Hypertrophy-specific Training - Other Concepts Featured in HST

Other Concepts Featured in HST

• Utilizing lactic acid as a stimulus for tendon repair/health: Periodically exercising at higher reps produces lactic acid which prepares the muscles and tendons for future heavy loads. Compound exercises are used to maximize the effects.
• Progressively Adjusting reps to accommodate Progressive Load: HST suggests that you gradually reduce the number of reps per set to accommodate the ever increasing load. Many common "HST" programs start with a 15 rep, 2 week "semi-cycle" that is performed over six workouts with the sixth workout being at the exercisers maximum 15-rep weight. The next semi-cycle, reps are reduced to 10, then 5, finally ending with a repeat of the 5 rep cycle, or eccentric repetitions. Each semi-cycle adds to equal one full 8 week cycle.
• Low volume per exercise (average volume per week): HST suggests that you limit the number of sets per exercise per workout to 1 or 2, based on evidence that sets beyond the first effective set do little to contribute to hypertrophy. Instead of doing 6 sets of a bench press in one workout once or twice per week, those sets are spread over three workouts in the course of a week. This accommodates the concept of chronic load by allowing for exercise every two days or so.