Hypertrophy-specific Training - Principles of HST

Principles of HST

1. Mechanical Load: Tension loading of muscles through Exercise is a prerequisite for muscle hypertrophy.
2. Chronic Stimulation: These stimuli must be applied with sufficient frequency. Recovery can take place unabated even if the muscle is loaded again in 48 hours. Acute responses to training, such as increased rates of protein accretion, return to normal in about 36 hours. Given these facts, waiting more than 48 hours between bouts of training for a particular muscle is a waste of time.
3. Progressive Load: Over time, the tissue adapts and becomes resistant to the effects of mechanical load. To remain effective, the load must be steadily increased over time at a pace which exceeds the rate of adaptation.
4. Strategic Deconditioning: When the load has been increased at the appropriate pace for long enough, the weights either become intolerable, or the risk of injury becomes too great. Since the load can no longer be increased, to continue hypertrophy, the adaptation to the load must be reversed. To accomplish this, after the highest weights are used, training is halted for a period to allow the muscles to "Decondition" and allow hypertrophic response to training once again. This process happens after the end of a 6-8 week "cycle" and can last from 9–14 days preceding a new "cycle".