HST Training

HST, otherwise known as Hypertropy Specific Training, is 3 full body workouts a week for 8weeks. It is based on physiological principles about hypertrophy (muscle growth) which was found in a lab. It is a scientifically proven training program, and is based on steadily loading the muscle mechanically to increase muscle growth. HST also utilized lactic acid to aid in tendon growth and repair. This is done by starting the first two weeks with high reps.

Now what you do before you start HST is you take one to two weeksoff, which is otherwise known as strategic deconditioning. That way you decondition and rest your muscles.. Then you change the reps every two weeks, and it'll end uplooking like this:

Weeks 1-2: 15 reps

Weeks 3-4: 10 reps

Weeks 5-6: 5 reps

Weeks 7-8: 2 reps. Or any rep scheme you want, with drop sets,supersets..etc

Now that you know the reps, you figure out your max for eachrep scheme. EX: 15 rep max, 10 rep max, 5 rep max

There's six workouts for each rep scheme (3 workouts a week)So you take your rep max, and do a percent of it for the first workout, then doa heavier weight the second workout, all the way until your sixth workout whenyou max. So for example - say your 15 rep max for bench press is 135 lbs. Soworkout 1 you do 110 lbs, workout 2 115 lbs, workout 3 120 lbs, workout 4 125lbs, workout 5 130 lbs, and workout 6 135 lbs. This is called a progressive load, and it prevents your muscles from adapting to the workout.

It sounds confusing but it is actually just some simplemath. You just need to figure out your rep maxes! It is also very important to use compound lifts for your workouts. I personally do two to three workouts per body part (unless it's arms) so for instance it'd look like this:

LEGS: squats and roman deadlifts

Back: bent over rows, pull-ups

Chest: bench press, incline bench press

Shoulders: DB shoulder press, lateral raises, rear delt flyes

Triceps: Skull crushers, close grip bench press (skull crushers Monday & Friday, close grip bench Wednesday)

Biceps: Barbell curls, hammer curls (curls Monday & Friday, hammers Wednesday)

Abs: cable crunches, leg raises. 

Now it doesn't have to look exactly like that, but that's an example of what your workouts will look like. Do the lifts that you prefer, and see the most results from! Remember to keep the sets to only 1-2 per workout, that way you prevent over training. 

Here is a link to an HST calculator:

http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_calc.html

Workout Programs: Finding what works for you

I'll start off by saying, a lot of people get stuck in a rut where they don't gain any muscle. Otherwise known as a plateau. The best way to break that plateau is to change things up, and this is when I think it's important to change your workout program! There are tons of programs out there, like Dog Crapp Training (funny name, but known to be effective!), Y3T training, Growth Stimulus Training, Hypertrophic Specific Training..and way many others! Now the hard part - finding out what works for you! It basically boils down to trial and error. Make sure to get ALL of the details for the program, I'd recommend you write it down. To make it easier, make a schedule. Write down what you're going to do every workout. Lifts, sets, weight, reps..etc. I must say that my favorite program thus far is the Hypertrophic Specific Training, aka HST. I will explain HST in a separate post. But I do see the most results from it. But back on track. It might take you a while to find that perfect program, but you'll eventually find it! It just takes patience. Remember if it was easy, everyone would be doing it! Lastly, another important thing to keep in mind: don't change an already proven program! If you were to change per say, Growth Stimulus Training by adding things or doing different number of sets, or reps. Then wouldn't that be your own workout program? So a suggestion is to do the actual program, and if you don't like it then you can tweak it to match you more. But try the real program or different programs before you try to tweak things. Don't be closed-minded, keep your mind open and try programs you think you normally wouldn't do. Who knows, it might work!
Here's a link to some workout programs on the bodybuilding.com workout program forums go check it out:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Back Destruction Workout

Everybody likes the flared tapered lats. And a big back makes the difference between a hunk and a chump. So here's a back workout to give you the big back you've always wanted to have!

Okay so start off doing wide grip pull-ups, do 3-4 sets of as many as you can do. Then go to the lat pull down machine and do three sets with moderate weight, not heavy. Focus on form and get your blood flowing to your back, for a nice strong pump! Next up is my favorite, bent over rows. Go heavy and do 4 sets, but don't ware yourself out in the first two! Don't forget to squeeze your lats together at the top of every rep. Now onto the next lift, seated cable rows. Go heavy on this lift to, and perform three to four sets.

