Hypertrophy-Specific Training??

[brenda21]

Has anyone out there followed this method before? I've been reading more about it and was wondering what results anyone has had. According to the dialogue on their website its fantastic but I don't see many women posting.

I know I don't have enough testosterone to get bulky so I'm not worried about that, but I was curious regarding what everyone has found. (Wayne or Trevor, one of you have done this before, right?)

Thanks...
Brenda

 

[briee]

Brenda...I posted on this a while back and was set to try it when I promptly got pregnant which shot my workouts straight to oblivion. Now I have a young baby which again is not doing much for my workouts, but I am trying hard to be consistant and build muscle and I'd be willing to do an experiment with ya if you're up for it. Say an 8 week trial run of HST. I did not see many women posting on that site either, so I too was wondering what can be accomplished through this method by women. It makes sense. I'd also like to know if there are any women on this site who have benefited from this. I'm not worried about bulking up either, I'm more worried about NOT bulking up - I want to see some muscle development in my shoulders specifically. The hardest mental block I have regarding this method is doing the lighter work on the earlier days (the first 5 sessions). I hate not giving my all to a workout and I feel like it's not accomplishing anything if I don't "fry" my muscles, but according to them there is a purpose in this - sooooo maybe I should give it a try. Can't be any worse than 9 months of crummy, half hearted workouts eh????

Trevor has done this in the past and he could tell ya what his results were. But, unless he can pass us some of that testosterone I don't know if it will be "quite" the same.x( x( x( Trev...ya out there??

Briee


I think Julie did this for a period of time (amadeus), but I don't know how often she checks in. She may be able to give you some feedback.

 

[trevor]

Hi ladies,
I did the HST program awhile back. I skipped the initial stage where you prime your muscles for later lifting though because I had already been lifting prior to that and felt I was already "primed". LOL!
The program worked well but in my case I do not have enough time to do full body workouts 3 days per week.
I will tell you what I am doing now that's probably giving me better results. I rotate chest/back, bis/tris, shoulders, and legs amongst the five days of the week with whatever segment I start with on Monday getting repeated on Fridays. Then the next week everything moves back one day from the prior week so that I start Monday off with a different segment. After a month I will switch up the splits to put different muscles together on the same day than what I was doing the previous month.
The actual lifting is based on trying to hit the various muscle fiber types. Everything is superset based. Right now I am doing 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps with heavier weight to hit fast twitch muscle fibers and then the third set is a set of 30 reps. with lighter weight to hit type 1, or slow twitch fibers. I will lift like this for a month and then switch exercises and maybe add a set, or anything to shake it up. You also can switch up by just changing your lifting speeds. Also on muscles like the tris, which are almost all fast twitch fibers, I explode through the lift on the positive part of the lift, then come down on a 4 second negative part of the lift. For virtually everything else I lift 2 seconds on the positive and 4 seconds on the negative. It is known that for adding mass the negative part of the lift is the most important so make sure to take your time.
Don't be afraid of this kind of lifting ladies. I think you'll love the results if you give it a shot for a few months and really concentrate on it hard.
I forgot to mention that for cardio I am all about HIGH intensity and I do alot of sprint type work, regardless of the equipment or whether I am inside or outside. Have you ever seen the bodies of sprint type athletes like runners and track bikers? They have killer physiques!! You can do long distance stuff too but the real bodyshaping work is accomplished by high intensity sprint work IMHO.
Anyway, if I wasn't clear and you are interested in more info just tell me. I'd be glad to help.
Go get 'em!
Trevor

 

[brenda21]

OK... Briee, I would love to try HST or something like it but right now I'm trying to figure out a schedule and how to do it. Where's the easy to follow instruction booklet? What do I need to know and how do we start?

I'm looking forward to the results- there's a picture of a woman who uses HST and trains w/Bryan and she's this unbelievably cut competitor which sold me that it would work for women.

Trevor, could you help give us some direction for how this works?

I've also just started HIIT rather than spend more time at 60-70%-
a faster workout that is fabulously intense.

Now what? I'll check out the site again for direction, too.
Thanks!

Brenda

 

[trevor]

Brenda,
All I did was take the chart they have on the HST site, pick some exercises to fit the bodypart sections they outline, and just do the prescribed set/reps for the specified period of time. I actually added some extra exercises so my workouts got a little long.
Concentrate on the 2 seconds on the positve part of the lift and 4 on the negative.
The HIIT is awesome. Intervals and sprint work is where it's at if your goal is to be cut. You can throw in a long day too if you enjoy cardio but just remember that you are burning alot already on this program.
One thing is that there are a few core exercises that you really should never go without doing. Those are squats, deadlifts, upright rows, and some type of bench press. These are compound moves, incorporate more muscle, and you burn more calories doing these. One trick is to combine an isolation exercise with a compound move for a specific bodypart. You could do that with the HST program. Don't waste time with any adductor/abductor machines if you are currently doing those. You can vary foot position on the squats or leg press and hit that area.
Lastly for HIIT, if you do not have an HR monitor, you really should get one. And calculate your max/min work range correctly by using the Karvonen formula and resting HR. The key is to make sure you REALLY are working hard and not just breathing hard.
Email me if you like. And get excited! LOL! I really think this will work for you if you push yourself.
Trevor

 

[brenda21]

Trevor, I knew I could get a quick response from you!
Which heart monitors do you recommend? With HIIT I can tell I'm getting my HR up from the way I feel- when the cardio stops I'm searching for an open window and sucking air- different than when I just do an entire tape (compare w/running up a BIG hill and reaching the top- winded, panting, but good)

Also, can you recommend a body tape measure? I don't get on the scale anymore because of muscle gain, but I'd like to keep serious track of my measurements. (the retractable Black and Decker just doesn't work like it should!)

I'm very excited about a new routine - something to shake up these bones!

Briee, I do feel the same way although scientifically it makes sense-I hate to lift "light" knowing I can do much more, but I'm starting to learn about the need for rest and letting the muscles repair.

Check out the site stumptuous.com which is great- the woman who writes it is Krista and she's educated and funny which has also helped me change my mindset and routine.

 

[brenda21]

Trevor, OK one more question-

How often are you doing your HIIT and how long? I've read to do it 3-4 xs/week but with that and just lifting 3-4 xs/week it doesn't seem like enough? I also don't want to overtrain which I have a tendency to do, but I'm also impatient and want to see the results.

What to do?

Brenda

 

[trevor]

Hey Brenda
I do interval work 3 days a week which is alot. I do no more than 30 mins. and usually do 20 mins total. For instance on the treadmill I will go 2 mins. in "off" mode -- about an 8 min per mile pace, then go "on" for 45 secs to 1 minute--- a 6:15 min. per mile pace. That's pretty intense. Combine that with the 3 full body HST workouts per week that you want to do and you won't need any more, believe me. Try to get away from the thinking that you have to do long cardio sessions to get results. Think intensity! Trust me on this. If you do these things and eat right you will see results. Now you may need to adjust a bit to suit your individual needs after you do this awhile but it will work. Mix up the cardio equipment, etc. to keep it fresh.
As for HR monitors, I use a basic Polar model and I recommend any of the Polar monitors. If you need help with your HR work range calculation just let me know.
You sound like you are in great shape already so just go 4 it!!
Oh and I forgot. I haven't a clue as to body tape measures....sorry!
Trevor