HST article
Hypertrophy specific training (HST).
traditional training methods usually train a specific muscle group once a week in contrast to HST training total body EOD or daily (weekends off). the concept behind HST is the fact that recovery time of a specific trained muscle group is 36 hours . So with traditional training you spend 2 days growing and half a week in a semi-anticatabolic state. When in fact increased protein synthesis to a given muscle group as well as IGF-1 levels return to a normal state in 36 hours. you are only in an anabolic state for 2 days. according to recent studies recovery can take place even if the muscle is trained in as little as 48 hours.
so to put in laymen terms the theory behind HST is to take advantage of the actual recovery time to promote a higher degree of muscle hypertrophy
one problem bodybuilders face is the fact that muscles can adapt very quickly to the same repeated resistance . For this reason when i come off my bulking routine i will sometimes go into my refined HST program. it gives my muscles a break from the usual heavy loads , stimulates tendon repair - higher reps utilise lactic acid, & changes my routine. when i go back to my bulking routine my joints & tendons feel good & i get a shock from the changed routine & get good results. so in short i use it as a maintenance phase. HST is also good for begginers.
i refined an HST routine to my liking. as opposed to ED or EOD total body, i split the routine into upper body one day & lower body the next. by doing this i could increase the sets of each exercise. i'm 38 & i need my warm ups, especailly my knees.
an example might be (day 1 )
chest: 2 sets incline, 2 sets of decline
back: 2 sets lat pull downs , 2 sets rows
shoulders : 2 sets military press, 3 sets side DB raises
day 2
2 sets leg extentions , 2 sets leg curls, 2 sets leg press or squats, 3 sets toe raises
you could do this 4 days on 1 day off or 5 on 2 off
this is just an example & could be refined. when i was on this i only had one warm up set. if your pecs are warm why do another warm up set when you go to incline? this routine worked very well as a maintenance phase for me
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