in my journal to signify how much of a struggle the last rep was. Ranging from none, not a struggle to (!!!) almost didn't get it. I've been meaning to come up with something to help me keep a track of this and this seems the easiest to follow. Previously, I had things underlined and circled about it doesn't say as much a good couple of (!!)'s

So yes, today I really struggled to get that last press above my head. I have a feeling these 10 reppers are going to be hard this week and next week when I start the 3x5 it should almost be a bit of a break.

The CG Bench is mainly a problem due to my right shoulder which I swear is messed up from using a computer all day.

Squat
10x20kg
5x60
10x90
10x90

Romanian Deadlift
10x90
10x90

Bench (slight incline)
10x20
10x57.5
10x57.5 (!!!)

Bent Row
10x47.5
10x47.5 (!)

Press
10x34
8x34 (x)

BB Shrugs
8x82.5 (x)

Close Grip Bench

BB Curl

After that first set of shrugs that I couldn't even complete I was spent. I couldn't even get the bar back on the pins so I just left it on the floor and called it a day. This HST stuff is alright while you are progressing but when you get near your max it's hard core.

When I go to the 3x5 I'm going to split the workouts in 2 and do a ABA BAB rotation.

Workout A
Squats
Bench
Row
CG bench

Workout B
RDL
Press
Shrugs
BB Curl

It's been 9 weeks since I've had a break. I think I'm going to skip Friday's workout and rest a little longer this weekend. Then hit the weights fresh on Monday.

I was gonna take today off but the urge got the better of me. However, rather than a full workout I went to test my bench strength. It's still around the same area as it has been for a year. I tried 85kg which would have been a PR. That went nowhere. I then tried 80kg and got it. It did take a while to get past my sticking point though.

The full workout:

Bench
10x20kg
10x30
10x30
10x40
5x50
3x60
1x70
0x85 (x)
1x80 (!!!)

Squat
10x20kg
5x60
2x80
5x100
5x100
5x100

Bench
10x20
5x40
5x60
5x60
5x60

Power Clean
3x50
3x50
3x50
3x50
3x50

It's been ages since I've had 2 plates on the bar for squats and it felt like it. Hopefully, it'll come back quick. I wasn't gonna workout today as I was spent most the morning travelling down to Winchester to play some guitar with some friends and then couple of hours early evening travelling back up. Needless to say eating right went out the window. However, I found that I had spare time and could think of nothing better to flll it.

For anyone interested here are some vids of the guitar session

VQG_g_NXmr8

CMkkqA-N4f8

The GymKit update is finally online. This is just a minor update that features the new 1rm calculator interface. This is the same interface I'm using for the logger that I'm currently working on.

Confession time. I'm not continuing with the HST workout. I'm using the 3x5 phase to transition into a starting strength style workout which I intend to use for the foreseeable future.

You can continue to follow my progress here:

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=48481&goto=newpost

Very cool videos you guys are pretty damn good. :tucool: I wish someone like that would play at a local place by me. Eat some food play some pool ect... ect.. and listen to live music.

Very cool videos you guys are pretty damn good. :tucool: I wish someone like that would play at a local place by me. Eat some food play some pool ect... ect.. and listen to live music.

Thanks. That was the first time we'd all played together. Hopefully, we'll get together every couple of months or so and play some more.