So on paper it looks like this:

Wide grip pull-ups: 3-4 x as many reps possible (alternatively you can work up to 50 total reps)
Lat pulldowns: 3 x 8-12 @ a moderate weight form
Bent over rows: 4 x 6-10 @ a heavy weight!
Seated cable rows: 3 x 6-10 @ a heavy weight

DO NOT forget to use proper form, without it you can either get hurt or see very little results. Try to only cheat on your last one or two reps. When doing bent over rows pretend your arms are two hooks, and imagine your back doing the lift. Squeeze hard at the top of every rep!

Also: you can throw in deadlifts, but I'll typically do those later in the week on a leg day. And also people like to do shrugs on back day, which is completely fine! But I personally do those when I do shoulders.

The Laker Five

Over the past few months, the Los Angeles Lakers have built quite the starting five. This gives all of us Laker lovers hopes for a good shot at the championship. The starting five is projected to be Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, and Metta World Peace who is formerly known as Ron Artest. Now that sounds like a formula for disaster! In a good way of course! That is a very strong starting line-up if you ask me. The lakers acquired two-time mvp Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for two first round draft picks, and also a second round pick as well. The second big pick-up was of course the three-time defensive player of the year Dwight Howard. He was acquired in a four-way trade. The Lakers sent out Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, as well as two draft picks to Orlando. One first round, and the other second round. Andrew Bynum was then sent to the Philadelphia 76ers. Not too bad of a trade huh? Now of course we kept Pau Gasol, which I'm very thankful for because he is my favorite player. And of course we kept the teams main mojo, Kobe Bryant. All of this has made me very excited to watch the Lakers play this year. Let's hope for good things to come! And please World Peace, stay out of trouble

Number 1- Get plenty of rest

That's right, if you get proper rest you can increase muscle gains! It's recommended to sleep about eight hours a night. Your body repairs itself when you go to sleep, which in turn helps the torn muscle fibers to heal and ideally grow. Now if you aren't able to get eight hours a night, I can completely understand. Some have pretty busy schedules. So if you can try to get a short nap in, or try not to do much physical activity after your workout. It's also recommended to have a slower absorbing protein before bed, like casein. That way your body is getting nutrients still while it sleeps, and that protein will help your muscles recover quicker. Now what I do is I drink whey protein before bed, but instead of making it with water, I make it with milk. The milk helps slow down the absorption of the protein, and that way you don't have to buy a tub of casein protein. Another supplement that helps with night time recovery is ZMA. Which consists of Zinc, Magnesium, and Aspartate. They vitamin b6 to. It can help in boosting testosterone levels, and that means more muscle mass! But don't take this with any kind of calcium because it'll block the absorption of Zinc. So take it 30 minutes prior to using any other supplements

Number 2- Eat, Eat, Eat!

Eating food is a huge part to gaining muscle. Eat frequently, and have calorie dense meals. You have to exceed your maintenance calories if you want to see more gains.This isn't really a science, but a lot of people make it seem like one. Because it doesn't mean you should eat three big macs and four pizzas in order to "bulk". Well you'll bulk, but you'll end up looking like Fat Albert if you do that. Also, people claim to have tried to eat more, but still haven't seen gains. There's a simple answer to that, eat more! But first you need to figure out how many calories you need to meet maintenance. To figure that out click the link here- http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

To make things easier, get a notebook and pen, and record down everything you've eaten from wake-up to your last meal of the day. Write down the calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats from each meal. That way you know how many calories you've taken in, and if you need more. Remember..you gotta eat big to get big!

Number 3- Less is more and quality over quantity!

It's true, the less you do, the more gains you'll see. Sounds like a weird concept huh? This doesn't mean go to the gym, do one set of bench press and then leave. It means still do your normal lifts, just don't do so many sets. Plus if you're doing a lot you are more than likely over training your muscles, which in turn will yield no results. For example: Many people love doing chest workouts, so what do they do? They do outrageous amounts of sets in hopes of getting that perfect looking chest! Here's what I do on my chest day: 2 sets of flat flyes, 3 sets of bench press, 2-3 sets of incline press, and then 2 sets of decline press. That's plenty of sets, and in some cases might be too much for others. It's all about trial and error. Now another thing people don't get is quality over quantity. Focus on your form, and getting that nice squeeze in each rep. There's no point in looking like tarzan swinging through the jungle while doing your lifts. You're just setting yourself for minimal gains, and even worse, getting injured. So instead of doing 20 reps as fast as you can with no squeezes, do 10 slow reps with a nice squeeze. Your pump will even be better, guaranteed.