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I’ve hit a very hard plateau recently and have been searching for something new and refreshing. My previous workout routines consisted of 5 day body splits with lots of training to failure. Needlessness to say, I’ve been unimpressed with my results.

So it’s time switch it!

Meet HST, Hypertrophy-Specific Training. Here is the quick and dirty:

What is it?
HST is a proven and popular workout program and set of principals developed by Brian Haycock that has been used by tons of strength trainers and bodybuilders alike with impressive results.

What’s it good for?
Increasing muscle mass and strength or decreasing body fat. However, it’s slightly geared towards increases size rather than strength. But you can expect both size and strength if you’re in a calorie surplus.

What are the basics of the program?
It’s essentially a 3 day, full-body routine where you decrease your rep range slowly over 8 weeks while increasing the weight you use.

A Step-by-Step for the HST routine:

Step 1) Pick Exercises

Choose 8-12 full body exercises that you wish to use. I recommend keeping it to 8 to minimize time in the gym and overtraining. Here are my recommended ones:

Squat
Barbell Flat Bench Press
Stiff Legged Deadlift
Bent Over Barbell Rows
Seated Shoulder Press
Straight Bar Curls
Skull Crushers
Standing Calf Raise

Step 2) Find your rep maxes for 15,10, and 5 reps.

Find your 15 rep max, 10 rep max, and 5 rep max for each exercise. Don’t guess. Take a week to figure out your real maxes for every exercise for every rep range (15,10,5). For example, on Monday, find your 15 rep maxes, then Wednesday find your 10 rep maxes, and the on Friday find your 5 rep maxes.

*What’s a 15 rep max? It’s the heaviest weight you can lift for 15 reps.

Step 3) Take 9-14 days off

After you find your maxes, take the next 9-14 days off from training. This is called the “Strategic Deconditioning” in the HST program. Basically you’re “resetting” yourself and your muscles so they respond better during the next 8 weeks.

Step 4) Understand the rep routine

After you have all your maxes figured out, and you’ve rested for 9-14 days, you’ll be performing the full body routine 3 days week (M/W/F for example) and using different rep ranges every 2 weeks. The fist 2 week block you’ll be doing 15 reps, then 10, then 5. Example:

Week 1 – 15 reps
Week 2 – 15 reps
Week 3 – 10 reps
Week 4 – 10 reps
Week 5 – 5 reps
Week 6 – 5 reps

Sets: 2 sets for each exercise

Step 5) Figure out the weights you’ll be lifting

The actual weight you’ll be using for your each 2 week rep block will quite light and will gradually increase every workout to your max. Here’s an example for someone who’s 15 rep max is 185 pounds on squat:

Workout 1 (Week 1, Monday)- 110lbs
Workout 2 (Week 1, Wednesday)- 125lbs
Workout 3 (Week 1, Friday)- 140lbs
Workout 4 (Week 2, Monday)- 155lbs
Workout 5 (Week 2, Wednesday)- 170lbs
Workout 6 (Week 2, Friday)- 185lbs

Notice how the weight increases from light to your max over each 2 week segment. Increase each exercise 5-15lbs per workout. Compound movements (squat, bench) can be increased 10-15 pounds where isolated exercises (Curls, Skull Crushers) should be increased 5-10 pounds.

**Use this HST CALCULATOR to setup your entire routine. Plug-in 5-15lb for the “Inc” (incremental) and your “RMs” (rep maxes) and hit “calculate”.

View my sample HST routine here:

Hopefully you have your first 6 weeks figured out using the calculator. Now for week 7 and 8, you have a few choices. You can do 2 rep maxes, 5 rep maxes (just like week 5 and 6), or 5 rep maxes with drop sets.

Step 6) Start lifting!

I’ll be testing out this routine exactly how I described. I’m excited to see what results it brings (even though I’ll be in a caloric deficit). Feel free to follow along or start it up yourself.

Visit HST’s official site for more detailed information, http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com.

Feel free to ask questions