Currently doing 3x per week HST. I am in the second cycle and so far I love it. The only thing that is bothering me is the frequency. I like to be in the gym at least 6x per week and all of the rest days are starting to get to me.
Before the HST I was on the same routine as what you listed. Push/pull/legs. I was using the same schedule as you 6x per week. The routine before that I would go push, pull, rest, legs, rest, repeat. That would put me in The gym 4-5x per week.
I am curious on your exercise selection, # sets, #reps on your routine. If you have the extra time can you post them up?
Thanks brother
HST is a great routine and it looks like a lot of guys on this board are running it and getting great results. Full body stuff really is great, but I hear where your coming from about frequency, I like training 6 days a week as well..Is it possible to change the frequency of HST to an upper/lower split ? So a week would look like upper/lower/upper/lower/upper/lower/rest..you still train the upper body 3 times and the lower body 3 times just like a full body split, so it might work if you prefer higher frequency stuff.
My exercise selection is as follows:
Push : Dips, Incline, Side Lateral Raises, Seated Lateral Raises, Rope Press down, Single Arm Overhead Ext
I cut out flat bench a few months ago and really focused on doing dips as my main lift -- my arms have gained far more size this way and focusing on incline for chest has also been a good choice for chest development imo. These 2 lifts are excellent for bodybuilding purposes, I would recommend anyone who regularly flat benches to try out weighted dips/incline only instead for a while..I love it.
Pull : Weighted Chin-ups , Weighted Pull-Up, Bodyweight Pull-up, Chest Supported Dumbbell Row, Seated Row, Lying Cable Curl
Weighted Chin-ups are not only great for lats/back development, but these along with dips are my favorite lifts in terms of putting on arm size - nothing comes close imo. Chest supported rows I do these lying down on a really long incline bench (like the picture below), normally I would use the machine for this but our gym doesn't have one, dumbbells work just fine, and its a great lift for middle back development.
Seated rows are done with a wide grip attachment -- I try and do these with good form and get a good squeeze/contraction, just more volume for middle back...
I've experimented with a few bicep exercises, but I enjoy doing lying cable curls the most. I use a straight metal bar, lie down on the seated row machine, and try and do these with strict form like pictured below:
This lift really is amazing and it RIPS apart my biceps harder than any other curl or preacher curl variation I have tried. This is the only bicep isolation I do and I feel that is more than plenty when combined with weighted chinups / heavy dbell rows in the same day...
Leg day is pretty old school stuff, Front Squat and Romanian Deadlifts are my main lifts. I also do single legged machine work isolation in the form of leg curls and leg extensions.
I think back squat is overall a better mass builder but front squat does a better job of hitting your quads than any other lift imo when done with good depth. I stand on 5lb plates to raise my heels, like the picture below:
Doing this helps maintain good form and depth once you become heavily fatigued.
As for volume and sets -- I do all my work with an 8-10 rep max. I have a set number of reps I do for each lift, for example, I might do 60 total reps of weighted chin ups. I do my first set and usually get 8-10 reps and I will keep pumping out sets (bring each as close to failure as I can) until I reach the total number of reps I would do for that lift.
I like to keep rest periods short so I don't always get 8-10 reps in the subsequent sets.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, progressive overloading weight over time is also very important to me, so I'm always looking to get stronger for 8-10 reps, so as soon as I get more then that in my first set (or the lift becomes too easy) I will up the weight
