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.

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.

Number 4- Use a powdered protein or mass gainer

A powdered protein, like a whey is great to help increase your daily protein intake. It's perfect for after your workout when your body is catabolic, and will absorb more nutrients. Also a mass gainer is great to help meet and exceed your daily caloric intake. They do exactly what they're named for, gaining mass. Read my post on how to make a great home-made mass gainer here - http://codygarber.blogspot.com/2012/08/home-made-mass-gainer-shake.html?m=1

Number 5- Less time in the gym

I know we're all gym addicts, and we all love to be in the gym. Heck I'd stay all day if I could! But the perfect amount of time for a workout is about an hour. Going past that can yield bad results on your hormone levels. Your body will start to secrete cortisol, which can temporarily lower your testosterone levels. So get in the gym, get your workout done, and then head out!

5 ways to improve muscle gains

Throughout the day I will be posting 5 tips on how to improve muscle gains. Stay tuned because the first tip will be posted soon!

Home-made Mass Gainer Shake

When on a bulk you're trying to push up your total food intake per day, and a lot of people sometimes have trouble eating more food. So what do they do? They go and buy mass gainers! Mass gainers basically provide a surplus of calories, carbs, and proteins, and fats. Now we all know that a five pound tub of mass gainer typically doesn't last over two weeks. But it can be quicker and more convenient to buy mass gainers instead of making them yourself, because all you have to do is scoop it into a shaker cup, add water, and voila! it's all ready and can be chugged down. But with each tub costing about forty bucks, they can add up to cost a fortune. So to save on price you have to get a little creative. So I decided to come up with a mass gainer shake of my own, that has high calories, carbs, and protein.The mass gainer shake I make contains: two cups of milk, one cup of fruit (whatever fruit you want), one serving of natural peanut butter, a half-full serving of oatmeal (optional), and a scoop of whey protein. So here are directions to make this mass monster:

1.) Pour one cup of milk into a blender
2.) Add one cup of fruit (your choice of fruit) and one serving of peanut butter
3.) Blend all of it together
4.) Pour in another cup of milk
5.) Add whey protein powder, and oats
6.) Blend again
7.) Pour into a cup and enjoy!

Now, onto the nutritional facts of this shake. The two cups of milk add up to 244 calories, 24 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of protein. The cup of fruit, let's say you added a large banana and that's it, would be about 110 calories 30 grams of carbs and about 1..yes 1 gram of protein, the peanut butter adds up to 190 calories 6 grams of carbs and 7 grams of protein, the oats add up to be 150 calories 27 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein, and lastly the whey protein (we'll take 100% gold whey by Optimum nutrition) adds up to be 120 calories 3 grams of carbs and 24 grams of protein

So once you add all of this up it comes to a total of:
814 calories
90 grams of carbs
53 grams of protein

The taste of this shake is incredible! And if you want extra calories and protein just put in two scoops of whey protein instead of one! You can also add egg whites to. But most importantly 5 pound tubs of whey protein are 50+ servings, so a lot of shakes can be made before having to buy a new tub!

Awesome Pre-Workout Drink

Today after my art of film class I went to the gym. So I started off with my normal pre-workout ritual, some carbs and sugars with a pre-workout drink. I didn't have many options since I wasn't at home, so I ate a banana. Now I tried something different with the pre-workout drink. I mixed my Warpath which is made by American Muscle, with my Essential AmiN.O. Energy made by Optimum Nutrition (read last post for more info on the amino energy). I did one serving of amino energy, and a half serving of warpath. Now warpath contains GPLC which is known as: Glycine Propionyl L-Carnitine, in other words a nitric oxide booster that provides a nice pump. It also contains other goodies like beta alanine, creatines, and all sorts of other things. There's just way too many to list! But back to the bread and butter of this post, this mixture rocked! The Warpath flavor was Pink Lemonade and Essential AmiN.O. Energy was blue raspberry. You're probably thinking "what in the heck?! Those sound awful together!" The flavors together make a sour blue raspberry, so it tasted awesome! Warpath gives you more of a focused feel, and the amino energy gives you an energetic feel. So put them together and you've got the best of both worlds! My pump in the gym was absolutely incredible! My chest felt incredibly huge! (it was chest day today) And my favorite part was, no crash afterwards! I don't know about you, but I hate feeling like poop after a workout. So the point being is that you should try something like this, just do it in moderation. Don't go too crazy on the servings. Oh and of course, happy national chest day to those who train chest on Monday's! (change it up occasionally though)